Game on the Line

Ephrata did not hold a lead in its Lancaster-Lebanon League Section Two girls basketball game at Garden Spot until the final minute of play, when sophomore Gabbie Gerola-Hill nailed a 3-pointer with 38 seconds left.

Yet, that lead lasted just 12 seconds, until the Spartans’ Olivia Usner drilled a triple of her own.

The Mountaineers got the ball back, and with a tie game, Kandice Liebl was fouled with nine seconds to play. The junior’s first shot at the line went off the rim, but she calmly sank the second, and Ephrata held on for an exciting 34-33 victory.

“I was thinking back to old days when I would miss the foul shot all the time. But we’ve been working on them in practice, so I was pretty confident,” Liebl said. “I missed the first, I was a little shook up, but my teammates got back with me. After I made the second, it was pretty hype.”

After Liebl’s ninth point of the game, the Spartans had one final possession. Garden Spot covered the length of the floor, getting the ball inside, only to have the Mounts’ Kyla McKim, a 6-foot-2 senior, block the final shot off a Garden Spot player and out of bounds.

The comeback was complete when McKim caught the inbounds pass. Although their time with the lead totaled approximately 21 seconds, the Mounts improved to 2-0 in the section and 4-2 overall.

Garden Spot (1-1, 3-2) scored the first nine points of the game and took a 22-12 advantage into halftime. However, the Spartans scored only one point in the third quarter, 11 for the second half, something that pleased Ephrata coach Todd Moyer.

“They did it in the second half. They worked hard,” Moyer said of his team. “Garden Spot is not an easy team; they’ve got many weapons and they play hard. That was just a good game. We just happened to come out on top.”

Ahead 23-21 after three quarters, Garden Spot notched the first four points of the final period, all at the free throw line. However, Liebl answered when she grabbed a defensive rebound, brought the ball up court, stopped and popped a 3-pointer.

“Kandice does a lot of good, little things that don’t show up in the scorebook,” Moyer said. “Everyone did something. I am happy with the whole team.”

A Brooke Ludwig free throw brought Ephrata within two, but Paige Kemper, who led the Spartans with 13 points, converted a three-point play and the lead was back to five.

Moments later, Gerola-Hill, who posted a game-high 17 points, hit a layup and was fouled. Her ensuing free throw tied the game for the first time, with 2:48 to play.

“My coach always tells me if I am open take it, If I am not open, look to drive or pass it out,” Gerola-Hill said. “We just kind of worked together and settled down. We calmed down and we talked through it.”

McKim pulled down 11 rebounds to go along with her three blocks. Karli Stoltzfus had 10 boards and four steals for the Spartans.

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