York Country Day dream season ends in OT
NEW HOLLAND – York Country Day’s Jalen Gorham found Jordan Ray in the hallway at Garden Spot High School.
The two embraced one last time as teammates after playing their final game of the season. Ray, who is headed to Hampton next season to play college football, needed a minute longer to compose himself before heading into the locker room a final time.
Girard College knocked off York Country Day with a 75-72 overtime decision in a PIAA boys’ basketball Class 1A quarterfinal Saturday.
The loss ends another impressive run by the Greyhounds in the state tournament, and it overshadowed York Country Day’s impressive fourth-quarter comeback that forced the extra session. York Country Day trailed by eight points with 3:13 to play, but the Greyhounds went on a 10-1 run to take it to overtime.
“We hit a lot of 3-pointers, and that was major,” Gorham said.
Knotted at 64, York Country Day had a chance to win it at the end of regulation, but a contested jumper by Ray and then a baseline jumper by Gorham aired out in the final frantic seconds.
York Country Day (21-5) looked in control in the extra session, but Girard College (23-8) kept feeding its big men. Girard took its first lead in the extra session with 20 seconds to play in overtime, and then survived another desperation shot by York Country Day.
Plagued by foul trouble, York Country Day lost two of its top players when DeAireus Brown fouled out and rolled his ankle in the fourth quarter. Gorham fouled out with 1:39 left in overtime.
After playing his final high school game, though, Ray preferred to look at the big picture.
“We went from a 5-11 team in my freshman season to being one of the final eight teams in the state,” Ray said. "For us to make it this far, in itself, it's amazing."
"It's been phenomenal. It was a bad way to go out, but I would not have wanted to go out with any other team."
Ray scored a team-high 20 points to lead a balanced effort. Gorham added 17 points and Brown added 12 second-half points. Greg Gladfelter had 12 points and D.J. Hamilton added 11.
Girard College beat the Greyhounds with its biggest strength: Its height advantage. Feeding big men Daquan Copeland (6-5) and freshman Mikeal Jones (6-7). Girard had chances to take command of the game again, but it went 2-for-8 from the free-throw line in the final 2-plus minutes of regulation.
Jones had 28 points and Copeland added 21.
The Greyhounds' season ended in a state quarterfinal a year after reaching the second round in the state tournament.
"Hell of a ride," Gorham said. "We played with heart, we played with a chip on our shoulder knowing we wanted another district title and wanted a deeper run into states."