Ryan Leaman-Wilson

Paul Roberts — Tue, 18 Feb 2025 04:30:22 +0000

Lacrosse is Ryan Leaman’s favorite sport, but she’s not too shabby at basketball. The 5’9 sophomore is Wilson’s starting point guard. She’s also the top 3-point shooter for the Bulldogs. Leaman hit a key triple in front of her bench as the third quarter came to a close. “I saw her hand down a little so I just shot it and it went in…We were all excited,” said Leaman. Wilson defeated tenth-seeded Cedar Crest 48-39 in the first round of the District 3-6A playoffs. The (17-8) Bulldogs advanced to the quarterfinals on Thursday night at second-seeded Dallastown. They also qualified for the state tournament. Leaman got off to a great start. She scored half of her 14 points in the opening quarter. “I know that if I’m open I should shoot. Sometimes I hold back a little. It was fun,” replied Leaman. Kailani Hardy finished with a game-high 18 points. The 5’9 sophomore was 8-for-8 from the free throw line. “We’ve been playing together as long as I can remember,” noted Leaman. Hardy was voted to the All-County team on Sunday. Juniors Violet Houck and Laura Crocona were both All-Division selections. They had important defensive assignments on Monday in West Lawn. Houck, who was injured when Wilson beat Cedar Crest 48-43 on December 21st, guarded Colgate commit Kaila Francis. Crocona covered promising freshman Elli Malinoski. Francis, a 6’2 junior center, and Malinoski were scoreless in the first half. “Once we shut them down, it opened up shots for us on the other end,” explained Leaman. First-year head coach Matt Raquet also utilized a 1-2-1-1 full court press that created turnovers and sped up the tempo. The Falcons turned the ball over ten times in the first 16 minutes. The seventh-seeded Bulldogs were in front 13-9 after a quarter and 23-13 at halftime. Cedar Crest didn’t score in the first three minutes of the game. The Falcons were blanked for nearly three minutes in the second quarter and fell behind 19-9. Lilyanna Thomas sank a 3-pointer from the left wing with 40 seconds remaining in the third period. The 5’11 senior pulled Cedar Crest within 35-29, however, Leaman answered with a trey of her own before the buzzer. Wilson increased its margin to 13 points before Thomas splashed a triple from the top of the key with 4:15 to go to make it 44-34. The Falcons never threatened the Bulldogs though as Hardy made all six of her foul shots in the final quarter. Crocona chipped in with eight points and Janai Tisdale added five off the bench. The Bulldogs bounced back from a tough 60-56 loss to rival Gov. Mifflin in the BCIAA semifinals. Cedar Crest hadn’t played since February 5th when the Falcons outlasted Gov. Mifflin 51-47 in overtime. Malinoski poured in 21 points against the Mustangs. The 6’ guard was limited to eight points by Crocona and company. Thomas led Cedar Crest with 13 points. She entered the night averaging 4.6 ppg. Francis ended up with ten points. The Falcons finish (13-10) in Ashli Shay’s second year at the helm. She scored 2,169 career points while at ELCO and went on to play for Penn State. Shay served as the Raiders’ head coach for twelve seasons before stepping down in 2022. Cedar Crest outscored Wilson 26-25 in the second half. The Falcons were 8-of-10 from the stripe and made three 3-pointers. The Bulldogs went 13-of-18 from the foul line and only connected once from beyond the arc. Wilson forced 18 turnovers including seven in the fourth quarter. The Bulldogs and Falcons have combined for ten District 3 championships with Wilson winning six titles. Both of these programs have bright futures. Of the ten starters on the court, only two were seniors. The Bulldogs reached the District 3 semifinals a season ago. They’ll have to upset Dallastown on Thursday at 7pm to return to the Final Four.

Exeter drops Opener to Cedar Crest

Paul Roberts — Sat, 07 Dec 2024 16:18:23 +0000

Exeter got off to a hot start in its first game of the season. The Eagles were knocking down 3-pointers all over the gym and led Cedar Crest 12-2. “Our guys came out with a lot of energy and were locked in defensively and offensively,” said second-year head coach Jeff VanGorder. However, the long range bombs missed the target after the opening quarter in a 59-53 loss to Cedar Crest at the CoBL Winter Classic. Five of Exeter’s eight triples came in the first period. The Eagles struggled from beyond the arc until Carter Redding hit a pair of treys in the final minute when the game was out of reach. “I think we fatigued a little in the end of the second quarter and to start the third. We have some guys coming off a very successful football season who are still getting into game shape,” noted VanGorder. Four of his starters were part of a football team that reached the District 3-5A Championship game. Exeter was on top 28-23 at halftime. The Falcons outscored the Eagles 20-11 in the third period. Isaac Wolfe, one of ten seniors on Tommy Smith’s roster, nailed a 3-pointer to begin the fourth quarter. That ignited a key 6-0 run that put Cedar Crest in front 49-39. The defending Lancaster-Lebanon League champions had a 57-43 advantage with two and a-half minutes remaining. Danny Speaks finished with a game-high 15 points. Wolfe added eleven points and 6’7 senior RJ Young had ten. Young provided seven points in the pivotal third period. The Falcons were just 9-of-19 from the free throw line. They missed seven foul shots in the final quarter. Exeter was 5-of-10 from the charity stripe. Redding and Brady Murray scored 13 points apiece. Aidan Dauble chipped in with a dozen points including six in the fourth quarter. The Eagles (19) and Falcons (21) combined for 40 wins a season ago, but these are much different squads. Cedar Crest had to replace four starters. Exeter lost three starters including All-County selection Kevin Saenz who averaged 16 points. VanGorder appreciates the early season competition. “This is a great opportunity for us to learn what competing against a 6A or 5A playoff team takes. That is an outstanding coach and program who made us better as we continue to get first-year varsity players up to speed,” he replied. The Eagles host Penncrest tonight at 7:45pm. Five games are on tap today in Reiffton.

Crest – Berks Sports Report

Ryan Leaman-Wilson

Exeter drops Opener to Cedar Crest