DISTRICT III - BOYS BASKETBALL 6A SEMIFINALS
Waynesboro - 60
York - 45
The district III playoffs are rocking and rolling. In the 6A bracket, the York high Bearcats hosted Waynesboro. The Bearcats found themselves in an early 5-0 deficit and never recovered. The Indians gave them all they can handle from inside the paint.
The senior duo of Jaylon Bean and Ryan Shaffer led the way with 25 points and 16 points respectively.
Juelz Tucker and Daveyon Lydner tried to lead a comeback in the second half for the Bearcats, but their 14 points a piece wouldn't be enough. The Indians move on to the semifinals with a 60-45 win. They will face last year's defending champ, undefeated Reading.
Central York - 58
Hempfield - 61
A packed house in Landisville saw Central York and Hempfield go down to the wire, as the Black Knights advance to the district semifinals, 61-58.
Hempfield senior Miguel Pena entered Friday night's game just five points away from joining the 1,000 career point club.
The Black Knights jumped to an early 8-2 lead in the first by capitalizing on some early Panther turnovers. Hempfield's lead grew to as many at 13 points in the first half.
After hitting a three-pointer before the break, early in the third quarter, a give-and-go to Pena gave the senior an open look, and he drilled a three-ball to lift him over the one-thousand-point plateau. A time-out was called so his teammates could congratulate him, and he could give the game ball to his family.
When play resumed, Central York continued to claw away at Hempfield's lead. The Panthers would trail by only one at the start of the fourth.
The game stayed within striking distance for both teams in the final frame. Hempfield and Central York would go back and forth, with each team never leading by more than four points.
(Extended Central York vs. Hempfield highlights are in the video below)
Tied with under 20 seconds to go in the game, a Hempfield shot rattled off the rim, but into the hands of Chase Calabretta, who tipped it back in for the Knights, giving them a two-point lead, and was ultimately the difference-maker in Hempfield's 61-58 win.
The Black Knights will travel to Cumberland Valley to meet the Eagles on Monday night in the district semifinals at 7 PM.