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By Jeffrey Kauffman, Sentinel Reporter, sportsdoor@cumberlink.com

Last updated: Thursday, February 21, 2008 2:08 AM EST

HERSHEY — Using it’s distinct height advantage, the Trinity Shamrocks boys’ basketball team finds itself in an all too familiar place.

Eric Kindler hit for 27 points and pulled in 10 rebounds and reserve Christian Kuntz added 16 points and nine boards as Trinity erased an early first quarter deficit to defeat No. 1 seed Columbia 59-50 on Wednesday night at the Giant Center.

Trinity (17-8) now moves into Friday night’s District 3-AA championship contest opposite Delone Catholic, back at the Giant Center with a 6:45 p.m. tip-off.

Delone defeated Milton Hershey 58-46 in the earlier semifinal.

Columbia held a 15-14 edge after the first eight minutes, but the Shamrocks switched to a more physical approach using Kuntz, 6-foot-8 center R.J. Dill and Kindler in the paint to punish the smaller Tide.

“The game plan was to play aggressive Trinity defense, finish, and control the boards,” said Dill, who also crashed the glass pulling in 10 rebounds. “We didn’t finish very well but we are going to do that Friday night.”

For Dill and a handful of other Shamrocks, Friday’s contest represents the opportunity to extract revenge on Delone, which defeated the Shamrocks 25-0 in the District 3-AA football championship at Hersheypark last season.

The Shamrocks won the basketball matchup earlier this season, defeating Delone.

“We haven’t been here since my freshman year,” Dill added. “We get a rematch against Delone for us football guys. Delone is a great team and we can’t take anything for granted but if we wanted a team to win it was Delone so we could redeem ourselves for football.”

Trinity turned up the defensive effort in the second quarter and stepped out on the Columbia shooters and didn’t allow clean looks that they had in the first quarter. Kindler scored seven in the quarter on a variety of fade aways, pull up jumpers and drives in the lane but it was Kuntz, who provided a spark off the bench.

Dill was also able to stay on the floor for extended stretches sans foul trouble which aided the Shamrocks’ interior presence.

“The difference for me was just staying out of foul trouble. I was able to help my team and play good defense and grab rebounds and maybe score a couple of points. If I stay out of foul trouble, I can help this team,” said Dill who also had two blocked shots, three assists and altered countless Columbia scoring opportunities.

Dill’s 3-point play with 5:37 remaining in the contest also kept momentum on the Shamrocks side for good.

After Columbia’s Mike Seibert recaptured the lead for his team, Trinity ran off five straight points as Kuntz took a dish from Eric Pochak and Kindler scored on a 3-point play.

Columbia’s Adam Pittman connected on 1-of-2 from the line to interrupt the streak, but Kindler scored on another drive to give the Shamrocks a 29-23 halftime lead.

In the second half Dill and Kuntz scored to stretch the lead to ten before Pittman connected on a trey. Trinity maintained their lead at a minimum of seven points throughout the rest of the quarter as Kindler warmed up from the perimeter hitting two from distance.

Pittman brought the Tide back within four late in the fourth on a 3-pointer to make it 47-43, but Kindler then responded on a fade away, followed by a critical Kuntz stick back with 3:38 to play to make it 51-43.

“We beat a good team. They are the No.1 seed for a reason,” said Shamrocks head coach Larry Kostelac. “We tried to take advantage of some of the mismatches and if we made our foul shots and our layups it wouldn’t have been close.

“Dill makes a big difference when he is on the floor. He takes up a lot of space and when he plays chest to chest defense, he weights 280 pounds and he did that tonight. We had to win the boards and the loose balls to win the ball game and we certainly did win the boards. We didn’t shoot well tonight and overall and defensively we did OK.”

“We allowed them too many open looks in the first quarter and Seibert and Pittman can shoot. Our big guys, including Dill, Chris DiSanto, Steve Breuning, Eric and Christian really stepped up tonight.”

Trinity will aim for its ninth district title since 1991 and first since the 2004 district tournament.

Delone Catholic 58, Milton Hershey 46

An 11-2 run to end the first half put the Squires in control of the other District 3-AA semifinal.

The Delone defense forced four turnovers in that stretch and nine for the half as they erased a 19-16 deficit to lead 27-21 at halftime.

Chris Hartman scored 14 points and Cody Smith had one of the better games he’s played this season as he poured in a game high 18 as the Squires advanced past Milton Hershey to lock up with Trinity in Friday’s final.

Hartmann provided the defense down the stretch with a steal at the 1:43 mark to hold off any Spartans charge.

A.J. Fofanah led Milton Hershey with 13.