Hempfield Advances To League Semifinals With A 45-34 Win Vs. Lancaster Catholic (Kehler On Hoops)
Written by: Andy Herr on February 7, 2026
Article by David Kehler
Hempfield led wire-to-wire on Saturday afternoon to defeat visiting Lancaster Catholic 45-34, in a game that was more competitive than the final score suggests, in a Lancaster-Lebanon League playoff quarterfinal. Hempfield will play Lancaster Mennonite in the semifinal round on Tuesday at Conestoga Valley.
Both Hempfield and Lancaster Catholic were deliberate on offense throughout the game. Both had nice ball movement, were unselfish, and often looked for opportunities to shoot from outside. Both squads had difficulty finding the range from beyond the arc. There were two major reasons for Hempfield’s victory: they handled the ball much better than Lancaster Catholic did, and Lancaster Catholic’s interior defense had great difficulty guarding Hempfield senior Spencer Troyer.
The pattern of the game was quickly apparent. From the outset, both teams were deliberate when they had the ball, so much so that the game’s first field goal, a drive by Hempfield senior Tate Guthrie, occurred with 4:50 left in the opening quarter. Two other themes were immediately evident: Lancaster Catholic was having turnover problems, and Hempfield’s Troyer was a powerful presence inside. However, Lancaster Catholic was able to keep the game close in the first frame, largely due to effective defensive rebounding and the offensive prowess of senior Tyler Humphrey. Humphrey scored all seven of Lancaster Catholic’s first quarter points on a couple of free throws, a layup, and a 3-pointer. Lancaster Catholic’s four turnovers in the first eight minutes provided Hempfield with some nice scoring opportunities, and the home side led 10-7 at the end of the first quarter.
The second quarter was the most evenly contested period of the game. Although Lancaster Catholic committed five more turnovers in the quarter, they out-rebounded Hempfield seven to four in the second frame. Midway in the second period, Lancaster Catholic freshman Rowan DeMarco made a 3-pointer, cutting Hempfield’s lead to 15 to 12. Then, Hempfield’s Troyer scored on a pivot play, followed by a drive to put his team up 19 to 12. Lancaster Catholic responded with a free throw by senior Jackson Legenstein and a drive by senior Jarrett Schmitt to make it 19 to 15 in favor of Hempfield at halftime.
There was little scoring in the third quarter. Hempfield defenders were playing a tight man-to-man, and Lancaster Catholic guys were too stationary in their half court sets to get many good shooting opportunities. Early in the third frame, following a Hempfield turnover, Lancaster Catholic’s Humphrey scored on a fast break layup to cut the home side’s lead to 19 to 17. Lancaster Catholic never got closer. From that point, Hempfield went on a 10 to 2 run, spanning the end of the third quarter and the beginning of the fourth frame, on a 3-pointer by Guthrie, two free throws by junior Jayzen Gant, a drive by Troyer, and another 3-pointer by Guthrie. That made it 29 to 19 in favor of Hempfield with 6:30 left in the contest. Hempfield’s scoring run was decisive. From that point, Hempfield’s Troyer was a handful down the stretch, scoring nine of his team’s subsequent 16 points. Repeated late game fouling by Lancaster Catholic was ineffective.
For the game, Lancaster Catholic out-rebounded Hempfield 27 to 21. Hempfield had just six turnovers, while Lancaster Catholic had 15 miscues. Hempfield was 12 of 18 from the free throw line, while Lancaster Catholic was nine of 16 from the stripe. Hempfield made three 3-pointers, all by Guthrie, and Lancaster Catholic scored twice from beyond the arc.
Hempfield scoring: Spencer Troyer 19, Tate Guthrie 11, Cayden Auker 6, Sean Forsyth 6, and Jayzen Gant 3.
Lancaster Catholic scoring: Tyler Humphrey 14, Rowan DeMarco 7, Colton Hegener 6, Jarett Schmitt 6, and Jackson Legenstein 1.
Lancaster Catholic 7 8 4 15-34
Hempfield 10 9 7 19-45
On X (formerly Twitter): @david_kehler
LLhoops.com contributor David Kehler chairs the Pennsylvania Sportswriters’ selection of the Pennsylvania boys All-State basketball teams.
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