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Ashton Hirsch is in a rare club.
She won District 3 gold medals as a player and coach with York Catholic girls basketball. The latter came in the 2026 Class 2A final over Shalom Christian at Gettysburg Area High School on Wednesday, Feb. 25. It was the program's 15th district girls basketball title.
Hirsch said it’s much more nerve-wracking winning as a coach than it ever was as a player.
“I have no control out there,” she said after the Fighting Irish defeated the Flames 54-20. “I was more nervous as a coach than I was as a player because I knew I could control what I could do out on the floor.”
This was different, she said, because all she could do was prepare the players physically and mentally before the game and let them go.
“I’m blessed with a group of girls that I can trust, and they’ve worked very hard to get to this moment,” she said.
Her players took that preparation and ran with it.
It took a few minutes, but once the Irish got going, the Flames couldn’t stop them. Sydney Moore kept the Flames close in the early going with five points, but Jaedyn Brown put some distance between the teams with three straight buckets in the paint at the end of the first quarter and start of the second to give the Irish a 10-point lead.
A lead that only grew from there.
“It seemed like we lost our mojo after that first quarter,” Shalom Christian coach Doug Lehman said. “York hit some big shots, I mean [Maggie Fifer] shot the heck out of the ball. And [Brown] is just really good.”
Fifer finished with a dozen points on four 3-pointers. Brown led all scorers with 14 points. Both totals came in three quarters as the Irish starters sat for the fourth quarter when the game was in a running clock.
Moore, Emily Rebok and Harper Adams each had five points for the Flames.
Lehman knew it was going to be difficult for his team to keep pace with the Irish because of their size and physical advantage. The size he can’t do anything about, but he said his players will be working on their fitness as they prepare to join the York-Adams league next year.
“We don’t have a weight room,” he said. “York Catholic is obviously a lot stronger than us, and we have to get better at shooting. They’re putting a lot more shots up than we are.”
This was the third time the teams met in the last year, and the result was the same each time. York Catholic won the district title last year, 55-39, and the January rematch, 68-42.
Brown, who was cradling the district trophy like it was a baby, said she brought a different mindset into the final — one she plans to keep as they move into the PIAA tournament.
“I went in with knowing who I am,” the 6-foot-1 junior said. “I know what kind of player I am, and no matter who’s on the other side of that court, I’m gonna play hard. I had a more aggressive attitude in this game because I knew it meant so much.”
That aggressive play led to increased rebounds and finishes on passes from her teammates.
“My team was moving the ball really well and getting it inside to me. That also helped,” Brown said.
And it helped that seven Irish players hit the scoreboard. After Brown and Fifer, Kylie Althoff and Landry Crabbs each scored eight points.
“Our girls played so selfless. 'We before me' is what we are focused on,” Hirsch said. “That’s the beauty of the team, that it can be a 'we' because we have so many people that can show up any night, any time. When they work together, it’s a thing of beauty.”
York Catholic and Shalom Christian will begin the next chapter of the postseason in the PIAA tournament on March 6. Both will play teams from District 12. The Flames will face the champions, and the Irish will play the third-place team.
Shelly Stallsmith covers York-Adams high school sports for GameTimePA and the USAToday Network. Connect with her by email [email protected] or on X, formerly Twitter, @ShelStallsmith.
This article originally appeared on York Daily Record: York Catholic tops Shalom Christian for program's 15th district title