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Delone toughs out win against York Suburban


The Squirettes hit five 3-pointers and allowed only two

Delone Catholic head coach Gerry Eckenrode felt confident.

The Squirettes led by two points with 17 seconds to play in Saturday's YAIAA girls' basketball tournament quarterfinal against York Suburban at Dover High School, but Delone had missed two free throws on consecutive one-and-one opportunities. But with senior Ally Shipley on the line for a third one-and-one situation, Eckenrode remained calm.

"Ally is one of our better foul shooters, so I had a lot of confidence in her," Eckenrode said. "It's tough for kids to make those shots in that situation, but Ally gave us some separation."

Shipley hit both shots and fellow senior Katie Laughman swiped the ensuing inbound pass to help Delone Catholic cap a 41-36 victory against York Suburban.

Delone Catholic (17-5) advances to play Red Lion, a winner against West York, in a semifinal Wednesday at Dallastown High School. York Suburban (17-5) now shifts its focus to the District 3 tournament.

"I've got to give credit to Delone, they played well and they hit big shots," York Suburban coach Jess Barley said. "Their shooters stepped up and made more shots than we did down the stretch. That was the story."

Eckenrode said that while it wasn't one of the best games either team played, it was probably one of the grittiest.

"That was a good, old-fashioned tractor pull by both teams," Eckenrode said. "It was just a gutty effort by both teams. Every possession was vital, and obviously for both teams it was nerve-racking."

Delone Catholic controlled the game early on, scoring the first three baskets to lead, 11-4, after the first quarter. Five different Delone players scored in the opening quarter, and York Suburban struggled to defend the perimeter.

York Suburban forward Parker Faircloth-Henise scored eight points in the second quarter to help the Trojans tie the game before halftime. The Trojans then opened the third quarter with four straight points and seemed to have all the momentum.

The Squirettes would answer, closing the quarter on a 12-5 run to take a three-point lead into the fourth. Delone never relinquished the lead.

"Everything we saw on Twitter, people expected them to win, not us," Laughman said. "We came into tonight knowing they wanted it. We knew we had to come out and play harder than they did."

Laughman hit three 3-pointers and led Delone Catholic in scoring with 12 points, and freshman Riley Vingsen came off the bench to score seven. Eckenrode praised Vingsen's poise and said she is talented enough to start.

"Well, Riley is going to be a special player, there is no question about that," Eckenrode said. "Riley deserves to start, but we want some excitement coming off the bench, which she fulfills."

Delone Catholic (41)

Katie Laughman 4 1-4 12, Shipley 1 2-2 4, Knobloch 2 2-5 6, Singleton 2 0-1 5, Apgar 0 0-1 0, Vingsen 3 0-0 7, Zumbrum 2 1-2 5, Anderson 1 0-0 2, Miller 0 0-0 0. Totals — 15 6-15 41.

York Suburban (36)

Parker Faircloth-Henise 6 2-5 14, Day 4 0-0 9, Gettle 1 0-0 2, Dumars 1 1-2 4, Reinecker 1 3-4 5, Mooney 1 0-0 2, Eytcheson 0 0-0 0. Totals — 14 6-11 36.

Delone Catholic _ 11 _ 8 _ 12 _ 10 _ — _ 41

York Suburban _ 4 _ 15 _ 9 _ 8 _ — _ 36

3-point goals — Delone Catholic 5 (Laughman 3, Singleton, Vingsen) York Suburban 2 (Dumars, Day).