Two seasons after no Lebanon County boys’ basketball teams qualified for the Lancaster-Lebanon League playoffs, we are entering one in which four have a legitimate shot at section championships.
That’s not even a crazy scenario.
Cedar Crest and Lebanon played in the L-L playoffs last year, with the Falcons reaching the championship game with just two seniors on the roster.
So make no mistake about it, the bar is set high for Cedar Crest this year. Those two graduated seniors, though, were starting guards Killian Klopp and Clay Penchard, so there are no guarantees. In high school, more so than in college or pro basketball because those levels have shot clocks, guards can dictate and control tempo. They initiate pressure on defense and are the guys who handle the ball and feed post players on offense.
Sometimes taking just one player out of a team’s lineup can make a serious change in chemistry and the Falcons will have at least two new starters. So while the Falcons have size, experience and athletes, how quickly the players figure out their roles, learn how to play as a unit and commit to playing team defense will determine how close they can come to realizing their potential.
The late, great person and coach Jim Dooley of Delone had a motto: Play Hard, Play Smart, Play Together. That’ll work for Cedar Crest and any other team smart enough to adopt it.
Cedar Crest’s new backcourt will get a test right out of the gate tonight when Coach Tom Smith’s team travels to Lower Dauphin to play Central Dauphin East, a team with veteran, talented guards. Smith is former Crest football coach Norbie Danz’s grandson. CD East’s coach is Marty Hasenfuss, whose dad, Joe, coached basketball at Lebanon Catholic when Danz was the Beavers’ football coach in the 60s.
But we digress a little.
Cedar Crest probably ranks as the preseason favorite in Section One, but defending champ Lancaster, Manheim Township and Hempfield will challenge in what figures to be a tight race.
In Section Two, Lebanon has good size and experience to move to the top after finishing second to Elizabethtown last season. Coach Tim Speraw has a senior-dominated group that achieves both as athletes and students. These Cedars, if healthy, should qualify for league and district playoffs. Lebanon’s schedule is weak compared to most of the AAAA powers, so the Cedars will need to pile up Ws to earn a good seed for district playoffs (last year Lebanon went 13-9 in the regular season and didn’t qualify due to its low power rating).
Northern Lebanon challenged for a league playoff berth last year and did reach the district AAA playoffs. With a talented group of guards on hand, Coach Gary Bouchette has a team that will create matchup nightmares for most opponents on the Vikings’ schedule. With defending section champ Donegal having graduated almost its entire varsity, Northern Lebanon looks as good as anyone to move to the top of the section, with Lampeter-Strasburg and Manheim Central challenging. The Vikings can certainly return to district playoffs, which will be a huge test. District Three AAA is loaded, with Berks Catholic, Bishop McDevitt, Susquehanna Township and Steel-High all stocked with size, athletes and Division I college recruits. The first three on that list are ranked among the top AAA teams in the state, although Berks Catholic, McDevitt and the Rollers are all still playing football.
Lebanon Catholic knocked off Lancaster Catholic in Lancaster last year for the first time in years, so it’s not a stretch to think that Coach Scott Clentimack’s team can take the next step and reach league playoffs this year. The Beavers, Lancaster Catholic and Lancaster Mennonite all have solid groups of returnees but the Beavers might have the most balanced group and lost just one senior, Timmy Orr. Making that run to the Class A district championship gave the Beavers a taste of playoff pressure.
So there you have it. Four Lebanon County teams in the L-L boys’ playoffs? Mark it down.
Now go do work boys. Remember those words from Coach Dooley.
Follow along on Twitter @sesnyderleb.