Advertisement

Third time's the charm? Red Lion hoops hoping to stun Central York after narrow loss

matt allibone, york daily record
·4 min read

Some thought it was controversial. Joe Sedora just wanted to move on.

When Central York junior Ben Natal's barely buzzer-beating shot fell through the net to hand Red Lion a 64-62 loss in the regular season finale on Feb. 8, the Lions star senior said he immediately turned to his teammates.

"'We're going to get them again,'" he said of his message in that moment. "Honestly? You'd think I would've been more ticked off but I wasn't. I knew we were going to see them again."

Sedora and his teammates are getting their wish. The Lions (17-8) will go on the road to face Central York (22-2) in the District 3 Class 6A quarterfinals Friday at 7 p.m. The top-seeded Panthers earned a bye from the first round while the eighth-seeded Lions knocked off York High in their opening matchup, 66-56, at home Tuesday.

Red Lion Steve Schmehl was barely through the handshake line when he started thinking of his game plan.

"We were already talking about it," he said during his post-game interview with a nod to his assistants. "Obviously they present a heck of a challenge.

"But our kids always get fired up for them."

The District 3 basketball playoffs: Here are the results for area teams

Bouncing back from heartbreak

Schmehl is correct that his team tends to compete with Central York better than most teams in York County. The Panthers were the preseason favorite to win YAIAA Division I in 2021 and 2022, but the Lions went 3-1 against them and won the titles both years. Red Lion lost to Central by fewer than six points twice last season despite going through a transitional season with a young roster.

The Lions lost to Central early this season by 10 points despite Sedora being out of the lineup with an ankle injury. And they were on the verge of overtime two weeks ago before Natal floated in a final shot that left his hands as the horn was sounding.

But the Lions are sick of coming close. They want to knock off the Panthers.

Especially since they missed out on the chance to do it last Friday.

Most observers expected Red Lion to meet Central York for the YAIAA title game. But the Lions had a terrible offensive performance in a 56-37 loss to York Suburban in the semifinals. The Trojans packed the paint and dared the Lions to beat them with shooting. Red Lion wasn't able to capitalize.

Red Lion's Joe Sedora (10) reacts after sinking a shot and drawing the foul during the first half of a YAIAA Division I basketball game against Spring Grove Jan. 12, 2024, in Jackson Township. The Lions won, 61-36.
Red Lion's Joe Sedora (10) reacts after sinking a shot and drawing the foul during the first half of a YAIAA Division I basketball game against Spring Grove Jan. 12, 2024, in Jackson Township. The Lions won, 61-36.

"The following day in practice, usually guys are upbeat and joking, and instead everything was quiet and locked in," Sedora said. "It was definitely a more intense practice. Now we're back to being ourselves."

A Palmyra native, Schmehl said he's stressed to his players that a win over Central York in the district playoffs will more than make up for not getting the chance to face them in the league tournament.

Regardless, Friday's game won't be a season-ending contest for either team. The loser will fall to a consolation bracket and have two games to earn a top-seven finish and qualify for the state tournament.

"We were heartbroken for 24 hours because we would've played the big game in our home gym, and it didn't happen," the coach said. "But the district tournament is special. I grew up in the Mid-Penn, and there was no league playoffs. I keep telling our guys districts are bigger than counties. Trying to get them to understand that down here is interesting."

Red Lion head coach Steve Schmehl shouts from the bench in the second half of non-league basketball game against Greencastle-Antrim Jan. 24, 2024, at Red Lion Area High School. The Lions won, 57-38.
Red Lion head coach Steve Schmehl shouts from the bench in the second half of non-league basketball game against Greencastle-Antrim Jan. 24, 2024, at Red Lion Area High School. The Lions won, 57-38.

How Central York and Red Lion matchup

There's no doubt Central York is more talented than the rest of the teams in District 3 Class 6A. Its depth and combination of 6-foot-7 sharpshooter Greg Guidinger and 6-foot-8 post-man Ben Rill are tough to compete with. But the Lions have their own lengthy shooter in the 6-foot-5 Sedora and a mix of toughness and athleticism around him.

6-foot-2 senior Chris Williams is a threat on the fast break and freshman guard Isaiah Ogurcak acclimated himself to the districts playoffs with 20 points against York High.

Red Lion gives up just 49 points per game on defense while Central averages 73 on offense. In the past, the Lions have successfully slowed the game down against the Panthers.

Will that be the plan on Friday? Schmehl isn't giving anything away.

"We'll throw some different things at them," he said with a smile. "We'll be ready to go."

Watch Red Lion vs. Central York live

GameTimePA will livestream Friday's District 3 Class 6A quarterfinal between Red Lion and Central York. Tune in to GameTimePA's YouTube channel watch the entire game, with play-by-play from WOYK-1350 AM.

Matt Allibone is a sports reporter for GameTimePA. He can be reached at 717-881-8221, mallibone@ydr.com or on Twitter at @bad2theallibone. 

This article originally appeared on York Daily Record: PIAA District 3 basketball: Red Lion to face Central York