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Memorable quotes from the YAIAA hoops season


Okay, I lied.

Last week, I wrote that it was time to turn the page on the 2015-'16 basketball season in my list of memorable games from the Hanover/Adams area. But then I started thinking about all the great quotes I heard from players and coaches this season that needed to be remembered. So if you're not completely sick of basketball yet, here's some of the most insightful, humorous and descriptive statements that were said to me this season.

"We kind of feed off of Jared's energy. If he gets hyped, the next person gets hyped, the entire bench gets hyped, the coaches get hyped and the student section gets hyped and the whole arena gets hyped. We just feed off of that."

Central York's Onterio Edmonds on teammate Jared Wagner after Central York beat Spring Grove, 52-51, in overtime of the District 3 Class AAAA semifinals on Feb. 23. Wagner scored 23 points and hit the game-winning shot in overtime.

"Personally, no, not what I expected. I expected to get back to the (district semifinals at the) Giant Center. But what I do love is that nobody gave us a chance. Even before the season we weren't sure where we were going to end up, even if above .500 record. From as far as we've come, to where we've landed, it's pretty good. I did have higher aspirations, and I think it's good to set high goals like that and give everything you've got to go after them."

- Hanover's Kyle Krout following the Nighthawks season-ending 69-56 loss to Upper Dauphin in the District 3 Class AA quarterfinals on Feb. 20. Krout finished second in the YAIAA in scoring at 22.1 points-per-game.

"If we get to where we want, you'll see a lot of excitement from us. We'll be acting like fools and running around like our heads are cut off. Right now, we're just ready to go on to the next one."

- Spring Grove head coach James Brooks, following the Rockets 66-27 win over Central Dauphin East in the first round of the District 3 Class AAAA playoffs on Feb. 17. Spring Grove finished 25-4 and lost in the first round of the PIAA playoffs.

"Honestly, I probably would have gotten stuffed last year. I was scrawny."

-Spring Grove's Grant Wierman, after hitting the game-winning, contested layup in the Rockets 59-57 win over Northeastern in the YAIAA semifinals on Feb. 11. The 6-foot-4, 170-pound senior grew three inches and gained nearly 20 pounds during the offseason prior to his final season.

"Well, Riley is going to be a special player, there is no question about that. Some people probably don't know who (Boston Celtics Hall of Famer) John Havlicek was, but he was a sixth man who came off the bench with a heck of a lot of energy. So that's her role and she's fine with that."

- Delone Catholic girls' head coach Gerry Eckenrode on freshman Riley Vingsen, following the Squirettes 41-36 win over York Suburban in the YAIAA quarterfinals on Feb. 6. Vingsen averaged 7.2 points-per-game in her first season of high school basketball.

"I just let it fly. It felt very good, very hype. I do stuff like that in practice and coach tells me just to let it fly and execute in the game."

- New Oxford's Jordin Brown following the Colonials 58-48 win over Hanover on Jan. 9. Brown scored 14 points and hit 3-pointers on three consecutive possessions in the fourth quarter.

"I don't really get into all those numbers, the history and stuff. But I wanted to be educated so if we got to this position, I could talk about it. I looked up (at the banners) and just told them that everybody is going to see this year that you put together, and they’re going to get to see it on that banner until it gets so old. Or they win so many that they have to take it down.”

- James Brooks after Spring Grove beat Central York, 42-36, in the YAIAA championship game on Feb 13. It was the Rockets' first league title since 1971.