LANDISVILLE — Chambersburg was right there with powerful Imhotep for one half.

But the Panthers, perhaps buoyed by RJ Smith’s buzzer-beating 3-pointer to end the first half, giving his team a 23-22 lead, ran roughshod in the latter half of a PIAA Class 6A second-round boys basketball playoff game at Hempfield H.S. on Wednesday night, taking a 51-34 victory.

Landon Buhrman

The Trojans had their season ended with a 20-7 record. It was the fourth straight year that Chambersburg qualified for the state tournament, which is the longest such streak in school history.

Imhotep turned up the heat on defense in the second half and got very physical. Of the Trojans’ meager 12 points in the second half, 9 were scored by Landon Buhrman, and Ben Etter’s 3-pointer ended the scoring.

Chambersburg coach Shawn Shreffler said, “In the second half, we committed more live ball turnovers, which they were able to turn into quick buckets. Plus, they were much more physical in the second half, which contributed to more turnovers and more missed shots.

“Also, I thought them changing to a 3-2 zone was huge because they had problems matching up with us in man-to-man and we didn’t shoot it well enough to hurt their zone.”

J.J. Kelly, who scored 10 points in the first half, was held scoreless in the latter half, thanks to a tenacious Panther defense that denied him the ball anywhere inside the lane.

In the first two minutes of the third quarter, the Trojans had at least 6 short shots roll off the rim, including three in a row on one possession. Imhotep used those shooting woes to get out in transition and burn the Chambersburg defense a handful of times in transition.

Following Buhrman’s bucket to open the second half, the Panthers scored 10 straight points and outscored the Trojans 16-5 in the period. Threes by Carnell Henderson and RJ Smith started that outburst.

From then on, Imhotep played keep-away, led by RJ Smith, the point guard, and ran plenty of clock on each possession.

In the first half, Chambersburg held its own. Kelly hit a number of jumpers and Burhman was active inside, and the Trojans continually switched up their defense. Imhotep used a full-court press in the second quarter to speed up the pace, but outscored only Chambersburg, 15-11.

Shreffler said, “In the first half, we weren’t perfect, but a lot of our turnovers were of the dead ball variety, so they weren’t able to capitalize on them. We played a lot of 5v5 defensively and were really solid at that end of the court, playing a mix of zone and man.

“I thought a big play in the first half, which contributed to the outcome, was Stan (Lozius) picking up his third foul (on an illegal screen, allowing Josh Rudy to break free) because it sent him to the bench and took away two points, and scoring was at such a premium tonight.”

Buhrman finished with 15 points. After Kelly’s 10 points, no other Trojan had more than 3 points. Kelly had 8 rebounds and Buhrman had 7.

Kelly ended his spectacular basketball career as Chambersburg’s all-time leading scorer, with (unofficially) 1,953 points.

For Imhotep, RJ Smith put up 20 points, Henderson had 17 (13 in the second half) and Ian Smith scored 10.

“Their point guard is legit,” Shreffler said. “He makes a lot of things happen, plus he can really shoot the basketball.”

The Panthers (25-5) now face Parkland (19-9), which beat Scranton 52-50 on Wednesday, in the quarterfinals on Saturday.

Shreffler said, “Overall, this was another really special season. The record (fourth straight PIAA appearance) and third straight trip to the Sweet 16 all speak for themselves, but I’ll also remember the adversity this team overcame. They were the epitome of the ‘next man up’ mentality.

“Finally, it’s no coincidence that our recent four-year run coincides with the career of J.J. Kelly. He had, arguably, the greatest basketball career of anyone to ever play for the Trojans, as evidenced by his nearly 2,000 points, over 1,000 rebounds, three consecutive first team all-league selections and likely a two-time all-state player.”

Imhotep 51, Chambersburg 34
CHAMBERSBURG
Josh Rudy 0 0-0 0, Ayden Silvestre 0 0-0 0, Eli McDonald 1 0-0 3, Stanley Lozius 0 0-0 0, Ben Etter 1 0-0 3, Colton Cornwell 1 0-0 3, J.J. Kelly 4 2-2 10, Cooper Stockslager 0 0-0 0, Landon Buhrman 5 5-8 15, Tyrell Hawkins 0 0-0 0. Totals 12 7-10 34.
IMHOTEP
Ian Smith 3 4-4 10, RJ Smith 7 2-2 20, Carnell Henderson 5 5-6 17, Latief Lorenzano-White 1 0-0 2, Kevin Benson 1 0-0 2, Sean Banks 0 0-0 0, Lakai Carter 0 0-0 0. Totals 17 11-12 51.
Chambersburg            11     11       5       7     —     34
Imhotep                          8     15     16     12     —     51
3-point shooting — Chbg 3 (McDonald, Etter, Cornwell); Im 6 (RJ Smith 4, Henderson 2). Shooting — Chbg 12-40 (30%); Im 17-38 (48%). Turnovers — Chbg 14; Im 9.