When we reach Christmas, that means we’re about one-third of the way through the high school basketball season, thanks to the condensed schedules that all teams have.
In order to squeeze 22 games into nine weeks, teams are forced into multiple three-game weeks and, for many teams, this is one of those weeks.
Cedar Crest is one of those schools, with the Falcon boys winning at Central Dauphin Monday and now facing Conrad Weiser tonight and either Carlisle or Hershey Friday in Cedar Crest’s annual holiday tournament.
Northern Lebanon hosts its annual boys’ tournament Friday and Saturday, with the Vikings meeting Conestoga Valley in the opener.
Lebanon travels to Mechanicsburg for two single games because the host team could not find a fourth team to complete the field. The Cedars play unbeaten Boiling Springs Friday and then take on the Wildcats Saturday. Mechanicsburg suffered its first loss of the season to Cedar Cliff Monday.
Palmyra plays James Buchanan at Big Spring’s tournament Friday and will meet Northern York or the host team Saturday.
Annville-Cleona has a single game at Shippensburg Friday.
This is what we’ve learned through the first three weeks:
Cedar Crest is real good, as in 7-1 with the lone loss by one point in overtime at Central York (another team with one loss, to unbeaten Bishop McDevitt). The Falcons have beaten two Mid-Penn teams (CD and CD East) and will face a third Friday. No reason to think the Falcons can’t win Section One and return to the Lancaster-Lebanon League championship game, although Hempfield and Lancaster are also undefeated in league play and will be tough tests in the section.
Lebanon has played well (6-1) against a weak schedule that gets tougher starting this week. Boiling Springs has a fine coach in Pat Dieter, who has been there about three decades, and Mechanicsburg has two solid big kids and guards who can knock down 3s. M-burg owns a win over Carlisle to validate its abilities. Lebanon has played only one team with a winning record (Cedar Crest), so it’s a little tough to tell just how good the Cedars might be relative to other AAAA teams. We will have a better idea by the end of this week and know more after Lebanon plays crossovers with Lancaster and Hempfield in mid January. The Cedars do look like the favorite to win Section Two.
Lebanon Catholic is sitting at 6-1 after hammering Oley Valley Monday and is as good as advertised, with the lone loss to once-beaten Lancaster Mennonite on the road. Those two teams, plus Lancaster Catholic and Columbia, figure to be in a four-team race for the Section Four title.
Northern Lebanon lost three times last week, including a four-point loss to Mennonite and a one-point loss to Manheim Central sandwiched around a 10-point setback at Lancaster Catholic. So the Vikings stand at 4-3 but just 1-3 in Section Three, where they sit a game back of Elco and two behind Lampeter-Strasburg and the Barons. Although they have dug themselves a hole, Northern Lebanon has time to recover in what figures to be a three- or four-team race.
Elco, at 3-2, has held its own so far but will have to step up to stay in the race. Not impossible, but it will be a challenge.
Lebanon County’s other boys’ teams are scuffling, and that’s not a surprise. Annville-Cleona hasn’t won since its opening-night victory over York Tech, while Palmyra has managed two wins against a brutally tough schedule that won’t get any easier. The Cougars do have a shot at picking up at least one win and maybe two in that tournament this week.
For now, we’re sticking with our prediction that four Lebanon County teams can reach the L-L playoffs: Cedar Crest, Lebanon, Northern Lebanon and Lebanon Catholic, although the Vikings need to get back on track. All four should also reach district playoffs.
As for District Three, Class AAAA appears to be generally down, with several perennial powers dominated by underclassmen (York, Lancaster, Reading, Harrisburg). It looks like a year when a non-city team could capture the district; Wilson, Cedar Crest, Hempfield and Central York are strong contenders.
Class AAA is loaded. Period. Berks Catholic, Bishop McDevitt and Susquehanna Township have size, depth and Division I-level recruits. They are all ranked among the top 10 teams in the state. Just behind them, in no particular order, are Steel-High, unbeaten West York and unbeaten Bermudian Springs. There are another half-dozen or so teams that are legitimate threats to qualify for state playoffs.
Class AA is lame. Trinity, which has one just one game, and Delone, which has three wins under its new coach, are still the favorites to return to the district championship game, although Columbia might have something to say about that.
In Class A, Lebanon Catholic will push to defend its title, with Greenwood hoping for a return trip to the championship game as well. One or both of them will have to knock off New Hope’s Mighty Ants to do so.
Follow along on Twitter @sesnyderleb.