Warriors secure District 3 win, book spot in state tournament
By Tom Sixeas Times Sports Writer
Gettysburg entered District 3 play on Tuesday looking for a win that would not just extend its season by a single game, but provide much more.
The Warriors got it when they held off hard-charging Greencastle-Antrim, 51-44, in opening round play of the District 3 Class 5A Championships on their home floor. The win moves the Warriors on to the quarterfinal round where they will host Elizabethtown on Friday at 7 p.m. The Bears knocked off South Western, 54-48, to earn their spot.
Perhaps more importantly, the victory also gives Gettysburg at least four more games this season: The Warriors punched their ticket to the state playoffs, something that hasn’t happened since 2013.
With no seniors and no players with playoff experience on the roster prior to Tuesday’s contest, the additional games should serve the Warriors well moving forward.
“This was an important step for us, it gets us at least four more games and a few more weeks of practice,” Gettysburg head coach Jeff Bair said. “We’re a young team, so that extra experience will only help us going forward.”
Gettysburg (20-5) began the game on fire, jumping out to a 9-0 lead. The hosts were in front, 20-5, after the opening quarter, thanks in part to eight points from Cheyenne Proctor, who knocked down a pair of 3-pointers.
The advantage sat at 27-7 halfway through the second quarter before the Blue Devils (14-8) began to climb back into it.
A trio of triples by Sayge Wilhide in the final three minutes of the half helped Greencastle trim the deficit to 34-20, and the Devils were far from finished.
Greencastle tightened the screws defensively in the third quarter, holding Gettysburg to 1-of-9 shooting from the field and also forced six turnovers in the stanza. The visitors narrowed the gap to 36-30 heading for the fourth quarter.
“There was a little intimidation factor, I thought. They’re a big team, they’re talented and they’re the number three seed in the tournament for a reason,” Greencastle head coach Mike Rhine said. “We got way behind, but we didn’t give up. I’m proud of my girls for continuing to fight.”
Lydia Crist’s 3-pointer with 4:51 to play cut Gettysburg’s lead to 42-39, the third time the Devils closed the gap to just three points. But they never had possession with a chance to tie the game.
A free throw by Taylor Richardson with 3:06 to play pushed Gettysburg’s advantage to 43-39. Richardson missed the second one, but it was rebounded by Lily Natter, who passed the ball out and Gettysburg reset its offense.
A foul gave Gettysburg the ball on the sideline out of bounds, and Natter got behind her defender for a pretty lob pass from Cheyenne Proctor for an easy finish at the 2:48 mark.
Natter, a 6-foot-2 junior, was a problem inside all night for the undersized Devils, who didn’t start anyone over 5-foot-8. Natter made all five of her shots from the field — which came in the paint — and finished with 11 points and five rebounds. Richardson also presented issues on the inside for the guest as she hauled down 12 boards to go with her six points.
“We thought that Lily would have a good night and she did,” Bair said. “Her and Taylor did a nice job of taking advantage of their size inside.”
Wilhide’s final trifecta of the contest, her sixth, made it 48-42 with 1:34 to go, but the Warriors made enough free throws down the stretch to ice it.
Freshman Anne Bair led the Warriors with 13 points and Proctor tossed in 10 to join Natter in double figures.
Wilhide paced the Devils with 18 points, while Crist put in 12.
“We knew what they were going to try to do tonight, but they’ve got a lot of weapons,” Rhine said. “You can’t take away everything and Gettysburg is an excellent team. I’ll be rooting for them to win the whole tournament.”
Jeff Bair cited a need for improvement from the charity stripe as his team moves forward. The Warriors hit 16-of-26 (61 percent) from the foul line, seven percent below their season number entering the game.
“We’re usually much better from the foul line than we were tonight,” Bair said.
