Greencastle-Antrim girls rally past James Buchanan for Colonial crown

By Ben Destefan

MERCERSBURG – It has been an unpredictable second half of the season for the Greencastle-Antrim girls’ varsity basketball team, having a fair share of ups and downs.

On Tuesday, the Blue Devils rallied for their best achievement to date.

Needing to bounce back after a difficult loss Saturday, G-A responded against familiar foe James Buchanan, making some clutch plays in the closing stages for a 43-38 Mid-Penn Colonial Division victory and the outright division championship.

Greencastle trailed 23-20 at the break and 30-27 to start the fourth. There, G-A found another gear, pulling past the host Rockets in the third game of a quadruple-header in Mercersburg.

With the win, the Blue Devils improved to 13-6 overall and posted a final league record of 10-2.

“We came back, responded and played hard,” G-A coach Mike Rhine said. “In the third and fourth quarter we really played hard. These games (against James Buchanan) are about who plays harder and who plays smarter.”

McKenna Rakaczewski was sensational offensively, scoring a game-high 17 points for Greencastle.

Lydia Crist followed with 11 points in the win, headlined by two huge 3-pointers to first draw G-A even and then put the Blue Devils ahead in the fourth quarter.

Showcasing her patented aggressiveness, Ashley True was also pivotal at crucial moments, battling her way to eight points and 10 rebounds.

“When we win, it’s been a good team effort. That was the case tonight,” Rhine said. “We didn’t play our best game, but we played well enough to win and get a division title. It feels good to have it outright.”

Alyssa Blair led JB (10-9) with 11 points in the loss.

The Blue Devils conclude their regular season Thursday at home against Camp Hill.

With Tuesday’s outcome included, G-A remained 14th in the District 3-5A power rankings, with the top 16 teams qualifying for the playoffs.