Warwick vs. Hempfield - L-L League girls basketball
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Hempfield’s Marianha Crawley (23) sinks a three pointer against Warwick during first-half action of an L-L League girls basketball game at Hempfield High School’s Buchanan Gymnasium in Landisville Monday Jan. 15, 2024.

 CHRIS KNIGHT | Staff Photographer

Hello, world.

Hempfield freshman Marianha Crawley came into Monday’s nonleague clash against Warwick with a grand total of five points in her blossoming varsity basketball career.

She’s been a spot player for the Black Knights. She’ll get full-time minutes in the JV game, and maybe get some run in varsity, depending on the situation.

Against Warwick, she had her breakout moment.

Crawley came off the bench to score 13 of her career-high 17 points in the second quarter — including a 3-pointer at the halftime buzzer to give Hempfield the lead for good — and the host Knights fended off the pesky Warriors 56-48 in Landisville in an important game in the District Three playoff-bid picture.

Hempfield vs. Warwick - L-L League girls basketball [photos]

“She’s a developing young talent, adjusting to the high school speed of the game, and the complexity of the game,” Hempfield coach Matt Sullivan said about Crawley. “But as far as basketball talent, she’s got it.”

And it was on full display against the Warriors.

“Sometimes, it’s just your night,” Warwick coach Danny Cieniewicz said about Crawley’s jump-shooting prowess. “She played really well. She made the right basketball play every time. And she made shots. She had herself a night.”

Crawley’s haul included three 3-pointers in the second quarter — including the horn-beater — plus an important jumper in the third quarter, when Hempfield went 15-6 to open up some breathing room, and she coaxed in a pair of game-icing foul shots with 1:14 to go.

The buzzer-beater gave Hempfield a 25-23 lead at the break, and that carried over into the Knights’ 15-6 third-quarter binge.

“For whatever reason, in any level of basketball, whether it’s pure skill or pure luck, that’s a shot of adrenaline for sure,” Sullivan said about Crawley’s fall-away, wing buzzer-beater. “That shot provided a park, and she did a great job stepping up.”

“She was awesome,” said Hempfield’s Sophia Ott, who started the week as the league’s leading scorer. “We knew she could shoot it. We see it in practice. All she needed was a little confidence. She made the first one, so we kept feeding her the ball. She was great. It was awesome to see her step up.”

Hempfield’s other scoring hero Monday was Ott, who pumped in 13 of her 17 points in the second half — eight in the fourth quarter, when Warwick put on its rally caps and made the Knights sweat it out.

Hempfield (6-8 overall) had a seemingly safe 40-29 cushion through three. The Warriors (5-9) kept slugging, getting a 3-pointer from Mia Warfel, a baseline jumper from Bella Smithson, and then Smithson polished off a three-point play, and she drilled a trey in the waning minutes.

Smithson had 16 points and 14 rebounds for the Warriors.

Warwick got it to 49-43 on two free throws by Sam Shaak. But Hempfield’s Mia Brennan coaxed in a jumper, Nevaeh Ramirez made three late foul shots, and Ott helped slam the door with four fourth-quarter buckets.

“She’s a closer,” Cieniewicz said about Ott, who is quickly approaching 900 career points.

As for the district playoff chase, Warwick started the night at No. 14 — and the last team in — in Class 5A. Hempfield came in at No. 15 in Class 6A. That’s three spots out of an invite, with Waynesboro (9-5) and Red Lion (7-7) — which beat the Knights earlier this season — to leapfrog down the stretch.

TWITTER-X: @JeffReinhart77

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