The Northeastern Lady Knights defeated Union County 54-31 for the 2A sectional championship in a game played on Saturday, Feb. 8, at Robert E. Clark Gymnasium in Hagerstown. The early going was marked by turnovers and tentative play. There were two lead changes and three ties before Ady Kircher delivered a pass to Ava Mikesell for a layup that gave the Knights an 11-9 lead at the end of the first quarter.
The Patriots tied the game on a field goal from Hallie Hughes to open the second quarter. Mikesell answered with a 3-pointer. Karri Gammon gave the Knights a 16-13 lead before Ally Gray hit a 3-pointer to tie the game at 16-16. It was the last tie of the game. The Lady Knights raised their intensity level on both ends of the floor and started to pull away, building a 27-21 halftime lead.
The Knights extended their lead to 35-26 at the end of the third quarter.
Northeastern dominated the fourth quarter. The Lady Knights used their defense to create offense, outscoring the Patriots 19-5 en route to a 54-31 win.
Mikesell led the Knights with 15 points, Kircher scored 14 points, and Cami Angi scored 11 points and helped Northeastern control the boards. Katie McCashland led the Patriots with 14 points.
Northeastern head coach Cody Dudley said they controlled the game once his team settled in and raised their intensity level. “The girls hate conditioning, but we condition really hard, and we just wore Union County down,” Dudley said. “We like to play at a fast pace, and to do that, you have to be in good shape. The girls recognize that games are won in the third and fourth quarter. We just need to keep doing what has gotten us to this point next week. We are looking forward to the challenge.”
Northeastern will face Heritage Christian for the regional championship at 4 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 15, at Southwestern High School in Shelbyville.
Cami Angi, Ady Kircher, Ava Mikesell and Ariel Shuler played significant minutes on the same floor in a regional loss a season ago, and the memory of that game is still on their minds. They all said that their experience last season will help them prepare for the game against Heritage Christian.
Kircher spoke for the group. “We all remember that day,” she said. “I think our determination this year will help us. We know what it takes to compete at that level, and we know what it feels like to lose. We have played on that floor in that environment. We will be ready.”
Northeastern (24-1) 11 16 8 19 54
Brooklynne Adams 0, Amiyah Davis 0, Mikesell 15, Ady Kircher 14, Shuler 7, Angi 11, Mackenzie Johnson 0, Gammon 7, Macey Oler 0, Chloe Peters 0, Sammi Kircher 0, Ti’aja Adams 0 — Total 54
Union County (16-8) 9 12 5 5 31
McCashland 14, Haleigh Buttery 2, Aubrey Beck 0, Natalie Long 0, Gray 7, Brooke Curry 0, Peityn Gillman 0, Nora Robinson 0, Addison Shepler 0, Hughes 6, Hallie Ferris 2 — Total 31
A version of this article appeared in the February 12 2025 print edition of the Western Wayne News.