The Hempfield boys' basketball team closed out the calendar year of 2022 with a Friday night victory over non-league foe Central Dauphin East.

Playing on their home court in the December 30 contest, the Black Knights improved to 7-2 with a 65-59 victory over the Panthers. The Knights' dominant fourth quarter helped them regain the lead they had relinquished prior to halftime.

The Knights, who drilled eight three-point baskets in the game, took an eight-point lead into the second quarter. The Panthers turned that into a three-point deficit for Hempfield by halftime and five points heading into the final stanza.

Returning Hempfield senior guard Miguel Pena scorched four of those three-point buckets and led all scorers with his 26 points on the night. Fellow senior Kamyn Lawrence added 12 points to go with Nick Deeg's eight points. Both Ben Troyer and Chase Calabretta finished with seven points, including a trey for Troyer.

The boys' basketball team was coming off a split of its two previous games - a 56-32 loss at home to Wilson on December 28 and a 64-25 thumping of Elizabethtown the previous day.

Troyer, Pena and Michael Hester each drilled a pair of treys in the E-town game with Troyer compiling 14 points on the night and Hester scoring 12. Pena and Calabretta each finished with eight points.

In the loss to Wilson, the Bulldogs' 20-8 run in the third quarter was the momentum swing for the visitors. The Bulldogs got a game-high 19 points from Cleveland Harding.

Pena and Calabretta each scored seven for the Knights.

GIRLS' BASKETBALL

Coming off a split of their games at the Lancaster Catholic Holiday Tournament on December 27-28, the Black Knights visited Red Lion on Tuesday, January 3, in non-league girls' basketball action.

The Knights kept pace with the Lions but came up short 45-39. Hempfield fell to 5-6.

In each of the opening periods the Lions outscored Hempfield 11-8, building a six-point halftime lead. The home team held on for that margin of victory.

Sophia Ott led Hempfield with 17 points while Lauren Moffatt poured in 13, including the team's lone three-point basket of the game. Sophomore Nevaeh Ramirez scored five on the night.

Prior to New Year's Day, the Knights opened the Holiday Tournament at Catholic with a 50-41 victory over Holy Redeemer on Tuesday, December 27. Hempfield jumped out to a commanding lead with 22 first-period points.

Ott led all scorers with 21 points, including a pair of treys. Moffatt poured in 13 points while Ramirez and senior Autumn Cook scored eight points each.

Hempfield fell to Lancaster Catholic the following night by a 66-35 score. Mary Bolesky and Rylee Kraft scored 17 and 16 points, respectively, for the Crusaders. Ott led the Knights with 10 points.

WRESTLING

Prior to the winter break, the Hempfield wrestling team won a dominant Section One bout over Penn Manor on December 22. The Knights pinned a 51-13 victory at home over the Comets, improving to 3-0 in the L-L League (5-1 overall).

The Knights' 27-0 lead came on two Comet forfeits plus pins by Kamron Fickes and Kain Hayden and an 8-4 decision at the 172-pound weight class by Vincent Hernandez.

Hempfield's J.J. Plaza came up short in a close 6-4 decision at 189 only to have teammates Nicky Bruno and Caleb Mussmon register first-period pins in their respective 215- and 285-pound bouts.

Junior Sutton Schopf's pin at 121 and Zy McCain-Murray's 10-4 decision at 133 were sandwiched around another close Penn Manor decision - Travis Clawson's 8-6 victory over Seamus Mack at 127.

Mack opened the match on Wednesday, January 4 with a first-period pin at133 as the Knights took on Section One rival Warwick on the road. Two more pins and two major decisions helped Hempfield post a 47-24 victory over the Warriors.

Edwards came through with a 15-4 major in the 145-pound class and Hernandez claimed his by a 12-0 margin at 160.

Plaza's pin at 189 plus a pair of Warwick forfeits helped Hempfield build a 32-18 advantage. Freshman Charlie William pinned 2:48 into the 107-pound bout. Another Warwick forfeit and Noah Caslow's 9-7 decision for the Knights at 127 gave Hempfield the winning margin.

BOWLING

Hempfield edged Ephrata in L-L League bowling on Tuesday, January 3 at Dutch Lanes.

Nathan Keeley and Priest McKenzie led the Black Knights, who improved to 24-18 with the 5-2 defeat of the Mountaineers.

Keely's best game was his third of the day where he rolled a 224. He finished with a 617 total while McKenzie was only one pin behind at 616 on the day. McKenzie opened with a 245 while Derick Keller (600) had a 227 in his second game.

Jake Buckwalter, who has carried the best per-game average for the Mountaineers, led his squad with a 659 tally.