Pequea Valley wrapped up the regular season with a solid second-place finish in the Section Five standings. The Pequea girls upped their league record to 8-2 with victories over Columbia and Lancaster Country Day.
The victories sent the Braves into the L-L League playoffs, which tipped off on Thursday, February 7.
In that first-round playoff contest, the Lampeter-Strasburg Pioneers prevailed 50-41, getting out to a 33-21 lead at the half and managing to hold off the Braves, who had a third-quarter comeback.
The Braves' 8-2 league mark had them second in the Section Five standings. The Pioneers (9-4) were the runners-up in Section Three, setting up the playoff meeting at Garden Spot High School.
Marlena Ferry of Pequea Valley scored a game-high 19 points, scorching the net from three-point range with five long-distance jump shots. Abbey Leslie scored seven points.
Jackie Martin and Emma Gochnauer led the Pioneers with 13 points each.
The Braves' fast start carried up to halftime. The home team held a 36-21 edge at the midway point over the Crimson Tide. Pequea put up 18 points in each of the final two stanzas for a 72-46 win.
Abbey Leslie, Marlena Ferry and Caroline Horst each scored 15 or more points for Pequea Valley. Ferry's 17 points came mostly on three-point shots, making five from long-range. Leslie led all scorers with 25 points, including three treys and a 6-for-6 night at the foul line. Horst scored 15.
Also chipping in for the Braves' offense was Clara Neff (8 pts) and Bethany Bills (5 pts).
Janeah Neal scored 15 to lead Columbia. Mackenzie Burke scored 13 - nine from three-point land.
The Braves won a wild overtime game at Lancaster Country Day on Tuesday night, outscoring the Cougars 12-8 in the extra period for a 61-57 win.
Pequea Valley's section foe fell to 6-4 in the league (16-4 overall) with the loss. The Braves improved to 16-4 and wrapped up the regular season with a fifth-place ranking in the District Three Class-AAA power rankings.
It was a tough second quarter for the Braves following an 11-3 Cougars run leading up to halftime. Trailing 26-22 at intermission, the Braves outscored the home team 27-23 over the next two periods, forcing overtime.
The steady barrage of points by Pequea helped this team stay in the hunt during a competitive, close contest. Horst had 17 of PV's 61 points while Ferry drilled four treys on a 16-point night. Bills and Leslie each scored 12 points.
The two top scorers in the game were wearing Lancaster Country Day uniforms. Ashanti Duncan and Annabelle Copeland scored 22 and 20 points, respectively.
BOYS' BASKETBALL
The Braves battled a pair of Section Five rivals this past week, facing Columbia and Lancaster Country Day on back-to-back nights of boys' basketball action.
In the Tuesday night game at Kinzers, the Braves fell behind to the Cougars as LCD came away with a 55-37 win.
The loss dropped Pequea Valley's record to 0-21 and to 0-10 in the Lancaster-Lebanon League.
Head coach Thad Rittenhouse explained that Pequea's lack of roster depth eventually led to the team not being able to keep up with the Cougars, who improved to 15-4 (6-3, league).
"We lost Nevin Stoltzfus early in the game to an injury and Sean Liney got in some foul trouble," Rittenhouse said. "That hurt us because of our limited numbers.
"We were forced to play jayvee players the whole game," he added. "We didn't have the depth to keep up with them. That has been the challenge all year."
The Cougars led by only seven points heading into the second quarter. However, a 20-7 run before halftime helped the visitors take a 37-17 lead by intermission.
The Braves, who were led by Devon Colyer's 11-point performance, actually outscored the Cougars 20-18 in the second half.
Tyrell Stoltzfus made a pair of three-point field goals and finished with eight points on the night. Liney scored seven while Antonio Lazar chipped in with five points.
"It was an all-around good scoring effort for the team," Rittenhouse remarked.
Bradley Fry scored 12 to lead LCD. Lance Lennon scored nine points.
Rittenhouse was asked about the team exercising discipline and managing to stay in the game.
"We've been preaching discipline all year long," replied the coach. "It wasn't about wins and losses this year; it was about learning the game and relying on one another as a team. You're going to learn a lot from losses."
The Braves suffered a 75-42 loss to league rival Columbia the night before. Pequea kept pace at Columbia, trailing by only one basket heading into the second quarter and by a mere nine points at halftime.
"We actually hung in there, especially in the first half," said Rittenhouse. "In the second half, it got to a point where it was hard for our boys to keep up with the pace. All year, I've not pressed though as a coach I've done that for years. Columbia had a full-court press in the second half. We struggled and they put us away."
Devon Colyer scored 18 to lead the Braves. Colyer, who recorded three treys, tied Matt McCleary of the Crimson Tide for the games top total in points. Nevin Stoltzfus poured in 10 points while Lazar scored six.
"When things don't go well, it can show character," Rittenhouse said. "These boys have been battling all year."
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