Clutch Kloster sends Northeastern into PIAA tournament, eliminates York Suburban
Standing at the foul line with 1.2 seconds left on the clock in a tied game and a trip to the state tournament hanging in the balance.
That was the scenario that Northeastern's Jordyn Kloster faced on Thursday at Dallastown High School in the seventh-place game of the District 3 Class AAA girls' basketball tournament against York Suburban.
"I was just thinking, just make one, that's all we need to win," Kloster said.
That's exactly what the Northeastern junior did as she sank her first attempt. Even though she missed the second and Suburban came up with the rebound, a long heave from well beyond half court came up short and after the buzzer, giving the No.11 Bobcats a 49-48 victory.
The win seals the first trip to the state tournament for the Bobcats since they advanced to the second round in the 2007-08 tournament.
The Bobcats (17-10) will play the winner of District 12 on Saturday, March 7 at a site and time to be determined.
"Everyone is so excited. We were all screaming in the locker room," said Kloster, who finished with 13 points, 11 rebounds and three blocks. "It's a great feeling."
Northeastern took a 33-31 lead at the end of the third quarter on Ashley Meyer's 3-pointer right before the buzzer. That set the stage for a wild fourth quarter, which saw three tie scores and four lead changes.
The back-and-forth contest was nothing new for these teams, which split their regular-season series.
"They are extremely well coached. Jess (Barley) does a fantastic job," Bobcats head coach Bill Novak said. "Our girls fight hard. The effort they gave was incredible."
Complete District 3 basketball tournament coverage
No. 9 York Suburban (19-9) took an early 13-3 lead in the first quarter and were up 21-16 at halftime.
"Their athletes just took over," Barley said. "We were just one stop short. We knew it was going to be close and a battle."
With 31 seconds to play, the Trojans trailed 48-43, but a deep 3-pointer from the right wing and two converted foul shots from Claudia Mingora tied the game at 48 with 17 seconds to play.
The Bobcats inbounded the ball and went down the court and with 1.2 seconds to play, Kloster was fouled to set up the final shots of the game.
The Trojans were led by Mingora's 18 points and Kelsey Plonk's 14. They were the only two senior starters for Suburban.
"We won four games two years ago and then only eight games last year. Most kids in 2015 would quit. They would find something else to do. I'm proud of the upperclassmen for sticking through that struggle," Barley said. "They believed in the program."
Olivia Gettle finished with 14 of the 29 Suburban rebounds and four points.
"She is one of the toughest players I've ever coached," Barley said. "She competes so hard. She is very humble too, which makes her even more of a pleasure to coach."
Payton Hauck led the Bobcats with 16 points. Meyer chipped in four 3s for 12 points. Northeastern finished with nine 3s but some alterations in the second half opened up more opportunities for the Bobcats, who scored 33 points over the final 16 minutes.
"We made a slight adjustment on how we were going to attack their zone," Novak said. "We passed the ball better and got more patient. You have to play inside and out."
Northeastern 49, York Suburban 48
Northeastern (49)
Ashley Meyer 4 0-2 12, K. Meyer 0 0-0 0, Anderson 0 0-0 0, Payton Hauck 7 0-0 16, Schroter 0 0-0 0, Pace 3 0-0 8, Weekes 0 0-0 0, Jordyn Kloster 4 4-10 13.
Totals — 18 4-12 49.
York Suburban (48)
Claudia Mingora 7 2-3 18, Dumars 1 0-0 3, Ramp 1 0-0 1, Gettle 2 0-1 4, Day 2 1-3 6, Kelsey Plonk 7 0-0 14.
Totals — 20 3-7 48.
Northeastern6101716—49York Suburban1381017—48
3-point goals — Ne 9 (A. Meyer 4, Hauck 2, Pace 2, Kloster), YS 5 (Mingora 2, Dumars, Ramp, Day).