Easton loses early lead, game to Garnet Valley
The end wasn’t what senior standout Evalyse Cole and her Easton Red Rovers expected, nor what they wanted.
It was abrupt.
District 11 runner-up Easton, which scored 16 of the first 18 points in Friday night’s PIAA Class 6A firstround matchup at Easton Area Middle School, lost its lead and eventually the game in a 58-50 overtime setback to Garnet Valley, the No. 6 qualifier out of District 1.
Coach Dave Lutz’s Red Rovers end their season with a 24-4 overall record.
“We were off to a strong start,” said Cole, the Eastern Pennsylvania Conference’s MVP who totaled 23 points and 13 rebounds. “Then, it’s the same thing that seems to happen every year. We lose our poise.”
Cole, who scored seven points in the first 2:44 of game action, picked up a third foul with 48 seconds left in the opening period. She played the final four minutes of the second quarter, but Garnet Valley became the aggressor and battled back within 29-26 at halftime. Easton, however, maintained its three-point advantage entering the final quarter.
Then, Haylie Adamski happened.
The Jaguars’ junior hit three 3-pointers in a 3-minute, 57-second span – and her younger sister Addison added another – as the District 1 invaders took a 46-43 lead. Cole answered a minute later with a 3-pointer of her own at the 2:07 mark to tie the score at 46.
Garnet Valley missed an opportunity to go ahead with 58 seconds left when Kylie Mulholland, the leader of the Jaguars’ attack, missed a pair of free throws.
Easton held for a final shot in regulation but Cole’s running 12-footer was blocked with three seconds remaining.
“We tried to run a set play,” Lutz said. “Their girl gambled and Evalyse made a good move but the girl recovered and got a piece of the ball. She made a good play.”
“I knew there wasn’t a lot of time left,” Cole, a Monmouth University recruit, said, “but I could’ve taken a couple more dribbles to attack and try to draw the foul.”
Haylie Adamski scored the first basket in OT and Cole answered with two free throws. Garnet Valley seized control with an 8-0 spurt to pull away.
Haylie Adamski paced the Jaguars with 23 points while Mulholland added 18. They combined to make eight 3-pointers.
“The 3 is mainly my game,” said Hailey Adamski, who scored 13 of her 23 in the fourth quarter and overtime. “I like to shoot so whenever I’m feeling it, I try to help my team out. The 3 was working tonight.”
Coach Joe Woods’ Garnet Valley girls (22-5) move on to meet District 3 champ Central Dauphin in Tuesday night’s second round at a site and time to be determined.
The Red Rovers started off on fire with Evalyse Cole scoring a quick seven, Lianna Cole lacing a 3 and Megan Elias adding back-to-back 3-pointers to conclude the 16-0 run. Their lead was still seven with 2:30 left before halftime but Garnet Valley scored four straight to close within three at the break.
“I was like, ‘Oh man. We drove all the way just to get blown out,’ ” Haylie Adamski said. “But it wasn’t like that at all.”
“They’re a good team. They weren’t going to go away,” said Lutz, who finished his 11th season as the Easton girls’ coach. “This is the state playoffs. I thought in the second half we had a lot of good looks, we just didn’t score. They came down and were solid. That was the difference.”
Easton will graduate five seniors, including three starters, who played key roles in the Rovers qualifying for the PIAA postseason for a third straight season. Evalyse Cole, along with Mallory and Megan Elias – a trio that combined to average almost 34 points per game this season – all played their final games in an Easton uniform.
“It’s a tough way to go out but the program owes a lot to them,” Lutz said. “They’ve accomplished a lot and they did a great job all four years.”