Hershey turns up heat in second half, ousts Governor Mifflin from Class AAAA tournament

A little more than three minutes remained in Friday’s play-in game between Hershey and Governor Mifflin when Trojans’ big man Dylan Painter found himself trapped on the wing by the tenacious Mustangs’ defense.

Governor Mifflin trailed by 14 points and was making a last-gasp bid to make a comeback. Painter wheeled toward the basket, shed his man and put the ball on the floor. Four steps later, he rose and dunked emphatically.

Game over. The substitutes entered shortly afterward, the home Hershey crowd gave the team a standing ovation, and the Trojans posted a 65-54 victory in the District 3 Class AAAA tournament.

“Dylan began to assert himself” in the second half, Hershey coach Paul Blackburn said after the game.

The 6-foot-10 Painter blocked several shots and scored nine points as the Trojans battled the Mustangs to a 34-34 draw in the second half. Only three players scored in the half for Hershey, as Taylor Sweeney led with 15 and Jake Wilson chipped in 10.

Hershey (14-9) moves on to the first round and will travel to William Penn to take on the Bearcats at 7 p.m. Wednesday night.

Blackburn said he was frustrated by first-half defensive mistakes combined with a plodding offense.

“I thought we came out slow in the first half,” he said.

The teams combined for 17 3-pointers, including back-to-back-to-back 3’s to start the game, two by the home team. After the Trojans ran out to an 11-3 lead, Trystan Ovid led the Mustangs back with seven quick points, with two baskets off steals in the Hershey backcourt.

The second quarter was a disaster for the visitors, as Matt Miller doubled up the entire Governor Mifflin team with eight points. Hershey outscored the Mustangs, 15-4, to take a 31-20 lead into the locker room.

Governor Mifflin (12-11) received a third-quarter lift from reserve Jevon Willet, who scored three straight three-point plays — two by getting fouled and hitting free throws, and the last on a jumper from beyond the stripe. Willet’s nine-point quarter drew the Mustangs back to 49-41 entering the final period.

But Hershey opened the fourth on a 12-2 run, with Sweeney (five points) and Wilson (seven) scoring all the points.

Reid Hoff led the Mustangs with 15 points, including three 3-pointers, while Ovid added 11 to go with Willet’s nine.