By Matt Smith
Rachel Conran shrugged her shoulders in disbelief, as if to say she had no idea how in the world she made that shot.
The Springfield junior launched a desperation 3-pointer from about 25 feet as time expired in the third quarter. The ball hit the backboard and went in. Springfield’s bench erupted as the Cougars took a six-point lead into the final quarter of Wednesday’s PIAA Class 5A second-round game with Mechanicsburg.
The Cougars had every right to feel confident about their chances to advance.
“After hitting that shot, I really felt that the momentum was on our side,” Conran said. “I mean, I didn’t think that we had it won because we knew this team wasn’t going to give up after the third quarter. But I felt that, going into the fourth, we were feeling good …
“Unfortunately, it just didn’t fall our way.”
The Cougars’ opponents from District 3 rallied in the fourth quarter behind junior guard Talia Gilliard, who hit the go-ahead free throws with 10.3 seconds to go. Springfield’s memorable season came to a crushing end via a 36-35 loss at Governor Mifflin Intermediate School.