HERSHEY — It was going to take a really strong effort to beat Hempfield.

So Chambersburg simply dialed up its best game of the season.

And that proved to be more than enough for the Trojans to win 52-35 going away in a District 3 Class 6A semifinal boys basketball game Tuesday night at Giant Center.

“When we scored the first two points and I heard the crowd roar, it was just amazing,” Chambersburg guard Evan Shreffler said.

The way the Trojans played kept those fans roaring for most of the game. The Black Knights held one lead in the entire game (19-17) and were outscored 30-13 in the second half.

Chambersburg (19-4) will now play for a district championship Saturday at 12:30 p.m. at Giant Center against Reading (23-4), which beat Manheim Township 57-49 in the other semifinal.

The second-half defense for Chambersburg was outstanding.

Trojan coach Shawn Shreffler said, “We wanted to mix things up and we did that well, and kept them off balance. But at halftime, a couple of the senior leaders spoke up and said, ‘Let’s play man-to-man only and get after it.’ That made it an easy decision for us.”

Hempfield (22-4) made only three baskets in the third period to go from a halftime tie to a 33-29 deficit, then made only two in the fourth quarter, when it was outscored 19-6. The Black Knights hit only 5 of 22 second-half attempts.

Cade Brindle was on Black Knight star Ryan Moffatt (17.4 ppg) most of the time, and Moffatt was held to 8 points.

“Cade did an awesome job on defense,” Shreffler said.

Once Hempfield fell behind, it tried a trapping zone press defense, hoping to create some turnovers. But the Trojans worked the ball nearly to perfection against the trap. Not only did they have almost no turnovers, but some effective passing led to easy buckets and the lead kept growing.

Evan Shreffler said, “We hadn’t seen that 1-2-2 press in a game, but we practiced against it this week against our JVs. Credit to them, because they helped put us in position to feel confident against it.”

Chambersburg gained control early, as Joel Torres had seven early points, including a 3-pointer. The Black Knights got back in it in the second quarter, ripping off a 10-0 run to take their only lead.

But Cota Heckman drilled a three from the corner to regain the lead and the Trojans never trailed again. Hempfield had it down to 30-29 until Seth Brouse knocked in a 3-pointer just before the third-period buzzer.

Torres opened the fourth with a layup and another three-ball. After Hempfield scored, Brouse hit his second three, Brindle scored on a twisting layup and Tyler Collier converted on a layup against the press to make it 45-31.

“We continued to stay aggressive in that scenario against the trap,” Shawn Shreffler said. “We did a nice job of getting the ball into the heart of the defense and then attacking.”

Now, with No. 1 seed Reading in their sights, the Trojans will have to produce another gem. If it’s anything like Tuesday’s game, it could be an interesting Saturday.

NOTES: Chambersburg made nearly 58 percent of its shots from the floor, including a torrid 7 of 8 in the final period … The game had only 9 foul shots total, and the Trojans’ 4 didn’t come until the final 1:30 … Torres led Chambersburg with 16 points, while Brouse, Collier and Tyron Williams each scored 8 … Hempfield had no player in double figures.

Chambersburg 52, Hempfield 35
CHAMBERSBURG
Noah Beidel 0 0-0 0, Ethan Shreffler 0 0-0 0, Seth Brouse 2 2-2 8, Cota Heckman 1 0-0 3, Cade Brindle 3 1-2 7, Tyler Collier 4 0-0 8, Evan Shreffler 0 0-0 0, Will Harriger 0 0-0 0, Yianni Hronis 0 0-0 0, Terell Williams 1 0-0 2, Tyron Williams 4 0-0 8, Joel Torres 7 0-0 16. Totals 22 3-4 52.
HEMPFIELD
Eli Washington 4 0-0 9, Anthony Alston 1 0-0 3, Ryan Moffatt 4 0-0 8, David Martin-Robinson 3 2-3 9, Donovan Green 2 2-2 6, Adam Wernoch 0 0-0 0. Totals 14 4-5 35.
Chambersburg        15   7   11   19  —   52     
Hempfield                 9   13    7     6   —   35
3-point shots — Chbg 5 (Brouse 2, Torres 2, Heckman); Hemp 3 (Washington, Alston, Martin-Robinson).