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Lancers advance to 4th straight semi

MARK NANCE/Sun-Gazette Loyalsock's Sophia Gardner (1) shoots around Wellsboro's JSarah Mosher (14) in the fourth quarter of the district quarter final at Loyalsock Friday.

Loyalsock gathered Monday morning, but did not practice. The Lancers simply talked. Following a Heartland Conference championship loss against Danville last Friday, Loyalsock hit reset, regrouped and remembered exactly why playing basketball is so much fun.

And when they returned to the court for the first time in a week last night, the Lancers let the fun flow. It came out in sensational ball movement, outstanding defense and made shots. Loyalsock put everything together and now the defending District 4 Class AAA champions are moving on in the postseason again.

Summer McNulty scored 21 points, Cassie Gee and Allyia Kennedy both added 11 and Loyalsock clicked from start to finish in the district quarterfinals as it defeated Wellsboro, 66-28. The Lancers (22-3) are semifinal bound for a fourth straight season and play Central Columbia next Tuesday or Wednesday at a time and place to be determined.

“It was frustrating last week so we had to have good body language and just have fun out there again,” Gee said. “We got back into a good groove.”

“We understood this could have been our last game, but we also understand that you can’t play like that. There’s a fine line because you have to leave it all out there but at the same time you can’t play tight. We didn’t play tight and it goes back to making the extra pass and having fun,” Loyalsock coach Curtis Jacobson said. “We were better last year and better this year when you simply have a smile on your face. It shouldn’t be a chore. It’s a privilege. It’s an opportunity.”

Loyalsock immediately pounced on its opportunity, scoring six points in the first minute and leading 23-7 after a quarter. The Lancers looked fresh and loose following last week’s busy stretch and a week off. They led 43-17 at halftime, drained four second-quarter 3-pointers and made 19 of 31 first-half shots.

Five players scored in the first half and Loyalsock consistently worked for quality looks, dealing 14 assists on those 19 first-half field goals. Anna Burdett delivered three of her team-high five assists in the first four minutes, Kennedy set the tone with six quick points and Gee scored eight second-quarter points. McNulty produced 17 first-half points, adding four assists and four steals. All parts of the heart in Loyalsock’s machine were pounding strong last night.

“It really helps when we’re all contributing on the court and we’re all carrying each other and encouraging each other,” Sophia Gardner said after scoring seven points and playing outstanding defense. “That makes a big difference.”

“It was playing with freedom of movement in the offense, getting to the open areas, moving the ball quicker and when you do that stuff before you shoot the ball I’m a firm believer that you’re going to make more shots,” Jacobson said. “We’re not different shooters than we’ve been all year. It was the freedom of movement and the pace that we did things that we caught the ball and we’re ready to shoot.”

Wellsboro put together a quality season despite losing the majority of starters from last year’s NTL champion. The Green Hornets won four of their last five games entering the playoffs and Cathryn Brought won the area’s regular-season scoring title. Brought scored 12 points in her final game and Emma Coolidge grabbed five rebounds.

It was not what Wellsboro did wrong last night, but what Loyalsock did right. Starters and reserves made big impacts, the defense forced 10 first-quarter turnovers and Loyalsock looked refreshed and rejuventated. The Lancers did not slow down in the third quarter, going up by 38 and making five of their first six shots.

“What we wanted tonight and what we want moving forward is good ball movement to get good shots. That was definitely a factor,” Gee said. “When there’s five players you have to stop it’s tough to defend.”

“We were doing team bonding this week and I think all that helped,” Gardner said. “We definitely kept it in mind that we have to push it (last week’s loss) past us and look forward to the next game. We just had to let it go and we did a good job of that.”

Loyalsock 66, Wellsboro 28

WELLSBORO (28)

Cathryn Brought 5 1-1 12, Bailey Monks 2 0-0 4, Emma Coolidge 1 0-0 2, Jordyn Abernathy 1 0-0 2, Kiyah Boyce 1 0-1 2, Emma Brandenburg 1 0-0 2, Sarah Mosher 2 0-0 4. Totals 13 1-2 28.

LOYALSOCK (66)

Summer McNulty 10 0-0 21, Cassie Gee 4 0-0 11, Mia Patterson 2 0-0 4, Allyia Kennedy 5 1-1 11, Sophia Gardner 2 2-2 7, Anna Burdett 0 0-0 0, Maddy Jean 1 0-0 2, Karyn Saar 1 0-0 2, Jocelyn Cruz 1 0-0 2, Grace Baylor 0 2-2 2, Emma Rude 1 0-0 2, Rhandie Jessell 1 0-0 2. Totals 28 5-5 66.

Wellsboro 7 10 3 8–28

Loyalsock 23 20 13 10–66

3-point goals: Wellsboro 1 (Brought 1), Loyalsock 5 (Gee 3, McNulty 1, Gardner 1).

Records: Loyalsock (22-3), Wellsboro (11-12).

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