Penn Manor sweeps “doubleheader”, clinches league and district tournament berths
Penn Manor sweeps “doubleheader”, clinches league and district tournament berths
Written by: TJ Eck on February 8, 2024
The scenario was simple for Penn Manor Thursday night.
The Comets needed not one, but two wins to solidify their spot in both the Lancaster-Lebanon League playoffs and Class AAAAAA District 3 tournament.
“Obviously, that first game, it all rides on that game,” said Penn Manor head coach Larry Bellew. “We responded for those 14 minutes to get it done.”
Penn Manor played host to a rare high school basketball “doubleheader” Thursday. In the first matchup of the night, it was the Comets and Hempfield resuming their game from January 26 that was suspended due to a serious injury to Penn Manor senior guard Devin Figueroa.
The Comets and Black Knights took the floor Thursday with Penn Manor leading, 27-26, and 5:51 remaining in the third quarter.
The teams played out the third quarter and Penn Manor led, 35-34. That’s when Ethan Benne took over.
The six-foot-six forward, who will play his college basketball at nearby Millersville University, scored 12 consecutive points in the fourth quarter.
“I knew coming in that there’s no feeling out process,” said Benne. “It’s a 14-minute basketball game to decide your season, which is crazy to think about. So I knew I had to be aggressive.”
Bellew added: “If it wasn’t going to be (Benne), it was going to be (Hempfield superstar) Ben (Troyer). One of those guys was not going to let their team lose today and thankfully our guy executed a little bit better today but two phenomenal players…the league will be at a loss without them next year.”
But even with Benne’s heroics, Penn Manor was left clinging to a three-point lead with 10.0 seconds remaining when Figueroa was fouled after coming away with a loose ball.
The left-hander calmly stepped to the free line while wearing a mask to protect two fractures in his face sustained in a nasty fall in the game on January 26. The same fall that led to the game getting suspended.
You would understand if the moment was too big for Figueroa after everything he has been through. But the Penn Manor senior was ready to step up in one of the biggest moments of the season.
Figueroa drained both free throws while the home crowd went crazy.
“I had confidence in myself,” said Figueroa. “I knew I was gonna make it. But that nervous factor still was in me because you wanna make them, it’s a big game. I stepped to the line with confidence. As soon as the first one went in, I knew the second one was gonna go in.”
Bellew added: “There’s a guy that just wanted to be back on the floor. He did everything he had to do to get back.”
Figueroa’s free throws gave the Comets a 49-44 lead. Things got a little uneasy for Penn Manor when Hempfield’s Nick Deeg was fouled on a three-pointer in the final seconds. But Deeg would only convert one of the three foul shots and Penn Manor held on for a 50-45 victory over the Black Knights.
Benne finished with a game-high 21 points to go along with seven rebounds and two blocks. Figueroa and junior guard Michael Lower scored eight points apiece in the victory over Hempfield. Troyer paced the Black Knights with 12 points while Deeg netted 11 points in the loss.
Leaders from Hempfield-Penn Manor:
Hempfield Ben Troyer: 12 pts Nick Deeg: 11 pts Spencer Troyer: 8 pts, 6 rebs
For Penn Manor, following the Hempfield win, the scenario was even simpler: one win down, one to go.
After a break for a JV contest, Penn Manor took the floor against Dallastown in a rematch of a game that the Comets won over the Wildcats during the Warwick Holiday Tournament in late December.
With another win over Dallastown, Penn Manor would clinch a spot in the L-L League playoffs for the first time since 2010 and earn a district tournament berth.
The game was tied, 15-15, after one quarter of play. The Comets took control with an 8-0 run to open the second quarter.
“Coming out of that first quarter, we knew we could play better,” said Benne. “We knew a lot of it came down to our defensive intensity and we got that up.”
Dallastown inched closer until Lower drilled a three-pointer in the final seconds of the half to put Penn Manor in front, 30-23, at the break.
Penn Manor added to its lead in the third quarter while Dallastown, already clinched into its own league playoffs and the 6A District 3 tournament, emptied its bench and played reserves throughout the entire second half. The Comets played their own substitutes in the fourth quarter as Penn Manor pulled away for a 57-44 victory.
Benne scored 18 points and hauled in nine rebounds against the Wildcats while Lower chipped in 13 points for the Comets. Kobe McNeely scored 11 points for Dallastown while only playing in the first half.
With two wins Thursday night, Penn Manor extends its season for the first time in 14 years.
“I have been here 12 years and we haven’t played a playoff game,” said Bellew. “Last couple of nights after the Manheim Township loss have been long nights.”
Benne added: “It’s so big. You dream about it and we have talked about it so much. It’s been such a long drought since 2010…to be able to do it with this group, it’s really special. I love all these guys so much. I love these coaches so much. It’s been such a long journey. It’s a really cool way to be able to extend this group’s time together.”
Penn Manor, the second place finisher in L-League Section 1, will play at Section 3 champion Lampeter-Strasburg next Monday night in the quarterfinals of the league playoffs. As for district play, the Comets are currently the No. 11 seed and slated to visit No. 6 seed Reading in the first round of the 6A District 3 bracket on Tuesday, February 20.
