It was a short walk from the foul line to the bench for Maddie Torresin. But it represented a year-long journey for her and the Cumberland Valley girls' basketball team.
Torresin, a senior bound for Division I Maryland-Baltimore County next year, had just made a basket and a free throw with 2:11 left in the game, bringing her total to 21 points. Head coach Bill Wolf substituted for her, and Torresin came to the bench with the Eagles holding a 58-39 lead over Bayard Rustin in the PIAA Class AAAA girls' basketball semifinals.
Cumberland Valley won by the final score of 61-45, clinching a spot in Friday's championship game.
A year ago, Torresin and the Eagles were on the losing end of a 60-45 decision in the finals to Spring Ford.
On Friday, there will a rematch between the Eagles and Rams at 6 p.m. at Giant Center.
But Tuesday night, the celebration was about how Cumberland Valley had made its return to the finals.
"The girls carried it around throughout the year," Wolf said. "It was a motivator, but also extra pressure on them."
Through the season, Cumberland Valley handled that pressure well, winning the Mid-Penn Commonwealth Division and the Mid-Penn postseason tournament.
Then the Eagles hit a major bump in the road, losing in the District 3 semifinals against Dover.
After winning the third place game, Cumberland Valley regained its composure and won four straight state playoff games.
"It's our leadership on the court," Torresin said. "We're really helping each other and picking each other up."
Torresin had her teammates pick her up on Tuesday night, when she had to sit on the bench with two fouls early in the second quarter.
"It was pretty harsh," Torresin said of having to watch a long stretch of the semifinal from the bench. "But knowing that my teammates had my back picked me up."
With Torresin sitting out, Cumberland Valley still lead 22-20 at halftime. Then Torresin played almost the entire second half and scored 19 of her 21 points after halftime.
Click here for a summary of Cumberland Valley's win over Bayard Rustin
When she did come out with 2:11 to go, Torresin could barely describe her feelings.
"I felt like my team, everyone there, we brought it home and just played great," Torresin said.
But nothing about Cumberland Valley's season has been a solo performance. Kelly Jekot and Meghan Rhoades played big roles too. They were able to score 11 and 10 points, respectively, and helped keep Rustin's inside game under control.
The Knights' top forward was Adashia Franklin. She scored 12 points and had 15 rebounds, but Jekot and Rhoades had nine and six rebounds themselves while battling with her. And they kept Franklin from scoring in the last 11 minutes of the game.
Rhoades' performance was particularly gutty, as she played with a wrapped right wrist and did have to briefly leave the game in the first quarter when she pulled the muscles in her wrist.
"Meghan had an unreal game," Wolf said. "And there are times when she is in pain out there."
Spring-Ford defeated North Allegheny 49-32 in the other semifinal.