BY JEFF FALK

 SHIREMANSTOWN – Winning is important. Extremely important.

 But it isn’t the only thing in scholastic athletics.

 There are other things, like working together, doing one’s best and reaching goals. The fact that those things aren’t winning doesn’t make them any less important.

 On Monday night at Trinity High School, the Annville-Cleona boys’ basketball team experienced all the perks that the quarterfinal round of the PIAA District Three Class AAA playoffs have to offer, except winning, as they dropped a 66-25 decision to the home-standing Shamrocks. The Little Dutchmen were plagued by turnovers and poor shooting throughout, errors that were both unforced and the result of Trinity’s athletic crew.

 Despite rattling off four straight regular-season-ending victories to reach the District Three postseason, Annville-Cleona wasn’t just content to be there. But the result ended the eighth-seeded Little Dutchmen’s campaign at 12-11.

 Not bad for a first-year head coach and a bunch of multi-sport athletes.

 Trinity, the top seed in Class AAA, moved to 20-2 overall and into the semifinal round of the tournament.

  “I told our guys at the end of the game that they had nothing to be ashamed of,” said Annville-Cleona head coach Jason Coletti. “We were trying to keep our heads above water all season long, and then make a run at the end. It was a huge confidence builder. They (his players) became more consistent as the season went along and that comes from experience.

 “The importance of qualifying for districts is so they know what hard work is about,” continued Coletti. “A lot of guys didn’t want to come out for the team. And there’s a lot of teams not playing now. Now the question is: ‘What are we going to do next year?’ We have a lot of guys back.”

 Annville-Cleona certainly wasn’t in awe of the powerful Shamrocks. Although they never led, the Little Dutchmen traded punches with Trinity through most of the first half.

 A jumper and subsequent three-pointer from senior Deshaun Archer pulled the Little Dutchmen to within 9-7 of Trinity 4:18 into the contest. But the Shamrocks pieced together a 12-2 run that ended the opening quarter, spilled over into the second and gave the home side a 21-9 advantage.

 “We had a game plan to hang around, and then see where we were in the fourth quarter,” said Coletti. “But they (the Shamrocks) went on a couple of runs in the first half, and the game plan wasn’t going to work in the second half.

 “They (the Shamrocks) get a lot of credit,” Coletti continued. “They’ve got basketball players all over the court. They were knocking down shots from all over the place. They’re a veteran team. We knew it was going to be a tough one.”

 Annville-Cleona was still very much within striking distance 2:02 into the second quarter, when Adam Long scored a driving lay-up to draw the Little Dutchmen to within 21-11. But Trinity’s response was an 11-3 spurt that gave it a 32-14 bulge just before the break.

 “We left some shooters open and we know better,” said Coletti. “You’ve got to pick your poison with them, try to take away their inside game or try to take away their outside game. But we did miss a few assignments on good shooters.

 “At halftime I told them (his players) to just keep playing hard,” added Coletti. “We wanted to knock it (the deficit) down to ten, and then the pressure would be on them. But they ramped up the defense in the third quarter and we only scored two points. That’s not a (Lancaster-Lebanon League) Section Five team. That’s a Section One team.”

 With 12 points, Archer was the only Annville-Cleona scorer to reach double digits. The Shamrocks outscored the Little Dutchmen 46-24 on deuces  – many of which came from a couple of feet from the basket – and 18-6 on treys.

  “We wanted to slow the game down and spread them out,” said Coletti. “We had to limit the possessions in the game and we had to knock down shots. They closed down on shooters very well. We just wanted to hang around and put some game pressure on them.

 “We really worked hard on their press in practice,” Coletti added. “It was their length that bothered us. They’re (the Shamrocks) athletes and they play together. They’re experienced and big. We knew the talent they had.”

 Trinity formally put the outcome to rest in the third quarter.

 Annville-Cleona went without a point for the opening 4:33 of the second half, during which time the Shamrocks were extending their lead to 40-16, with an 8-0 burst. The Shamrocks also netted the final 11 points of the third period, and carried a 51-18 into the final eight minutes of action.

 “We have very good athletes,” said Coletti. “Our only true basketball player was Deshaun. Now it’s their (the juniors’) turn. They know they can get here. It’s a realistic goal.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 To purchase images in this article email jkfalk2005@yahoo.com, or to view more go to https://lebanonsportsbuzz.com/photo-gallery/.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2018-19 Annville-Cleona Boys’ Basketball Results