The Pequea Valley boys' basketball team hung tough in two of its last three games, including a close one at Oley Valley in non-league weekend action.

Coming off a loss to a very strong Columbia team back on February 1, the Braves played host to Camp Hill in a non-league game two days later. The Lions and Braves played a seemingly conservative game in terms of scoring until the fourth quarter where Camp Hill outscored Pequea 28-14, finishing off a 55-28 win.

Breagin Buxton had the lion's share of the scoring. He scored 16 for Camp Hill and led all scorers on the day.

Nevin Stoltzfus and Cam Beiler each scored six for the Braves. Samuel Arena and Colbee Davies each put up four points.

Pequea played another non-league game on Saturday, February 5 at Oley Valley.

"That was probably the best game our guys played," head coach Thad Rittenhouse said of the 56-44 setback. "We were actually winning in the second half against a good team. I was very pleased with how hard we played."

The Braves, who fell to 4-15 following the loss, were trailing by only six points at the half. Their short-lived lead in the third quarter ended up taking them into the final period still trailing by only six.

"They didn't press us much, so we were able to get into our offense," Rittenhouse explained.

Nevin Stoltzfus, who led Pequea with 12 points, and Arena (7 points) each made a pair of three-point buckets. Davies had a three-pointer as well and finished with seven while Beiler Hugh Johnson and Dylan Knott (two treys) each scored six.

"We've been down in numbers, so everyone shared the scoring in that game," Rittenhouse said, referring to the Braves' active roster.

"The guys came out with a lot of energy," Rittenhouse added. "That's something we had struggled with - starting out with some energy on the court. The season is coming to an end, so they brought it on Saturday."

Monday night's 62-30 loss at home to Lancaster Country Day dropped the Braves' Lancaster-Lebanon League record 2-6 and to 4-16 overall. The Cougars went on a 26-8 run in the third quarter to pull away in this one.

"We hung tough with them in the first quarter," said Rittenhouse, referring to the 12-7 margin after the opening period had ended. "Their half-court zone was very difficult for our boys. They put a lot of pressure on us. Their defense was tough, and our guys couldn't get good looks at the basket."

Grant Landis was a one-man wrecking crew on offense, scoring 42 of the Cougars' 62 points, including six three-point baskets.

Jackson Neff led Pequea in scoring with nine points. He and Arena (8 points) each made a pair of three-pointers. Nevin Stoltzfus finished with five while Beiler and Davis each tallied four points.

The Braves wrapped up their busy stretch of four games in seven days by facing Kutztown on the road Wednesday night, February 9. Despite a strong second quarter that cut Kutztown's lead to only six at halftime, the K-town Cougars regained momentum and went on to win 51-38, holding off a late Pequea rally.

Kutztown's Xavier Goodman had the top figure in points with 15 on the night. Nevin Stoltzfus came through with 14 points, making three treys in the process. Neff also hit from three-point range three times and tallied 11 points while Arena finished with five.

Rittenhouse looks ahead to a promising future next season, given that the underclassmen gained a great deal of varsity experience this year as well as the fact that the PV junior varsity squad had an 11-6 mark this year.

"We have a lot of sophomores and juniors," he explained. "And our junior varsity team did very well this year. The few games that they lost were only by a few points."

GIRLS' BASKETBALL

Despite a defeat at the hands of Section Five champ Columbia, the Pequea Valley girls' basketball team finds itself in a rather favorable position for the District Three Class AAA seedings. The Braves sit as the third-seeded team behind Brandywine Heights (17-4) and Trinity (15-6)

Pequea Valley fell to 7-3 in the L-L League (12-10 overall) following a 63-27 loss at Columbia on Tuesday, February 8. The Crimson Tide (10-0 league) had already claimed the section trophy.

The Tide's Brie Droege scored a game-high 24 points while MacKenzie Burke scored 16.

Shania Stoltzfus and Breanne Beiler each scored eight for PV while Sarah Arment added seven.