Fourth Time Remains A Charm As Lancaster Mennonite Outlasts Halifax, Keeps Blazers’ District 3-2A Dynasty Alive In Quadruple Fashion
Written by: Andy Herr on February 29, 2024
This is one of those where there really isn’t much of a debate that can take place.
If you grow up watching, competing, and/or coaching in the ranks of PIAA District 3, this is the summit of the mountain you want to crest. When you consider your preseason goals –whether you put it into actualized writing up on a whiteboard or not – this is where surely everyone wants to make it to without nothing other than 100% accuracy. “Where” serving as the Giant Center, home to the District 3 championships as it has every year since 2003, save for the one-off COVID year of 2021, inside of a building that more often than not has also played host to the state championships as well over the course of the last 20 years.
And while nearly young hooper, both boy and girl, in the mid-state almost certainly does the “3, 2, 1” countdown in their driveway at some point growing up mimicking a shot they hope to someday hoist on the big stage while in Hershey, the road for some is a little, shall we say, more open to some as opposed to others if you will. Just look at Lancaster Mennonite for example.
By the time the Lancaster Mennonite Blazers took the overwhelmingly large Giant Center confines for the 2A boys’ title game at 4:30 on Wednesday afternoon, please don’t find fault with them if this in some ways felt to be a case of “business as usual.” And to be frank, anything other than that collective mindset might have been a bit surprising.
Yes, while this in many ways a vastly different Mennonite bunch than the cast and crew who was last here for the state title game 11 months ago in the terms of its foremost names and faces, most notably in its head coach serving his first-year on the bench, Jeff Hartenstine, replacing last season’s Pennsylvania 2A State Coach of the Year, Seth Buckwalter, not much has changed for Mennonite in some respects. Chief among them being this exact same game that they were getting ready to partake in.
This season, while seeing Mennonite eventually traverse its way to the program’s fourth consecutive District 3-2A title wasn’t exactly a surprise, having the Blazers tip it off against anyone other than Antietam was a bit of a shock to the system.
Never fear though. The Mennonite and Antietam postseason grudge match indeed took place as it basically was forced to this year with Mennonite getting the better of the Mounts from just outside Reading city as the Blazers were able to come away with a 50-30 triumph on their home floor to advance to the Giant Center for the title fight on Wednesday afternoon. And since that aforementioned COVID year of 2021, that made it a perfect 4-0 mark for Mennonite over Antietam when it came to the district tourney in recent memory, with this particular matchup being the lone one not found with gold medals hinging on the eventual outcome.
But to rewind it back to last winter for a second, once Mennonite was able to make good on winning three consecutive District 3 titles, two of which came at the Giant Center, there was a bit of an underlying feeling when they posed for pictures with the District 3 trophy last season that it wouldn’t be the Blazers’ last trip to Hershey’s premier sports venue. Granted, while it wasn’t exactly the easiest of pathways by means to make it back, especially surrendering 50 points to Davion Hill of St John Neumann in the opening round of states especially all by his lonesome, Mennonite would indeed make it back to the esteemed grounds last March before vanquishing a dominant foe from the other side of the state, Aliquippa, as the Blazers’ eventual win for state gold against the Quips finally quenched the Lancaster-Lebanon League’s 20-year thirst for a champion in the process.
So, what does that all mean? Yes, while Mennonite boasts an incredibly young roster, paired with a young coach as well this time around in the 2023-24 campaign, they were right back where they belonged. And they were belonged was their home away from home in a sense with Mennonite making it back to Hershey for the fourth time in the last three seasons.
On the contrary however, that same level of experience that came in playing inside this palatial house simply could not be said for their mid-week opponent by comparison.
That said, regardless of where this one would be played, whether it be the Giant Center or at a public park, it’d be hard to simply write off and not fully appreciate Halifax’s 21-2 overall record this season which the Wildcats brought with them into their matchup against the defending state title holders on Wednesday while just flatly assuming this would be some sort of an out-of-body experience for them that they’d have to contend with both physically and mentally.
Simply put, Halifax’s stellar overall record had them possessing the best overall record heading into championship weekend. Ironically though, much like Mennonite’s galivant to the state crown last season, Halifax’s road to Hershey for this year’s district title fight almost never got off the ground either.
Easy to recognize that when Halifax, who had the home court to their advantage, eerily similar to Lancaster Mennonite in the opening round of states last year, needed a remarkable fourth quarter comeback rally to eventually stave off Steel-High by a 74-67 final count in overtime this past Friday night against a Rollers’ team that came into the evening with a 7-14 overall record to their name. And for their prize, the tiny public school team hailing from the town its named after, 795 proud residents and all per the latest Census numbers, meandered their way down Dauphin County on Wednesday afternoon and into Hershey for what would be the program’s first time playing on top of the Giant Center floor since their 2018 District 3 title performance that came at the hands of Millersburg.
Yeah, but maybe all of that would all totally be irrelevant in the long run and nothing more than just noise in the ether. Sure, while there may be something to be said for “been there, done that,” that doesn’t mean such things automatically turn into gospel. And while Lancaster Mennonite has been busy rearranging room in their trophy case coming out of trips to Hershey here in the very recent past, Halifax was right to consider those very same best laid plans considering how the Wildcats last tasted defeat a few days before Christmas.
Here though, even despite their best efforts exerted over the course of 32 minutes on Wednesday, Halifax would soon discover as to why Lancaster Mennonite surely feels more than comfortable playing at Giant Center, whether the stakes happen to be districts or states.
But aside from this being a building in which they know all the ins and outs of, Lancaster Mennonite, and Halifax too for that matter, seemed rather shaky at least to start. Yet when they did eventually settle down, it would be Mennonite who would be fortunate enough to first calm their respective storm.
Case in point, while one of the few seniors in the Blazers’ rotation, Myles Halvorsen, knocked down an early triple to make it a 5-4 Mennonite lead with 5:40 left in the opening quarter, an emphatic block down on the defensive end of the floor tallied by one of the bevy of Blazers’ sophomore cogs, Cody Fisher, kept the three-time defending District 3 champs’ early lead in good standing.
And while a smooth Halifax jumper knocked down by junior guard, Waid Gainer, got the Wildcats within one at 7-6 with roughly two minutes left in the opening stanza, the first eight minutes would later cease with Mennonite owning a 10-6 advantage. An advantage that by and large could’ve been far larger in size and stature had the Blazers been able to capitalize on a handful of bunnies that were left begging at the tin during the first eight minutes.
Yet if separation is what the folks had been clamoring for, rest assured that Mennonite would be bestowed with those first honors as well.
First up in that sequence came an old-school three-point play converted by another of the embarrassment of Mennonite young guns, Chase Hurst, making it a 13-6 Mennonite cushion just 1:20 into the second stanza.
From there, following a 3-ball sunk by junior forward, Jadyn Taylor, the Blazers’ lead had swelled upwards to an eight-point count, 16-8, before a tough Hurst take to the rack gave Mennonite their largest lead of the early afternoon, 18-8, prompting Halifax to burn a timeout with 5:25 left before the halftime recess.
But from that point on however, the winds of change were about to turn emphatically in Halifax’s direction.
Sure enough, behind a pair of 2-2 trips to the charity stripe that were cashed in by way of Waid Gainer and Justin Zahurak respectively that were bookended by a put-back deuce at the cup by way of Zahurak, Halifax had cut the once sizable Mennonite buffer down to just a pair at 20-18 with a hair over one minute left to be played in the opening half. And once that initial half did ultimately expire, it would end with Mennonite somewhat clinging to a 20-19 advantage despite falling victim to a 11-2 Wildcats’ spurt over the course of the final five minutes and change.
Unfortunately for those same fans who come down from Halifax, that would prove to be all the closer their beloved Wildcats would get throughout the remainder of the afternoon.
From the start of the second half, with Halvorsen continuing to lead the charge –this time with a 3-ball to up the Mennonite lead back to seven at 29-22 with 5:15 left in the third – the table was then set for a Chase Hurst take to the cup which promptly made it a 33-25 Blazers’ lead with a shade over three minutes left in the third frame by that point.
As fate would have it, that would indeed prove to be the margin of separation by and large for what separated these two squads over the course of the final few minutes of the third.
Granted, while a layup put home by way of Halifax’s leading scorer on the day, Waid Gainer, who propelled the Wildcats’ effort with a 15-point day at the office, would cut the Mennonite lead back down to a half dozen at 35-29, the third frame would later expire with Lancaster Mennonite continuing to hold serve at 37-30.
Suffice to say, if the Wildcats had one final push left in them to try and finally summit the mountain known as Lancaster Mennonite, time was of the essence as far as they were concerned. The good news for them in that regard was that they would indeed author one final charge to get back within the fight.
While it may have started out rather innocuous in the form of a Euro-step move to the tin put home by way of Gainer that made it a 39-32 difference in Mennonite’s favor right at the onset of the final period, the building blocks for a Halifax flurry were just getting laid into the foundation.
In fact, on the Wildcats’ ensuing trip down the floor following Gainer’s move en route to the hoop, a triple splashed down by Riley Barr, fresh off the Halifax bench, made it a much more modest 41-35 ballgame with 5:30 left to play at that point following the senior’s bucket from bonus distance.
Speaking of the 3-ball, that largely continued to serve as Halifax’s fuel for getting back within reach.
Sure enough, immediately on the heels of another Wildcats’ trifecta, this one sunk by another Halifax senior, Gage Sturm, the top-seeded team was suddenly back within three at 43-40 with 4:15 left to play by that juncture.
But at this moment, whether it be generated from upperclassmen or underclassmen, someone was required to step up and help take Mennonite across the finish line if this potential four-peat was to be birthed into existence. Fortunately for the Blazers, that much needed push would come from both portions of the roster.
With the game hanging in the balance and Mennonite starting to teeter somewhat amid this current Halifax charge, sophomore Cody Fisher, one of what feels like countless Blazers’ players with brothers who have recently worn the Mennonite uniform, rose up and fired in a gargantuan triple to make it a 46-40 Blazers’ lead with a little over three minutes remaining. From there, Fisher, one of two Blazers who would finish the night by bucketing a 12-point performance to spearhead the Mennonite charge, took his act inside the semicircle and scored a chip shot bunny from point-blank range that made it a 48-40 Blazers’ lead with time running thin on that potential Halifax bid to end Mennonite’s reign of terror in this particular classification as Fisher’s daggers largely helped to seal the deal down the final furlong.
And in the most apropos way possible, it had to be a senior who would put the finishing touches on this Mennonite win, right? For that, the other member of the Blazers’ bunch who would chip in a dozen to help pace his team on this championship afternoon, Myles Halvorsen, one of the unsung heroes of last year’s state title team, knocked down a pair of game-sealing freebies from the charity stripe that helped to put this one well out of reach at 52-42 with 30.6 remaining.
Now, maybe you consider it irony, but on a day that where the number four was the prevailing theme of the afternoon, it was next to impossible to overlook its significance at almost every turn.
Myles Halvorsen, the Blazer who wears #2, helped to lead the team in scoring. Two squared? That equals four. Cody Fisher, the other Blazer who chipped in 12 alongside Halvorsen, he wears #22. Two plus two of course equals four. And for the proverbial cherry on top, the buzzer would sound with Lancaster Mennonite prevailing by a 53-44 final count. C’mon. It almost seemed to be in stars.
But for this crew, new faces and all, while they were happy to live up to that esteemed legacy of extending the streak for yet another season inside District 3-2A competition where Lancaster Mennonite remained on its top perch, this was their particular moment to shine and end writing their own chapter into the program’s already proud history.
“There’s some experience there and we relied on those guys a lot,” first-year Lancaster Mennonite head coach Jeff Hartenstine said after winning his first District 3 medal regarding his veterans. “But these young guys? Unbelievable. It’s unbelievable how much they’re maturing and stepping up in big moments,” he continued.
“I didn’t know what to expect. The Giant Center is a big stage for a lot of these guys. Luckily our seniors, our veterans, talked to the guys at halftime and kind of get them relaxed a little bit. But just key moments from everyone who stepped on the court. Unbelievable. I could not be happier for these kids.”
Among those leading the charge not just here on Wednesday afternoon on a such a large stage with everyone watching, but also in those much quieter moments when no one may be paying near as much attention? None other than Myles Halvorsen.
“Right from the beginning of the year, Coach Hart was always just on me about my leadership saying, ‘This is the year I have to lead these young guys.’ I mean, I hope I’ve done a great job so far, but it’s such an easy group to lead. They’re all great kids,” said Halvorsen while seeming to morph into the role of father rather than elder teammate. “They’re great basketball players and we all just work so hard for this. But yeah, this is just a season of leadership for me as a senior.”
But to go back to his coach for a second, while he may now be fresh off his first foray in terms of the regular season slate, league playoffs, and now a successful and fruitful venture throughout the District 3 playoffs, he isn’t exactly about to kick his feet up and relax any time soon.
“The time you get comfortable is the time when you know you’re in trouble,” Hartenstine said when asked if he now feels somewhat more relaxed moving those six inches over from one chair on the Mennonite bench to the other. “I had people talking to me this week, ‘Hey enjoy it!’ You can’t enjoy it. You have to make sure you put in the time because you could spoil all of this for guys like Halvorsen if you miss details and don’t have them prepared,” he continued with his same nose-to-the-grindstone outlook on things. “We’ll move on to our next thing here in states and make sure we keep preparing. It’s a nice feeling, but I’ll say it a million times, the losses hurt so much worse than the wins….I knew it was there. I was just hoping it would come together and it did because a guy like this leads them. He’s a leader,” Hartenstine said grabbing Myles Halvorson and bringing him alongside to his right.
And if you know anything about Lancaster Mennonite’s various rides, especially as it relates to the last couple of years in particular, it’s often been a revolving door of sorts when it comes to minutes and roles changing around with a litany of key members being sidelined at times with injuries. For someone like Halvorsen who he himself has unfortunately fit into that description, please don’t find fault if this was feels especially sweet for him.
“It’s easy and hard at the same time,” Halvorsen offered of the challenge in terms of various pieces mixing and matching. “It’s hard in certain aspects to sometimes trust the process when you’re out for so long throughout the year. It’s like, ‘How are things going to be different when you get back?’ But like I said, I can’t credit my teammates enough for giving me a season to come back to, keeping me in the circle the whole time, and just making this season absolutely amazing even when I was out.”
And about going for the quadruple sweep of district crowns? Yeah, Mennonite was well aware of what was on the line for them heading in.
“Yeah, there was a lot of pressure with that,” Mennonite’s senior stalwart candidly admitted afterwards. “And for me, this is my last year, so I wanted to win for these young guys. Now have a streak to continue as they go on.”
His coach? Yeah, he too couldn’t escape that elephant in the room either.
“Yes. Yes. And Yes,” said Hartenstine about if he been told in passing what was stake here on Wednesday. “A bunch of the LMH family and backers made me very well aware that there’s a big moment here and that we have the firepower and the players to accomplish it. So yes, there was considerable pressure. But again, when you can rely on guys like Halvorsen, Hurst, and the other guys we have, they carried me through it. I’ll get better as time goes on though,” the freshman year head coach said with self-deprecating humor.
But above all else, this was a case where there wasn’t nothing that could phase Lancaster Mennonite, no matter if it were the competition or the setting itself.
“21-2 is 21-2,” Hartenstine said in reference to Halifax’s record coming in the day. “That’s pretty darn impressive. But we specifically set up our schedule to travel and go outside our comfort zone. I’m a big believer in iron sharpens iron. You go to Chester, you play Warwick in leagues, other games we go out of our way to play against….This is exactly what we hoped to have happen. When push comes to shove in a big game, our guys have seen it all and we don’t crack.”
“I was saying before the game, it feels like a homecourt advantage,” Halvorsen mentioned of playing at the Giant Center yet again. “When I was here (at Giant Center) my sophomore year, it was a lot to handle,” he shared. “It kind of got to me a little bit as a sophomore, but now this is my fourth time playing here and it feels like a homecourt advantage.”
And while only time knows for certain, maybe there will be one more trip to the Giant Center in Lancaster Mennonite’s future here this winter. After all, a winning streak in the state finals wouldn’t be too shabby either.
Follow LLhoops on Twitter @LLhoops
