Delone Catholic girls hold off Dallastown, 45-44
Delone Catholic snuffed out Dallastown’s fourth-quarter comeback attempt, hitting just enough free throws in the final minutes and stealing the ball in the final seconds to secure a 45-44 victory in the opening round of the YAIAA tournament at Dover High School.
Delone will take on New Oxford in Tuesday's semifinal after the Colonials won a slugfest against Susquehannock on Friday.
The Squirettes led by five points early in the fourth quarter, but Dallastown cut the deficit to one point when Julia Sutton drained a 3-pointer with 10 seconds to play.
Delone Catholic’s Elise Knobloch headed to the line with 4.4 seconds to play, and even though she missed the shot, she managed to steal the ball from Sutton and run out the clock to preserve the win.
“It’s just so great when it’s after the game and you can be proud of everyone,” Knobloch said. “Now we’re going to sing and celebrate. It’s great to know we did what nobody really thought we could do.”
Delone’s Catie Apgar led all scorers with 13 points, and she finished the game despite playing with four fouls. Dallastown’s Sutton led the Wildcats with 11 points, and she also finished the game with four fouls.
The two teams traded the lead in the third quarter, with Dallastown attacking Delone’s zone by driving the paint and kicking the ball. In the final 90 seconds, Dallastown continued to penetrate the lane, but the Wildcats couldn’t finish. Dallastown’s Sabria Royal continued to drive the lane, but each time the Wildcats came up empty.
“We hung in there, got down and came back and won,” Eckenrode said.