The Pequea Valley girls' basketball team registered a decisive victory over Lancaster Mennonite in a Friday night Lancaster-Lebanon League game on the road. The Braves improved their league mark to 4-2, breaking out of the gate with a 20-5 run and going on to claim a 60-22 triumph.

The Braves, who improved to 8-8 overall, limited the Blazers to single digit scoring for each quarter of the game.

"They just didn't handle our pressure," head coach Jason McDonald explained. "We made the game a track meet and they couldn't keep up."

Shania Stoltzfus drilled a pair of three-point jump shots for the Braves and went on to finish with a team-leading 13 points. Breanne Beiler finished with nine points as did Katie Stoltzfus, who scored all of her points from three-point range.

"She pretty much has a green light to take those shots whenever she's open," McDonald said of Katie Stoltzfus.

The Braves took a commanding 32-9 lead into the second half and made it 50-15 by the end of the third quarter.

The Braves made it a pattern of playing a team with "Lancaster" in its name and coming out to a fast start.

On Tuesday, January 25, they faced Lancaster County Christian on the road. The Braves outscored their opponent 23-10 in the opening period. However, unlike the Mennonite game, this was not a runaway victory. County Christian battled back and, in fact, outscored the Braves 28-15 over the next two periods.

"We were going for layups and getting to the basket in the first quarter," said McDonald. "We weren't hitting anything in the second and third quarters. We decided we would shoot everything from 15 to 20 feet."

Pequea's game began to right itself in the final stanza, helping to add a number in their "W" column with a 56-52 victory. The win improved Pequea to 9-8 (5-2 league).

"Midway through the third quarter we looked tired," McDonald remarked, noting that the Lions came back and took the lead. "In the fourth we regained momentum and took back the lead."

Sarah Arment led all scorers with 29 points - a career high for the Braves junior. She connected twice from three-point range.

"Her previous career high was 21," McDonald noted. "She scored 10 in the first and 13 in the fourth quarter. She hit a big three four us in the fourth so did Katie Stoltzfus."

Shania Stoltzfus added eight points while Katie and Deena Stoltzfus each scored six.

Two teammates from LCC combined for 30 of their squad's total points. Kiana Wakefield finished with 16 points and Genesis Meadows poured in 14.

"Shania Stoltzfus played defense on Meadows and shut her down," McDonald added. "She only had six points when Shania guarded her."

BOYS' BASKETBALL

The Lancaster Mennonite boys' basketball team visited Pequea Valley on Friday, January 21. Pequea came into the game with a 4-10 overall mark while Mennonite carried an 8-5 record.

"They are one of the top teams in the district for Double-A," Braves head coach Thad Rittenhouse pointed out. "They have a very good team with a lot of experience. They are fundamentally sound.

"They are very aggressive and really get after it," Rittenhouse added.

The Blazers' level of play lifted them to a 71-41 victory. Jaedon Mast led Mennonite with 14 points, and Camden Hurst added 13. Both teammates went 4-for-4 at the foul line.

"It's hard for us to compete against teams like that," said Rittenhouse, whose Braves fell to 2-4 in L-L League play. "We play a lot of 4A and 5A teams on the schedule."

Joerick Irizarry led the Braves with 12 points. He connected twice from three-point range and went 2-for-2 at the charity stripe.

"He is a sophomore who has been put in a tough position of being our point guard this year," Rittenhouse said of Irizarry. "We have a lot of sophomores - a strong sophomore class who get experience on varsity."

Cam Beiler added nine points for the Braves.

"Cam has been a workhorse," commented the coach. "He might be undersized in most games, but he has battled every single game."

The Braves were coming off a non-league loss to Lancaster County Christian on Wednesday, January 19. With a high-scoring first period, the Lions roared to a 21-11 lead. The Braves kept pace for the next two periods, but a big fourth quarter lifted the Lions to a 57-29 victory.

Nevin Stoltzfus led the Braves in scoring again. His 10-point total included a pair of treys. Irizarry added five points, including a three-point basket.

Josh Glessner scored 20 points, including three treys, for the Lions.

"Nevin Stoltzfus has a lot of weight on his shoulders, being the only returning varsity player from last year," Rittenhouse remarked. "He has taken the reins of a young team. He has had some very good games.

"We're not a high-scoring team, but we can depend on him to put points on the scoreboard for us," Rittenhouse added.

WRESTLING

The Braves lost to Wyomissing in the first round of the Pequea Valley Tri-Meet on Saturday, January 22. The Spartans topped the Braves 54-21 and went on to edge Schuylkill Valley 39-36 in the finale.

Sophomore Adam Reber put Pequea on the board early in the match. His second-period pin in the 113-pound match evened the score at 6-6 after the Braves had to forfeit the 106-pound class.

The Braves would end up forfeiting seven of the weight classes, giving the Spartans 42 uncontested points in an otherwise close match.

Liam McGinley won a classic battle with Ashton Melendez of Wyomissing, finishing on top 14-11 at 126.

Zach Hollenbaugh came away with a third-period pin at 189 while Jovanni Candelario (215) earned six uncontested points for Pequea on a forfeit.