LEHMAN TWP. — All the anguish of a difficult district semifinal loss came flooding back to Lake-Lehman during a two-minute stretch right before halftime and just after it.
Was this the end of a basketball season that for so long seemed so special?
Not if Hailey Kline could help it.
Lehman’s dominant post player launched a long-range 3-pointer out of an early second half timeout Tuesday, triggering a 27-point run that carried the Black Knights into the state playoffs with a 51-19 mauling of Mid Valley in a District 2 Class 3A third place game at Lake-Lehman High School.
“I can step out to take a shot,” said Kline, a 6-foot-1 senior forward. “I feel I’m a big (inside player), but I have confidence in my shot.
“I hit one earlier.”
For most of the night, Kline did the bulk of her damage in the paint.
She got off to a strong start on her way to a double-double, scoring four of her game-high 15 points and ripping down six of her 12 rebounds in the opening quarter as Lehman shot to a 14-5 lead.
Those four points in the opening period helped the Black Knights reel off the game’s first 10 points while 23-5 Lehman attempted to forget a 39-37 defeat to Holy Redeemer in last week’s District 2 semifinals that snapped a 14-game winning streak and kept the Black Knights from reaching Saturday’s district championship game.
“We were upset about it,” Kline said. “But we still have a chance. We can still go far.”
The Black Knights went up 22-10 late in the second quarter, but suddenly, they began going downhill.
Fast.
Chiara Zanslak hit a 3-pointer to pull Mid Valley within nine points just before halftime, then the Spartans scored the first four points of the second half to close within 22-17.
That’s when Lehman quickly called timeout, not even a minute into the third quarter.
“I think it showed in the first half, we were still a little down. Flat,” Black Knights coach Charlie Lavan said. “Credit to Mid Valley. They made a run at us, woke us up. Second half, we got into our press.”
That did the trick.
Lia Keefe scored six of her 14 points in the third quarter, Ella Wilson hit four of her 13 and Kline wound up with eight points over the final 6:24 of the third as Lehman forced turnover after turnover and rolled into the final period with a commanding 44-17 lead.
By the time Grace Goetz scored on a layup for 15-10 Mid Valley with 3:34 remaining in the game, Lehman had a 30-point lead.
But that mad-dash surge really began when the tallest player on the floor stepped behind the arc and made a momentum-turning shot.
“That sparked us,” Lavan said. “When we teach her (Kline), we want all our bigs to be able to shoot a three.
“That got us going.”
Now, the Black Knights are going to the PIAA Class 3A playoffs as the No. 3 team from District 2.
“We just needed to get going again,” Kline said. “Once we started pressing them, it helped us.
“We had to realize, our season, it’s not over yet.”
District 2 Class 3A third-place game
Lake-Lehman 51, Mid Valley 19
MID VALLEY (19) – Elise Larson 0 0-0 0, Abbie Larson 2 0-2 4, Chiara Zanslak 3 0-0 8, Krista Cortazar 1 0-2 3, Grace Goetz 2 0-0 4, Karly Rusyn 0 0-0 0, Emilee Tomsak 0 0-0 0, Natalie Barrett 0 0-0 0, Patience Sterling 0 0-0 0, Julianne Barnaskas 0 0-0 0, Hadiyyah Lansford 0 0-0 0. Totals 8 0-4 19.
LAKE-LEHMAN (51) – Ella Wilson 5 2-2 13, Molly Jenkins 1 0-2 2, Brenna Hunt 2 1-2 5, Lia Keefe 6 2-2 14, Hailey Kline 4 5-7 15, Olivia Oliver 0 0-0 0, Deleia Biscotto 1 0-0 2, Hannah Chipego 0 0-0 0, Kathryn Morgan 0 0-0 0, Amanda Battin 0 0-0 0, Gracie James 0 0-0 0, Olivia Corcoran 0 0-0 0, Ady Perlis 0 0-0 0. Totals 19 10-15 51.
Mid Valley`5`8`4`2 — 19
Lake-Lehman`14`8`22`7 — 51
Three-point goals — MV 3 (Zanslak 2, Cortazar). LL 3 (Kline 2, Wilson).
