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Dragons held off WAHS in a tough game

LEWISBURG — Grace Kelleher scored a career-high 34 points, made 25 free throws and helped Lewisburg record a big win.

But Kelleher was not thinking about the 25 foul shots she made following Tuesday’s win against Williamsport. She was focused on the seven she missed. Never mind that Kelleher made 11 fourth-quarter foul shots, including nine straight at one point. Never mind that her ability to constantly reach the foul line and cash in was the main reason Lewisburg held off Williamsport, 61-52, in a fiercely-fought game.

If one wants to know why Kelleher has become one of Lewisburg’s all-time great players, her post-game reaction says it all.

“That’s how Grace is. She’s a competitor. Even in practice, if she misses she’s on herself,” Lewisburg coach Brent Sample said. “That’s just how she is and that’s why we love having her. She sets the tone for the younger girls.”

Kelleher did that over and over against Williamsport, especially after the Millionaires took an early 11-2 lead. The senior scored her 1,000th career point earlier this season and has helped Lewisburg reach consecutive state tournaments. The drive she showed last night is a huge reason why. Erin Hilkert scored 13 points, Allie Reed played sensational defense and Hope Drumm produced one of the game’s biggest plays with a last-minute putback, but Kelleher was the engine powering Lewisburg.

On a night referees were handing out fouls like candy, Kelleher took full advantage. She consistently beat defenders off the dribble, attacked the paint and either finished, set up teammates or went to the foul line. The senior point guard made 10 of 14 first-half foul shots and drained 10 straight bridging the second and fourth quarters.

Williamsport (5-6) cut a 10-point, third-quarter deficit to one on a Jada Whaley to Kailee Heimrich connection with seven minutes remaining, but Kelleher scored the game’s next six points at the line. She scored all her 11 fourth-quarter points at the line as Lewisburg went 31 for 45.

“They were coming up high-pressure which is something as a point guard I always enjoy. My teammates did a really good job of spacing and getting open for cuts and they had some really good attack drives as well and they did a great job,” Kelleher said. “Always the goal is to be able to get in the middle because once you get into the middle of the lane great things always happen. Either you get a shot or get fouled or pass it. As a point guard, I really just try to set other people up by getting in the middle. It doesn’t always have to be about finishing but tonight it was.”

Kelleher scored 17 first-half points, including the final nine in the first quarter as Lewisburg (6-5) turned a nine-point deficit into a 13-11 lead it never relinquished. The Dragons pushed the lead to 29-20 by halftime and were up 10 midway through the third quarter. Williamsport, though, kept coming back. The Millionaires repeatedly came close, showing fight, overcoming foul trouble and receiving big plays from different players.

Whaley had a hand in seven straight points as Williamsport cut it to 42-41, but Kelleher was fouled two seconds later and made the first of six straight free throws as the lead ballooned to seven.

“I told them in the locker room keep your heads up. I told them from Day 1, that if you give maximum effort and give all you can and we lose than we lost to a better team that night,” Williamsport coach Terrill Seward-Buxton said. “That’s a step forward to where we want to get. When we were down and adversity struck we kept competing and they didn’t quit. I’ve never been so proud of a team that I’ve had because where they were at least year to where they were tonight is a big turnaround. Everybody that came in competed.”

Whaley came up big in the fourth quarter, scoring 10 of her team-high 19 points and making five of the six shots she attempted from the floor and line. Katelyn Wilson delivered 14 points and three assists despite foul trouble, Samiyah Little blocked three shots and Emily Pardee grabbed eight rebounds.

The surprise of the night might have been how strong Williamsport sophomore Atiya Jones was off the bench. The feisty guard was a difference-maker, scoring six points, pulling down five rebounds and providing solid defense.

“I keep telling them if we compete and do what we have to do we can go out and compete with anybody,” Seward-Buxton said. “Atiya just came back a couple days ago and was in the heat of the moment and a situation never been in and she did a great job.”

Williamsport twice made it a one-possession game in the last two minutes, the final time off a Wilson 3-pointer with 1:55 remaining. Lewisburg missed a foul shot 35 seconds later, but Drumm beat the Millionaires into the paint, grabbed the rebound and made it 54-49. She added two free throws 27 seconds later before Roz Zoone and Hilkert iced it.

“The biggest part of the game was when Hope had the putback. That was huge,” Kelleher said. “Erin was super aggressive, Katy (Martin) was super aggressive getting rebounds. It’s not all about points, it’s about getting rebounds, getting it out to people … they’re doing a great job.”

“It was a great team effort,” Sample said. “It could have been ugly down 11-2. Our team takes on that mentality that we’re down but not out. No matter the situation we’re going to work hard.”

Lewisburg 61, Williamsport 52

WILLIAMSPORT (52)

Jada Whaley 7 2-4 19, Katelyn Wilson 5 2-2 14, Samiyah Little 1 1-6 3, Emily Pardee 1 0-2 2, Fondrea McClain 2 1-1 5, Kalindi Maggs 0 0-0 0, Sophia Erb 0 1-2 1, Kailee Heimbach 1 0-0 2, Enya Green-Platt 0 0-0 0, Whitney Felix 0 0-0 0, Atiya Jones 3 0-0 6. Totals 20 7-17 52.

LEWISBURG (61)

Grace Kelleher 4 25-32 34, Erin Hilkert 6 1-4 13, Katy Martin 0 0-0 0, Roz Noone 1 2-2 5, Allie Reed 1 0-1 2, Sydney Hoffman 0 1-2 1, Hope Drumm 2 2-2 6, Za’Imah Tutler 0 0-2 0. Totals 14 31-45 61.

Williamsport 11 9 14 18–52

Lewisburg 13 16 13 19–61

3-point goals: Williamsport 5 (Whaley 3, Wilson 2); Lewisburg 2 (Kelleher, Noone).

JV score: Williamsport, 41-37.

Records: Lewisburg (6-5), Williamsport (5-6).

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