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By CHRIS MASSE
cmasse@sungazette.com
MILTON--Allyia Kennedy long dreamed about making a shot like this one. Loyalsock Curtis Jacobson long kept this play secret.
Dream became reality and Loyalsock perfectly executed the perfect play unveild at the perfect time. The defending District 4 Class AAA champions are still standing. They are going back to the district final and how they reached that destination will never be forgotten by those who made it happen.
Grace Baylor found Kennedy inside and the senior forward banked in a buzzer-beater from the left elbow as Loyalsock dramatically edged rival Bloomsburg, 47-45 in Wednesday’s district semifinals. The Lancers (18-6) fought off Bloomsburg’s remarkable last-second rally, avenged two regular-season defeats and earned a spot against NTL champion Towanda in Saturday’s championship at Mansfield University.
"That was a good one to make," Kennedy said. "I let go of it and I was like, ‘That’s it!" and I was running back. I was excited."
"I’ve had that play drawn up in my head for a long time, waiting for a moment to use it where we needed something quick and I wanted something inside," Jacobson said. "We want the ball in the hands of one our better players at the end of the game. One-on-one she’s very tough in the post, so you have to give you players opportunities to make a play and that’s what she did."
It was an imperfect stretch in which Bloomsburg erased a seven-point deficit with 24.4 seconds left and tied it on Bryn Zentner’s runner with 13 seconds remaining. But the ending was perfect as Loyalsock defeated the top-seeded Panthers for a second straight year in thrilling fashion.
A year ago, Loyalsock denied Bloomsburg a buzzer-beater when it won the championship, 55-54. This time, the Lancers remained calm when so much chaos had broken out and beat the buzzer themselves. Following Zentner’s basket, Kennedy raced up court and stopped just past the midcourt line. Jacobson called a timeout with 3.2 seconds remaining and designed the play which sent Loyalsock to a sixth straight state tournament.
Baylor took the inbound pass along the wing, just to the left of the scorer’s table. The senior threw a super pass, hitting Kennedy in just the right spot. From there, Kennedy put countless hours of post moves practice to work. She dribbled once to her right, came back left and put up the game-winner over the extended hands of Bloomsburg 6-footer Madeline Evans.
Kennedy put just the right touch off the glass and was engulfed by jubilant teammates almost as soon as the ball went through the net.
"I saw it coming in and I knew they weren’t going to foul because if they fouled it was going to be two shots," Kennedy said. "I figured she’s not going to touch me when I shoot it, so I put it over top of her, hit the backboard and let it fly."
"The timing was very good and that’s her move. As soon as she took a dribble right, I knew what was coming," Jacobson said. "She’s so much better on her left side with her post moves now, and it makes her tough to guard because a lot of people think she’s going to go to her right side. She’s been doing that move for four years and there can’t be a better moment to do than right there."
Kennedy hit the game-winner but was just one of many Loyalsock heroes Wednesday. Every Lancer who took the floor did something impressive to help the team win. Bloomsburg had opened 17-point first half leads in both regular season games and looked like it might have Loyalsock’s number this season.
Again, though, Loyalsock elevated at the right time and won the game which mattered most. The coaching staff put together a terrific game plan, the players brilliantly executed it and Loyalsock never trailed by more than two points, including never during the final 2 ½ quarters.
It all started with defense. Loyalsock spent the last two weeks working toward an anticipated showdown with Bloomsburg, the fifth straight between these proud programs in the postseason. They listened, studied, worked and then put it all together.
Loyalsock slowed both 1,000-point scorer Evans and HAC-II MVP Zenter, holding them to 23 combined points. Neither reached double figures until the final minute, showcasing how effective the defense was. Those two played well again, but Loyalsock did a masterful job of denying them shot opportunities.
Izzy Dadzie did a remarkable job providing help defense inside, Kennedy and Mia Patterson helped cut off the paint and guards Baylor and Rhandie Jessell took turns harassing ball-handlers. Combine all hat and Loyalsock was up 45-38 with 38 seconds remaining, leading by as many as 12 midway through the third quarter.
"I was just trying to make sure I was in help defense, so Maddie or Bryn didn’t score in the paint or the right block," Dadzie said. "That was our game plan going in. That’s what I was focused on the whole time."
Bloomsburg had a similar plan in wanting to limit Kennedy and Patterson. Kennedy, however, scored nine of her 16 points in the fourth quarter, while Patterson added 13 points, five rebounds and three assists.
Still, it was the sum of all Loyalsock’s parts which made it so effective. Dadzie made some pivotal shots, scored nine points and drained both ends of a 1-and-1, putting Loyalsock up, 42-32 with 2 minutes, 34 seconds remaining. Jessell hit a 3-pointer which erased Bloomsburg’s last lead in the second quarter and Baylor converted a layup to make it 45-38 late.
Jessell and Baylor handled Bloomsburg’s pressure defense well and each delivered five assists. Reserves Rylie French, Katie Ryder and Julie Ellis played key roles as well, providing excellent defense. Ellis forced a jump ball off a Loyalsock missed free throw late in the second quarter and the Lancers maintained possession.
There are no official stats for hustle plays like that, but those are the ones which win games and every Lancer provided them Wednesday.
"It’s my first trip to districts and actually contributing to the team, so it was pretty exciting," Dadzie said. "I was happy. Everyone did their jobs."
"We competed really hard. We talked about throwing the first punch because we’ve been down 15 points in the first quarter both games against them," Jacobson said. "Every single player, even if it’s a 30-second spurt, they all did their jobs. It was a collective team effort."
Loyalsock carried out the defensive game plan well. Phase II involved slowing the game down some and trying to make it a lower-scoring game than the first two times. Mission accomplished again.
Loyalsock never intentionally held the ball, but methodically moved it and worked for good shots. The Lancers limited their turnovers the first three quarters, denied Bloomsburg transition opportunities and led 15-14 at halftime.
Loyalsock stormed out after halftime, making four straight shots and going up 30-18. It was similar to last year when the Lancers built a 13-point halftime lead. And just like last year, Bloomsburg roared back.
The Lancers held off Bloomsburg’s first big push after the Panthers cut it to 32-30 early in the fourth quarter. Kennedy converted a 3-point play and scored off a Baylor assist before Dadzie capped a 6-0 run and pushed the lead back to eight with a foul shot. When Patterson found Baylor downcourt for the layup which made it 45-38 it appeared the game was all but over.
Again, it was not. Far from it.
Olivia Hull (16 points) hit two foul shots with 24.4 seconds left and, following a missed Loyalsock shot, was fouled just five seconds later and made another. When her second free throw was off the mark, Evans (12 points, 10 rebounds) rebounded it and scored. In just seven seconds Bloomsburg had scored five points and when Loyalsock turned the ball over on the ensuing inbound play, Zentner made it pay, tying the game up.
Seven points in 9.4 seconds had tied the game. Loyalsock could have panicked but it’s mantra all night was, ‘next play.’ The next play became the game-winning play, one which players, coaches and fans will not soon forget.
"We told them at the end of the game you still have a chance to win a basketball game and that’s what we have to do," Jacobson said. “They were very positive with each other all night. We came together a lot tonight."
LOYALSOCK (47)
Allyia Kennedy 7 2-4 16, Mia Patterson 5 3-4 13, Grace Baylor 3 0-2 6, Rhandie Jessell 1 0-0 3, Izzy Dadzie 3 3-6 9, Rylie French 0 0-0 0, Julie Ellis 0 0-0 0, Katie Ryder 0 0-0 0. Totals 19 8-16 47.
BLOOMSBURG (45)
Madeline Evans 5 2-2 12, Bryn Zentner 5 0-0 11, Olivia Hull 6 4-6 16, Alyssa Shuman 1 0-0 2, Maddie Devine 2 0-3 4. Totals 19 6-11 45.
Loyalsock 11 5 14 17--47
Bloomsburg 10 5 10 20--45
3-pointers: Loyalsock 1 (Jessell); Bloomsburg 1 (Zentner).
Records: Loyalsock 18-6. Bloomsburg 21-5.