Central polishes off Susquehannock for crown

Even when they weren't at their best and at times couldn't seem to catch a break on the offensive end, the Central York Panthers still proved to be among the YAIAA's best teams by beating a formidable Susquehannock squad for the second time in less than two weeks, 47-42, in the Panther Holiday Classic championship Wednesday.

The Warriors, whose only two losses of the season have come at the hands of Central, held the Panthers to under 30 percent shooting from the field and made several second-half surges but came up short once again.

"We felt like if we had made a handful of layups, we would've been more comfortable but our defense dug in and did what it had to do," Central York head coach Scott Wisner said. "And we got an opportunity there at the end of the game to get a look at how our team responds in that situation. In the end it worked out for us and gave us some good experience."

Central (9-1, 4-1 YAIAA Division I) struggled shooting the ball the entire night but Susquehannock (9-2, 6-0 YAIAA Division II) never took full advantage. The Panthers missed their first eight shots and went 4-for-17 from the floor, but still led 10-9 heading to the second quarter. The Warriors didn't score for a five-minute stretch in the second and the Panthers took a 24-16 lead into halftime.

"They've got five kids on the court who can score," Susquehannock head coach Dave Schreiner said of Central. "If you're only trying to stop two or three, that's one thing. When you have to stop five, it's tough...I thought the difference in the game was we didn't score consistently in the first half and throughout the game we made some bad choices."

Susquehannock cut the lead to two twice in the third quarter, but an Emma Saxton and-one and a 3-pointer by Lydia Shellenberger pushed the lead back to five on both occasions. Still, Susquehannock made one more desparate rally in the fourth. After Central had pushed the lead to 43-34 with just under three minutes remaining, the Warriors cut that deficit to 43-40 with less than 40 seconds left. But a Warriors turnover and clutch free throw shooting by the Panthers sealed the deal.

"We know we're going to have nights like tonight," Wisner said of the close finish. "But I'll take 9-1."

York Catholic 52, Brandywine Heights 27 >> York Catholic had no problem sharing the ball in a 52-27 consolation win over Brandywine Heights. Twelve players scored for York Catholic, led by Kate Bauhof who finished with 11.

The Irish pushed the lead to as many as 17 early in the third and finished the game on a 22-7 run after the Bullets cut the deficit to 30-20 midway through the third.

Central York 47, Susquehannock 42

Susquehannock (42)

Taylor Tannura 4 4-8 12, Ashley Stone 5 0-0 11, Mahan 4 0-1 8, Williams 3 0-0 6, Galbreath 2 0-0 5, M. Stone 0 0-0 0, McCullough 0 0-0 0. Totals — 18 4-9 42.

Central York (47)

Emma Saxton 3 5-6 12, Nikson Valencik 4 3-4 11, Shellenberger 2 0-0 5, Sepic 2 1-2 6, Williams 2 1-2 5, Preston 1 3-5 5, Stanton 1 0-0 3, Wagner 0 0-0 0, Fabbri 0 0-0 0. Totals — 15 15-19 47.

Susquehannock _ 9_ 7 _ 11 _ 15 _ — _ 42  

Central York_ 10 _ 14 _ 6 _17 _ — _ 47

3-point goals — Sus 2 (Galbreath, A. Stone), CY 4 (Stanton, Shellenberger, Saxton, Sepic).

York Catholic 52, Brandywine Heights 27

Brandywine Heights (27)

Hannah Fanstermacher 4 0-0 10, Turbett 1 2-2 4, Harrison 2 0-0 4, Mendoza 0 3-6 3, Hoffman 1 0-0 2, Seabourne 1 0-0 2, DeLong 0 1-4 1, Miller 0 1-2 1. Totals — 9 7-14 27.

York Catholic (52)

Kate Bauhof 5 0-0 11, Citrone 3 0-0 7, Rader 2 2-2 6, Laslo 1 3-4 5, Duchek 2 0-0 4, Sterner 1 0-0 2, Kepner 1 2-2 4, Desseyn 2 0-0 4, Wright 1 1-1 3, Strayer 0 2-2 2, Reed 1 0-0 2, Lake 1 0-0 2. Totals — 20 10-11 52.

Brandywine Heights _ 6_ 7 _ 8 _ 6 _ — _ 27  

York Catholic_ 14 _ 12 _ 14 _ 12 _ — _ 52  

3-point goals — BH 2 (Fanstermacher 2), YC 2 (Bauhof, Citrone).