Sit Down with LS guard Chase Smucker

LS lived by the 3 Monday night hitting a total of 13 of them. The Pioneers 69-52 win over the visiting Donegal Indians keeps them tied for first place in Section 3 alongside Octorara. Chase Smucker was a big contributor to the win so I caught up with him afterwards for a little Q and A:

Q- First game against Donegal y’all started hot in the 1st quarter and tonight was more of the same, what contributed to that?

A- Our energy has been amazing the past several games and it was more of that tonight. Being at home definitely helped, and we undoubtedly have the best student section in the LL, that energy gives people confidence to shoot like we did tonight.

Q- What would you say about the defensive performance of the team tonight?

A- Our main thing in practice has been defense. Everyone has stepped up in practice and has been working extremely hard so if you practice like that it carries over into the game. Basketball is a team game so in order to get stops you need to work together, communicate, and rebound, which we did a great job of tonight.

Q- 22 3 pointers were made tonight, what was it like to be a part of a game where seemingly both teams were hitting 3’s?

A- It was a lot of fun for sure, everyone gets excited for threes so the place was loud from both fans. We’re a good shooting team and tonight we just hit even more shots and it was definitely the right game to do it.

Q- Your teammate Dean Herr hit 7 3’s tonight, what do you have to say about his performance?

A- With Ben going out a couple weeks ago Dean has stepped up tremendously as a scorer and especially on defense. I’m super proud of how he shoots with confidence and knocks them down. There were times when he told me he was tired after working so hard on defense, but a player like him is able to find another gear and he was still able to shoot the best I’ve ever seen him shoot. Extremely proud of my guy.

Q- What would you say about your performance tonight overall?

A- I think I did a great job controlling the ball and starting the offense. This year I’ve had to transition into being more of a primary ball handler and my coaches and teammates help give me confidence to make moves and stay calm. Like I said earlier, if we play with a ton of energy like tonight, I get confidence to knock down shots and attack the rim.

Q- What did coach say to you guys after the game?

A- Coach was super proud of how we played as a team. Tonight was a huge section win and we needed it badly. Since Ben went down people have needed to step up and so far they’ve done more than just step up, I’m super proud of my guys and I know we’ll keep it going moving forward.

Lampeter-Strasburg continues to smile at any adversity in its path, no surprise considering who they play for. Coach Berryman has the Pioneers still rolling even with the devastating injury news to Ben Wert. Expect that attitude to continue as LS marches on in the playoffs in hopes of another league title.