BROOKVILLE, Pa. – The Brookville Raiders topped the Bishop Guilfoyle Marauders via a tight 46-44 decision to advance to the State Championship Game.
(Archived Photo from 2019-20 by: Jared Bakaysa)
The Raiders never trailed during the length of the contest, but the score remained close throughout the duration of the evening. Brookville jumped out to a first-quarter lead and grew the margin to as much as 10 during the second quarter, but Bishop Guilfoyle quickly reeled in the Raiders, slashing the lead to one at the half. The second half was tight from start to finish, and a late fourth-quarter jumper by Geer gave the Raiders the necessary juice to seal the win. The Marauders had two late chances to take the lead, but both shots came up short, giving the Raiders a victory and a trip to Hershey for the State Finals.
Danny Lauer led Brookville with 11 points, while Jace Miner scored 10 for the Raiders. Robert Keth also had a nice night for Brookville, scoring nine. Cameron Khoza and Alex Wood led the Marauders with a pair of 12 point performances. Patrick Haigh contributed nine points for Bishop Guilfoyle.
Both teams remained patient early, allowing their offenses to run to free up space to take high-quality shots. Early in the quarter, Miner scored twice down low, with his second layup giving the Raiders a 6-3 lead. Brookville continued to build their lead through Miner and Lauer, with a Lauer three putting the Raiders up 15-7 with seconds remaining. A miraculous shot by Haigh from just inside half-court cut Brookville’s lead to 15-10 after the opening period.
The Raiders grew their lead to double digits after buckets by Keth and Lauer, but Bishop Guilfoyle cut the lead back to seven with a three-pointer. Brookville continued to play slowly, spacing things out inside to allow Miner to drive to the hoop. Midway through the quarter, Bishop Guilfoyle started to connect from range, with Khoza and Haigh each hitting threes to bring the deficit to four. Two perfect trips from the line left the Marauders behind by one, setting the halftime score at 24-23 in favor of Brookville.
The third quarter began with back and forth offense, with both sides looking to get their work done down low. A jumper by Keth followed by a Miner layup upped Brookville’s lead to 34-27 with just over 3:00 to go in the period. Five straight Bishop Guilfoyle points cut Brookville’s lead to one with under a minute to go, but a second chance layup by Keth put the Raiders up 38-35 heading into the final period.
A Lauer three started Brookville off on the right foot, and both teams traded shots as the quarter wore on. A long three by Khoza took the Marauders to within two once again, and a Wood layup with 3:00 remaining tied the game for the first time of the evening. A short jumper by Geer put Brookville up by two with 1:30 left. The bucket was answered by Wood, who went one-for-two at the line to trail by one at 45-44. Three Bishop Guilfoyle fouls later, Keth came up empty-handed at the free-throw line, giving the Marauders one final chance to take the lead. Bishop Guilfoyle’s shot was off the mark, with the Raiders securing the rebound and going back to the free-throw line. Geer went one-for-two at the charity stripe, setting up one final opportunity for Bishop Guilfoyle with .6 seconds remaining. A long three from Dominic Yanoshak clinked off the side rim, giving the Raiders a 46-44 win and a trip to the state finals.
Brookville will face Loyalsock in the state title game, which will occur at the Giant Center in Hershey on Saturday. Game time is set for 2:30 p.m.
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