Keystone Playoff Preview: #2 Hershey vs #7 Milton Hershey
Written by: David Bray on February 21, 2025
1.7
This number may not seem special to look at, but, to these bitter rivals, that’s the distance in miles of their rivalry that has stretched for decades. Milton Hershey and Hershey get to square off for their third time this season, with a team hoping to break the series tie between these two teams. Before the sold-out game tips off at seven tonight, let’s look at each of these teams for their matchup.
Hershey comes into the game as the #2 seed, behind only Manheim Central for the top spot, however, with Spring Grove spoiling Manheim’s incredible season, the Trojans remain as the best team in the 5A with a state playoff spot locked in. The season started strong for Hershey, going undefeated through their first 12 games of the year, knocking down Mechanicsburg, Carlisle, Lampeter-Strasburg, and Milton Hershey in the process. This team is led by junior guard Cameron Sweeney, a threat when he gets an open lane to drive to the basket. Sweeney shoots around 45% from the floor, highlighted by his many steal and score opportunities on this extremely strong defensive team. Averaging around 20 points per game, Sweeney is a guard that has been on everyone’s radar this year, with a 36-point performance against Mechanicsburg and a 34-point game against Milton Hershey. Senior forward James Campbell has been a force to be reckoned with, averaging around 11 points and 6 rebounds. The Case Western commit has been solid for the Trojans, shooting the best percentage from three out of the Hershey squad and playing more of a small forward role despite being 6’6. Senior guard Drew Grana has been a great third option, splashing three-pointers when he gets hot and Aidan Miller is a great floor general when he is on the court. Roman Panko, despite starting the year off the bench, has cemented himself in the starting lineup adds the pressure in the paint that Hershey has needed this year, and builds on this team’s dynamic approach. Hershey got their job done in their first-round matchup against #15 New Oxford, with Sweeney leading the charge with 22 points and James Campbell contributing 12 points en route to their win. Hershey limited the Colonials to 46 points and their leading scorer Brody Holmes to 16 points. After their loss in the 5A final last year, Hershey is hungry for the trophy, and with Mechanicsburg out of the picture, it seems more obtainable than ever.
That being said, the Trojans have to get through the Milton Hershey Spartans first, who put up 71 points in their win against another Keystone opponent in Lower Dauphin. Milton Hershey is led by junior guard Khalif Turner who is averaging around 21 points per game. The Spartans in the paint have the sophomore duo of Abdou Diene and Dylan Crawford who both have been tearing up the score sheets lately, with Crawford averaging around 12 points per game over the past 6 games. Diene is a menace on the glass, averaging around 11 rebounds per game, including a 22-rebound performance against Bishop McDevitt. Teams have to watch the perimeter as Aryan Sandhu and Josh Sessoms have been hot shooters for the squad and are putting up some of the highest percentages in the Keystone. In their first-round matchup, Turner had himself a great game with 21 points, seven assists, and six assists. Crawford had a season-high in scoring, with 21 points and making his first nine shots before his first miss of the game, which was in the middle of the fourth quarter. Diene was limited to six points, however, he contributed with 15 rebounds and three assists in the win.
The last time these two teams matched up, Milton Hershey held the home-court advantage and stole a win away from the one-loss Trojans, who were leading by eight late in the game. Sweeney balled out and had his second-highest-scoring game with 34 points, shooting 4/8 from three and racking up six rebounds. Turner and Crawford played impressive games for the Spartans, with Turner finishing the game with 20 points and five rebounds, while Crawford had a double-double with 18 points and 11 rebounds. In the game at Hershey earlier in the season, Sweeney had another great game with 23 points and five rebounds. Panko played a very important role in his breakout game off the bench, contributing 14 points and nine rebounds. Turner kept the Spartans in the game, adding 24 points and five assists, while Crawford added 12 points and nine rebounds. These teams have a lot to play for and given their history, this game is about to be fun.
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