Peters Township Defeats Lampeter-Strasburg 58-56 in a PIAA Class 5A 2nd Round Playoff Game: Kehler on Hoops

Written by: Dell Jackson on March 15, 2023

Peters Township Defeats Lampeter-Strasburg 58-56 in a PIAA Class 5A 2nd Round Playoff Game

A gritty Lampeter-Strasburg squad lost to Peters Township 58 to 56 on Tuesday evening in a PIAA Class 5A state championship tournament second round game in Altoona. It was an absorbing contest between two equally matched teams. Down 58 to 54, with 11 seconds left in the game, Lampeter-Strasburg cut the deficit to two points on hoop inside by 5’ 11” sophomore Chase Smucker, then they forced a Peters Township turnover. With seven seconds left, a Lampeter-Strasburg shot missed, but they got the rebound and launched another shot before the buzzer sounded, but that shot went awry, too.

Peters Township’s defensive pressure gave Lampeter-Strasburg fits in the early going. L-S committed five turnovers in the first 4:10 of the game, although L-S kept it close with clutch baskets by Smucker and by 5’ 10” junior Dean Herr. Peters Township led 11 to 10 at the end of the first quarter.

Peters Township’s defense was even more effective in the early stages of the second frame, holding L-S scoreless for over four minutes at the beginning of the second quarter. Peters Township played a switching man-to-man, and the switches were made very quickly. They also hedged frequently to double-team the opponent with the ball. On offense in the second quarter, Peters Township was effective on driving to the hoop, and they took 10 free throws in the second period. L-S fell further and further behind, and a baseline drive by 6’ 2” junior Cam Mills give Peters Township a 25 to 15 lead. That would prove to be the largest margin of the game. At that point, Lampeter-Strasburg launched a furious response with a 9 to 0 run that extended into the third quarter. The L-S run started with a drive by 6’ junior Yasin Abdi and continued with a 3-pointer by Herr, a hoop by Herr on a give-and-go, and a score inside by 6’ 2” junior Justin Glick. That cut the Peters Township lead to 25 to 24, and for the rest of the game the score would be close.

With 3:56 left in the third quarter, L-S took the lead, 34 to 33 on a three point play by Smucker. Peters Township immediately tied the game at 34 on a free throw by 6’ 2” sophomore Mickey Vaccarello. There would be two more ties until Peters Township recaptured the lead, 41 to 39, on a hoop inside by Vaccarello. Peters Township would never trail from that point, although Lampeter-Strasburg tied the game three more times. The last tie was at 51 with 2:50 left to play, when L-S scored on a drive by Abdi.

Peters Township broke that final tie with a free throw by Vaccarello, then the clutch Vaccarello scored on a putback. L-S responded with a free throw by Abdi, and, with 1:24 left in the game, Peters Township was up 54 to 52. Peters Township then went to a four corners half court offensive set to run some clock. L-S sent Peters Township’s Brendan McCullough, a 5’ 11” senior, to the free throw line, and he confidently sank two foul shots with 49 seconds left in the contest. That made it 56-52 Peters Township. L-S cut the deficit to two points on a drive by Glick, and they tried to trap after the make. However, Peters Township’s Jake Ziegler, a 6’ 4” senior, got behind Lampeter-Strasburg’s defense and scored a layup to give his squad a 58 to 54 lead. Down by four with 11 seconds left in the game, the L-S rally fell just short.

Peters Township had a 29 to 23 advantage on the boards. Peters Township committed eight turnovers, while L-S had 14 miscues. Peters Township was 19 of 27 from the free throw line, and L-S was 12 of 20 from the stripe. Peters Township scored five times from beyond the arc, and L-S made four 3-pointers. There were eight ties and three lead changes in this closely contested game.

Peters Township scoring: Jack Dunbar 14, Jake Ziegler 11, Mickey Vaccarello 8, Brendan McCullough 8, Cam Mills 6, Nate Miller 5, Thomas Aspinall 3, and Dylan Donovan 3.

Lampeter-Strasburg scoring: Dean Herr 16, Chase Smucker 13, Yasin Abdi 9, Luke Hines 6, Justin Glick 6, Trent Wagner 4, and Tim Holmes 2.

Quarters
Lampeter-Strasburg 10 12 19 15 56
Peters Township 11 14 18 15 58

Peters Township, which is in McMurray, in Washington County, is now 24-4 this season, and they will play Exeter on Friday in the quarterfinal round of the PIAA Class 5A state championship tournament. Lampeter-Strasburg had a fine season, and their squad is loaded with underclassmen. They finished at 20-8.