The Emmaus High School girls basketball team had its season come to an end Tuesday, March 10, in the second round of the PIAA playoffs, falling to District 3 runner-up Dallastown, 68-65, in overtime.

The District 11 runner up Hornets held leads in the fourth quarter and another one in overtime, but the Wildcats rallied to force the extra time and then went on a run in the final minutes of overtime.

Emmaus’ season ended at 21-8 overall and were Eastern Pennsylvania Conference semifinalists and district runners-up.

The Hornets held a 48-41 advantage after three quarters of play and went ahead by as many as nine in the fourth. In overtime, Emmaus scored the first five points, but Dallastown went on a 9-1 run the rest of the way and held on after the Green Hornets had a chance to tie late, trailing by three points with 19 seconds remaining.

Gabby DeVita led the offense with 21 points, finishing with 1,360 points for her career, fourth-most in program history. Olive Whitney tallied 13 points and Eva Glover recorded 12 points. Gracie Ervin and Olivia Haberl both ended with seven points. Sierra Stevens had five points.

“There is a great sense of pride in what this team was able to accomplish,” said Mack. “After graduating five players...many anticipated a rebuilding year. Instead, the team leaned into a strong culture established the previous season and elevated it even further.

“From the outset, the group challenged one another to grow, embracing roles and responsibilities that would best serve the team’s success. While the season included its share of highs and lows, what stood out most was the team’s unity and resilience throughout. Senior leadership proved instrumental—not only through words, but through consistent effort and example in daily preparation. Their work ethic set the tone, inspiring underclassmen to step up and perform beyond their years.”

Emmaus will graduate a talented and successful senior quartet, including DeVita, Whitney, Stevens and Kaitlyn Grochowski. They helped the Hornets win their first state tournament game in 19 years. Mack had all glowing remarks for each of the four and what they brought to the team over the years.

“Watching a senior class move on to bigger and better things has always been difficult because I love my players and coaching them has been a privilege,” Mack said. “I take pride in that because that means we are doing right by our players and preparing them to go on and achieve their dreams.

“This senior class has been amazing. Some that affect the box score and some that affect our culture and team chemistry. This senior class means a lot because as you can see they are a major part of this team’s culture, but what means the most to me is the young women they have become while in our program.”