Over the years, the District 3 playoffs have come to be known as the “Road to Hershey,” with the ultimate goal being a trip to play for a championship at Giant Center.
Crossing that road is never an easy task and certainly not a guarantee, not even for the Hershey Trojans, a team that’s just a 10-minute drive away from Giant Center.
But after clawing and fighting through three rounds of the District 3 5A boys basketball postseason, Hershey’s boys basketball team finds itself in the championship game for the second time in as many years.
The No. 2-seed Trojans (21-3) punched their ticket to the final with a 45-42 win over No. 7 Milton Hershey on Friday, Feb. 21, and a 61-54 victory over No. 3 West York on Tuesday, Feb. 25.
Hershey, already qualified for states, will now play for a district championship Friday night against No. 8 Exeter (15-10), which advanced to the title game with a 56-52 win in overtime over No. 4 York Suburban.
The Trojans will be considered the favorites to win the championship, but don’t expect coach Paul Blackburn’s boys to take their foot off the gas pedal, not after the way they were pushed just to get here.
Grant Later (5) and Aidan Miller (1) battle for a rebound (above) against West York. Miller brings the ball up the court
Hershey had to battle from behind to survive the quarterfinals against Milton Hershey. For three quarters, the Spartans (16-9) gave the Trojans all they could handle, with the team building a 40-30 lead going into the fourth. But Hershey flipped the switch in the final quarter and outscored its Keystone Division rival 15-2 to complete the come from behind victory. Drew Grana’s 3-pointer sealed the win for the Trojans.
James Campbell IV (13 points) and Grana (10) both scored in double-figures, while Cameron Sweeney (7), Grant Later (4), Roman Panko (4), Jaiden Waynes (3), Aidan Miller (2) and Jack Zakovitch (2) also inked their names into the scorebook.
Hershey had a little more breathing room in their win over sharp-shooting West York on Tuesday. The Trojans amassed a 14-9 lead following a first quarter that saw Campbell pour in seven points. The Bulldogs, who nailed 10 3-pointers in the contest, kept the game close with their hot shooting, but Hershey carried a 20-19 lead into halftime.
James Campbell IV in tow. Photos: Geno Simonetti.
The contest remained tight in the third quarter, but a 3-pointer at the buzzer from Miller boosted the Trojans’ advantage to 36-32 going into the fourth. Hershey and West York combined for 47 points in the final quarter, with the Trojans outscoring the Bulldogs 25-22 over that stretch. Sweeney and Zakovitch scored seven points apiece in the fourth to help hold off West York.
Hershey was led in scoring by Sweeney (21), with Campbell (13), Zakovitch (9), Miller (7), Panko (5), Waynes (3) and Grana (3) also cracking into the scoring column.
The Trojans are already guaranteed a spot at states, but the same can’t be said for another Sun Country squad, Lower Dauphin, which needs one more win to qualify for the dance. After being bounced in the opening round, the Falcons were sent to an eight-team consolation bracket to battle for the ninth, and final, berth into the PIAA tournament.
Hershey’s Roman Panko converts on a contested shot against West York. Photo: Geno Simonetti.
Lower Dauphin
No. 10 seed Lower Dauphin (13-11) responded with a 66-57 win over No. 15 New Oxford on Friday and a 76-58 victory over No. 11 Northern on Tuesday to nail down a spot in the ninth-place game. The Falcons got double-digit scoring from four players – Nico DeFrank (18), Brady Hofsass (13), Landon Miller (12) and Evan Deibler (10) – in the win over the Colonials, while Luke Brown (7), Wesley Heagy (4) and Isaac Medlin (2) also chipped in. The Falcons are scheduled to host No. 12 Cocalico (13-11) on Thursday, Feb. 27, to play for ninth place.
