The big story: Hempfield defeated Lancaster-Lebanon League Section 1 rival Cedar Crest 43-36 in the Round of 16 of the District 3-AAAA girls' basketball playoffs on Tuesday night. The Black Knights (15-8) led most of the way, though the Facons (20-6) did push ahead a couple of times in the second half. But Hempfield ended the game on a 13-5 run to earn a quarterfinal showdown with defending district champ Wilson at 7:30 p.m. Friday at Garden Spot.
Key sequence: In the last 9:30 of the game, Hempfield scored 23 points, with 19 of them coming from the free throw line. The Black Knights' only field goals in that stretch were a couple layups by Alecia Rohrer. The many fouls that Hempfield drew did not only lead to many free throw opportunities, it also caused three Cedar Crest starters to foul out.
On the scoreboard: Nikki Rhoades was the primary beneficiary of the 17 fouls called against Cedar Crest in the second half. The Hempfield guard was 14-for-16 from the free throw line and finished with 17 points. Rohrer and Julianna Clark also scored 10 points in the win. Emily Wagner had 11 points to lead Cedar Crest, and made the only two treys that the Falcons hit. Alyssa Austin had 10 points.
Hustle points: Both Rohrer and Austin finished with double-doubles. Rohrer had 14 rebounds and Austin had 11. Cedar Crest's full-court press disrupted Hempfield at times and forced 19 turnovers, but the Falcons had 12 turnovers of their own.
For a look at Hempfield taking away Cedar Crest's outside game and more, click here
What they're saying: "We obviously shot very well from the free throw line. I thought we handled their press pretty well, we defended the 3-point line well. That was the main thing." - Hempfield head coach Brian Rife
"Everybody has pressure on them. You have to block it out and just focus on the shot." - Hempfield's Nikki Rhoades
"We didn't play well. We missed 16 layups and we were 4-for-13 on free throws." - Cedar Crest head coach James Donmoyer
Rapid reaction: This Hempfield-Cedar Crest game came down to the final minutes like their two regular season contests did, although the Black Knights' free throw shooting late gave them some cushion. Hempfield was also able to keep the Falcons' score low by slowing Cedar Crest down. But will slowing the opponent down and free throw shooting be enough to topple Wilson? Maybe not. Will it be enough to earn one of the seven state playoff berths in Class AAAA? Maybe so.