York Catholic Defeats Linville Hill Christian for District 3 Class 2A Championship: Kehler On Hoops

York Catholic overcame a rocky start to defeat Linville Hill Christian 48 to 46 to capture the PIAA District 3 Class 2A championship on Wednesday afternoon at the Giant Center in Hershey.  It was a close, well-played game decided by York Catholic’s interior defense.

 

The Giant Center presents a background for outside shooters entirely unlike a typical high school gym.  The seating is far from the floor, and that difference from a high school gym often means that it can take time for some shooters to find the range.  A superb outside shooting team, York Catholic did not make an outside shot in the first quarter vs. Linville Hill.  Linville Hill took an early lead at 5 to 4 on a hoop inside by 6′ 1″ senior Stephen Smucker.  Linville Hill led for the balance of their first frame, then went up 16 to 9 in the second quarter on a three point play by 5′ 11″ senior Giovanni Sejuste.  That would prove to be the largest lead that either team would have in the contest.  However, York Catholic quickly countered Sejuste’s three point play with a score from beyond the arc by 6′ 3″ senior Jake Dallas.  On their next possession, York Catholic hit another 3-pointer, this one by 6′ 3″ freshman Tate Keffer.  In all, four York Catholic players made a 3-pointer each in the second quarter.  Linville Hill led 24 to 20 at halftime, but York Catholic’s momentum was palpable.

 

Early in the third quarter, York Catholic tied the game at 26 on a hoop inside by 6′ 5″ junior Michael Glezer, then, in a subsequent possession with 4:38 left in the third period, they went up 27 to 26 on a free throw by Glezer.  Linville Hill’s offense bogged down a bit in the third quarter, as York Catholic defenders clogged the area in and around the paint.  Linville Hill’s offense is partly based on motion and accurate passing to get open looks somewhat close to the hoop.  York Catholic defenders maintained positions to make that difficult.  A free throw by Linville Hill’s Drew Tibbins, a 5′ 10″ junior, tied the game at 31 in the waning seconds of the third quarter.

 

Linville Hill recaptured the lead early in the fourth quarter on a 3-pointer by 6′ 1″ senior Derian Petersheim, igniting a surge that put Linville Hill up 42 to 36 following Petersheim’s third 3-pointer of the game. York Catholic countered with a three point play by 6′ 1″ junior Sean Devitt and a drive by Dallas to cut Linville Hill’s lead to 42 to 41.  Linville Hill then scored on a putback by Sejuste, but York Catholic tied the game at 44 on a clutch 3-pointer by Dallas.  York Catholic then went ahead 46 to 44 with a hoop inside by Keffer with 1:25 left in the game after working the ball carefully to get a good shot.  But Linville Hill was not finished, as they tied the game at 46 with 42 seconds left on a drive by Tibbins.  That gave York Catholic the ball, and, with 13 seconds left in the game, Devitt was fouled while shooting.  He made the second free throw attempt to put York Catholic up 47 to 46.  Linville Hill inbounded the ball but committed a turnover and then fouled Devitt.  Again, Devitt made a free throw.  Down 48 to 46, Linville Hill had one more chance, but a long last second shot missed the mark.

 

York Catholic had 21 rebounds, and Linville Hill Christian had 27.  York Catholic had nine turnovers, while Linville Hill had a dozen miscues.  York Catholic made six of 11 free throws, and Linville Hill was five of seven from the stripe.  York Catholic made six 3-pointers, and Linville Hill scored five times from beyond their arc.  There were six ties and six lead changes.  York Catholic’s Jake Dallas scored eight points in the fourth quarter, and Linville Hill Christian’s Drew Tibbins scored seven points in the final frame.

 

York Catholic scoring: Sean Devitt 14, Jake Dallas 13, Tate Keffer 9, Michael Glezer 3, Andrew Grove 3, Evan Bischof 2, Liam Rowan 2, and Connor Latrechiano 2.

 

Linville Hill Christian scoring: Drew Tibbins 17, Giovanni Sejuste 12, Derian Petersheim 9, and Stephen Smucker 8.

 

York Catholic 6 14 11 17-48

Linville Hill Christian 11 13 7 15-46

 

On X (formerly Twitter): @david_kehler