MECHANICSBURG — When Meadowbrook Christian's turnover issue carried over into the second half Wednesday, it threatened to undo the Lions' great start, if not sink them in the state second-round game.
A series of four consecutive giveaways fueled Linville Hill's half-closing run that made it a three-point difference. Four more to start the third quarter made the ground under Meadowbrook's feet at Cumberland Valley High even shakier.
Cue Kailey Devlin.
The Lions' standout junior, who cooled considerably after opening the game with a flourish, keyed a game-defining spurt that led to a 40-24 victory, and the program's first state quarterfinal berth.
"In that first half, when we were careless with our possessions, I could see some of the girls starting to get a little frustrated," said Meadowbrook coach Shane Devlin. "That extra focus that Kailey brought in those moments to hit those big shots kind of settled us down."
Devlin ended a five-minute drought that bridged the halves with an elbow jumper with 5:48 to play in the third. She then scored in transition off a defensive rebound, before driving and dropping an assist to classmate Alayna Smith. By the time freshman Maddy Fasnacht turned one of her five steals into a tough, lefty layup, Meadowbrook's 8-2 run over two minutes produced a 24-15 lead.
"I think it's a leadership thing, personally," said Kailey Devlin, who ended the first half 0-for-10. "I just got frustrated (because) I wasn't finishing ... so it was kind of bringing myself back together. I'm a leader on this team, and I needed to be that and I wasn't. So bringing composure back in the second half, we came out strong and that showed on the scoreboard."
Kailey Devlin finished with a game-high 18 points, five rebounds and three assists; Fasnacht added 10 points and six boards to her steal count; and Smith had eight points and eight boards as the Lions improved to 27-2 overall.
The District 4 Class A champions will play District 2 champion Mountain View (20-6), a 41-26 winner over District 3 third-place Christian School of York, in Saturday's quarterfinals at a site and time to be determined.
District 3 runner-up Linville Hill, which finished 22-3, got a team-best eight points from Courtney Good.
Meadowbrook raced to a 6-0 lead as Kailey Devlin hit her first two shots and turned a steal into an assist to Fasnacht. Abrielle Fisher scored at the five-minute mark for the Warriors, and Good banked in a 3-pointer, but the Lions led 10-5 after one quarter.
"Whenever we start off good, it helps build our confidence as we go throughout the game," said Smith, who had four first-quarter rebounds as Linville shot 2-for-10. "Getting ahead, it's been our goal the entire the season. Get ahead and keep building each quarter."
Meadowbrook pushed the lead to as many as eight after Audrey Millett's drive with 4:48 to play in the half, but the turnover bug that created seven in the first quarter returned with a vengeance. Linville closed the half with a 7-2 run — 5-0 over the last 2:30 — helped by five steals to pull within 16-13.
"We talked at halftime about that," said Shane Devlin. "We were reverting to some old habits, and that's not the basketball we've been playing."
The Lions ran a set play to open the third quarter with Kailey Devlin driving and passing to Millett on the opposite block, but Fisher flashed for a steal and the first of four straight Meadowbrook turnovers. The Warriors couldn't capitalize, committing three miscues of their own in that stretch, and Kailey Devlin popped a left-elbow jumper to calm the waters. Her transition layup was answered by the Warriors' Devayah Graham, but Devlin then drew the defense with dribble-penetration and dropped a dime to Smith for a 22-13 lead.
Fasnacht kept the third-quarter spree going when she passed out of a trap at the top of the key to Smith for a double-digit lead (26-15).
Devlin finished with eight points in the third, and the Lions surged to ahead 30-17.
"Kailey does a great job of starting our team," said Fasnacht. "When she does something like that, we all kind of follow. We were finding our flow and realizing we had to keep it going."
Linville shot 10-of-43 from the floor, and 2-for-10 at the foul line.
"It was just really exciting coming into this because we've never been this far before. It's just like a cool experience," said Fasnacht. "Of course we were a little nervous, but just having that good jump start helped us with confidence."
PIAA CLASS A GIRLS BASKETBALL
SECOND ROUND
At Cumberland Valley H.S., Mechanicsburg
MEADOWBROOK CHRISTIAN 40, LINVILLE HILL 24
Meadowbrook Christian (27-2) 40
Kailey Devlin 8 2-2 18, Maddy Fasnacht 4 2-2 10, Audrey Millett 1 0-0 2, Alayna Smith 4 0-0 8, Kat Bennage 1 0-0 2. Totals 18 4-4 40.
3-point goals: None.
Did not score: Alyssa Canelo.
Linville Hill (22-3) 24
Elena Esh 2 0-4 4, Courtney Good 3 1-2 8, Devayah Graham 1 0-2 2, Abrielle Fisher 2 0-0 4, Desiree Smucker 2 1-2 6. Totals 10 2-10 24.
3-point goals: Good, D. Smucker.
Did not score: Anilyn Stoltzfus, Courtney Smoker, Anna Miller, Carrisa Mulder.
Score by quarters
Meadowbrook Christian;10;6;14;10 — 40
Linville Hill;5;8;4;7 — 24