JEFFREY REINHART jreinhart@LNPnews.com

HERSHEY – With just the kids coming back from last season on the roster, Lancaster Mennonite’s girls’ basketball team was going to be pretty good this year.

And then Erin LaVenice showed up.

The 6-0 sophomore center transferred from Hempfield to Mennonite last summer. And she turned out to be the last piece of the Blazers’ championship puzzle.

“Erin,” Mennonite coach Sherri Gorman said, “was able to take us from being a good team, to being a great team.”

A team that raised the District 3 Triple-A championship gold trophy Saturday afternoon in the Giant Center after putting the clamps on defensively in a 37-27 victory over Gettysburg for the first district title in school history.

And LaVenice, the Blazers’ super sub and low-post dynamo, was a big reason why Mennonite was presented the gold medals – not the silver ones.

Gorman, the Blazers’ third-year coach, didn’t say much about LaVenice early on. She was still a secret weapon back in the first couple of weeks this season.

I remember chatting with Mennonite’s coach on Dec. 14, prior to the Blazers’ L-L crossover game at Lampeter-Strasburg, and she mentioned that LaVenice dunks Nerf basketballs in practice.

That got my attention.

And then LaVenice went out and dropped a career-high 17 points on L-S – in a 57-48 loss – and suddenly her name was out there.

More big games followed:

She scored 23 points in a win over Lebanon Catholic; pumped in 25 points in a gut-wrenching overtime loss to Lancaster Catholic; 16 points against Lancaster Catholic in the one-game playoff for the section title, won by Mennonite; 21 points in an OT win over Cedar Crest in the league semifinals.

The bigger the game, the better she was.

And that secret weapon tag? Long gone.

“We know that if we get the ball inside to Erin,” Mennonite senior guard Melissa Sauder said, “she’s going to finish. As the season has gone on, she’s become more and more important to our team.”

That was evident Saturday.

Gettysburg was hanging around early, and led 6-5 when Gorman sent LaVenice to the scorer’s table. On the Blazers’ first trip with her in the game, LaVenice took an entry pass, spun, went up in traffic and attempted a sweet baby hook. Bang. Mennonite led 7-6, and never trailed again.

“When Erin comes in the game, we go up in intensity and pressure,” Gorman said. “She provides such a nice lift off the bench. And she loves coming off the bench. She loves the seniors. She has no ego problem. She has no issues.”

Just plenty of energy. The game changes when LaVenice comes in. Gorman usually starts four guards, and after the opposition chases them all over the place for the first three or four minutes, in comes LaVenice with her shot-blocking skills and penchant for crashing the glass.

She is a match-up nightmare.

“She’s got the size, she’s got the long reach and she’s got the moves,” Gorman said. “She’s also greener than green. And she has unlimited potential. She even does things in practice that she hasn’t shown in games yet. She’s got a bright future.”

“Sometimes we forget she’s a sophomore,” Mennonite senior forward Mary Poole said. “And it’s not like if you’re a senior, you’re better than a sophomore. We don’t look at it that way. She’s earned her spot on this team.”

She knows her role well, too: First non-guard off the bench. And come in flying – find a mismatch in the post, rebound, alter shots, provide a spark.

And if all else fails, clog the middle and let Mennonite’s playmakers take over.

“In today’s world, you see so many bigger players who want to go out to the 3-point line and knock down 3s,” Gorman said. “With Erin, she wants to own the paint. She knows that job needs to be done. Her inside presence, with our guard game, gives us a solid inside-outside game. Our guards can dribble-penetrate, but they can also spread the court and isolate Erin inside.”

And more times than not, when LaVenice gets her hands on the ball, she scores. Or she gets fouled and gets free throws. And if she misses, she’s a terror on the offensive glass.

“Erin comes in off the bench and she changes the whole aspect of the game,” Poole said. “She’s so tall. Not many people can guard her. She’s been playing so well for us.”

Particularly in the postseason, where LaVenice is averaging 12.1 points a game in Mennonite’s eight playoff games.

The Blazers’ holdovers probably had the goods to make a nice playoff run this season.

Then LaVenice showed up, completing the puzzle – a gold-plated puzzle for Mennonite.