Lancaster Mennonite lacked size and skill in Saturday's district playoff game with top-seeded York Catholic.
But not toughness.
The underdog Blazers hung around Class AA's top rank, staying within single digits until the game's final minutes.
Ultimately, Catholic's Michael Sperring (game-high 32 points) was too much for the undersized Blazers in a 56-41 home win.
Mennonite was as close as four points late in the third quarter and six in the fourth. Sperring hit six straight free throws in the final frame to seal it.
Not bad for a Blazers squad that came into the district quarterfinal with seven wins.
"They only had seven wins, but geesh, that's a good team," Catholic boss Joe Keesey said afterward. "I thought it would be close."
Lancaster Mennonite, which started the season 0-10, finished up at 7-17.
"I don't think there were a lot of other teams that started 0-10 and played today," Mennonite coach Geoff Groff said. "I'm very proud of our team."
The Blazers came a long way from the first half of the season, trading blows Saturday afternoon with a perennial powerhouse.
Even if they did look a bit out of place for the first eight minutes. LMH managed only a single field goal in the first quarter, and trailed 11-4 going into the second.
Taylor Wilson kept the Blazers in it, scoring 15 in the first half, including a trio of 3-pointers. His trey from the left wing with 1:40 left in the half pulled them within five.
Catholic (17-7) keyed on Wilson after the break, though. He rarely got a good look at the basket in the second half. His only points in the half came with less than a minute to go, with the game already wrapped up.
"They weren't going to let him touch the ball" after halftime, Groff said.
But the Blazers never stopped on defense. They forced 15 turnovers.
"We've been careless with the ball all year," Keesey said.
Timely points from forward Zach Lehman helped Mennonite keep the pace in the third. Lehman converted two buckets in the paint to make it 33-26, Catholic. Later in the quarter, he dished to Matt Hess, who connected for a trey and cut the deficit to four.
That was as close as Mennonite came. Sperring hit all six of his free throws in the fourth quarter, sustaining the lead.
York Catholic will face Wyomissing (14-10) in the semifinals Wednesday at the Giant Center in Hershey.
Mennonite, meanwhile, is home for good.
"Perseverance was the word for us this year," Groff said. "They didn't stop trying to get better."
