Lancaster Mennonite Defeats St. John Neumann Regional 62-61 in 1st Round of the PIAA Class 2A State Championship Tournament: Kehler on Hoops

Written by: Dell Jackson on March 12, 2023

Lancaster Mennonite Defeats St. John Neumann Regional 62-61 in 1st Round of the PIAA Class 2A State Championship Tournament

David Weaver, a 6’ 7” senior, calmly made two free throws with six seconds left to give Lancaster Mennonite a 62 to 61 victory over visiting St. John Neumann Regional Academy on Saturday afternoon in the first round of the PIAA Class 2A state championship tournament in a thrilling contest before an enthusiastic crowd. In the win, Lancaster Mennonite had to overcome a sensational 50 point scoring effort by St. John Neumann senior Davion Hill. The game was a barnburner from the opening tap, with eight ties (all in the second half) and 16 lead changes, as the teams went back and forth in a game in which the level of intensity never abated. Throughout, the Lancaster Mennonite squad never lost their composure, and both teams made clutch play after clutch play.

The first half was played at a very fast tempo. The teams exchanged leads in the early going. St. John Neumann opened with a 2-3 zone defense and stayed with that for most of the game. On offense, the visitors from Williamsport were led from the outset by Hill, who scored 15 points in the first quarter on drives, fast breaks, free throws, and a hoop from beyond the arc. Lancaster Mennonite’s first 12 points were all scored by 6’ 2” senior Camden Hurst, and the first quarter was a shootout.

Throughout the first half, Lancaster Mennonite tried a variety of defensive approaches to stop Hill, to little effect. Mennonite played some zone, and they had several different players, each with different skills, guarding Hill man-to-man, yet the St. John Neumann star continued to fill the hoop. When Mennonite guarded Hill closely, he drove to the basket. When Hill had some space, he hit 3-pointers. Introduced as 6’ 2”, Hill is a lefty who can go to his right and is a terrific leaper who can power the ball into the basket from close range. He scored 31 points in the first half of this game.

The second frame was Lancaster Mennonite’s least effective of the afternoon. In the second quarter, they made little headway stopping Hill, and their offense was too concentrated on the perimeter. Also, in the second period, St. John Neumann’s defense clearly focused on collapsing on Camden Hurst and Weaver. St. John Neumann led 39 to 35 at the half.

Both teams are really well-coached, and some adjustments were made at halftime. Lancaster Mennonite did a fair amount of trapping in the second half, particularly in the half court, and, in response, St. John Neumann spread the court more in their half court offense. Also, and immensely important to the outcome of the game, Lancaster Mennonite increased their effort to get the ball down low to Weaver. In this game, when Weaver’s weight was balanced on his feet, St. John Neumann had no answer to check him. Lancaster Mennonite’s offense was more balanced in the second half, and the third quarter was the only period in which four members of the home side scored.

With the lively and courteous crowd roaring, the two teams exchanged haymakers across the second half. At various points after halftime, Lancaster Mennonite got clutch hoops from 6’ 2” sophomore Myles Halvorsen, 5’ 8” freshman Chase Hurst, and Weaver, while Hill stepped up for St. John Neumann possession after possession.

With 3:18 left in the game, Lancaster Mennonite took a 56 to 55 lead on a three point play by Weaver. St. John Neumann went up 57 to 56 on two free throws by Hill. Lancaster Mennonite responded with a clutch 3-pointer by Halvorsen, and they led 59 to 57. The teams then exchanged turnovers, and Lancaster Mennonite ran some clock before taking a time out. With 1:19 left in the game, Lancaster Mennonite missed a shot, St. John Neumann got the rebound, and Davion Hill was fouled. Hill made both free throws to tie the game at 59 with 1:05 left. In the ensuing possession, with 32 seconds left, Lancaster Mennonite’s Camden Hurst was fouled while driving to the basket, and he was shaken up and went to the bench. The free throws were taken by Cody Fisher, who hadn’t been in the game up until that point. Fisher missed the first free throw, but, undeterred and confident, he sank the second foul shot to give Lancaster Mennonite a 60 to 59 lead. It was a great performance by Fisher, under pressure, coming into the game cold. However, St. John Neumann wasn’t finished. In the ensuing possession, Hill was fouled, and he put his team up 61 to 60 by making both free throws with 18 seconds left in the game. Very composed, Lancaster Mennonite came down court and got the ball inside to Weaver, who was fouled. With six seconds left in the game Weaver made the first free throw to knot the score at 61, and St. John Neumann called timeout. Back on the line, and showing no sign of nervousness, Weaver sank the second free throw to put Lancaster Mennonite up 62 to 61. St. John Neumann still had a chance, but they committed an awkward turnover, and time expired.

Unselfish Lancaster Mennonite was clutch late in the game, and they never lost their composure in the face of Hill’s abundant ability and spectacular performance. And Hill was absolutely terrific. It was superb game for all 32 minutes, and it illustrated how wonderful high school basketball can be.

St. John Neumann out-rebounded Lancaster Mennonite 36 to 23. Lancaster Mennonite committed nine turnovers, while St. John Neumann had 13 miscues. Lancaster Mennonite was eight of 10 from the free throw line, and St. John Neumann was 14 of 19. Lancaster Mennonite made eight 3-pointers, while St. John Neumann scored seven times from beyond the arc.

Lancaster Mennonite scoring: Camden Hurst 20, Myles Halvorsen 15, David Weaver 14, Savier Sumrall 8, Chase Hurst 4, and Caleb Binkley 1.

St. John Neumann Regional Academy scoring: Davion Hill 50, Jozef Savage 5, Kane Wright 3, Corey Agnew 2, and Tyrick Moy 1.

St. John Neumann Regional Academy 18 21 11 11-61
Lancaster Mennonite 21 14 12 15-62

Now 17-8 on the year, Lancaster Mennonite advances to the second round of the PIAA Class 2A state championship tournament, where they will play Eden Christian Academy, on Wednesday. St. John Neumann’s fine season concludes with a 21-6 record.

On Twitter: @david_kehler

Follow LLhoops on Twitter @LLhoops