Central York boys' basketball powers past Reading, into first-ever state final

LITITZ — The Central York boys’ basketball team and its fans who made the trek to Warwick High School on Tuesday evening were filled to the brim with anticipation. There was a buzz in the atmosphere, a confidence mixed with a shred of doubt.

The Panthers were in unfamiliar territory, playing in the PIAA Class 6A semifinal for the first time ever. They were up against reigning state champion Reading, a team they had beaten in the first game of this season but a program with plenty of pedigree.

In front of a capacity crowd that filled the Warwick bleachers well before tip-off, the Central York boys demonstrated the poise and execution of a team that had been on this stage many times before. No one demonstrated those traits better Tuesday than senior Greg Guidinger and junior Ben Rill.

Rill torched Reading for 28 points while Guidinger racked up 22 more to help the Panthers cruise to an impressive 79-65 triumph that punched Central's ticket to its first-ever state final.

“Yes sir!” a giddy Guidinger yelled after a postgame interview with Panthers coach Jeff Hoke.

The York-Adams League champion Panthers (28-3) have charted a course towards Hershey, the site of the PIAA finals Saturday, all season long. The truth, of course, is that Guidinger was fully expecting the team to have already played under the lights at the Giant Center in Hershey in the District 3 final. A loss to rival Red Lion in the district quarterfinals, however, derailed those plans and forced the Panthers to take the longer, more difficult path to finally get to Hershey.

Central York's run since that loss began with a pair of district consolation victories. The Panthers then beat District 1 runner-up Garnet Valley in the first round of states. They earned another shot at Red Lion and pulled away for a double-digit victory last Wednesday. Then they traveled to Altoona and beat District 7 champ Upper St. Clair last Saturday. And while they knew the Red Knights would pose a great challenge Tuesday, they also had plenty of confidence stemming from their 90-73 win on Dec. 5, let alone everything that's happened since.

“The realization that we had after we lost to Red Lion was so, so important for us,” Guidinger said. “Because we realized that we weren’t invincible if we didn’t work hard. That loss felt like we lost by 30, but we lost by one point. (That was) the second that we realized that if we go out and just outwork everybody, the talent will take care of the rest.”

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That’s exactly what happened against the Red Knights. The Panthers enjoyed a size advantage inside against Reading, but their guard play, combined with the tenacity of Rill and Guidinger, never really gave the defending state champs much of a chance.

The Knights stormed out to an 11-6 lead midway through the first period, but Guidinger knocked down a big 3-pointer late in the quarter to put Central York ahead for good.

Guidinger also hit perhaps the biggest three shots of the evening — a trio of free throws to end the first half after he was fouled on a corner triple with 0.8 seconds left. Those foul shots extended Central’s lead to 37-31, and the Knights never got that close again after halftime.

The Panthers slowly stretched the lead throughout the second half, keeping it in double-digits while the clock slowly wound down. The final eight minutes took seemingly forever, as the teams combined for a slew of free throw attempts with the Red Knights doing whatever they could to try to get back into it.

It didn’t work, and eventually the final horn sounded.

While the rest of the Central York team celebrated on the court, Hoke and Guidinger shared a long embrace near the Panthers' bench. The moment was a culmination of the duo's four years together; Hoke took the Central job in 2020, before Guidinger's freshman season. They've become like family, even if Hoke may jokingly embellish it a bit.

“This is great,” Hoke said. “Greg has been with me since Day 1 … since he was a baby. I think I gave birth to him in the hospital.”

Guidinger scored 14 points in the first half before being held somewhat in check in the second half. Standout guard Ben Natal had 13 points, including 10 in the second quarter and a last-second triple in the third, but struggled with cramps in the fourth. That left Rill to shoulder most of the offense after intermission. The 6-foot-8 Division I prospect, who transferred back to Central in the summer of 2022 after spending his freshman year at a prep school, tallied 18 second-half points and finishing 10-of-14 at the foul line by making his last five attempts.

“I came back because of this group,” Rill said. “This group is special. We have so much talent from the starting five to the rotation. I knew we could do it and I had that belief all year.”

Sophomore Brooklyn Nace added five points, while freshman point guard Doug Layer Jr. hit a pair of key shots in the third quarter and helped the Panthers handle Reading's press down the stretch. Guidinger and Saxton Suchanic led the defensive effort against Yadiel Cruz, who scored 22 points for the Red Knights (22-11) and surpassed 1,000 for his career. Fellow senior Nick Chapman had 16 and Weshly Rosario tallied 13 for Reading.

Now the Panthers will have three days to prepare for their final challenge of the season against District 11 champion Parkland. The Trojans knocked off District 12's Archbishop Wood, 59-51, to set up a clash in the final PIAA high school basketball contest of the season at 8 p.m. Saturday.

Rill is already ready for it.

“Just 32 more minutes,” Rill said. “Every possession we just have to give it our all … 110 percent. But most important is recovery. We have to get our bodies right and locking it in these last few practices and come Saturday get the job done.”

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