Irish defeat Trinity for the third straight season in the District 3 AA championship game

By Gorden Blain

HERSHEY-- As the York Catholic players gathered together in front of their bench after the final horn in Giant Center, it didn’t look they had just rung up their third straight PIAA District 3 AA championship.

That’s three straight over rival Trinity, the team that snapped the Fighting Irish’s winning streak at 61 games on January 12 and a team that has played in 10 AA and 1 AAA district championship games since 1997.

There wasn’t the jubilation, emotional hugs, tears of joy and celebratory hops that almost always wildly erupts after a district championship victory.

But the Fighting Irish have grown accustomed to winning games over the past three years and they weren’t about to get caught up even in a tense 58-45 overtime win over Trinity, who rallied from seven behind in the final 2:34 of the fourth quarter but then was outscored by York Catholic 13-0 in overtime.

York Catholic (29-1) has the biggest prize on its agenda. The Irish want their third consecutive PIAA State AA championship and they have learned first hand at this stage of the season that it requires five more victories any way they can get them.

The Irish needed all the game they could muster to keep the Shamrocks (22-4) from leaving Giant Center with gold around their necks.

Trinity led 13-12 after the first quarter and when York Catholic outscored the Shamrocks 11-2 to start the second quarter to take a 23-15 lead, Trinity responded and trimmed the lead to 23-22 when freshman Ashley Betz-White drilled a three-point basket with 1:22 left in the half.

Again, York Catholic pushed its lead back to eight in the third quarter at 34-26 as Ashton Bankos and Brittany Hicks combined for nine points but Betz-White drilled another three-point basket with 0:27 left to keep the determined Shamrocks in striking distance.

Plagued by missed shots through three quarters, the Shamrocks’ long-range shooting heated up and some nervous ball handling by the Irish in the fourth quarter almost produced an upset. The Irish’s seven-point lead early in the fourth quarter melted to one when Trinity’s Laura Murray sank the first of her three three-pointers with 4:36 left in the fourth quarter.

Once again, York Catholic tried to douse Trinity’s hopes when freshman Kady Schrann, Bankos and senior Kelly Rhein combined for seven points to give the Irish a 43-37 lead with 2:18 left in regulation. Then Murray buried back-to-back three-point baskets to make the score 45-43 with 1:30 left.

The Irish committed a turnover and Hicks fouled out. Trinity’s Rachael Holt missed the front end of a one-and-one bonus free throw but grabbed the rebound and tied the game on a her put-back with 1:12 left.

After the Irish committed a turnover on the inbounds pass, Trinity held for the last shot and Caroline Lauer got the look she wanted underneath the basket for the game winner but Rhein, a four-year starter and a powerful jumper with a major college volleyball scholarship, blocked the shot and the game headed to overtime.

Trinity’s chance for an upset was lost. The Irish heated up at the foul line and the Shamrocks’ hot hand from the perimeter iced up again. Schrann was eight-for-eight and Bankos three-for-four from the free throw line in the overtime. Trinity missed all six of its shots and committed three turnovers. Rhein made sure there were no second shots in the overtime as she finished with 14 rebounds.

Murray finished with a game-high 24 points (four three-pointers) for Trinity. Schrann had 23 points, Hicks 13 and Bankos 10 for York Catholic. York Catholic made 23 of 27 free throws for the game.

York Catholic opens the PIAA state tournament Friday against the third-place team from District 6. Trinity opens the state tournament against the third-place team from District 4.