Trojans Surge Past Bulldogs, Advance to Semis

It’s no secret that Cameron Sweeney is the engine that makes the Hershey boys basketball team go.

The 6-foot-3 junior guard, averaging more than 20 points per contest, has been one of the best players in the Mid-Penn Conference and all District 3 this season.

The Trojans could have won plenty of games by being a one-man show this winter, but instead, they’re state contenders, and they have a roster full of role players willing to run through a brick wall – guys like Aidan Miller and Drew Grana – to thank for that.

Using a combination of Sweeney’s star power and big plays from the supporting cast, Hershey advanced to the Final Four of the PIAA Class 5A Championships with a come-from-behind 57-46 victory over West York on Friday, March 14, at Northern. The Trojans march forward to the semifinals on Friday, where they will face District 7 Champion Chartiers Valley (25-3) at Clearfield High School.

Sweeney posted a game-high 25 points, but it was West York that was the better squad for two-plus quarters. The Bulldogs (23-8), eager to avenge a loss to the Trojans in the district semifinals, won the first and second quarters to build a 26-23 halftime lead and expanded that advantage to 39-33 in the third quarter.

Aidan Miller hits for three.

It was going to take more than Sweeney for Hershey (25-3) to get back in the game, however. Miller and Grana understood as much.

Miller buried a 3-pointer from the corner to ignite the Trojans before Grana transformed Hershey’s small wave of momentum into a tsunami with an electrifying block to end the third quarter.

“Aidan always has a knack for making a timely, momentum changing shot or play,” Hershey coach Paul Blackburn said. “And the block by Drew at the end of the quarter was pure hustle and competitiveness on his part. There are not many high school players that can cover the ground he covered on that play that fast.

“They are both special players.”

West York still clung to a one-point lead, 39-38, going into the fourth quarter, but the Trojans were already on a roll. Hershey, fueled by nine points from Sweeney, outscored the Bulldogs 19-7 in the final quarter. By ending the game on a 24-7 run, the Trojans managed to go from being in danger of a loss to winning by double-digits.

In the stands, Hershey cheerleaders Mia Eisenhauer, (left) and Alexis Vick were all smiles as the Trojans dominated in the second half. Photos: Kevin J. Fischer.

“I think we made a few more plays defensively, collected a lot of rebounds and competed for long stretches,” Blackburn said of his team’s fourth-quarter flourish. “This group has a strong desire to compete, and it showed in this state Elite 8 game.”

In addition to Sweeney, Grana (8 points), Miller (6), Roman Panko (6), James Campbell IV (6) and Jack Zakovitch (6) all cracked the scoring column.

Hershey’s reward for the big win: a Friday night date with Chartiers Valley and Jayden Davis, a 5-foot-11 senior guard who has scored over 2,100 points during his career. The Colts have stomped their first three state opponents by a combined 168-105 score, including a 58-38 victory over District 6 champion Greater Johnstown in last week’s quarterfinal game. Blackburn acknowledged that the Trojans will have to check several boxes to come out from this game on top.

“They play an aggressive, switching, man-to-man defense that gets that out in transition often, which makes them dangerous,” Blackburn said. “We will need to transition quickly defensively and get our defense set in order to have some success. We will need to rebound the basketball to limit possessions.

“This should be an entertaining game.”

Picture: Cam Sweeney (above) converts on a jumper against West York in the quarterfinal round of the PIAA playoffs.

Original article posted here.