By Ben Destefan
GREENCASTLE - Not many saw this coming. Considering the Greencastle-Antrim girls' basketball program had not lost at home since 2013, how could you?
On Tuesday night, however, Susquehanna Township simply made more plays down the stretch en route to a surprising 47-42 non-league victory.
It certainly wasn't the way the Blue Devils (18-4) had hoped to wrap up their regular season, now forced to wait and see if they remain in position to host a first-round game when the final District 3 Class 5A power rankings are calculated later this week. With the loss added in late Tuesday, G-A sat eighth in the updated rankings, serving as the last seed to host of the 16 qualifiers.
Uncharacteristically, the Blue Devils struggled to lock down defensively against Susquehanna Township (10-12), allowing several easy putbacks. Compounding the problem was a cold shooting night from the floor, with G-A's tradition second-half surge never coming to fruition.
"Bigger teams bother us, and our defensive rotations weren't very good," Greencastle head coach Mike Rhine said. "They got a lot of second and third chances and shots that we normally make just didn't fall. We missed opportunities and they played a little better than us tonight."
Leading 20-18 at halftime, Susquehanna Township continued to answer brief Blue Devil bursts in the third quarter, able to maintain a two-score cushion for much of the frame. The margin grew to 38-30 before G-A seemingly started to seize the momentum in the fourth.
A pair of 3's from Lydia Crist sparked the Blue Devils' push prior to a Jenay Faulkner finish and a Lauren Cole jumper tying things at 40. Buckets by Lexi Weikert and Treasure Johnson reclaimed a two-possession advantage for the Lady Indians, putting the pressure back on G-A.
A frantic sequence with misses at both ends ensued before Kyah Rucker connected from beyond the arc, essentially delivering the dagger.
Despite getting a few decent looks in the closing seconds, the Blue Devils were unable to rekindle their patented home magic.
"With this team, we'll put it in our rearview mirror and get back to work," Rhine said. "We had a good defensive game plan, but it just didn't happen tonight. It wasn't a lack of effort, we just weren't quick to the ball and where we needed to be."
Lauren Pettis was a force inside for Susquehanna Twp., leading the Lady Indians with 18 points.
Faulkner finished with a game-high 21 points for G-A followed by 11 from Crist.
Prior to District 3 play beginning on Feb. 21, the Blue Devils will represent the Mid-Penn Colonial Division in next Tuesday's conference tournament. G-A is paired against Keystone Division champion Bishop McDevitt for a semifinal contest at Big Spring High School.
