Girls Basketball Results Tracker: February 23-27

In this post, we’ll provide updates on Girls Basketball action from across Lebanon County. This will be a rolling summary, continually updated as we receive new details, giving you a one-stop place to stay informed on all the latest happenings.

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Friday, February 27th

New Covenant 40, Linville Hill 34

District 3 Championship Game (1A)

Last season, New Covenant made its first-ever District 3 title game, where it faced Linville Hill in a contest won by the team from Gap. On Friday evening at Hempfield High School, the two teams met again to decide the championship, giving the Flames a chance to exact some revenge on a Linville Hill program seeking a three-peat.

New Covenant, typically a slow-starting team, got out to a 9-8 lead in the 1st quarter. The Flames were fueled by a strong team effort that saw four of the team’s five starters register points. That balance was especially important, given that the school’s all-time leading scorer, Qynne Demler, was kept off the board for the first eight minutes.

In the 2nd quarter, Linville Hill picked up its offensive pace and took a 21-20 lead into halftime. Demler got her first points of the night in the frame, but it was freshman McKenna Kantner leading the way with 5 points as she knocked down her second 3-pointer of the game.

Out of the break, New Covenant used the 3rd quarter to retake control, outpacing Linville Hill 10-7. Laney Zimmermanhit the team’s only field goal of the quarter, while the other eight points came at the free throw line. Even more impressive, all five starters scored in the frame.

Entering the 4th quarter, New Covenant held a slim 30-28 lead. Down the stretch, the Flames did not fold. Strong team defense and timely scoring, highlighted by 4 points from Moriah Simniskis, helped ward off a valiant Linville Hill push as New Covenant closed out a 40-34 win.

In the victory, Kantner finished with a team-high 11 points, including two 3-pointers. Demler and Zimmerman each scored 8, while Simniskis added 7 and Adrianna Yeagley chipped in 6. It’s also worth noting that all five starters played the entire game.

With the District Championship win, New Covenant improves to 24-3 on the year. The Flames will begin play in the PIAA State Championship Tournament next Saturday (March 7th), when they will host Northumberland Christian (District 4, 3rd place).

NC Scoring: M. Kantner 11, Q. Demler 8, L. Zimmerman 8, M. Simniskis 7, A. Yeagley 6

Thursday, February 26th

Northern Lebanon 38, Lancaster Catholic 36

Twice this season, Northern Lebanon came up short against Lancaster Catholic. The last time the teams met, the game ended in controversy when the Crusaders hit a shot in the final moments to escape with a 37-35 win. On Thursday night, the Lady Vikings got their third crack at Catholic, this time playing for 3rd place in the PIAA District 3 AAAA tournament. Northern Lebanon knew it would take its best execution to flip the script, especially after a 55-33 loss on Lancaster Catholic’s home floor back in December.

As expected, the teams traded punches early. Northern Lebanon edged the 1st quarter 9-8 behind Hayley Sheroky, who scored 4 points including a 3-pointer. The Vikings also did good work at the line, going 6-for-8 in the opening frame.

Lancaster Catholic answered in the 2nd, erasing the deficit and sending the game to halftime tied 15-15. In the quarter, Kasey Weimer scored all 6 of Northern Lebanon’s points, giving her 8 at the break.

The 3rd quarter belonged to Northern Lebanon. The Lady Vikings outpaced the Crusaders 14-7 to seize control, powered by 8 points from Saoirse Phillips and 4 more from Weimer.

Leading 29-22 entering the 4th was a big step, but closing it out in hostile territory against a team like Lancaster Catholic was never going to be easy. The Crusaders made a push late, knocking down a pair of 3-pointers to tighten things up, but this time the Vikings had enough answers and held on for a 38-36 win.

Weimer finished with a game-high 17 points, fueled by an 11-for-15 night at the foul line. Phillips added 9 points, while Sheroky chipped in 6.

Northern Lebanon (17-7) will now have off until next Saturday, when the Lady Vikings will open the PIAA State Championship Tournament with a road game against the District 4 champion.

NL Scoring: K. Weimer 17, S. Phillips 9, H. Sheroky 6, S. Martino 4, M. Miller 2

Tuesday, February 24th

New Covenant 53, Mount Calvary 40

On Tuesday night, #2 seeded New Covenant hosted the #6 seeded Mt. Calvary Chargers in the District 3 1A semifinals. It was the fourth meeting of the year between the Flames and the Chargers, with New Covenant having prevailed in the previous two. Still, the last time they met on February 11th in the CCAC semifinals, it took a late-game comeback and two overtimes before the Flames were able to get past Mount Calvary. With a trip to the District 3 Championship game on the line, the stakes in this one only added to the intrigue.

New Covenant got out to a solid start, building a 10-point lead through one quarter of play. Freshman McKenna Kantnerhit a 3-pointer on her way to 8 early points, while Qynne Demler scored 5. Laney Zimmerman and Adrianna Yeagley also added buckets as the Flames took a 16-6 lead after one.

Mount Calvary was able to slow New Covenant in the 2nd quarter, shaving a point off the deficit before halftime. Another 3 from Kantner was the offensive highlight for the home team in the frame as the Flames entered the break up 23-14.

In the 3rd quarter, the teams played to an 11-11 draw. New Covenant got 8 points from Demler, the program’s all-time scoring leader, to keep the Chargers at bay.

With the score 34-25, New Covenant entered the 4th quarter eight minutes away from a return trip to the District 3 finals. Mount Calvary worked hard to play spoiler, connecting on three 3-pointers to make things interesting, but the Flames had answers. Kantner hit two more triples of her own to lead the resistance and finished the quarter with 10 points, while Zimmerman added 5 as New Covenant pulled away for a 53-40 win.

In the victory, Kantner led the way with 20 points, including four 3-pointers. Demler tallied 17 points and went 5-for-6 at the free throw line. Zimmerman finished with 10.

New Covenant (23-3) will now prepare for the PIAA District 3 Championship, where the Flames will face Linville Hill in a rematch of last year’s title game. This time, New Covenant will be looking for revenge.

It has been announced that the Championship game will take place on Friday, 5:30 pm at Hempfield High School.

NC Scoring: M. Kantner 20, Q. Demler 17, L. Zimmerman 10, M. Simniskis 4, A. Yeagley 2

Monday, February 23rd

Delone Catholic 50, Northern Lebanon 42

Northern Lebanon will face Lancaster Catholic on Thursday to determine who will finish 3rd in District 3.

NL Scoring: K. Weimer 15, H. Sheroky 14, S. Phillips 8, R. Hopkins 3, Z. Zerman 1, M. Miller 1

Previous Trackers

February 16-20

February 9-14

February 2-7

January 27-31

January 19-24

January 12-16

January 5-9

December 29 – January 3

December 22-26

December 15-20

December 8-13

December 1-6

November 28-29