They’ve won games and championships. They’ve grown as individuals and as a group. They’ve learned lessons. They’ve made memories.
The Lebanon girls’ basketball team’s 2024-25 season has turned into more than even the Cedars could’ve hoped for. It’s been one of the most eventful – and event-filled – campaigns in the long history of Lebanon High girls’ basketball.
“These kids are more than basketball players,” said Lebanon head coach Jaime Walborn. “We’ve accomplished a lot from a win perspective. I think these girls have accomplished so much. There’s a lot to be proud of. I think they’ve met and exceeded expectations the last couple of seasons.
“I enjoy the practices with these girls. I enjoy the games. I enjoy all of it. Against Dallastown (a 37-35 loss in the District Three Class AAAAAA on Feb. 24), we were disappointed. But afterwards I told them, ‘You’re exactly the people I want to be with around in these moments.’ They are incredibly hard workers. They have fun. I know them as players, but I enjoy knowing them more as people. I’ve essentially watched them grow up.”
“When I look back, I’m definitely going to remember going to games, it’s going to be the bus rides, the concerts in the locker room, eating with my teammates – the bonding moments,” said Lebanon senior star guard Kailah Correa. “It’ll be like, ‘Dang, I should have lived in the moment more.’ It’s going to be a little heart-felt. Basketball gave me time with these girls. Basketball gave me these sisters. I’m just thankful.”
So, in many ways, it has all led up to this for the Cedars.
As the third-place finisher out of District Three, 25-4 Lebanon High will host Conestoga, the 20-7 sixth-place finisher out of District One, on Friday at 7 p.m. in the Cedars’ gym in the opening round of the PIAA Class AAAAAA postseason. It will mark the final home game for seniors Correa, Lily Harrison, Jae Burrus, and Kiara Gonzalez. The Cedars are hoping the contest will serve as the beginning of a deep state playoff run and not represent the last time this particular group plays organized basketball together.
“Right now, we’re taking it one game at a time,” said Walborn. “We get to host a home game. It’s our last home game. We’re thrilled. We’re going to play in front of our crowd. We want to play well, we want to finish and we want to keep winning. I think this group is going to put it all out there.
“They (her players) don’t know the significance of these moments. They’re not going to fully know them until later in their lives. This has really brought the community together. They did that. They worked for that. They’ve played so well as a group, and they’ve developed some life lessons along the way.”
“I just want to enjoy this,” said Correa, who will continue her academic and athletic careers at Division One Delaware. “It’s coming to an end slowly for some of us. I don’t want to feel any pressure. I want to play well in the state playoffs. I want to make a run. I want to play until that buzzer goes off.”
Read More: Lebanon High’s star point guard Kailah Correa commits to University of Delaware
The recently completed District Three playoffs may not have provided Lebanon with the result it was looking for, but they were a success for the Cedars, nonetheless. Lebanon may not have play its best game during the semifinal setback to eventual Class AAAAAA champion Dallastown, but it then bounced back to notch a quality 56-50 triumph over Central Dauphin in the consolation game of the tournament.
“I thought we played well against Dallastown,” said Walborn. “We were right there. They were a tough team and they went on to win the district championship. I felt like it was a game we could’ve won. Obviously, we were disappointed. But I thought we played a really good bounce back game against a good Central Dauphin team.”
“The thing that really stood out to me was when I walked into the gym on the day after the Dallastown game. I walked in and immediately I knew they were going to be fine. That comes from the leadership. In the back of everyone’s mind it’s like, ‘This is it. Hey, let’s make a run. We might as well.’ They’re just kids. They’re resilient. They just love the game so much.”
“We fell short,” said Correa, of the District Three title. “We wanted to play at Giant Center and we wanted to win a district championship. We gave it all we got. We got further in districts than we had in previous years.
“Basketball has shaped me into the person I am today. It’s taught me so much, on and off the court. A loss in basketball is like maybe not getting a job in the real world or failing a test. There’s another game coming. You have to keep going forward.”
The highlight of Lebanon’s season – and perhaps its best moment over the last four years – came on Feb. 20 at Manheim Township, when the Cedars defeated the hometown Blue Streaks 52-36 to capture their first Lancaster-Lebanon League championship in 46 years. After winning four L-L section championships, Lebanon had fallen short of a league title, for one reason or another, during its previous three tries.
“I don’t know if I’d put it as the most important accomplishment,” said Walborn. “It ranks up there. To me, they’re all important. I’d put it as, ‘the kids got a title.’ They’re leaving their legacy. I’m glad they have something. I’m excited for them because it allowed them to check that box off.
“I want them to be able to look back the way I look back on my high school days. We remember the bus rides, the team dinners and the relationships. We’ve learned to handle adversity. It’s way more than basketball. That’s what I want them to take away. I want them to grow from this. Today, I still talk to my (high school) teammates. You can learn a lot from sports or other extracurricular activities.”
“We brought it home for our community,” said Correa of the league crown. “It was definitely a great feeling to win that game. I honestly felt we had the talent and capability of winning the league championship in previous years and fell short.
“I told myself we couldn’t lose again in the league championship game. I think all the girls felt the same way. Honestly, I think we’re closer than ever. I wouldn’t want to go through this with any other group of girls.”
While Correa and her fellow Cedar seniors will be taking their individual talents and sharing them with the world, Walborn is committed to returning to her place on the Lebanon bench.
“Yes, I’m coming back … unless they fire me,” she said. “I’m not ready to be done. I can still do it. There’s going to be a legacy left by this group. But I’m excited about the future of Lebanon basketball. Next year we’re going to be young, but I think we’re going to be very capable of winning games.”
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