Schuylkill Haven huddles during Tuesday's PIAA Class 3A girls' basketball second-round game against Pequea Valley at Central Dauphin East HS (Photo by Leroy Boyer).

COLONIAL PARK — Her cheeks red from shedding tears, Anna Schaeffer’s eyes lit up and her voice cleared when she started talking about her Schuylkill Haven teammates.

“This is the first team I was on that everyone really gelled together,” the senior forward said. “No one was against each other.

“I’m going to miss this team and I’m going to miss these girls.”

The Hurricanes saw the program’s best girls’ basketball season in 40 years come to a heartbreaking end Tuesday night with a 56-53 loss to Pequea Valley in a PIAA Class 3A second-round game at Central Dauphin East High School.

Schaeffer had a monster game, scoring 15 points and pulling down 14 rebounds, but Schuylkill Haven couldn’t stop Pequea Valley’s 1-2 punch of Janae Patterson and Katie Stoltzfus over the final eight minutes.

Stoltzfus scored 12 of her game-high 23 points in the fourth, hitting three 3-pointers, as the Braves overcame a nine-point deficit with a 26-point final frame. Patterson scored the game-winning bucket on a driving layup with 27 seconds left, finishing with 18 points.

The District 3 runner-up Braves (24-3) advance to Friday’s quarterfinals, where they will play District 12 champion Imhotep, a 52-41 winner over Hughesville.

Schuylkill League champion and District 11 runner-up Schuylkill Haven sees its season end at 23-7.

“These girls bought in. They did everything we asked them to do,” Schuylkill Haven coach Tony Sanders said. “I’m extremely proud of them. I told them to walk out of here with their heads held high.”

For 24 minutes, it looked like Schuylkill Haven’s season would continue.

Schaeffer scored the Hurricanes’ first nine points, helping Haven build an 11-8 lead after one frame. Mckenna Runkle netted seven of her 15 points in the second quarter as the Hurricanes built a 26-21 lead at intermission.

“I came out with a lot of energy,” said Schaeffer, who had 10 points and nine rebounds in the first half. “I was able to find some openings and was lucky to get some shots in.

“I was really pumped up going into the game and it really showed in the first half.”

Two keys helped Haven’s early surge.

First, the Hurricanes were able to figure out Pequea Valley’s full-court press, forcing the Braves back into a zone.

Second, Haven dominated the boards, outrebounding the Braves 12-3 in the first quarter and 21-14 in the first half. Most of those rebounds came on the offensive end, resulting in second-chance points.

A 7-0 run that featured four points by Runkle and a three-point play off a steal by Audrey Hutchinson pushed Haven’s lead to 33-23 with 5:08 left in the third. A bucket by Runkle and a layup at the buzzer by Alea Porter gave the Hurricanes a 39-30 lead entering the fourth.

Stoltzfus, however, single-handedly put Pequea Valley back in it with a pair of long 3-pointers to open the fourth. Kylie Siket answered with a triple of her own for the Hurricanes, but the two 3-pointers by Stoltzfus sparked Pequea’s offense.

The Braves were able to beat Haven’s defense by connecting on quick, long passes in transition, leading to layups on the offensive end. Pequea shot 9-of-10 from the field in the final frame, beating Haven back down the floor several times.

“We play fast. It may not have looked like it tonight, but we play really fast,” Pequea Valley coach Jason McDonald said. “Their ball pressure off the inbound slows you down. They jammed us.

“Once they started to get a little more fatigued and our kids had a little more drive, we were able to push like we can and got some easy buckets.”

A pair of Runkle free throws put Haven up 51-46 with 2:52 left, but Pequea Valley closed the game on a 10-2 run. A 3-pointer by Stoltzfus with 57 seconds left put Pequea up 52-51, but a pair of free throws by Hutchinson gave the Hurricanes a 53-52 lead with 39.9 remaining.

Patterson, an explosive junior point guard who entered the game with more than 1,200 career points and averages 19.4 points per game, followed with a driving bucket to put the Braves ahead for good.

The Hurricanes missed a short jumper with 16 seconds left, then fouled. Brianna Lourido hit both free throws with 10.7 seconds left.

Sanders drew up a play for Runkle, but Pequea Valley guarded it very well. A potential game-tying 3-pointer by Hutchinson in the closing seconds missed the mark.

Sanders talked highly of his three seniors — Schaeffer, Porter and Faith Goehring — and what they meant to the program, saying: “They’ve meant everything. Their leadership, what they did with the younger girls … they’re going to be sorely missed next year.”

For those seniors, Tuesday’s end result was disappointing. Reflecting on the season, however, Schaeffer had a lot of pride.

 “I’m glad we were able to make it to everything we did,” Schaeffer said. “We’re Schuylkill League champs, we made the district championship and we made states. It was a great season.”

Game Summary

PIAA Girls’ Basketball

Class 3A Second Round

At Central Dauphin East HS

SCHUYLKILL HAVEN (53) — Hutchinson 2 3-3 7, Siket 2 0-0 6, Schaeffer 5 5-7 15, Runkle 6 2-2 15, Porter 4 0-0 8, Terefencko 0 0-0 0, Haag 0 0-0 0, McDonald 0 0-0 0, Ulsh 1 0-0 2. Totals 20 10-12 53.

PEQUEA VALLEY (56) — Patterson 7 3-4 18, Stoltzfus 9 1-1 23, Rosa 2 1-2 5, Lourido 2 2-2 6, Graham 2 0-2 4, Rove 0 0-0 0. Totals 22 7-12 56.

SH (23-7)                 11 … 15 … 13 … 14 — 53

PV (24-3)                 8 … 13 … 9 … 26 — 56

3-point FGs: Siket 2, Runkle, Patterson, Stoltzfus 4