The big story: Cedar Crest never trailed in the last three quarters and defeated Hempfield 36-32 in Lancaster-Lebanon League Section 1 girls' basketball on Saturday afternoon. The Falcons (7-2, 4-1) were tied 23-23 with the Black Knights (6-4, 4-1) early in the fourth quarter before a couple of 3-point shots by Emily Wagner put Cedar Crest up for good, 29-23. All eight other points for Cedar Crest in the fourth quarter came from the free throw line to seal the win.
For a look at how Wagners' 3-points shots broke the game open, click here.
On the scoreboard: Nikki Wagner led Cedar Crest with 13 points, including a 4-for-6 showing from the free throw line in the fourth quarter. Emily Wagner had nine points, all in the fourth period. Nikki Rhoads scored 10 points to pace Hempfield, while Alecia Rohrer had nine.
Hustle points: Rohrer, a 6-1 center, had a game-high 11 rebounds to help the Red Knights to a 36-28 rebounding advantage. Alex Rich led the Falcons with nine boards. Rohrer had two blocked shots and teammate Julianna Clark had one. Turnovers were almost even, with Hempfield giving the ball away 14 times and Cedar Crest 13 times.
What they're saying: "Our defense played really well. On offense, I don't think we played badly. We had looks. There, towards the end, we a couple of 3s that were huge." - Cedar Crest head coach Jim Donmoyer
"We missed a lot of shots. We had a lot of shots I'd take every game, and didn't make them." - Hempfield head coach Brian Rife
Rapid reaction: Though it is still early in section play, this was close to a must-win game for Cedar Crest in terms of the L-L 1 title and the two league playoff spots in the section. Had the Falcons lost, they would have been two games back of both Manheim Twp. and Hempfield. Now, tied with the Knights and just one game back of the Blue Streaks, Cedar Crest has set up a potential three-way race.