Williamsburg senior Regan Prough (left) hugs her freshman cousin Makenna Prough after exiting the game. Mirror photo by Patrick Waksmunski

HERSHEY — An official total of 865 fans was on hand at Hershey’s Giant Center Friday afternoon to watch the PIAA Class 1A girls basketball championship game between Williamsburg and Delaware County Christian.

See additional game coverage beginning on B1.

More than a cursory glance into the stands on both sides of the arena revealed that a large percentage of those people were decked out in blue and cheering at the tops of their lungs for the Lady Pirates.

It was a typical response from the basketball-crazy tiny Blair County town in which all the citizens treat each other like family, and many of them are indeed family.

The support was welcomed with open arms by Lady Pirates’ second-year coach Angela Detwiler and her players, even though Williamsburg — attempting to win its first girls basketball championship since 1997 — fell short in this year’s title game, 39-36.

“It’s hard to put into words what this community is like,” Detwiler, a former high school standout at Bishop Guilfoyle Academy, said of Williamsburg’s tight-knit home fan base. “They’re not fair-weather fans. They’re here for us win or lose, and they’re a big part of what we do as a basketball program.

“The local businesses that sponsor us, the churches, and the families have all supported us and helped us get here every step of the way. I feel blessed to be coaching at Williamsburg and to be surrounded by this wonderful community.”

In a perfect world, the Lady Pirates — who enjoyed a spectacular surge through the state playoffs this year after finishing fourth in the District 6 tournament — would have put a bow around their tremendous 26-6 season by winning a state championship.

In a game in which neither team shot well, however, Williamsburg came up short and made only one field goal in the fourth quarter, when the Lady Pirates misfired on eight of nine shots as District 1 champion Delco Christian (30-2) pulled ahead to stay, 37-36 on one of two free throws by sophomore guard Mary O’Donnell with 21 seconds left.

A free throw by sophomore guard Ella Stinger with 12 seconds left and another by freshman guard Monique Good with a second remaining set the final 39-36 score.

Stinger led Delco Christian with 16 points — clicking off five 3-point shots — and Good added 14.

Junior forward Levada Gorsuch scored a game-high 19 points and corralled a game-high 19 rebounds for Williamsburg, which made just 14 of 59 floor shots, including just one of 24 from 3-point range.

“We couldn’t quite pull away today,” Gorsuch said. “Usually our 3s go in, but we had trouble getting through some of the screens that they were setting on defense. I’m glad that we made it here, in large thanks to our seniors, and we’ll be back next year.”