CHAMBERSBURG — If the last two games are any indication, the defense of the Chambersburg boys basketball team is ready for the District 3 playoffs.

For the second straight game, the Trojans held a high-scoring offense well below its average, taking a regular season finale 55-35 against Carlisle in a Mid Penn Commonwealth clash at CASHS Field House on Monday night.

Carter Fogal

In the Trojans’ last game before Monday, they held Waynesboro to 31 points. The Thundering Herd (13-9, 5-9 MPC) had scored 68 in a one-point win over Chambersburg earlier.

And it’s likely the same teams will be playing each other at Chambersburg in the first round of the District 3 Class 6A playoffs on Tuesday, Feb. 21 at 7 p.m., unless the rankings change in the next two days.

Before Monday’s game, Carlisle was ranked No. 8 and the Trojans No. 9. After Monday’s game, they flipped positions.

“We’ve been working really hard on defense,” Chambersburg coach Shawn Shreffler said, “and tonight we seemed to be really connected on defense and offense. We went through a kind of stagnant period (earlier in the season), but the guys have hung in and now the urgency is better.”

J.J. Kelly powered the offense with 28 points, which matched his career high. He received some good passes, especially from Jacob Bassham, and scored on a variety of layups, short jumpers, was 4-for-6 at the foul line and hit a pair of 3-pointers. He even opened the game with a dunk.

Carter Fogal did not score a single point, but he was a big contributor as well. He was tasked with guarding the Herd’s Jaydon Smith, who burned the Trojans for 27 points in the first game.

Monday, Smith scored only three field goals and had 9 points.

“I didn’t guard him the last time, but I was switched to him for this game,” Fogal said. “I was just trying to take away his drives into the middle and force him to the baseline.”

Shreffler said, “Carter is a very competitive kid and he embodies the toughness we’re looking for. Having him at point guard helps his toughness kind of permeate the team and it helps everybody.”

Smith did make some nice passes early and Carlisle led for most of the first quarter.

But Bassham made a 3-pointer from the corner to tie the game 9-9 and Kelly scored on a short jumper in the lane and Chambersburg never trailed again. A putback by Talon Brewer at the buzzer gave the Trojans a 26-15 lead at halftime.

Carlisle hit four of its first five shots to open the second half on a roll, getting to within 30-24. But Shreffler called a time out and the Trojans scored the next eight points — seven by Kelly — to pull away for good.

Over the final 13 minutes of the game, the Herd managed only three baskets.

Shreffler said, “Carlisle is really good and when we played them down there, they put on a clinic on offense. They have a lot of skilled players and they put stress on a defense. But I thought we did a nice job of minimizing that impact.”

Chambersburg made six turnovers in the first quarter, but only three more the rest of the game.

“I feel like we’ve improved a lot over the last week to 10 days,” Shreffler said. “We’ve worked to find different ways to improve. We have a break before our next game, so that’ll be another opportunity to get better.”

NOTES: Chambersburg’s power rating is .683387 and Carlisle ‘s .682281, which is a razor-thin difference … The Trojans have the fourth-highest rating for opponent’s winning percentage of all teams in the district and the top three will not qualify for the playoffs … Colton Cornwell scored 7 points for Chambersburg … Julian Christopher led the Herd with 10.

Chambersburg 55, Carlisle 35
CARLISLE
Jeremiah Snyder 0 0-0 0, Parker Smith 3 0-0 7, Jaydon Smith 3 3-3 9, Julian Christopher 4 0-0 10, Spencer Griffie 3 0-1 6, Eddie Caradine 0 0-2 0, Jaden Pham 1 0-0 3. Totals 14 3-6 35.
CHAMBERSBURG
Jacob Bassham 2 1-2 6, Ari Snyder 0 0-0 0, Carter Fogal 0 0-0 0, Konnor Whorley 0 0-1 0, Stanley Lozius 1 0-0 3, Colton Cornwell 1 5-6 7, J.J. Kelly 11 4-6 28, Aden Swatsburg 0 0-0 0, Sedrick Vessah 2 1-2 5, Talon Brewer 1 0-0 2, Treyton Sarvis 0 0-0 0, Jermere Jones 2 0-0 4. Totals 20 11-17 55.
Carlisle                       9      6    17    3    —    35
Chambersburg       12    14    20    9    —    55
3-point shots — Car 4 (Christopher 2, P.Smith, Pham); Chbg 4 (Kelly 2, Bassham, Lozius). Shooting — Car 14-41 (34%); Chbg 20-42 (48%). Turnovers — Car 10; Chbg 9.