Defeat. It was this unspeakable emotion Thursday night, after so much had happened for the Lehigh boys basketball team to get back on the court.
Basketball wasn’t the story. It was Lehigh.
And the Lightning, which had their entire roster available for the Region 6A-3 quarterfinal game at Golden Gate, had looked like the superior team for stretches, even building up a 12-point lead early in the third quarter.
But the Titans, as all teams do, made two runs. And the Lightning couldn’t stop them.
Capitalizing on an injury to starting point guard Stef’An Strawder, Golden Gate chipped away at the game in the second half, eventually using a last-second shot by Derick Charles to claim a 68-66 victory, ending the Lightning’s hopes of a third straight trip to the Region 6A-3 final and the promise of a state playoff appearance.
But within 9 minutes on Thursday, Lehigh lost Strawder to a hip injury after a drive through the lane.
He tried twice to get back on the court, forcing two long 3-pointers in his short minutes back on the court. But he was ruled out with 2:55 left in the third quarter.
“It started hurting more and more, so I just had to go out,” he said. “It was disappointing to me. I wanted to be out there to help my team win.”
By then, the Titans had leaned on the strength of a 10-2 run that cut a 12-point deficit into 4-point game. Once Strawder went out a second time, Golden Gate began to step on the gas again, going on a 13-0 run to start the third quarter that pushed its lead to 10, 61-51.
The injury changed Lehigh’s pace, and it ultimately shook the Lightning for large stretches.
Without its floor general, the Lightning were less likely to penetrate on offense and forced shots, sputtering its offensive flow.
“It was a very big blow,” Lehigh Senior head coach Dawn McNew said. “He’s a significant scorer for us offensively. But he just does a lot for us as a floor general, keeping everyone composed. When you lose a leader like that, it hurts.”
Lehigh couldn’t get a final shot off with 2 seconds left in the game.
Thomas finished with 18 points and 12 rebounds in the loss, while Martin added 16 and Edwards had 14. Strawder had 10 points, all coming in the first half.