Forker, Faith Christian race past Jenkintown to reach District 1-A final

CHELTENHAM — Tuesday night’s District 1-A girls basketball semifinal between Jenkintown and Faith Christian featured two of the Bicentennial Athletic League’s most prolific scorers in the Drakes’ Emma Dorshimer and Faith’s Ashley Forker.

Naturally the game came down to a defensive struggle with both teams trying to find an offensive rhythm for the first half of the game. The third quarter saw Forker and company assert themselves offensively as Faith won the quarter 22-3, helping wipe clean a 12-point halftime deficit and eventually to a 51-45 win at Cheltenham.

“We were down nine against (Christopher) Dock in the first round of the BAL (tournament), we knew that if we tried to tackle a 12-point lead you just swim upstream,’ Faith coach Dave Forker said. “We were just focused on getting one stop at a time and we were hoping the baskets would start falling.’

The combination of Ashley Forker and Monica Ervin sparked the Lions’ comeback. Ervin scored nine points in the pivotal third period as Forker dropped seven of her 15 second-half points in the frame. Liz Hoffman contributed with six big points in the third as well.

“We went to a two-man game with (Ashley and Monica) at the foul line just to see if we could get them going a little bit,’ Dave Forker said.

Of course on the defensive end the Lions still had to deal with Dorshimer. The Lions limited her to modest 17 points, ending the dynamic scorer’s career with 1,956 points.

“Our goal was to keep her under 20,’ Dave Forker said. “And that’s a huge compliment when you talk about holding a player to under 20.’