On Jan. 30, the State College Little Lions celebrated senior night with a 54-48 victory over Cumberland Valley. The Little Lions have a season record of 15-4, with three road games remaining.
Before the game, the graduating seniors and their family members were recognized on the court to celebrate their basketball careers at State High. Additionally, poster boards were made by the players featuring moments from their childhood, various basketball memories and special friendships they have made while playing basketball. The celebration continued on the court as seniors helped lead the Little Lions to a win, making their final 2024-2025 season home game one to remember.
“I’m really excited because I love the senior group and we’ve been playing with each other for a while. But it’s obviously emotional because I’ve been playing basketball my whole life, and it’s my last time on the home court. So it’s just like getting the ends of senior year. It’s kind of the first big ending,” senior Annika Bechtel said.
State College sent out its five seniors as the starting lineup: Bechtel, Tori Risha, Ceanna Irmak, Morgan Roan and Jess Hawbaker.
After State College won the tipoff, the Little Lions got off to a turnover-filled start in the first quarter.
Hawbaker stepped to the free-throw lines after drawing a foul on a drive to the basket and sank both shots. “I think we started off down by quite a few at the beginning, but we were able to come back, and we were able to work together as a team,” Hawbaker said.
Junior guard McKenna Whitehurst scored a layup but was also fouled while shooting and converted the and-one, cutting the Cumberland Valley lead to 8-5. Junior Lydia Tate then scored two points and Whitehurst added another foul shot. Sophomore Sheree Wilson was fouled and calmly sank both free throws, adding two points. Sophomore Sienna Wilson stole the ball and passed to Hawbaker, who drove to the basket for a layup. With a quick move past her defender, Whitehurst finished the first quarter strong with a layup.
“I think offensively, we started off pretty stagnant, so just like, getting moving and getting good shots up, I think, was a challenge, but we were able to overcome that and get our offense working,” Roan said.
The Little Lions and Eagles ended the first quarter tied 14-14. Whitehurst ended the quarter with six points, Hawbaker followed behind with four and Tate and Sheree Wilson had two.
In the second quarter, the Little Lions maintained their intensity on both ends. Hawbaker opened the quarter by knocking down a free throw. Sienna Wilson found Hawbaker with a sharp pass, who then moved the ball to Sheree Wilson, who drove through the lane for a shot. Sienna Wilson had an additional two layups. Risha controlled the ball at the top of the key, waiting for the play to develop before finding Sheree Wilson, who cut inside and finished with a layup.
The Little Lions went into halftime ahead 25-20.
“I thought our defense was really good,” Irmak said. “I mean, we always played really good defense, us five together because we know each other so well. We’ve played together for so long, and our strengths just really match up really well together.”
The Little Lions came out strong to start the third quarter and aimed to build on their momentum, with Whitehurst setting the pace early by sinking two foul shots. Sheree Wilson knocked down a smooth fadeaway shot, adding to the Little Lions’ lead and setting the tone for the rest of the game.
Throughout the series of well-executed plays, Whitehurst and the Wilson twins contributed to the scoreboard, finding opportunities to score and keep the State College lead.
At the end of the third quarter, the Little Lions held a 35-30 lead over Cumberland Valley, positioning them well for a strong finish in the final quarter.
The fourth quarter began with State High looking to protect its lead and close the game out strong. The scoring was driven by seniors in the final frame and the Little Lions emerged with a 54-48 win.
“There’s so many memories this season. I feel like the biggest thing that stood out to me is that the senior group is so special to me. I’m so close to all of them. They’re such amazing people, and it’s just so fun to be around them,” Bechtel said.
With their senior night victory secured, the Little Lions now turn their focus to their final three away games to finish the rest of the season strong.
Note: Annika Bechtel and Ceanna Irmak are staff writers for the Lions’ Digest, but they were not involved in the writing of this article.