The moment and the stage wasn’t to big to handle.
Nor was the opponent — at times.
But trying to slow down the other team’s best player certainly proved to be quite the challenge for the Emmaus girls basketball team.
Playing in the program’s first PIAA state playoff game in 17 years, head coach Kelsey Gallagher’s squad certainly knew what they were up against on Friday night having to play on the road against a team from the rugged District One in North Penn and facing the Knights on their home floor in front of their raucous fans.
The Hornets also knew before the game and by night’s end all about No.4 – Caleigh Sperling.
She was the single reason why North Penn is advancing on in the state tournament and why Emmaus, unfortunately, is not.
Sperling, a Jefferson University commit and 1,000 point scorer, was a handful all night long for Emmaus to slow down as she accounted for nearly half of her team’s offensive production in leading North Penn past the Hornets 48-34.
“She’s a very nice player and she’s had a really good senior year,” said Gallagher of Sperling. “Our goal heading into the game was to keep her under her average (18 ppg). She’s one of those players that can hurt you both inside and outside and she’s also a good rebounder. She does a little bit of everything.”
Sperling, a first team Colonial Division all star in the Suburban One Conference, scored a game-high 22 points, with 14 of those points coming after halftime. North Penn also got a spark off the bench from freshman Lily Brown who scored 10 of her 12 points in the first half for the Knights who outscored Emmaus in all four quarters.
It was the first state playoff win in four years for North Penn, who improved to 24-5 on the season and earned a date in the next round on Tuesday against North Allegheny, who advanced with a 57-23 win over Erie.
For Emmaus, which posted the most wins in the program’s history since the 2006-7 season, it was the end to a memorable year filled with many more highs than lows. The Hornets finished the season 17-12, winning all but four of their last 16 games.
“My message to the team after the game was that we are so proud of them,” said Gallagher following the game on The Eastern Pa. Sports Network’s LIVE coverage. “We started the season a little slow and at one point we were 5-8 and everyone kinda checked us off their list. No one expected us to be where we were.”
Emmaus, which had defeated Liberty 38-32 in the District XI third place game to reach states, struggled offensively in the game against North Penn’s zone as they were held to their third lowest output of the season. The Hornets shot just 36 percent from the floor (13 of 36) and were also hurt by 14 turnovers in the game.
Senior Mya Cooper and junior Cassie Doemling each scored nine points in the loss. Freshman Kayla Snyder, the team’s leading scorer who did not start and had been dealing with the stomach bug all week, was held to four points.
Friday’s game marked the final one in the high school careers of the team’s four seniors – Mya Cooper, Taylor Griffith, Julia Adams and Lexi Krum.
“My message to the seniors after the game is that we have gotten better every single year for the past four years and it’s a tip of the hat to them for everything they’ve done,” said Gallagher, who completed her seventh year at Emmaus. “From the girls that have played almost every single minute to the ones that didn’t get a lot of playing time, the impact that they’ve made on this program over the last four years has been huge and it’s a reason why it’s going to continue to being successful.
“[Heading into next season] we have a lot of good kids coming back and a lot of key returnees and kids that want to compete and want to play at this level and that’s half the battle.
“The new goal every year now is not just to make districts. Let’s get back to the PPL Center for the EPC finals and let’s get back to states. Our kids work so hard and we have the talent and these kids deserve it.”
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North Penn 48, Emmaus 34
Em – Mya Cooper 3 3-4 9, Gabby DeVita 2 0-0 5, Taylor Griffith 1 0-0 3, Sofie Laird 1 0-0 2, Cassie Doemling 4 1-2 9, Kayla Snyder 1 1-2 4, Olive Whitney 0, Emma Naccarato 0, Sylvia Sokolofski 1 0-0 2, Julia Adams 0. Totals: FG 13, FT 5-8, 3s (3) – Snyder, DeVita, Griffith
NP – Cam Crowley 1 0-0 2, Caleigh Sperling 7 8-9 22, Leah Mikulski 2 0-0 4, Olivia Stone 2 4-4 8, Tallie Smink 0, Lily Brown 4 4-4 12, Oliva Stevens 0. Totals: FG 16, FT 16-17, 3s (0)
Em – 10-4-12-8 – 34
NP – 14-10-13-11 – 48