Imhotep is back in the Public League girls’ basketball final after beating Central: ‘We stayed connected’
Imhotep will play in Audenried in the PPL title game for the fourth year after a 52-45 win over Central. "Sunday’s matchup — we anticipate it to be a classic," Imhotep coach David Hargrove said.
Business as usual.
For the 14th year in a row, Imhotep Charter is headed back to the Public League championship. In Thursday’s semifinal, the Panthers eked out a 52-45 win against Central at La Salle’s John Glaser Arena. Imhotep led for the entire game, but Central kept it close until the final whistle. Taylor Linton’s team-high 17 points lifted the Panthers back to the PPL final.
“Out of all the teams throughout Imhotep history that have contributed to the streak, the commonality between all of those teams is that everybody is pushing,” said Imhotep coach David Hargrove. “Pushing to be better — number one. But then, pushing to be better teammates — number two. That allows us to keep that standard of competitiveness and championship-quality basketball.”
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Late in the fourth quarter, down by six, Central sophomore guard Ava Yancey stole the ball and passed to junior point guard Stevie Hall, who was fouled and sent to the line. She made both free throws..
But Imhotep kept on pushing.
Panthers junior guard McKenna Alston responded with a lay-in of her own to quiet Central’s fans. Alston then stole the ball on the next two Lancers possessions. to swing the momentum back to the Panthers.
“We challenge our kids about making connecting plays. A lot of people think that’s [just on offense]. But for us … it’s on defense too,” said Hargrove. “We were able to put pressure to the ball, be in passing lanes, and be active.”
“[The end] was very intense,” Linton said. “I think what was important is that we kept our poise … and we stayed connected.”
Imhotep senior point guard Anai Kenyatta controlled the pace for the Panthers on Thursday. Whenever the Lancers gained momentum, Kenyatta answered the call, finishing with 13 points. Senior forward Crystal Hawthorne added 11.
For Central, sophomore forward Janai Bellinger led the way with a game-high 18 points. After Imhotep took a quick nine-point lead behind a 7-2 run to start the second half, Bellinger kept her team within striking distance till the final whistle.
Audenried trounced Lincoln 67-28 earlier Thursday, meaning Imhotep will meet Audenried in the PPL championship for the fourth year in a row on Sunday. The Panthers lost to the Shayla Smith-led Rockets in the championship the past three matchups. With Smith now at Penn State, the matchup looks different from past years.
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“Sunday’s matchup — we anticipate it to be a classic. It’s what has become an Imhotep-Audenried matchup, which is always going to be a back-and-forth, competitive game,” said Hargrove. “Some players are going to step up, some might step down, but it’s going to be a competitive game, and our kids have really been building for this moment all season.”
Before Imhotep prepares for Audenried, the Panthers celebrated in the locker room after Thursday’s win.
“It was quiet at first when we all walked in because it was like, ‘Dang,’” said Linton. “And then the coaches started coming in, and it was like, ‘OK, we going to the chip.’ It was real. Everybody was cheering and everyone was really, really happy.”