McCaskey's Luis Fuentes chases down a loose ball in front of Hempfield's Adam Williams. Fuentes and the Tornado defense limited the Black Knights to 19-of-43 shooting from the floor and picked up 11 turnovers.
An airborne Aaron Swinton of McCaskey is focused on the bucket. Hempfield's Dylan Bleacher is in the background.
Minutes after he posted game-high numbers Wednesday night with 20 points and 12 rebounds, McCaskey's Devonne Pinkard was meeting with a visitor when Steve Powell approached.
The Red Tornado boss quietly issued a few words to his junior forward, smiled and resumed walking.
"'Lock and load,' " Pinkard said, relaying his coach's message. "He's been telling me that all year. It's a matter of confidence, knowing I can hit the shot."
Amid an electric atmosphere at jam-packed McCaskey, the 6-foot-6 Pinkard hit 7 of 12 from the field — 4 of 5 from 3-point range — to highlight a 60-47 District Three Class AAAA first-round win over longtime Lancaster-Lebanon League Section One rival Hempfield.
The victory was McCaskey's first in district play since 2007 and sends the No. 5 Tornado (21-5) into Saturday's quarterfinal round opposite No. 4 York (22-4).
Game time is 2:30 p.m. at East Pennsboro High School.
McCaskey beat York 104-85 on Dec. 28 in Lancaster.
Powell will be seeking a defensive effort against the Bearcats similar to what his squad displayed Wednesday. Star guard Drew Johnson scored 20 for Hempfield and Dylan Manning added 10 points, but the Black Knights as a team were limited to 19 of 43 shooting from the floor and 3 of 14 from beyond the arc.
"We don't get a lot of credit for defense but we can play it," Powell said. "We're going to need it Saturday, because York can flat-out shoot the ball."
McCaskey's own deft shooting touch was on display against the Knights, the Tornado hitting 25 of 50 from the floor and 6 of 13 from 3-point range.
Diante Cherry scored 12 and McCaskey got point production from eight players.
"They're a very good team," Knights coach Danny Walck said. "I'm just so proud of our kids for how hard they competed."
Indeed, the first 12 minutes were played at Hempfield's pace. The No. 12 Knights (12-11) led 7-6 at the close of the first quarter and 14-10 following Mark Mangold's corner trey with 5:35 left in the second.
McCaskey responded in typically explosive fashion. Three Hempfield turnovers helped fuel a 9-0 surge highlighted by 3-pointers from Aaron Swinton and Luis Fuentes.
Diante Cherry's jumper gave the Tornado its biggest lead of the half at 26-18 before Johnson fed Manning for a layup that beat the buzzer.
"I told the kids, 'We have to extend (the six-point halftime lead) to 10, 12," said Powell. "That changes what (Walck) has to do. He can't take time off the clock."
Instead, Johnson's run of seven straight points cut the Knights' deficit to seven late in the third. But another Hempfield turnover and back-to-back buckets by Shaki Staten and Cherry boosted McCaskey's margin to 11 heading into the fourth.
"(The deficit) went from seven to 11 like that," Walck said, snapping the fingers of his right hand.
Pinkard took over in the fourth. Draining two corner treys, scoring 10 points and ripping down four rebounds, he helped McCaskey sprint to a game-high 16-point lead midway through the quarter.
"I told him he's got to unload, don't hesitate," Powell said. "When you've got the arsenal he has, you've got to pull the trigger."
Welcome to the new TalkBack on LancasterOnline. Please use the comment box below to share your opinion on this article. If you would prefer to use the previous TalkBack forums instead, please use this link.
