Governor Mifflin beats Lower Dauphin 59-42 to advance to District 3-AAAA semifinals
MILLERSVILLE>> One of the biggest keys to Governor Mifflin’s remarkably successful season has been the balanced scoring the Mustangs have received from their battle-hardened veteran core. There is no one particular player that opposing teams can key on – on any given night, anyone can burn them.
Friday night’s roulette wheel ball fell on Melissa Martin’s slot. The senior guard delivered 22 points as the Mustangs moved into the District 3 Class AAAA semifinals with a workmanlike 59-42 verdict over Lower Dauphin in the nightcap of a Quad-A quarterfinal tripleheader held at Penn Manor High School.
The Mustangs will compete at Hershey in the district semifinals for the first time since head coach Mike Clark took the reins four years ago.
“This feels great,” Clark said. “Melissa, Madison (Koehler), Kylie (Herman), this is my group. I started with them and to see them play on that floor (at Giant Center), this what they’ve wanted. Win or lose, I wanted to see them play on that floor. I think we’ve got a good shot.”
Governor Mifflin (26-1) advances to play Lancaster- Lebanon champ Cedar Crest Tuesday at Giant Center in one semifinal. The Crest defeated Red Lion 59-45 in the middle game. Harrisburg clinched a semifinal berth with a 49-44 overtime defeat of Central York in the opener. The Cougars will play Cumberland Valley, 50-49 survivors in a Mid-Penn Conference grudge match against rival Central Dauphin, in the only game of the bracket not contested at Penn Manor.
Martin and her teammates sealed the deal against Lower Dauphin in a slow-as-molasses final frame by hitting 18 of 24 free throws during the final eight minutes — a fourth quarter that took more than a half hour to play. Martin was a perfect 6 of 6 from the charity stripe during that span. Overall, Clark’s crew canned 22 of 33 freebies.
Earlier, much earlier, Martin hit a pair of first-quarter 3-pointers to get the Mustangs – who never trailed – off to a quick start. The closest the Falcons got to Mifflin after the opening tip was 6-4 midway through the first quarter.
She did it all after picking up two quick fouls in the opening stanza on a pair of charging calls and a third before the break.
“I was nervous because two of them were charges,” Martin said, “but I just focused on not getting that fourth foul. I wanted to stay in the game, not spend it on the bench.
“Our team played really well and we were just excited to get the biggest lead we could and move on to the Giant Center. The balance is key and it’s great to have multiple players who can score any time, any night. We see teams that are reliant on one player, and we’re just thankful that we don’t rely on one player to score. That makes us harder to play against.”
Mifflin’s press caused a flurry of turnovers late in the first half from Lower Dauphin that earned the Mustangs the throttle. Mifflin cashed in by moving out to a 26-17 halftime lead. The Falcons’ best sustained effort of the night was a 7-0 burst early in the fourth quarter that brought them to within 32-27, but the Mustangs saw that and raised it one with and 8-0 response and a 40-27 lead.
The game then ground to a halt with a flurry of whistles the rest of the way and its accompanying parade to foul line.
LD brought some height to the party with 6-footer Grace Day and 5-11 Sarah Gibbs as front-liners, but Mifflin was not fazed by the inherent disadvantage. Day was held off the scoreboard until the final period, when she scored two baskets and drained three free throws to finish with seven points. Gibbs scored two points.
“It seems like we play better against bigger teams,” Clark said, “than we do smaller teams. We do a tremendous job when we play bigs.”
Kylie Herman added 11 points for the Mustangs. Amber Schweiger kept LD on the fringes, single-handedly, with her 17-point effort.
District 3-AAAA quarterfinal
at Penn Manor High School
Governor Mifflin 59, Lower Dauphin 42
Lower Dauphin – 8 9 10 15 — 42
Governor Mifflin – 12 14 8 25 — 59
Lower Dauphin
Saad 1 0-0 2, Amber Schwieger 8 0-0 17, Friedrich 1 0-0 2, Means 0 0-0 0, Kirsch 0 0-0 0, Leader 0 1-2 1, Day 2 3-7 7, Abraham 0 0-0 0, Gibbs 1 0-0 2, Paulina Malinen 4 1-2 11. Totals: 17 5-11 42.
3-pointers: 3 (Malinen 2, Schweiger)
Governor Mifflin
Wright-Gaskins 0 0-0 0, Melissa Martin 6 7-8 22, Koehler 2 1-2 6, Kylie Herman 2 6-6 11, Reviere 1 4-8 6, J Martin 3 3-4 9, Hartman 2 1-5 5, Latishaw 0 0-0 0, Payne 0 0-0 0, DelVecchio 0 0-0 0. Totals: 16 22-33 59.
3-pointers: 5 (M Martin 3, Koehler, Herman)
Fouled out: Jenn Martin
