YORK, PA – The York College women's basketball team captured their first Coaches vs. Cancer Classic title in three seasons as they bested Washington College 51-47 in the championship game on Sunday in York. The Spartans picked up their eighth CVC Classic championship in the 14^th year of the tournament.
Senior Kayla Ferris was named the tournament MVP while Savannah Wilson earned All-Tournament team honors.
 
Score: York 51, Washington (Md.) 47
Records: York 2-1, Washington (Md.) 2-1
 
How It Happened
• The game was back and forth early. The Spartans opened the game with five straight points only to have the Shorewomen answer with five points of their own. The Green and White then ripped off seven straight points to take a 12-5 lead. Kayla Ferris hit a three while Cassidy Arnold and Savannah Wilson added buckets on the spurt. The Shorewomen would score four of the final five points of the period as York led 13-9 after ten minutes of play.
• The Shorewomen turned on the offense in the second quarter as they hit York with a 10-2 run to take a 19-17 lead with 4:42 left in the quarter. The Shorewomen ended the quarter wit ha 5-1 run to take a 27-24 lead to the intermission.
• Washington came roaring out of the half with back-to-back three pointers to push their lead to nine. The Spartan defense got cranked up as they held Washington to just two free throws over the next seven minutes as York trimmed the lead to two at 35-33. The Shorewomen got a late put back from Joy Sanders to take a 37-33 lead to the fourth quarter.
• The fourth quarter was an entertaining one as both teams scrapped and clawed in attempt to win the tournament championship. The Spartans opened the quarter on a 5-0 run to take a 38-37 lead thanks to an Alana Bortner three pointer from the wing. That began a see-saw stretch as the teams went back and forth. The next five minutes featured two ties and six lead changes before the Spartans took the lead for good on a Kayla Ferris lay up with a 1:50 left in regulation.
• Brooklyn Naylor split a pair of free throws in York's next possession and then hit a huge base line jumper to put the Spartans up 49-45 with 52 seconds left in the game. Washington's Serena Pluta hit a lay up and was fouled but missed the free throw. The Shorewomen grabbed the rebound but the Spartans got a stop on the ensuing possession. Washington was forced to foul and Savannah Wilson split two free throws to put York up three with 17 seconds left. York got another stop and Ferris split a pair of her own to put York up four with 13 seconds left in the game. The Spartan got one more defensive stop and then dribbled out the win.
 
Spartan Leaders
Kayla Ferris: 14 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 blocked shots, 2 steals
Savannah Wilson: 11 points, 1 rebound, 1 assist, 3 steals
Alana Bortner: 8 points, 1 blocked shot
 
By the Numbers
The Spartans won the game despite shooting just 50% from the free throw line (12-for-24) … York was a very uncharacteristic 3-of-9 from the stripe over the final 2:32 of the game … York went 5-for-21 (23.8%) from three … Washington made one more three in as many attempts … the Shorewomen held a commanding 49-40 advantage on the glass which led to Washington attempting 11 more shots from the floor … Washington held an 18-12 advantage in paint points … there were five ties and 10 lead changes over the course of the contest.
 
Spartan Notes
The Spartans improve to 2-0 all-time against Washington as both games have come in tournament settings and both wins were by four points … the previous match up came on November 21, 2009 at the Messiah Invitational when York came away with a 77-73 win over the Shorewomen in Grantham … the Spartans are now 21-7 in the 14 year history of the tournament … Kayla Ferris earned her first tournament MVP honor but her third CVC All-Tournament team honors as she was named to the team as a freshman (2017) and again as a sophomore (2018) … the Spartans have won the CVC title eight times with the other championships coming in 2008, 2009, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, and 2017.
 
Up Next
After playing their first three games at home, the Spartans will head out on the road on Thursday as they face their third Centennial Conference opponent in McDaniel College. Tip time in Westminster is slated for 7:30 pm at the McGill Center.

Audio Highlights courtesy of Darrell Henry - The Voice of the Spartans