PIAA Saturday hoops roundup: Central York, Red Lion boys win to set up playoff rematch

The Central York and Red Lion boys’ basketball teams delivered two instant classics in February. Now the York-Adams League rivals will square off in March.

Both squads won their first-round games in the PIAA Class 6A tournament on Saturday afternoon, setting up a Round of 16 clash Wednesday night. The Panthers picked up a 69-60 road victory over District 1 runner-up Garnet Valley, while the Lions defeated Emmaus 78-65 on their home floor later in the day.

Wednesday's game — set for 7 p.m. at Dallastown High School — will be the fourth meeting between the two teams this season. Central York won twice in the regular season, including a 64-62 triumph at the buzzer on Feb. 8, but the Lions went to Central and stunned the top-seeded Panthers, 66-65, in the District 3 quarterfinals on Feb. 23. Now it’ll be Central York’s chance at revenge.

Central York 69, Garnet Valley 60: The York-Adams League champions were favored last month to win their first-ever district title, and there’s no telling how things would have played out had the Panthers squeaked past Red Lion. But Central York coach Jeff Hoke said after that loss that perhaps his team could get to the Giant Center in Hershey via a different path.

One down, three to go.

The Panthers led for the entire first half, starting the game on a 6-0 run and taking a 34-27 advantage into intermission. But the host Jaguars rallied in the third quarter and held a 46-45 lead with eight minutes remaining. But a six-point burst to start the final frame propelled Central into the lead for good, and the visitors pulled away with free throws late.

Juniors Ben Rill and Ben Natal led Central York (24-3) with 15 points apiece, while sophomore Ryan Jackson chipped in 12 off the bench and senior Greg Guidinger added 11 despite only hitting one field goal. Garnet Valley (19-8) also had four double-digit scorers, led by Jake Sniras’ 13. The Jaguars hit nine 3-pointers.

Jackson, an athletic guard who vaulted into a deep Panthers rotation before this season, knocked a ball loose and took it all the way for a layup for the first points of the fourth quarter. Rill followed with a pair of free throws, and Saxton Suchanic’s putback made it 51-46. After 55-48 became 55-53, Brooklyn Nace nailed a 3-pointer and Jackson added another clutch layup to make it a seven-point game with 2:55 remaining. Central York’s defense held on from there.

Hoke’s team earned the same PIAA seed a year ago but couldn’t keep up with Spring-Ford, an eventual state semifinalist. Now the program has its first playoff victory since 2020, and the Panthers hope there are four more to come.

Red Lion 78, Emmaus 65: The Lions, after earning a first-round home game with their 55-53 victory at Reading in last week’s District 3 third-place contest, made the most of the opportunity in front of their home crowd and won their first PIAA playoff game in 20 years.

After trailing 13-11 through a quarter, Red Lion pulled ahead 26-23 at halftime and stretched the lead to 51-38 through three frames. They maintained their double-digit advantage for most of the fourth, piling up free throws to secure the victory before dribbling out the final seconds.

Senior Joe Sedora led all scorers with 27 points, earning himself at least one more opportunity in a Red Lion uniform. Fellow senior Chris Williams added 15 points, while freshman Isaiah Ogurcak scored 13 and junior Favian Rodriguez-Ruiz notched 12. Junior Tyler Good nearly gave the Lions five double-digit scorers, finishing with nine.

While Jametric Harris tallied 23 points for the Hornets (20-8), senior St. Joseph’s pledge Will Barber was limited to 12, most of which came late in the contest. Jack Csensits had 13 in the loss.

York-Adams League teams finished 7-7 in the first round of the state playoffs, a spike from 4-9 a season ago. Two other York County girls’ teams split their results Saturday. The league will have four teams play Tuesday and three more in a pair of games Wednesday, with at least one PIAA quarterfinal berth guaranteed.

MORE SATURDAY BASKETBALL

Class 4A girls

Delone Catholic 53, Pope John Paul II 19: The District 3 runner-up Squirettes (23-3) encountered no drama whatsoever on Saturday, leading 15-4 and 28-6 after the first two quarters. Megan Jacoby was outscoring PJP herself for most of the afternoon, posting 15 points in the first half and finishing with 18. Brielle Baughman added 10 points and Kaitlyn Schwarz had eight; the trio scored 26 of Delone’s 28 first-half points. The Squirettes’ competition will ramp up in a hurry, as District 11 champion Allentown Central Catholic will await in the second round at 7 p.m. Wednesday at Warwick High School. The Vikings eliminated Delone at the same stage last year.

Universal Audenried 75, Eastern York 34: Arianna Seitz closed her Eastern York career as the Golden Knights’ No. 2 all-time scorer after tallying 19 points Saturday. But it wasn’t nearly enough for Eastern to keep up with Audenried, the District 12 top seed and one of the tournament favorites. Shayla Smith scored 32 points for the hosts, who led 47-18 at halftime. Molly Townsley hit three triples to finish with nine for the Knights (14-13).

Class 3A boys

Devon Prep 73, Delone Catholic 32: The Philadelphia Catholic League’s Tide may have entered the PIAA playoffs with a losing record, but they left no doubt on Saturday. Devon took a 27-10 lead after the first quarter and never let the Squires (19-8) back into the contest. Delone was led by nine points from Liam O’Brien, while Devon’s Shane Doyle scored 11 of his game-high 19 in the opening frame.

Class 5A girls

Indiana Area 33, York Suburban 32: It was a sudden end for the host Trojans, who were just over a week removed from hoisting the District 3 championship trophy. Suburban fell behind 13-3 after a quarter before closing the gap to 14-12 at halftime, then trailed 25-17 through three frames only to level the score at 30-30. But Indiana hit three late free throws, and although the Trojans (26-3) got back within one and gave themselves a shot at the win, they couldn’t complete the comeback. Lydia Powers led Suburban with 10 points.

McKeesport 61, West York 32: The Bulldogs (18-10) were overmatched by District 7’s third-place Tigers, who led 29-9 at intermission. Senior Faith Walker scored 17 of her 21 points in the second half, but McKeesport’s Rachel Manfredo had 16 of her 19 after the break to keep West York at a distance. Maddy Hertzler added 14 for the hosts.

South Fayette 48, Red Land 20: The three-time defending District 7 (WPIAL) champions led 33-6 at halftime against a young Patriots team playing in the program’s first-ever state playoff game. Red Land finished 12-15 in its first season under Michael Graybill, the longtime Christian School of York coach. The Patriots upset Greencastle-Antrim in the District 3 playoffs to earn their spot before dropping to the district’s No. 8 seed and losing their PIAA opener.

Northern York 53, Lincoln Park 49: York County did pick up one victory over a Pittsburgh-area girls’ squad Saturday, but it wasn’t easy. The Polar Bears, hosting a state tournament game for the first time, survived a back-and-forth final quarter against the visiting Leopards. Cassidy Sadler led Northern (26-3) with 16 points and Siena Ondecko added 12. The District 3 silver medalists will battle Erie Cathedral Prep in the second round at 7 p.m. Wednesday at Norwin High School near Pittsburgh.

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