Girls Basketball: Lebanon v Wilson (2-28-24)

District 3 Playoffs

Lebanon 64, Wilson 49

On Wednesday night, Lebanon played Wilson to determine 3rd place in District 3 – 6A. Winning would give Lebanon a home game against a WPIAL team to start States versus a loss that would send them on the road to play against a top District 1 squad. However, the primary question entering the game was how the Cedars would respond following Monday’s tough loss to Dallastown.

Any question about their resiliency was answered early, as Lebanon went on a major offensive to put up an impressive 25 points and held a 15-point lead at the end of the 1st quarter. Kailah Correa scored 13 points in the opening frame, hitting three three-pointers, showing that the Cedars would not back down when challenged by the #2 seeded Bulldogs. In the 2nd quarter, Wilson responded by taking a bite out of Lebanon’s lead, but Zariyah Whigham’s second three-ball of the 1st half would help to keep the Cedars in front by 10 points entering halftime.

In the 3rd quarter, 6 points from Liliana Harrison kept Wilson at arm’s length. However, the Bulldogs were closing in, causing a level of concern for the Lebanon faithful. What mattered was how the Cedars would respond, and again, they put their foot on the gas to break away again in the 4th quarter. In the final eight minutes, Lebanon scored 19 points, led by Whigham with 8. The Cedars also knocked down several key free throws, with Olive Brandt going 4-4 and Correa hitting both of her attempts. This strong finish gave the Cedars the 15-point win.

Correa finished the game with 21 points to fuel the Cedars. The junior hit three three-pointers and went 4-6 from the foul line. Whigham had an eerily similar line on her way to scoring 19 points. Also in double-figures was Harrison, scoring 11, and Brandt, scoring 10.

The Cedars (24-4) will now head into the PIAA State Championship Tournament, where they will host Peters Township. That game will take place on Friday, March 8th.