Meadowbrook Christian defeats North Penn-Liberty and reaches first district championship

By CHRIS MASSE

cmasse@sungazette.com

Meadowbrook Christian already made history by setting the single season wins record. Saturday this determined team did it again in two different ways.

And now they have shot at achieving another first later this week.

Kailey Devlin scored 20 points, Alayna Smith grabbed 13 rebounds and Meadowbrook reached both its first District 4 Class A final and state tournament, defeating North Penn-Liberty, 37-25 at Montoursville. The top-seeded Lions (22-2) trailed 7-0 early, but played stifling defense from there and took charge in the second half.

Next up is a date with St. John Neumann for the championship. Both teams will be making their first finals appearance. North Penn-Liberty (13-12) will attempt making history of its own against Lourdes in the third-place game as it tries reaching states for the first time.

"It’s big," Devlin said. "This is the first big winning season we’ve had, but it’s also a testament to the girls and how far we’ve come."

Indeed, Meadowbrook started its ascension last year when it won its first district playoff game and came within a few shots of states. The growth has continued this season and the Lions have won 21 of their last 22 games, while featuring a nice blend of seniors and underclassmen, all who compete hard.

North Penn-Liberty rattled Meadowbrook early when Sidney Landis’s steal and layup put it up 7-0 just three minutes into the game. Devlin, however, helped Meadowbrook immediately answer, hitting two 3-pointers and scoring eight straight points to put it ahead just 68 seconds later.

"I trust my team. We got flustered in the first half for sure, but we got back to playing our best basketball," Devlin said. "We knew that wasn’t our basketball (at the start). We knew this team was good but that we could handle them. We had to get back together and do what we need to do."

That included playing swarming defense. North Penn-Liberty consistently worked for good shots throughout the first half but struggled to finish. The Mounties led 13-12 late in the first half but Meadowbrook scored the final five points and then erased all the scoring opportunities that had been there earlier throughout the second half.

The Lions forced nine third quarter turnovers, while allowing just six shots. Devlin’s buzzer-beating putback put it ahead 29-19 and Madalyn Fasnacht’s 3-pointer stretched the lead to 13 on the fourth quarter’s opening possession. The advantage eventually reached 15 and Meadowbrook allowed just 18 points over the game’s final 29 minutes after surrendering seven in the opening three.

"We trust our defense," Devlin said. "Our biggest identity probably is our defense."

North Penn-Liberty played strong defense as well and did its best to limit Devlin, a dynamic junior guard who already has surpassed 1,000 career points. Still, Devlin broke loose for eight third quarter points and Fasnacht and Alyssa Canelo also hit key second-half shots. Smith was tough inside, blocking four shots and making four steals.

Elizabeth Ritchie played well for North Penn-Liberty, scoring nine points and pulling down 10 rebounds. Landis, Haley Litzelman and Jaclyn Nelson all had three steals.

Now, Meadowbrook turns its attention toward another historic opportunity in the championship. Neumann edged Meadowbrook in a thriller last year and both teams have nearly all the players back from those teams, adding even more intrigue to the rematch.

"I was surprised, honestly. I was ready for Lourdes, but we saw hem last year and hopefully we can get some revenge and prove ourselves a little more," Devlin said. "We’ll see, because they’re a good team."

NPL (25)

Haley Litzelman 1 0-0 3, Sidney Landis 2 0-0 4, Elizabeth Ritchie 4 1-6 9, Jaclyn Nelson 2 0-0 5, Kaylee Graham 2 0-2 4, Tierney Patterson 0 0-0 0. Totals 11 1-8 25.

MEADOWBROOK (37)

Kailey Devlin 6 6-8 22, Alayna Smith 0 0-0 0, Audrey Millet 1 0-0 3, Madalyn Fasnacht 2 0-0 5, Alyssa Canelo 2 1-2 5, Kat Bennage 1 0-0 2. Totals 12 7-10 37.

NP-Liberty 9 4 6 6--25

Meadowbrook 12 5 12 8--37

3-pointers: NPL 2 (Litzelman, Nelson); Meadowbrook 4 (Devlin 2, Millet, Fasnacht).

Records: Meadowbrook 21-2. NP-Libery 13-12.