A change in defense and key contributions up and down the roster helped visiting Antietam defeat Halifax 62-53 in a District 3 Class 2A semifinal Wednesday to reach its third straight final and clinch a berth in the PIAA Tournament.
“We played solid,” Antietam coach Mike Green said. “We got a lot of contributions from a lot of people tonight.”
Noah Archambault scored 15 points, Jowen Reyes-Rodriguez 14 and Julious Williams 13 for the third-seeded Mounts (14-10).
The victory sets up another championship game matchup against Lancaster Mennonite on Tuesday at Hershey’s Giant Center at 4:15 p.m. The Blazers have beaten the Mounts each of the previous two years in the final.
Top-seeded Lancaster Mennonite (15-7) beat fourth-seeded Steel-High 86-63 Wednesday.
Antietam found itself down 17-13 after a quarter as second-seeded Halifax (16-7) got off to a fast start.
“They were knocking down shots early on,” Green said. “They came out hot. I think we kind of matched their offensive ability early on. Points came the more traditional route, working the ball, getting it inside. It was kind of back-and-forth through the whole first quarter; they’d hit a big shot, we’d hit a big shot.”
Things changed, according to Green, about midway through the second quarter when he opted to switch from man-to-man defense to a matchup zone.
That helped the Mounts outscore the Wildcats 18-9 in the quarter to take a 31-26 halftime lead.
“I think that confused them initially,” Green said. “They’re a young team. They’re going to be very tough next year. So I think our matchup zone caused them a bit of a problem early on. I think that was really the difference.”
Green said he didn’t show the matchup zone much when his team beat Halifax 49-39 at home on Feb. 3.
“I’m sure they had prepped for it, but with young guys and the way we shift, it can create problems,” Green said.
Reyes-Rodriguez, a sophomore, and Archambault, a senior, each scored 10 in the first half.
“He was electric early on,” Green said of Reyes-Rodriguez. “They had a tough time containing him.”
The Mounts extended the lead to 46-37 after three quarters, even with senior Jovan Hollis, the team’s leading scorer, in foul trouble and on the bench for much of the period.
“Kudos to my young guys,” Green said in reference to sophomore Williams and freshman AJ Scheifly. “They really came up big as far as handling the pressure and not turning it over and playing under control.”
Antietam kept Halifax at bay in the fourth quarter, though it only shot 7-for-12 from the foul line.
Hollis scored six of his nine points in the second half. Fellow senior Carson Lubas scored all eight of his points after halftime.
“My seniors did what they needed to do,” Green said. “Noah Archambault really did a phenomenal job tonight. I think that was one of the best games he’s played. Carson Lubas handled the pressure.”
Now Antietam will be in its fourth title game in five years with a chance to win the program’s first district championship since 1972.
“We tried to build a culture 10 years ago when I came to Antietam,” Green said. “That was our goal every year: compete for the division. If we can do that, we’ll give ourselves a chance to make district playoffs. If we can get to districts, try to make as much noise as possible. It’s just a continuation of the culture we tried to bring here years ago.”
Source: Berkshire mont