Lampeter-Strasburg Is The Last To Blink As Pioneers Stare Down Hershey, Prevail In Wild Triple Overtime Thriller To Advance To District 3-5A Title Game
Written by: Andy Herr on March 1, 2022
There was a time not all that long ago – just a few years ago to be exact – that Monday’s District 3-5A semifinal game between Hershey and Lampeter-Strasburg would’ve held up at Giant Center. And sure, while change can sometimes present itself in a manner akin to that of an welcomed house guest, it doesn’t always have to be a negative in terms of every specific situation. In fact, you could certainly argue that having Monday night’s game on L-S’ sprawling campus was in fact the very best setting that you could’ve asked for, all things considered.
Granted, while there is just something inherently unique and special that comes with the chance of perhaps someday suiting up inside the now 21-year old building in “Chocolatetown” that surely most every boy and girl playing high school basketball within the mid-state has they themselves imagined and dreamt of hitting the game-winning shot inside the famed arena while in the midst of hoisting countless shots in a driveway somewhere in south central Pennsylvania, having the Giant Center serve as the final destination for the District 3 playoffs in recent years may not actually be all that bad. Simply put, think of playing at the palatial confines as the proverbial cherry on top should you be able to successfully navigate your way to a district title game anyhow. Of course, that also means that homecourt advantage and a full, capacity crowd would likely be worth its weight in gold for the team who claim that right all before you reach that destined end goal.
In District 3-5A boys’ basketball this season, that top honor would bestowed upon the L-S Pioneers. Pretty easy to figure too. Needless to say, rampaging your way through the season en route to a perfect 25-0 record – league championship too by the way – would likely put you in prime position to stake that claim. And after a successful and methodical 2-0 start to the district playoffs following that aforementioned L-L League title game a week and a half ago now, the Pios welcomed Hershey into Lampeter for a Monday night affair for the right to decide who would advance on to the District title game, a contest which would be held at Giant Center late this coming Thursday evening. Ironically, think of L-S’ road en route to Hershey going directly through Hershey, albeit in a very unorthodox way.
So, with a full house already on-hand at L-S for a night where the stakes couldn’t have possibly been ratcheted up any higher, those in attendance figured to be in for quite a show. Well, as it turned out, it wasn’t a show for which they have bought a ticket for. No, this would quickly turn into a box office smash hit that would make even the toughest of Hollywood critics blush.
Much to the Trojans credit though, the guests did not seem intimidated in the least when it came to their surroundings, at least as far as the initial few minutes seemed to be concerned. In fact, no sooner had the ball been tipped off than did it seem before Hershey was able to race out to the quick 5-0 lead within the first 45 seconds of the contest, something capped off by way of an old fashioned three-point play from 6’1 junior guard, Marcus Sweeney, as the visitors from Derry Township wasted no time in asserting themselves on the Pioneers’ home floor.
Of course, the footing figured to get slightly more difficult from there once the opening quarter began to round into form.
Right on cue, just when L-S needed a spark, they turned to their stick of dynamite, the 3-ball, as a pair of triples sunk by Berkeley Wagner and Ben Wert respectively quickly whittled the Trojans’ existing lead down to the slimmest of margins, 9-8, with 3:30 left to play in the opening period. From there, Ty Burton took it upon himself to insert his services as well seeing as how the Pios’ 5’10 sophomore guard proceeded to light the lamp from bonus distance with a trey of his own shortly thereafter, giving the hosts their initial lead of the night. Yet if wasn’t three-point plays of the traditional variety, L-S didn’t appear to have any reservations about tallying the same amount of points in a different manner either considering an Isaiah Parido leak-out that culminated with the 6’1 senior guard finishing the play off with a hoop plus the harm before adding the freebie on top, as Parido helped carry his troops into the second stanza with the 16-11 cushion, a full ten-point swing over the entirety of the first eight minutes given L-S’ initial 5-0 surrender to start things off.
Speaking momentum swings and various galivants with turns of momentum, rest assured there were plenty of those instances on Monday as well.
In fact, with the second frame not even being halfway expired by that point in time, Hershey was able to not only roar back to within shouting distance, the Trojans were able to overtake the lead for good following yet another layup in transition from Sweeney, making it a 20-18 ballgame with L-S being forced to call a timeout with 4:22 left to play before intermission.
Undaunted though, the Pioneers were able to steady the ship over the final four minutes and change. For that, consider Luka Vranich’s take to the cup with 1:20 left before recess which knotted things up once again at 22-22, good for two more en route to his 13-point effort on the evening that quite frankly felt much bigger than that baker’s dozen output given his timely buckets when his squad needed them most. And while L-S had been able to draw back even at 22-22 following the senior’s point-blank bucket, their guests would be the ones heading into the halftime respite with an extra bounce in their step given Hershey’s 25-22 lead after a wilding entertaining opening 16 minutes of play.
All things considered, if there was a fly in the ointment as far as L-S’ defense had to be concerned throughout the first half of their semifinal grudge match against the Mid-Penn’s Trojans, it certainly appeared to be having to deal with the physical size and strength possessed by Hershey 6’6 senior big man, Zach Miller. In short, while L-S likes to butter its bread by continuously bombing in trifectas over a prolonged period, Hershey wasn’t about to be lulled into playing that game, both literally and figuratively. In fact, Hershey’s big man got himself into a game lather that seemed to be best evidenced by his first half resume that contained his half-dozen points.
Ironically, speaking of a half-dozen, that’s precisely how many Miller proceeded to register in the early portions of the third frame as well. And while L-S would seemingly go blow-for-blow with each Miller bucket inside the infant stages of the period, the tone had emphatically been set for how Hershey intended to make the Pios’ life miserable underneath the basket.
Of course, the Trojans’ likely didn’t plan on Luke Hines having any sort of predisposition in terms of the game metastasizing in that manner however.
No, while the Pioneers’ 6’3 junior forward probably wasn’t the highest of items listed on Hershey’s whiteboard back in the locker room had anyone been given the opportunity to go back and look for themselves, he most certainly made up for that by leaving an impression on the Trojans that they surely won’t soon forget.
In fact, no sooner than after he had checked into the game for his first action of the evening did Hines make his first big imprint. There, with his team trailing by just one-point, Hines’ three-point play not only ushered L-S back in front later in the third quarter, but it also unequivocally awarded seemingly all the momentum in the world over to the Pios given their 35-33 advantage following Hines’ offering.
Yet again though, Hershey would seem to have the antidote to that volley too given the Trojans’ 5-3 spurt over the final few minutes of the period that ultimately culminated in a 38-38 stalemate at the end of the third frame.
You know, in some ways it was almost funny. Okay, maybe not all that funny to those wearing blue and white who happened to have a keen rooting interest in proceedings of course, but for a team that has largely made its collective living this season by simply outgunning the competition by mammoth-sized final margins, this would be yet another rare occurrence for the 2021-22 Pioneers – knowing how to close things out down the final stretch.
Of course, it’s easy to point back to this year’s Lancaster-Lebanon League title game where L-S was able to knock off a pesky Hempfield team with a back-breaking Ty Burton triple with just a handful of seconds remaining which eventually vaulted the Pioneers to their second league crown in school history back on February 18th. But as the saying somewhat goes, “One game defines a season it does not.” But man, it’d be hard to see L-S operate inside the fourth quarter on Monday night and not feel as if the Pioneers felt right at home with their surroundings.
That said, seeing an Isaiah Parido 3-ball tickle the twine on the Pioneers’ opening possession of the fourth quarter figured to help matters in that regard as it surely did for the hosts once the Parido-ignited bomb went through the net. Of course, that hand-wringing from the home crowd likely came back into play almost immediately considering that Hershey’s Matt DeDonatis was able to sink a timely trey on the Trojans’ ensuing trip, knotting things back up which got the final stanza underway in the wildest of fashions.
Speaking of Parido though, he only continued to remain as white-hot as his jersey color not long after the initial fireworks of the final period finally settled down as the lefty senior’s sweet as syrup 3-ball off the penetrate-and-pitch game put L-S back in front, 50-47, with just 3:45 left showing on the fourth quarter clock.
By the way, did we mention Luke Hines at all yet?
For a game that ended up being as wild and as frantic as what had already taken place up until that point – and what would soon only explode with action in the ensuing few minutes as well – it would be nothing if not incomprehensible to suggest that L-S might’ve been able to steer themselves out of danger, particularly in the second half, had it not been for Hines’ effort. So, with that in mind, the junior forward’s timely and impromptu salvo of five consecutive points, including with a banked-in trey no less, could not have been more important as far as the Pioneers were concerned given that it put L-S up by a somewhat commanding 55-49 difference within all the epic ebbs and flows contained inside the final quarter, much less the game itself at large, as time appeared to spiraling out from Hershey’s clutches.
Or so it would’ve appeared.
Just when they needed it most, Hershey authored a timely rebuttal to withstand the current L-S onslaught. In fact, the Trojans’ eventual 6-point rally culminated in the most thrilling of fashions, a gutsy take to the rack by way of DeDonatis, good for two more en route to team-high 21-point effort on the evening, making things all square once more at 55-55.
So, with 16.2 seconds remaining in regulation, an eerie sense of déjà vu figured to probably envelope the Pioneers. After all, they had found themselves in the exact same situation just nine days earlier in the league championship match. Unfortunately, as far they were concerned, the movie this time around would not end in the same manner as the L-S shot at the final gun was off the mark, sending this evenly-matched affair into a deserving extra session.
Yet whether it be regulation or overtime, nothing seemed to deter these two worthy combatants from lobbying volleys back and forth across the fence at one another throughout the entirety of the night. Case in point, while a Marcus Sweeney hoop in transition started things off for Hershey in the overtime period, a Ty Burton answer down on the other end for L-S would follow suit, evening things back up within the blink of an eye. Speaking of the Pioneers’ dazzling sophomore guard, while he would go on to finish the evening with a ridiculous, yet somehow ho-hum 35-point bucketing to his credit, his two free throws cashed in with 1:06 remaining in overtime figured to loom large, especially seeing as how they then put L-S back in front, 62-61.
And on Hershey’s ensuing offensive trip, it appeared that L-S would finally be able to exhale. Of course, they wouldn’t have been able to do so had it not been for the craftiness of Berkeley Wagner and his poke away defensively along the baseline that not only thwarted the would-be Trojans’ attempt at overtaking the lead once again, but it eventually ended with another pair of Burton freebies once the Pioneers regained possession, putting the hosts up by a 64-61 count with just 35.7 left to play in the first overtime session.
First overtime session noted though because Hershey aspired of playing beyond those 30+ seconds mind you. For that, the Trojans’ could look upon Matt DeDonatis with favor yet again as the 6’2 junior guard promptly sunk a giant-sized 3-ball from the top of the key inside the waning final seconds, promptly forcing both sides to regain their adrenaline and composure given that another slate of four-minute basketball was coming down the pike for a second overtime rendezvous given current the 64-64 stalemate between the two.
Speaking of DeDonatis, he simply continued to sizzle in the second overtime as well. There, the junior buried yet another huge triple to start the proceedings, assuredly getting the Trojans started off on the right foot to begin the stanza given their 67-64 advantage thanks to his persistent dead-eye marksmanship.
Sure, that’s fine and all, but Berkeley Wagner simply wasn’t having any of it.
Despite his team having surrendered the DeDonatis triple just moments prior, the Pios’ 6’0 senior guard sprung into acting by tallying two trifectas of his own in rapid succession, not only handing the lead right back to L-S at 70-69, but also serving as a half-dozen point addition to his 14-point effort by the time the night was over with thanks to his latest two triples that were splashed in from bonus distance.
Ironically though, while one may have figured that L-S was well on their way to the promised land given Wagner’s recent exploits, Hershey had yet another answer for that as well.
Granted, while Hershey’s most topical heroics came via their guards and their red-hot shooting down the stretch, there was something to be said in the utilizing the safety blanket known as Zach Miller. And right on cue, the Trojans’ big man was able to contribute a huge bucket to aid in his team’s effort as Miller’s bucket through contact put the blue-clad visitors back in front, 71-70, a two-point tally en route to his stellar 20-point night of work. From there, that very lead would expand out to a two-point difference following you guessed it, a DeDonatis trey, making it a 74-72 Hershey lead before a pair of Sweeney free throws chipped in at the charity stripe right afterwards seemed to put the Trojans in clear, 76-72, with time starting to run out on L-S’ memorable unbeaten run.
But for as a good of a game that this one had already proven to be over the course of what had amounted to nearly 40 minutes of play by that point in time, surely it wouldn’t almost have felt criminal if L-S didn’t have one final rebuttal left in their holster, yes? Sure enough, here they came.
In some ways, it almost appears as if L-S’ Ty Burton is favored upon by the basketball rim gods. Certainly, you’d have to think that given his go-ahead trey in the final few seconds of the Pios’ L-L League title game against Hempfield a week a half ago, but the theme quickly turned uncanny in the waning moments of the second overtime period on Monday night as well. There, with his team staring up at a 76-73 deficit, Burton authored yet another one his signature dance moves with the rock in his hands before rising up and firing a step-back triple that bounded off the rim, high into the tense air before quickly recognizing its necessity to tumble through the net after all, as Burton’s ruthless triple with 16.8 seconds remaining ended up sending this wild evening into even more chaos given the 76-76 score at the end of the second overtime.
Yet not even Burton’s heroics were enough to scare Hershey off from there.
No, especially not when you consider Zach Miller’s and Marcus Sweeney’s buckets respectively which put the Trojans back in front, 82-81, with time suddenly melting away inside the third overtime as well.
Sometimes though, the biggest of baskets don’t have to always been the ones that beat the buzzer. Instead, they can also be the ones that sometimes get forgotten about over the course of a game. Well, that is to say if the game isn’t hanging delicately in the balance at that time in particular of course.
So, with that in mind, it seemed apropos to find Ty Burton converting on two consecutive trips to the foul line which ended in a 4-4 exchange within the final minute, putting L-S back in front with time now starting to become one of the Trojans’ primary enemies, along with the Pioneers’ existing 83-82 lead most certainly. And while Hershey’s ensuing offensive trip would end with a shot cruelly rolling nearly all the way around the rim before ultimately falling off into the masses underneath where it would wind up in the hands of Berkeley Wagner, with Wagner promptly go 2-2 from the charity stripe with 27.4 seconds left to go following his acquisition of the defensive rebound amid the fray, the Pioneers were able to build their lead up to an 85-82 count with the Trojans trying to have one final go of it.
However, there would unfortunately be no further magic left in the chamber as far as the guests from Hershey were concerned as the Trojans’ prolonged final possession would end in a Burton defensive rebound with Burton then putting the final bow on this one after getting fouled and adding two more free throws inside the final three seconds just for good measure, as L-S was finally able to exhale for good following their wildly thrilling, persistently chaotic 87-82 triple overtime win over Hershey on Monday night, vaulting the Pioneers right into the Trojans’ backyard with a date at the Giant Center looming on horizon late on Thursday night for all of the District 3-5A marbles.
Fittingly, for a team that has made a habitual habit out of the reaching the summit literally every time they have stepped on the floor this season, hearing the heavenly harmony of Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell detail through song how there “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough,” which came bellowing out of the L-S locker room late on Monday night, they too have been able to scale every mountain in their path up until this point.
“They’ve been playing together for a long time,” L-S head coach Ed Berryman said after emerging from his team’s dressing room, unverified as to whether he sang the chorus of the song back inside closed doors or not. “You start with Berkeley Wagner. He’s just a gamer,” said Berryman of his senior guard who has unselfishly sacrificed his own well-being at times here of late while playing with a nagging injury. “He knocked down those two big 3’s in whatever overtime it was. That’s what I love about Berk. He can miss all his shots and then in the big moment, he’ll knock that shot down. I never tell him to stop shooting,” he went on to add. “If he’s open, I’m going to let him shoot it.”
“But you know, Luka (Vranich) is a competitor, Isaiah (Parido), they all compete hard,” the L-S head man added proudly of two more seniors who fulfill their roles and responsibilities nicely within the Pios’ primary rotation. “As a group, they just believe in each other and I think it shows.”
Yet for a game as wild and frantic as that one proved to be, it’d be an extreme disservice not to highlight the yeoman’s effort compiled by way of L-S’ Luke Hines on the evening. To be sure, his effort off the bench wasn’t something lost on his head coach either.
“That’s fair to say,” Berryman said without hesitation as to whether he felt his team would have been able to prevail in the end had it not been for the contributions made by his junior forward. “Offensively, defensively, he came in and battled. He’s just a low-key guy, but he comes out and gets it done,” Berryman explained of Hines. “He doesn’t get upset, doesn’t get worried, he gets out there and says, ‘Okay. It’s a basketball game that I can play.’ He did a great job.”
To be fair though, they all did. And since they were able to finish the job after gutting it over the span 44 minutes of play, an even bigger prize awaits them now on Thursday night.
NEXT UP: Geez. How in the world does this possibly happen? While L-S’ triple overtime victory over Hershey figured to be more of a one-off exception rather than the norm, their next opponent, Shippensburg, also had to survive a 3OT tussle at the hands of West York before ultimately prevailing in a 51-49 decision on the road late on Monday night. That’s right. Unbelievable or not, the two teams that will share the Giant Center floor on Thursday will have gotten there after prevailing through a combined total of six overtimes between them in their last outings respectively. But make no mistake about it. L-S will certainly accept their ticket no matter how it was presented to them.
“Yeah, that was one of our goals. We said, ‘We want to get to Hershey this year,’” Berryman detailed of one of his team’s preseason dreams. “But you know, we’re going (to Hershey) as a business trip. We’re going to win. I know we have our work cut out for us with Shippensburg, but they went triple overtime, we went triple overtime, so we’ll see what happens.”
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