By Ben Destefan

 

The excitement still hasn’t worn off from Wednesday’s riveting upset.

 

Nor should it.

 

Considering few gave them even a fighting chance to get past top-seeded West York, Greencastle-Antrim’s triumph in the District 3-AAA girls’ basketball semifinals easily marked the biggest win in program history.

 

Still, one more opponent stands between the Blue Devils and gold medals.

 

Saturday morning, back at Hershey’s Giant Center, G-A will square off against Conrad Weiser for the Class AAA championship, with tip set for 11:15 a.m.

 

Needless to say, now less than 24 hours away, it’s back to business for the fourth-seeded Blue Devils (23-3).

 

“We did what we did, beating the top team, which is something no one else had done all year,” G-A head coach Mike Rhine said of handing West York its first loss of the season. “We’ve taken the program to new heights, but I looked each of our girls in the face at practice and asked if they were satisfied. Everyone of them said no.”

 

Aside from Saturday serving as the first-ever basketball championship game appearance for both, the storylines go far beyond the hardwood.Back in November, these same two schools met for District 3’s Class AA crown in girls’ soccer, ironically also played at ‘The Sweetest Place On Earth’.

 

For those keeping score, G-A won 1-0.Additionally, all five Blue Devil starters were members of that championship soccer team, introducing them to the type of pressure associated with a stage of equal magnitude.

 

“These kids know how to turn it on when it matters,” Rhine acknowledged. “They’ve done it in other sports, most recently soccer. They have a mentality that they’re not going to lose, regardless of who they are playing. Now, the goal is to win districts.”

 

Similarly, Conrad Weiser (20-7) has three starters that also played soccer, headlined by leading scorer Hannah Racis.

 

The journey to Saturday’s title tilt has been just as eye-opening for the seventh-seeded Scouts, defeating No. 2 Berks Catholic in the quarterfinals before upsetting defending district champion West Perry in the semis.

 

“They’re a very formidable opponent,” Rhine said of Conrad Weiser. “They’re fast and they like to mix it up on you defensively. They pretty much run the same offense as we do and everyone of their players can catch and shoot. They definitely present plenty of challenges.”

 

As West York found out Wednesday, so do the Blue Devils.

 

Jenay Faulkner has routinely been the best player on the floor throughout her young varsity career, already nearing the 800-point plateau as just a sophomore. Listed at 5-foot-9, Faulkner plays even bigger, averaging 17.2 points per contest while coming off a game-high, 15-point showing in the semifinals.

 

Equally as impressive throughout the playoffs, Hannah Crist has taken on the role of closer, being clutch from the free throw line against both Lancaster Catholic and West York.

 

In the quarterfinals, Crist went 7-of-8 from the stripe to slam the door on Lancaster before her 4-for-4 performance sealed the upset on Wednesday.In the Blue Devils’ three district victories, Crist has averaged 15.7 points, while averaging 11.8 on the year.

 

Despite a relatively low point total the last two games, Katie Gelsinger has been tremendous in the paint, racking up a total of 44 rebounds during G-A’s district run while fellow starters Jane Herman and Meghan Hirneisen have each hit huge shots in big moments.

 

“I truly think that we have the best overall team,” Rhine said. “We should feel comfortable on that stage inside the Giant Center and our girls are confident.

 

It’s now about the next 32 minutes.”Regardless of Saturday’s outcome, both G-A and Conrad Weiser will represent District 3 in the PIAA tournament which begins on March 7.

 

For those unable to attend the game, it will be broadcast live online by Mid-Penn Broadcasting.