Elco boys answer the bell, turn back Eastern York to earn spot in district semis

Pat Huggins
Lebanon Daily News
Elco's Braden Bohannon became the fifth player in the school's boys basketball history to reach 1,000 career points last season,

MYERSTOWN - Since we're closer to the end of the season than the beginning, the chances of the Elco boys basketball team adding a championship to their still highly successful season are getting slimmer and slimmer.

That does not, however, mean the Raiders can't still enjoy some championship-like moments like earning the first district semifinal berth in their history and qualifying for the PIAA state playoffs for just the second time.

Elco did just that and more on Thursday night courtesy of a 59-54 4A district quarterfinal win vs. Eastern York in front of the home fans in Myerstown.

Junior guard Braden Bohannon led the way to those twin postseason accomplishments while pouring in a team-high 28 points, including the 1,000th of his career, as Elco (19-5) secured both a semifinal date at mighty Bishop McDevitt on Monday and the aforementioned return trip to states.

"It was a good win in a really tough game," Elco coach Brad Conners said. "And we made some history, which I'm really proud of. First time in the semifinals. And states, second time in school history. Pretty cool."

"And Braden got 1,000 points. Coach's dream. He puts me at ease."

The Elco student section shows their support for Braden Bohannon.

Conners wasn't terribly at ease late in the third when Eastern York (14-9), which was led by Trevor Seitz's 30 points, pulled within a point of the lead at 36-35 after the Raiders led by as many as seven in the first half.

But from there, Bohannon, Bryce Coletti and Huey produced nine straight Elco points to bump the lead back to 10 and avoid further drama. It was a championship response in a non-championship setting.

"We just stayed together, moved the ball, got the ball inside, got fouled a little bit," said Bohannon of the decisive stretch. "Whenever we play together and move the ball and just have fun as a whole we do well. That's what worked out for us tonight."

Much to Conners' liking, the Raiders got the ball inside early and often to Bohannon and Asher Kemble (15 points) while shedding their perimeter-oriented style for a night.

"We had the advantage height-wise and strength-wise, so that was good for us," Bohannon said. "Getting the ball inside was big for us tonight and it's been big for us quite a bit this year."

"It's almost like we reinvented ourselves," Conners said. "The ball went into the post a lot and that was a focus of ours the last week and a half. I'm really proud of the effort."

But whether it was in the post or not, the ball was in good hands when it was in Bohannon's possession, as he scored in a variety of ways, including on a driving layup through traffic for points 1,000 and 1,001 on Elco's first possession of the second half.

Elco's Asher Kemble (24) moves up court after taking the ball from Eastern York's Austin Bausman (24) during the first quarter.

"He's just one of those kids," Conners said. "He's like a coach on the floor. He's got a great mind."

"I couldn't have done it without my teammates and coaches," said Bohannon, typically humble. "They're a great group of guys and I couldn't ask for a better group of guys to play with."

And the third-seeded Raiders couldn't ask for a better opportunity than the one they'll get Monday at No.2 McDevitt, which drubbed Berks Catholic 44-25 Thursday.

"We got to watch them up and close and personal in the (Mid-Penn) semifinals last week," Conners said. "It's gonna be fun. They've got some players."

Elco's Bryce Coletti (4) drives up court between Eastern York's Kaleb Corwell (12) and Dustin Cunningham (2) during the first quarter of action.

Elco 59, Eastern York 54

Eastern York (54)

Seitz 10 5-7 30, Bausman 3 0-2 7, Myers 4 1-2 9, Cunningham 3 0-0 6, Sawmiller 1 0-0 2. Totals: 21 6-11 54.

Elco (59)

Bohannon 9 9-11 28, Kemble 5 5-7 15, Coletti 2 6-9 10, Horst 2 0-1 4, Huey 1 0-0 2, Fernandez 0 0-0 0, Williams 0 0-0 0. Totals: 19 20-28 59.

Eastern York 9 15 11 19 - 54

Elco 18 10 8 23 - 59

3-pointers: EY - Seitz 5, Bausman, E- Bohannon