CHAMBERSBURG — The Chambersburg boys basketball team has lost to Cumberland Valley twice this year, once at home and once at CV.

The Trojans have earned another shot at the Eagles, but this time it'll be at Giant Center.

Stanley Lozius

Chambersburg persevered in a tug-of-war against Red Lion, 45-36, in a semifinal game in front of a full house at CASHS Field House on Tuesday night, giving the Trojans (19-5) another shot at the Eagles (22-3) on Friday night at 8 p.m.

Defense played a huge role in the outcome Tuesday. Chambersburg held the Lions (18-9) to 31% shooting (14-for-45), and in the fourth quarter when Red Lion needed to speed up its offense, the Trojan 'D' made them work hard for every point and burned a lot of clock.

"We definitely lead with our defense," Chambersburg coach Shawn Shreffler said. "We do other things well, but that's where it all begins. I thought we were really solid on defense tonight."

Guard Stan Lozius, who played well on defense, said, "We just changed our intensity in practice (on defense) and the coaches demanded that we needed to be better. The No. 1 thing this week was we had to make sure to help the helper."

Point guard Ari Snyder said, "Our defense at the beginning of the season was not close to where we needed it to be. The coaches said that for us to get to the next level, we had to play better on defense and on transition."

The Lions were not slouches on defense, either. But Chambersburg scored the final 4 points of the first half and 12 of the next 14 to zip to a 32-18 lead and Red Lion never got closer than 5 points the rest of the way.

Grayson Kegerreis

Shreffler said, "It was gritty, not pretty."

Snyder hit a 3-pointer to give the Trojans the lead at 16-15 midway through the second quarter. The Lions tied it 16-16, but the final two baskets of the half belonged to Jermere Jones, on layups after fine passes from Snyder and Grayson Kegerreis.

In Chambersburg's 12-2 run to open the third quarter, J.J. Kelly dropped in a three, Jones hit a jump shot in the lane, Kelly made a pair of free throws, Kegerreis swished a 3-pointer and Lozius scored on a fast break (on a goaltending call).

"I thought the way we closed out the second quarter was huge," Shreffler said. "That gave us momentum for the second half."

In the fourth quarter, Red Lion drew within 36-31 after a couple of steals using a trapping defense, but a pair of layups by Kelly and Snyder's 4-for-6 effort at the free throw line iced the win.

Snyder, who played an excellent floor game, said, "The crowd … it was crazy, and we were loving it. The student section got into it, and everybody else, too. It's crazy to see what the town will do with a game like this. It's great to see."

"Ari is a Division I athlete (going to High Point University for track and cross country), and if you're a Division I athlete, there is a difference," Shreffler said. "I hope people see that in him and how much he's improved in a year. We certainly appreciate what he does for us."

Kelly led Chambersburg with 19 points, Jones had 9 and Snyder 7. Joe Sedora paced the Lions with 16 points and Chris Williams scored 9.

"The league we play in prepares us for these games," Shreffler said. "We think we can compete once we get to the playoffs. What was nice about getting these home games is that the guys will have two really nice memories."

NOTES: The crowd, which filled the second-story bleachers, was estimated at about 1,900 … For the second straight game, CASHS junior Zoey Wolfe sang a beautiful rendition of the National Anthem … Chambersburg's last appearance in the District 3 final was in 2017-18, a 46-43 loss to Reading … The last district title for the Trojans came in in 2011-12 when they beat Harrisburg.

Chambersburg 45, Red Lion 36
RED LION
Joe Sedora 6 2-4 16, Chris Williams 3 3-4 9, Isaiah Ogurcak 3 0-0 7, Dakarai Dennis 2 0-0 4, Favian Rodriguez Ruiz 0 0-0 0, Tyler Good 0 0-2 0. Totals 14 5-10 36.
CHAMBERSBURG
Ari Snyder 1 4-6 7, Grayson Kegerreis 1 0-0 3, Aden Swatsburg 0 0-0 0, Stan Lozius 1 0-0 2, Colton Cornwell 2 0-0 5, J.J. Kelly 8 2-5 19, Landon Buhrman 0 0-0 0, Jermere Jones 4 1-2 9. Totals 17 7-13 45.
Red Lion                       6     10       8     12     —     36
Chambersburg           9     11     14     11     —     45
3-point shots — RL 3 (Sedora 2, Ogurcak); Chbg 4 (Snyder, Kegerreis, Cornwell, Kelly). Shooting — RL 14-45 (31%); Chbg 17-43 (30.5%). Turnovers — RL 10; Chbg 8.