Gettysburg holds off Greencastle-Antrim in District 3 playoffs

By Ben Destefan

 

GETTYSBURG – The heavily-favored Gettysburg Warriors punched their ticket to the state tournament with Tuesday’s victory in the first round of the District 3-5A girls’ basketball playoffs.

 

It just didn’t come as easily as most expected.

 

The 14th-seeded Greencastle-Antrim Blue Devils gave the Warriors all they wanted and more, three times making it a one-possession game in the fourth quarter. Ultimately, Gettysburg held on for a 51-44 win, avoiding the upset as the No. 3 seed.

 

By halftime, the Warriors looked every bit the part, rolling to a 20-5 lead at the end of the first quarter before pushing the margin to 20 early in the second.

 

Gettysburg’s cushion was 14 at the break, seemingly setting the stage for a lackluster final two frames.

As it turned out, the visitors had other ideas.

 

Settling in, the Blue Devils gradually chipped away, aided by the Warriors suddenly going cold from the floor.

With the momentum shifting, G-A cut its deficit to 36-30 at the start of the fourth before getting to within three points on three separate occasions down the stretch.

 

In the end, Gettysburg (20-5) found a way. But, for Greencastle (14-8), there were plenty of positives.

 

“We weren’t used to that speed until it hit us in the face in the first half,” G-A coach Mike Rhine said. “In the second half we did a much better job closing down the middle and forcing them into shooting. They were missing shots and the next thing you know, we’re right there. We just ran out of gas.”

 

Sayge Wilhide was lights out from beyond the arc for the Blue Devils, burying a trio of makes in the final frame. Two of Wilhide’s 3-pointers made it 36-33 and 39-36, respectively, both times being answered by a trifecta from Gettysburg.

 

For the game, Wilhide led all scorers with 18 points, all of which came from downtown.

 

Lydia Crist added 12 points for G-A, connecting on four attempts from 3-point range. Tuesday marked the final contest of Crist’s varsity career, with the senior serving as the Blue Devils’ solidified leader this season.

 

McKenna Rakaczewski contributed eight points for Greencastle.

 

“You have to be encouraged with how our young girls played and who we’ll be building around,” Rhine said.

 

“We appreciate what the seniors and their parents gave to this program and how they were role models for the younger girls. It’s always tough to lose great players and even better kids.”

 

Anne Bair paced Gettysburg’s balanced scoring with 13 points followed by 11 from Lily Natter and 10 by Cheyenne Proctor.

 

“They’re a really good team, and I thought we adjusted well,” Rhine said. “I was proud of how we battled back and showed resiliency.”

 

The Warriors showcased a strong combination of size, athleticism and quality guard play, culminating in another home game against No. 11 Elizabethtown in Friday’s quarterfinals. Elizabethtown upset No. 6 South Western to advance. The top eight teams in Class 5A earn a berth in states, meaning all of Tuesday’s first-round winners will compete in the PIAA Championships.

 

Prior to Tuesday’s tip, Gettysburg coach Jeff Bair held a very classy moment of silence for longtime Boiling Springs boys’ basketball coach Pat Dieter, who died Monday night. Dieter’s loss has been felt throughout the regional basketball community.