The Pequea Valley Braves were coming off a 43-30 victory from earlier in the week when they took on Trinity in a District Three Class 3A girls' basketball semifinal match on Friday, February 25.

That first-round win on February 22 was at home where the third-seeded Braves defeated sixth-seeded Upper Dauphin.

"In the Upper Dauphin game, we played an up-tempo game, and they were getting tired," Jason McDonald, the Braves head coach, explained. "We did not play particularly well on the offensive end, but our defense kept the game out of reach for them. They were out of sync all night and that played into our hands."

Trinity, the number two team in the district, limited the Braves (13-12) to 13 first-half points en route to a 51-21 victory, sending the Braves to a third-place consolation game against number one seed Brandywine Heights. The Bullets lost to York Catholic in their semifinal game on Friday 52-44.

Sarah Arment and Shania Stoltzfus each scored five points to top the Braves in scoring on Friday night at Trinity. The Hillers, who improved to 17-7, were led by Adrianna Stricek's 18-point performance. She poured in three three-point baskets in the game.

"We couldn't make the shots," McDonald said. "We were able to get the possessions, but we did not hit anything.

"Their height was also an issue," continued the coach. "They also had lots of second chance opportunities. We played hard, but just did not match up well with their size."

The Braves had set goals at the start of the season, McDonald explained. And reaching the district semifinals helped Pequea's program continue achieving milestones this season.

"We had goals to make leagues, districts and states for this season," said McDonald. "Now it's just about us making plays."

The Brave's offense was on a better pace in the consolation contest at Brandywine Heights on March 1. However, the home team's 13-2 run in the second quarter helped the Bullets hang on for a 54-40 win.

The Braves thus earned their ticket to the PIAA Class 3A state playoffs as the fourth seed out of District Three.

Arment led the Braves with 12 points on the night, including a three-point field goal. Rebecca Cox tallied seven points while Chavelle Fisher and Rebecca Cox each hit two three pointers and put in six points each on the night.