Blue Devils win tight game vs. JB

By Ed Gotwals on 2/6/26

 

Greencastle-Antrim 53, James Buchanan 47: The Blue Devils made a nice run in the third quarter to take the lead from the Rockets, then did enough at the end to hold JB off in a non-league contest Friday night in Greencastle.

 

Callie Izer

 

A basket in the lane by JB’s Kendyl Stoner tied the game 45-45 midway through the fourth quarter, but a layup by Ellie Bigler quickly gave G-A the lead back. Liv Carey made a free throw, then Ainsley Green scored for the Rockets to get them within 48-47.

 

With 0:45 left, Kiersten Swain drained two free throws for the Blue Devils, and with 0:12 left, Callie Izer made only her first of two free throws. But Swain ran down the rebound and Izer was fouled and made both to finish the game.

 

“You always want to send your seniors out with a win and the girls worked hard tonight to do that,” Blue Devil coach Scott McKeever said. “Callie and Liv mean a lot to our program.”

 

“We rely on 3-pointers, but made only one tonight, so credit to JB’s players and coaches who took that part of the game away. We showed our maturity by going inside over and over and that adjustment made all the difference.”

 

For Greencastle, which finished the regular season 13-9, Izer scored 15 points, Bigler had 12 and Swain ended with 10. Izer grabbed 7 rebounds, Fries had 5 boards and 3 steals and Bigler added 8 boards, 3 steals and 4 assists.

 

Kendyl Stoner poured in 22 points to lead the Rockets (9-11). Alivia Dorty scored 9 and Green added 8.

Basketball team wipe out East Penn

By Ed Gotwals on 2/4/26

 

Greencastle-Antrim 71, East Pennsboro 44: The Blue Devils had blazing hot first quarter — outscoring the Panthers 26-7 — and rolled to a big Mid Penn Colonial win Wednesday at home and help their chances for making the District 3 playoffs.

 

Ellie Bigler

 

G-A coach Scott McKeever said, “After just missing the playoffs last year, our goal was to get back in and see what happens. This win puts us in a good place as we get ready for Senior Night Friday against James Buchanan.

 

“The girls worked through the ups and downs that is basketball and kept East Penn at arms length all night. It puts us right where we want to be — in control of our own fate.”

 

The Blue Devils (12-9, 8-6 MPC) got a big night from Kiersten Swain, who put up 10 points in the first quarter and finished with 27 points (her third game this year with 27 or more).

 

She got plenty of help from Ellie Bigler (13), Callie Izer (13) and Sophie Fries (8).

 

For East Pennsboro (2-19, 2-12 MPC), Amina Alami scored 15 points.

Girls pick up hoops win over Greyhounds

By Ed Gotwals on 1/27/26

 

Greencastle-Antrim 63, Shippensburg 57: The Blue Devils avenged an earlier loss to the Greyhounds by dominating the fourth quarter in a Mid Penn Colonial game on Tuesday night at home.

 

Ellie Bigler

 

“We had some foul trouble in the first half and the bench kept us in the game in the second quarter,” G-A coach Scott McKeever said. “Then, led by Callie (Izer) and Kiersten (Swain), we put together a winning fourth quarter.

 

“Callie attacked the rim from the high post (she scored 8 points in the period) and Kiersten hit two of her four 3-pointers, and we pulled out to an 8-point lead with about 3 minutes to go. Then we closed it out on foul shots by Liv Carey, Ellie Bigler and Swain.”

 

Lily Weller tossed in 21 points for Shippensburg (9-10, 6-6 MPC) and Tressa Triplett added 12 points.

 

Swain poured in a career-high 28 points for the Blue Devils — she made 5 of 9 from long range and hit 9 of 10 free throws — and she was helped by Izer (18 points) and Sophie Fries (10 points).

 

Izer and Bigler each made 7 steals, and Bigler added 8 assists and 11 rebounds. Fries had 3 steals and 4 boards and Swain assisted on 3 baskets.

Blue Devils hoops team defeats West Perry

By Ed Gotwals on 1/22/26

 

Greencastle-Antrim 60, West Perry 27: Already leading by 15 points at halftime, the Blue Devils outscored the Mustangs 25-7 in the second half to claim a Mid Penn Colonial win Thursday night at home.

 

Liv Carey

 

With their third win in the last 4 games, the Blue Devils moved their record to 9-8 (5-6 MPC).

 

G-A coach Scott McKeever said, “Coming off a big win Tuesday over Waynesboro, I wanted the girls to understand that this game meant just as much to our postseason aspirations as that one did. They responded well across the board.

“I was pleased with our energy and execution. We had 17 assists and only 11 turnovers. That’s the kind of execution we’re looking for down the stretch.”

 

Kiersten Swain knocked down four 3-pointers on her way to 16 points to lead G-A. The team hit 8-for-19 from long range.

 

Liv Carey and Sophie Fries added 10 points each. Fries added 14 rebounds, Ellie Bigler had 5 assists, Callie Izer, Morgan Baer and Braelyn Cordell each had 3 assists and Izer added 5 boards and 4 steals.

Big 4th quarters lifts Blue Devils to win

By Ed Gotwals on 1/20/26

 

Greencastle-Antrim 75, Waynesboro 63: A big fourth quarter — including an 11-for-13 effort at the free throw line — lifted the Blue Devils to a 12-point win over the Maidens in a home Mid Penn Colonial game Tuesday night.

 

Sophie Fries

 

Waynesboro (6-9, 6-4 MPC) led by 7 points at halftime, but by the end of three periods, the game was tied 47-47.

 

Greencastle (8-8, 4-6 MPC) then put up 28 points in the fourth quarter to salt the game away.

 

For the game, G-A hit 29 of 43 foul shots, while ‘Boro made 13 of 20.

 

In the fourth, Kiersten Swain scored 9 points for the Blue Devils, while Ellie Bigler and Sophie Fries each scored 7. Bigler was 7-for-8 shooting free throws in that period and was 11-for-14 for the game.

 

For Greencastle, which had lost by 7 to ‘Boro earlier in the season, Fries dropped in 21 points and Callie Izer poured in 20 — both were career-high totals. Also, Swain produced 18 points and Bigler had 11.

 

Bre McIlquham notched 18 points for the Maidens, while Braelynn Pearson had 14 and Aly Shockey 11.

Northern hands Blue Devils  a division setback

By Ed Gotwals on 1/16/26

 

Northern York 44, Greencastle-Antrim 33: The Blue Devils kept the powerful Polar Bears within reach until a rough fourth quarter sealed their fate in a Mid Penn Colonial game Friday night at home.

 

Braelyn Cordell

 

Northern (12-2, 8-1 MPC) trailed 29-27 at the end of three quarters against Greencastle (7-8, 3-6 MPC), but rallied to take the win with a 17-4 advantage in the fourth period.

 

“The first three quarters were as tight as a game could be,” G-A coach Scott McKeever said. “It was a game that featured hard-nosed, physical defense. Scoring was difficult at both ends. Northern found some cracks in our defense early in the fourth to go from two down to six up.”

 

The Bears also hit 4 of 6 free throws down the stretch. Liz Montgomery led with 10 points.

 

For the Blue Devils, Braelyn Cordell led with 8 points, Ellie Bigler had 7 and Liv Carey and Kiersten Swain scored 6 each. Also, Sophie Fries grabbed 10 rebounds, Callie Izer had 4 boards and 3 steals and Cordell added 3 steals.

Blue Devils beat Eastern York in hoops

By Ed Gotwals on 1/15/26

 

Greencastle-Antrim 44, Eastern York 31: The Blue Devils held the Golden Knights scoreless in the first quarter and turned it into a non-league victory Wednesday night in a home game.

 

Callie Izer

 

G-A (7-7) held a 19-7 lead by halftime, led by Liv Carey and Callie Izer scoring 12 of those points.

 

“We had our best defensive effort of the season,” Greencastle coach Scott McKeever said. “The girls understood their individual assignments and went out and executed. This was a good team win against a good team.”

 

Eastern York (10-5), which got 15 points from Ivory Strawsbaugh, rallied to get within 3 points midway through the fourth quarter, but a 3-pointer by Kiersten Swain stemmed the rally. Izer made 6 of 8 free throws in the final quarter to pad the lead again.

 

Izer scored 11 points, took down 9 rebounds and added 3 steals. Swain also scored 11 points, Ellie Bigler had 9 boards and 5 assists, Sophie Fries got 8 rebounds and Carey had 5 rebounds.

Lady Blue Devils fall on road to Blue Raiders

By Ed Gotwals on 1/14/26

 

Middletown 62, Greencastle-Antrim 36: The Blue Devils had trouble playing the Blue Raiders — the No. 2 team in Class 5A in District 3 — and dropped a Mid Penn Colonial contest on the road Tuesday night.

 

 

“We kept it close in the first half, even though they made it difficult to run our offense,” G-A coach Scott McKeever said. “In the second half they had a couple of big runs that made it hard to get back in it. The girls never quit and I am proud of the way they compete.”

 

Kiersten Swain scored 8 points for Greencastle (5-8, 3-5 MPC). Liv Carey and Ellie Bigler each added 7 points, while Sophie Fries grabbed 8 rebounds and Bigler also had 4 boards and 2 steals.

 

For the Blue Raiders (13-0, 8-0 MPC), Jayla Koser led the way with 18 points.

Balanced Mustangs top G-A girls

By Ed Gotwals on 12/5/25

 

South Western 56, Greencastle-Antrim 25: The Mustangs put 9 players in the scoring column and handled the Blue Devils in a first-round game of the South Western Tip-Off Tournament on Friday night in Hanover.

 

Liv Carey

 

South Western will play York Catholic in the final Saturday at 4 p.m., while G-A will play Carlisle at 2:30. The Herd fell 45-40 to York Catholic.

 

Carly Louey paced the Mustangs with 22 points, scoring 6 in the first period and 8 each in the second and third.

Greencastle (1-1) had no players in double figures. Liv Carey led in scoring with 8 points.