Lancaster Catholic’s girls’ basketball team took a couple of hits in the graduation department.
Still, the Crusaders — under longtime 700-win coach Lamar Kauffman — have enough firepower returning not only to be the L-L Section 4 favorites, but to make a run at three league championships in a row, and another long postseason jaunt.
Lancaster Catholic, which has won 30 games in each of the last two seasons, lost two-time all-state combo guard Porscha Speller and low-post fiend Emily Martin to graduation.
But the good news for Kauffman and his Crusaders is that cat-quick guard Danielle Atkinson and forward phenom Caroline Scarff are back, and they’ll be the cornerstones of a Lancaster Catholic team searching for its third section and third league titles in a row.
And the Crusaders should have plenty of motivation after getting knocked out in the second round of Districts last season — before making a run to the state quarterfinals and going 30-2, one year after reaching the PIAA-AAA state championship game.
It’s been quite a two-year ride for the Crusaders. They’re looking to make it three, and have the weapons to do some big things.
Annville-Cleona emerged from the pack to finish second in Section 4 last season, and coach Jaime Walborn returns a good nucleus from that squad, including sniper Alex Siebecker, who helped the Little Dutchmen reach the District 3-AA semifinals and PIAA playoffs last winter.
Also look for Lancaster Mennonite and Pequea Valley to make a push, while Columbia and Lebanon Catholic could struggle with numbers.
L-L LEAGUE GIRLS' BASKETBALL 1,000-POINT SCORERS
Here’s a look at all the Section 4 teams, in predicted order of finish:
Lancaster Catholic Crusaders
District 3-AAA
Coach: Lamar Kauffman (32nd season; 739-179).
Last season: 16-0 L-L; 30-2 overall (beat Lampeter-Strasburg 49-37 to win L-L championship for the second year in a row; lost to eventual runner-up Susquehannock 59-53 in District 3-AAA quarterfinals; beat Eastern York 62-54 in District 3-AAA fifth-place game; lost to Blackhawk 78-52 in PIAA-AAA state quarterfinals).
Goodbye: F Emily Martin (10.5; PennLive first-team Section 4 all-star), G Porscha Speller (18.6, 32 3s; PennLive Section 4 Player of the Year; PennLive first-team Section 4 all-star), G-F Lil Veronis (7.7, 23 3s; PennLive third-team Section 4 all-star), G Kirsten Werner (2.4, 4 3s).
Hello: G Danielle Atkinson (9.3, 14 3s; PennLive second-team Section 4 all-star), G Emily Colon (3.2, 7 3s), G Erin Holt (4.6, 28 3s), F Hannah Knowlton (2.1), G Alayna Nicklaus (2.1), F Caroline Scarff (7.8; PennLive Section 4 Newcomer of the Year).
Putbacks: Sailed into the District 3 quarterfinals last winter at 26-0 before being bounced by Susquehannock. Came though the consolation round to finish fifth and win a pair of PIAA playoff games, including a 54-46 win over Archbishop Wood, which beat the Crusaders the year before in the state championship game. … Eliminated by Blackhawk in the state quarters and won 30 games for the second season in a row, as Kauffman upped his career win total to 739. He’s back for his 32nd season on Lancaster Catholic’s bench. … Loss of inside force Martin and 1,646-point scorer Speller will definitely sting. And junior wing Veronis, a tennis whiz, is taking the season off to concentrate on her serving and volleying on the indoor courts. She could — could — return for her senior season next year. Stay tuned. For now, she’s sticking with tennis. … Still, plenty of things to like here, including: Atkinson back again to spearhead the defense, score in transition and shoot it from deep; Scarff, who started from Day 1 in her freshman season last year, back to do more damage in the paint; Holt, now a starter, running the point, poking steals and shooting the 3-bal; and newbie starters Knowlton and Colon bringing experience and athleticism to full-time roles. … Section 4 favorites? Yes. L-L favorites? By February, perhaps. And you know the Crusaders will be anxious for a deeper District 3 run after going out in the second round last season.
Opener: Dec. 6 vs. Mid-Penn kingpin and reigning District 3-AAAA runner-up Central Dauphin in the first round of Hempfield’s tip-off tournament. One of the best openers not only in District 3, but also around the state. Circle it.
VIDEO: Atkinson, Scarff preseason interviews
Annville-Cleona Little Dutchmen
District 3-AA
Coach: Jaime Walborn (4th season; 37-37).
Last season: 11-5 L-L; 16-11 overall (lost to Manheim Township 62-21 in L-L quarterfinals; lost to eventual champ York Catholic 67-41 in District 3-AA semifinals; beat Oley Valley 46-40 in District 3-AA third-place game; lost to Neumann-Goretti 76-37 in first round of the PIAA-AA playoffs).
Goodbye: G Barb Inman (2.6), F Elaina Wanamaker (12.8, 16 3s; PennLive second-team Section 4 all-star).
Hello: G Meredith Bachman (3.1, 3 3s), F Gabby Battle (3.2), G Kayla Parks (9.0, 5 3s; PennLive third-team Section 4 all-star), G Alex Siebecker (13.8, 32 3s; PennLive second-team Section 4 all-star).
Putbacks: Little Dutchmen basking in the glow of last season’s trips to the L-L playoffs, district semifinals and PIAA playoffs. And with this much firepower back in the mix, A-C should be thinking big once again. … Siebecker is definitely one to watch; she can beat you from the arc and off the dribble, and she and Parks will be one of the top 1-2 backcourt duos in the section. … Walborn is the reigning PennLive Section 4 Coach of the Year.
Opener: Dec. 6 vs. reigning District 3-AAA runner-up Susquehannock in the first round of Elizabethtown’s tip-off tourney. Tricky lid-lifter for the Dutchmen, but a nice early tester to see where Walborn and her troops are at.
Lancaster Mennonite Blazers
District 3-AA
Coach: Chris Lehman (2nd season; 7-15).
Last season: 5-11 L-L; 7-15 overall.
Goodbye: G Jada Dunsen (14.6; PennLive first-team Section 4 all-star).
Hello: G Aubrey Haller (6.9, 8 3s), F Carolyn Krasley (3.6, 2 3s), G-F Shayna Landis (2.0), G-F Mady Reeser (11.8, 14 3s; PennLive third-team Section 4 all-star).
Putbacks: Leading scorer Dunsen transferred across Lincoln Highway to Conestoga Valley, taking 14.6 points and bunch of athleticism with her to the Buckskins. … However, the Blazers return a lot of firepower, and they’re out to make amends after missing out on the postseason and falling out of the Section 4 race last season. … Reeser, who came on last winter after transferring in from Pequea Valley, should see her scoring input go up. And in Haller, Lancaster Mennonite has a floor general on both sides of the court. … Blazers could make a return push for the playoffs.
Opener: Dec. 10 at Conestoga Valley in a nonleague game, as the Blazers will get a look at their former teammate, Dunsen, right out of the box.
Pequea Valley Braves
District 3-AA
Coach: Jason McDonald (2nd season; 5-17).
Last season: 2-14 L-L; 5-17 overall.
Goodbye: F Emily Hershey (4.1).
Hello: F Becky Anders (2.6), G Alyssa Hershey (11.0, 6 3s; PennLive third-team Section 4 all-star) F Amanda Houck (2.1), G Heather Lockard (3.8, 8 3s), G Kellie Wallace (0.5).
Putbacks: Made some strides in McDonald’s first year on the bench, thanks in part to the emergence of Alyssa Hershey, who can score from the wing, dribble-drive and attack the glass. Remember her name, if you will. … Still some work to be done, but don’t surprised if Pequea Valley kicks it up a couple of more notches and gets everyone’s attention.
Opener: Dec. 6 vs. Avon Grove in the first round of Octorara’s tip-off tournament.
Lebanon Catholic Beavers
District 3-A
Coach: Patti Hower (36th season; 644-319).
Last season: 7-9 L-L; 9-12 overall (lost to Halifax 64-46 in District 3-A quarterfinals).
Goodbye: F Abby Shay (15.6; PennLive first-team Section 4 all-star); G Holly Marinkov (10.8, 52 3s; PennLive second-team Section 4 all-star), F Catherine Gross (5.6).
Hello: G Samantha Fortna (2.1), G Helene Reist (11.3, 32 3s; PennLive third-team Section 4 all-star).
Putbacks: The Beavers didn’t have big numbers to begin with, and then lost a trio of key contributors to graduation: Shay had a big season in the paint, Gross helped out on the boards and Marinkov was deadly from the arc. But they’re gone. … Just two regulars back in the fold; Fortna has the experience to run the point and Reist is a major sharpshooter. But everyone else around them will be new; Hower, back for her 36th season on the Beavers’ bench, lists just seven kids on her varsity roster. … Lebanon Catholic was bounced in the first round of Districts last winter — one year after winning the title.
Opener: Dec. 6 at Mount Calvary Christian for a nonleague scrap.
Columbia Crimson Tide
District 3-AA
Coach: Maureen Schulz (2nd season; 7-15).
Last season: 4-12 L-L; 7-15 overall.
Goodbye: F Ashlyn Phillips (5.6), F Jenna Plastino (17.2, 25 3s; PennLive first-team Section 4 all-star).
Hello: G Lucy Schulz (3.7), G Megan Seibert (13.5, 25 3s; PennLive second-team Section 4 all-star), F Alex Slick (2.9).
Putbacks: Plastino will be missed; she finished her standout career with 1,075 points, so the Tide will miss her scoring prowess. … Good news: Seibert returns, and she’s a solid wing player with good range. Her scoring average will likely go up. … Schulz, the coach’s daughter, made a splash in her freshman season. She’s been on everyone’s radar the last couple of years, so expect bigger things from her in the coming months — and years. … Could be a numbers game for Columbia; Tide had nine kids appear in at least one game last season. That’s it. And one of them appeared twice, another just six times.
Opener: Dec. 6 vs. Upper Dauphin in the first round of Camp Hill’s tip-off tournament.