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Boys Clinch Section Title, Girls Tie for First

BY MONA STEINHAUER

The week of January 24th was a big week for the L-S hoop teams. The boys’ team secured the Section Three crown outright with a road win over Manheim Central while the girls pulled out a buzzer beating thriller over the Barons at home to force a tie at the top of the standings.

BOYS’ HOOPS

After a big home victory over Elco, Friday, Jan. 21, the Pioneers hit the road to Manheim for a chance to clinch the Section Three crown. They did so in dominating fashion, winning 62-39, and without leading scorer Ty Burton (ankle injury). L-S scored the first eight points of the game and remained perfect on the season at 15-0 as the claimed the program’s 13th section crown.

“It’s always a concern to go in without a starter but I felt confident our guys would adjust and they did,” said Ed Berryman, who led LS to its fifth title in his six years as head coach.

Ben Wert led the way with 18 points (14 in the third quarter), Isaiah Parido, with four triples, chipped in with a season-high 16 points and Luke Hines, in his first start of the year, added 10.

“Luke did a nice job and solidified our starting five,” said Berryman.

L-S sprinted to a 17-2 advantage in the first quarter, led 31-10 at the break and 55-29 after three. They finished with nine three pointers and were 11-for-15 from the free throw line.

Friday (Jan. 21) the Pioneers took care of Section Four leader Elco (10-5) in another dominating effort, 71-48. It was the 8th time this season L-S has scored 70 points or more. With an impressive shooting performance by Wert who canned seven treys en route to a gamehigh 25 points, a scrappy defensive effort by Vranich (10 rebounds and 12 points) and another 11 points from Ty Burton, L-S eventually pulled away. “Ben has been shooting well all year,” said Berryman of his 7-of-9 effort from downtown, “and Luka is just a disruptor on defense.”

The Raiders jumped out to a 7-2 lead but by the end of the frame and with back-toback threes from Wert and Burton, L-S pulled ahead 16-9 and never looked back.

Wert drilled back-to-back treys late in the second as L-S built a 33-23 lead at the half.

Parido added to the sniper shooting with a pair of triples to open the third as L-S built a 13 point lead. They dropped in 21 fourth quarter points while holding the visitors to 12.

GIRLS’ HOOPS

Looking to avenge a fourpoint loss to the Barons on December 16, L-S came out strong last Tuesday and led by as many as seven in the first quarter and six in the third before the Barons made things interesting. Down 35-34 with eight minutes remaining, Manheim took its first lead at 36-35 and led 45-43 with over a minute remaining.

After hitting three key free throws and stopping Manheim’s Maddie Knier the game was tied at 45 with 2.9 ticks left. Maggie Visniski took a sideline inbounds pass from Jenna Daveler, split a pair of defenders and beat the clock with a layup that lifted L-S to a 47-45 thriller over the Barons and forcing a tie at the top of Section Three.

Manheim’s 1,000-point scorer, Knier, finished with 17 points but it wasn’t enough. Kiersten Hostetter knocked down three triples and netted 22 points and Daveler added 12. The Pioneers were clutch at the free throw line, making 7-of-9 attempts in the fourth quarter with Hostetter going 3-for-5.

“What a great, great win,” said an elated head coach Tony Fink. “Kiersten had a career high, Jenna had outstanding defense and Katie (Ranck), Maggie and Ella (Horst)did the dirty work around the rim. It was a total team effort.”

On Friday, Jan. 21, the Pioneers hung in for a 40-36 victory at Elco. Leading 12-8 in the first and 35-24 after three, L-S went 0-for-7 from the free throw line but survived a 12-5 fourth quarter rally by the Raiders.

Daveler led all scorers with 16 points, including four triples.

SWIMMING

With a mixed-up lineup, the Lady Pioneers moved to 2-1 with a commanding 120-46 victory over Lancaster Catholic on January 20 while the boys’ team earned their first victory, 83-46.

“We had a number of swimmers swimming different events and we mixed up the relays,” said head coach Kylie Turner. “We had a total of 35 best times. That included beating relay seeds, setting PR’s and swimmers with no times (NT). It was fun to watch the swimmers compete to their best potential in new events.”

The girls won 7 of 10 events but used their depth to pull away. Grace Schonour, Kara Scranton, Krista Lambert and Zara Paisley jump started the action by claiming the 200 medley relay. Paisley also won the 200 IM, with Tori Smith and Addie Rodriguez taking second and third, and was tops in the 100 back with Rodriguez adding another third.

Abby Welchans and Scranton went 1-2 in the 50 free and Scranton and Ashley Prouse followed suit in the 100 free.

Prouse, Schonour, Welchans and Abigail Wolff earned the top time in the 200 free relay while Lambert, Jocelyn Romero, Wolff and Scranton did the same in the 400 free.

Ryan Smecker had a standout day to lead the boys team. He and Matt Rota went 1-2 in the 200 free and he and Cooper Honert were tops in the 100 free. M. Rota added the top time in the 100 fly while Honert rose to the top in the 100 back.

Honert also opened the winning 200 free relay with Smecker, Kyle Spaulding and Andrew Reidenbaugh contributing. Reindenbaugh also won the 100 breaststroke and anchored the winning 400 free relay with M. Rota, Christian Rota and Spaulding leading the way.

Last Monday, however, the going was a bit tougher as both teams suffered losses to Elizabethtown (3-1). The boys’ dropped to 1-3 with a 108-58 loss while the girls (2-2) fell just shy, 90-80.

Reidenbaugh (50 and 100 free) and Smecker (200 free, 100 fly) were the top pointgetters with two wins each. Kyle Spaulding added a win in the 200 IM and joined Smecker, Reidenbaugh and M. Rota for the top time in the 400 free relay.

Welchans, with a 500 free win, and Scranton, who won the 100 fly, also teamed with Lambert and Gerhardt for a 400 free relay victory. Paisley’s top 100 free rounded out the winners.

WRESTLING

L-S dropped a 54-13 contest at Garden Spot last Wednesday after giving up five forfeits and three falls.

Riley Bonholtzer earned almost half of Lampeter’s points with a 3:46 fall over Josiah Smucker at 120. Jaiden Newton (160) posted a 9-0 major and Joel Bitler followed with a hard-fought 5-4 decision over Jevon Martin.

photo by Mona Steinhauer

In a home game against Elco, Friday, January 21, Luke Hines scores on a putback in Lampeter’s 71-49 victory.

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R080461 photo by Mona Steinhauer

The Pioneers’ Kylie Gerhardt swims a leg of the winning 4oo freestyle relay in Tuesday’s (January 25) 90-80 loss to Elizabethtown.