LANCASTER - One last L-L League boys’ basketball notebook for 2012.
Notables, tidbits, facts and stats from around the league at the holiday break …
HELP: I am missing three box scores. If someone - anyone - can please hook me up with the following box scores I’d appreciate it immensely: Cedar Crest vs. Manheim Township from December 21 … Hempfield vs. South Philadelphia from December 28 … Lampeter-Strasburg vs. Hickory from December 28. The following stats do not include numbers from those games …
SCORING LEADERS
Sam Light, Northern Lebanon - 9 games, 183 points - 20.3
Tyler Koser, Elizabethtown - 9 games, 181 points - 20.1
Drew Johnson, Hempfield - 7 games, 130 points - 18.6
Timmy Orr, Lebanon Catholic - 8 games, 149 points - 18.6
Julian Collazo, Lancaster Mennonite - 9 games, 163 points - 18.1
Devonne Pinkard, McCaskey - 9 games, 162 points - 18.0
Lucas Jewell, Elizabethtown - 9 games, 144 points - 16.0
Jake Sweger, Lampeter-Strasburg - 8 games, 126 points - 15.8
Seth Brewer, Manheim Township - 8 games, 121 points - 15.1
Evan Stauffer, Manheim Central - 8 games, 116 points - 14.5
Martin Dietrich, Donegal - 9 games, 123 points - 13.7
Diante Cherry, McCaskey - 9 games, 122 points - 13.6
Jason Dietrich, Donegal - 9 games, 122 points - 13.6
Aaron Hubbard, Ephrata - 9 games, 122 points - 13.6
Omar Lopez, Lancaster Catholic - 7 games, 95 points - 13.6
Evan Radcliffe, Ephrata - 9 games, 120 points - 13.3
Mike Rider, Columbia - 10 games, 132 points - 13.2
Juwan Lewis, Garden Spot - 8 games, 104 points - 13.0
Killian Klopp, Cedar Crest - 8 games, 102 points - 12.8
Brian Lindquist, Pequea Valley - 9 games, 115 points - 12.8
Haaji Michael, Columbia - 10 games, 128 points - 12.8
Tucker Lescoe, Cocalico - 8 games, 101 points - 12.6
Anthony Pletz, Lebanon Catholic - 8 games, 100 points - 12.5
Tyler Constein, Solanco - 8 games, 99 points - 12.4
Matt Foltz, Donegal - 7 games, 86 points - 12.3
Alex Frattaroli, Lebanon Catholic - 8 games, 96 points - 12.0
Anthony Brown, Conestoga Valley - 9 games, 107 points - 11.9
Clay Penchard, Cedar Crest - 8 games, 95 points - 11.9
Drey Murray, Lebanon - 8 games, 94 points - 11.8
Sha-Ki Staten, McCaskey - 8 games, 94 points - 11.8
Keyon Cowan, McCaskey - 9 games, 105 points - 11.7
Zach Lehman, Lancaster Mennonite - 9 games, 102 points - 11.3
J.D. Achille, Lampeter-Strasburg - 8 games, 89 points - 11.1
Damon Kreider, Solanco - 8 games, 89 points - 11.1
Derrick Sanders, Annville-Cleona - 9 games, 99 points - 11.0
Patrick Stevens, Northern Lebanon - 8 games, 88 points - 11.0
Matt Engle, Warwick - 9 games, 96 points - 10.7
Oliver Denlinger, Cocalico - 8 games, 85 points - 10.6
Matt Walsh, Manheim Central - 8 games, 84 points - 10.5
Matt Hess, Lancaster Mennonite - 9 games, 94 points - 10.4
Dylan Houseal, Donegal - 9 games, 91 points - 10.1
3-POINTERS
Killian Klopp, Cedar Crest - 21
Oliver Denlinger, Cocalico - 20
Austin Fleming, Conestoga Valley - 19
Sam Light, Northern Lebanon - 19
Tyler Constein, Solanco - 17
Aaron Hubbard, Ephrata - 17
Anthony Pletz, Lebanon Catholic - 17
Casey Smith, Annville-Cleona - 17
Seth Brewer, Manheim Township - 16
Richard Iwaugwu, Northern Lebanon - 15
Jon Perez, Conestoga Valley - 15
POWER POLL
1. McCaskey (4-0, 7-2) - Twister Alert: Red-hot Red Tornado riding a 7-game winning streak. Brace yourselves.
2. Donegal (4-0, 9-0) - Survived Ephrata on Friday night to remain perfect. Lone undefeated boys’ team in the league. How long can they stay that way?
3. Elizabethtown (4-0, 6-3) - Still think the Bears will be just fine despite 2-game slide, including a sucker-punch, come-from-ahead loss to Columbia on Saturday.
4. Lancaster Catholic (3-1, 5-2) - Keep an eye on freshman G Randy Speller. He’s going to be a difference-maker. And welcome back to the bench, Joe Klazas.
5. Northern Lebanon (2-2, 6-3) - Three wins in a row for the Vikings. And the league’s leading scorer, Sam Light, has been lights out (sorry) lately.
Honorable Mention: Cedar Crest (2-2, 5-4), Columbia (2-2, 5-5), Hempfield (2-2, 5-3), Lampeter-Strasburg (3-1, 5-4), Lancaster Mennonite (3-1, 6-3), Lebanon Catholic (2-2, 6-2), Manheim Township (3-1, 5-4).
L-L League boys’ basketball items …
L-L League boys’ basketball standings.
MILESTONE UPDATE: While a pair of L-L League girls’ players recently joined the 1,000-career-point club, an L-L League boys’ player is sneaking up on that milestone. McCaskey senior winger Devonne Pinkard, who has scored in double figures in every game out this winter, enters Wednesday’s game at Warwick with 922 career points - his combined total from his time with Lancaster Catholic and the Tornado. So 78 points to go for Pinkard, the league’s sixth-leading scorer at the holiday break.
SECTION 1 NOTABLES: Cedar Crest is plugging right along, just a game out of second place in the section. And the Falcons picked up some momentum with a trip to the championship game in their holiday tourney. They fell to Carlisle in the finale, but the Falcons have won three of five. Sharpshooter Killian Klopp has been hot; he scored 31 points and dropped seven 3-pointers in the holiday tournament. Clay Penchard has also picked up the scoring pace, with 30 points in the tournament. If I had to pick a sleeper Section 1 team today, I’d pick the Falcons. … Hempfield took a 3-game winning streak into its holiday tournament final against South Philadelphia, and dropped a heart-breaker 56-54 decision. Still looking for that box score. In the previous four games, sniper Drew Johnson averaged 18.5 points with six 3-pointers. PG Dylan Bleacher scored a season-high 14 points in the first round of the holiday tournament in a win over West Chester Bayard Rustin. FYI: Intriguing game Wednesday - Hempfield at Cedar Crest. Circle it. … With vet Tyler Karpinski playing football in the Chesapeake Bowl over the weekend, Manheim Township dropped a pair of games and settled for fourth place in West York’s holiday tournament. In the third-place game, the Streaks fell to Bill Ackerman’s Bulldogs. Ackerman is a Township grad. Ackerman’s name usually comes up when an L-L League job opens; he told me in the fall that he’s perfectly happy at West York - a District 3 AAA heavyweight. Christian Mitchell scored a career-high 18 points for the Streaks against West York. … McCaskey roared to the championship in its holiday tournament, beating Philly Carver Engineering & Science 87-50 before topping longtime non-league rival York 79-65. Tornado is averaging a league-high 83.8 points per game. Looks like Aaron Swinton is OK after nursing a back injury; he’s averaging 9.5 points with five 3-pointers in the last four games. Last three games for Diante Cherry: 18.0 points and six 3’s, including 23 points against York. Tornado is only team in the L-L League with four double-digit scorers: Devonne Pinkard (18.0, 14 3-pointers), Diante Cherry (13.6, 14 3-pointers), newbie F Keyon Cowan (11.7) and underrated low-post threat Sha-Ki Staten (11.8). … Five losses in a row for Penn Manor, including a 56-43 non-league setback to Red Lion over the break. Comets’ non-league game Saturday vs. Red Land was snowed out. Waiting on a make-up date for that one. At 0-4, PM is looking up at everyone else in Section 1. Comets need a spark. … Goofy stretch for Warwick, which has lost three in a row while several players battled a flu bug. And holdover vet Tyler Morris - a Liberty baseball recruit - has yet to play while he nurses a fractured ankle. Warriors settled for fourth in their own holiday tournament; Warwick didn’t muster much offense in losses to Upper Darby and Wilson, scoring 64 total points in those games. If any team needed a few days off before climbing back into section play, it was Warwick. Warriors’ reward for a few extra days to kick their feet up and polish off their flu meds: McCaskey, in Lititz, on Wednesday.
THIS WEEK IN SECTION 1
WEDNESDAY
Hempfield @ Cedar Crest
McCaskey @ Warwick
Manheim Township @ Penn Manor
FRIDAY
McCaskey @ Manheim Township
Hempfield @ Penn Manor
Warwick @ Cedar Crest
SECTION 2 NOTABLES: Two wins in a row for Cocalico, which didn’t participate in a holiday tournament, but won a pair of non-league games over the break: 46-22 over Twin Valley and 53-47 over Muhlenberg on Saturday before the snow hit. Couple of good games for sharpshooter Oliver Denlinger, who scored 21 points and hit five 3’s in the victories. Brock Gosling scored a season-high 12 points and Wes Rathman scored a season-high 10 points in the win over Muhlenberg. Have a sneaky suspicion about the Eagles. Keep an eye on Denver. … Much-needed victory over New Covenant Christian on Saturday for Conestoga Valley, which snapped a 4-game losing skid. The win gave the Bucks third place in Northern Lebanon’s holiday tourney. Big two games for lefty scorer Anthony Brown, who pumped in 27 points and four 3’s in a first-round loss to host Northern Lebanon, and added 11 points in the win over New Covenant. Orlando Lopez scored a career-high 13 points in the third-place game. Last four games for Austin Fleming: 10.5 points and eight 3’s. … Stinger loss to Columbia on Saturday for host Elizabethtown, which led by as many as 9 points in the second half, but couldn’t hold off the surging Crimson Tide. Bears’ Tyler Koser was a human pin-ball; he took a shot to the side early in the game and went to the bench for a stretch. And in the third quarter, he went head-first into the scorer’s table. Twice Koser left the playing area to get a concussion test. He passed and returned in the fourth quarter. Coach Kevin Dolan said Koser will be evaluated on Monday to be safe. Despite back-to-back losses, the good news for E-town is that the Bears will be alone in first play when section play resumes Wednesday. E-town gets pesky Ephrata, which took undefeated Donegal to the wire on Friday. Last six games for Bears’ Lucas Jewell: 18.0 points and 10 treys, including 20 points vs. Columbia on Saturday. … Don’t sleep on Ephrata. Mounts are 1-3, 2-7, but should have everyone’s attention after giving Donegal all it could handle in Ephrata’s holiday tourney final - one night after the Mounts beat Spring Grove by 10. Nice tourney for Evan Radcliffe (41 points, 3 3’s) and Brady Sipe (20 points, 4 3’s), who came up big from the perimeter. Radcliffe pumped in a season-high 23 points in the win over Spring Grove. Last three games for Aaron Hubbard: 15.7 points and eight 3-pointers, including a season-high 28 points and four bombs in an 11-point non-league setback to Palmyra on December 22. … Lebanon was set to take on L-L League foe Garden Spot in the third-place game of Mechanicsburg’s holiday tourney on Saturday, but that game was postponed. No word on a make-up date just yet. Stay tuned. Roller coaster first couple of weeks for the Cedars, who will get back to work Wednesday with a 4-4 overall mark. And at 2-2 in the league, they’re hoping to be players in the Section 2 hunt. Solid post play from low-post threat Josh Spaulding will certainly help Lebanon; he has 28 points in the last two games, including a season-high 18 points in a 10-point win over Conestoga Valley on December 21. … No holiday games for Solanco, which hit the break with a much-needed victory over Ephrata. That snapped a 5-game skid for the Golden Mules. Damon Kreider popped in a season-high 25 points in the win over the Mounts. And sniper Tyler Constein has been hot: 12.4 points and a dozen 3-pointers in the last five games.
THIS WEEK IN SECTION 2
WEDNESDAY
Lebanon @ Solanco
Cocalico @ Conestoga Valley
Ephrata @ Elizabethtown
FRIDAY
Lebanon @ Cocalico
Ephrata @ Conestoga Valley
Solanco @ Elizabethtown
SECTION 3 NOTABLES: Donegal survived Ephrata on Friday in the Mounts’ holiday tourney finale. Ephrata had the Indians on the ropes in the fourth quarter, but Donegal held on and went to 9-0. Indians are the lone unbeaten boys’ team in the L-L League. Baseliner Matt Foltz, the team’s third-leading scorer (12.3, 3 3’s), missed the Ephrata tournament with a cranky knee. He suffered the injury playing QB for Donegal’s football team back in the fall, and he needed a couple of days off. He should be back this week. Tommy Hatt slipped into the starting lineup to replace Foltz. Nice tourney for Jason Dietrich, who earned MVP honors after scoring 35 points in two games, including 20 in the first-round win over Dallastown. … Elco reached the title game of Northern Lebanon’s holiday tournament, falling to the host Vikings in the finale Saturday night. Colton Lawrence pumped in a season-high 20 points and hit three 3’s in the title game. In the first-round win over New Covenant Christian, Brayden Smith hit for a season-high 12 points. Still no Cameron Paul for Elco. He was averaging 11.0 points in the first four games. … As mentioned, Garden Spot is waiting on a make-up date vs. Lebanon for the Mechanicsburg holiday tourney third-place game. Stay tuned. Spartans fell to Boiling Springs 40-38 in the first round. Garden Spot topped Elco in the last game before the break to snap a 3-game losing streak - that after a 3-0 start. Roller coaster ride so far for the Spartans. … Lampeter-Strasburg had the longest road trip over the break; Pioneers gassed up the van and headed to Erie for McDowell’s holiday tourney. Lampeter-Strasburg fell to host McDowell in the first round and then lost to Hickory - not of Hoosiers fame, sorry - by 11 in the consolation game. Still missing that box score. Wink, wink. Jake Sweger pumped in a season-high 29 points in the loss to McDowell. That’s three losses in a row for the Pioneers, who fell to Donegal in a Section 3 showdown game on December 21. But at 3-1, Lampeter-Strasburg is in solo second - a game behind the Indians. … Quiet break for Manheim Central, which hasn’t played since losing to Northern Lebanon by 20 on December 21. Barons are 1-2 since a 5-0 getaway, but are 2-2 and in the thick of the Section 3 chase. Last three games for Evan Stauffer: 16.7 points, including a season-best 23 points in a win over Annville-Cleona on December 19. We’ll see if the break helping Manheim Central: Donegal visits the Barons on Wednesday. … Northern Lebanon is turning some heads. Vikings have won three in a row, are in the Section 3 hunt and have some legit go-to scorers, particularly Sam Light, the league’s leading scorer. He’s scoring at a 21.5 clip with 16 3-pointers in the last six games, including a season-high 26 points in Northern Lebanon’s win over Elco in the Vikings’ tourney final Saturday. Last three games for Richard Iwaugwu: 13.7 points and eight 3’s. Last three games for Isaac Ray: 11.7 points and five 3’s. Vikings beat Elco without Patrick Stevens (11.0, 6 3’s), who is nursing an ankle injury. Vikings have some major firepower.
THIS WEEK IN SECTION 3
WEDNESDAY
Northern Lebanon @ Garden Spot
Elco @ Lampeter-Strasburg
Donegal @ Manheim Central
FRIDAY
Elco @ Northern Lebanon
Lampeter-Strasburg @ Manheim Central
Donegal @ Garden Spot
SECTION 4 NOTABLES: A fourth-place finish for Annville-Cleona in Shippensburg’s holiday tournament. Little Dutchmen fell to host Ship in the first round before dropping a squeaker 56-54 decision to Greater Johnstown from District 6 in the third-place game. Nice tournament for sniper Casey Smith, who scored 29 points and hit six 3’s in two games, including a season-high 17 points and four bombs in the consolation round. Told you last week about A-C’s Derrick Sanders and his four consecutive games of scoring exactly 11 points. His average heading into Wednesday’s games: 11.0. Naturally. … Terrific win for Columbia on Saturday, when the Crimson Tide picked off Section 2 solo leader Elizabethtown 55-51 in the Bears’ den. Welcome back, Nick Nobile. The four-year starter returned to the floor December 27 in a 28-point setback to Allentown Central Catholic in E-town’s tourney. He continued to shake off the rust against the Bears on Saturday, scoring 14 points, including a gigantic game-tying 3 with 42 seconds to play. Anxious to see if Columbia can build on that win. Tide will certainly need some mo coming up: Columbia’s first three games back are all on the road, against Lancaster Mennonite, Lebanon Catholic and Lancaster Catholic. Wowzer. … Reigning Section 4 champ Lancaster Catholic finds itself in a tie for the top spot with Lancaster Mennonite at 3-1. Crusaders reached the finals of Warwick’s holiday tourney, falling to Upper Darby from District 1 44-40 in the title game. Omar Lopez scored 26 points in two games to pace Lancaster Catholic. Mentioned Randy Speller earlier. Yes, he’s a freshman. Yes, he’s the younger brother of Crusaders’ standout Porscha Speller. And yes, he’s got a bright future ahead of him. In his first five varsity games, he’s averaging 6.6 points, including a career-high 12 points in a win over Annville-Cleona on December 21. … Section 4 co-leader Lancaster Mennonite snapped a 2-game slide with a 66-43 romp over East Pennsboro in the third-place game of EP’s holiday tournament on Friday. Had a coach tell me recently that he’s impressed with Blazers’ PG Matt Hess, who makes Mennonite tick. Hess scored 32 points in two games in the holiday tournament, including a season-high 17 points in a first-round loss to Cumberland Valley. Julian Collazo continues to shine; he’s scored in double digits in all nine games, he leads the league with 24 3-pointers and he’s scoring at a 20.5 clip with 20 treys in the last six games, including 33 points and eight triples against Lebanon Catholic on December 21. … No holiday games for Lebanon Catholic, which took a breather after winning three of four before the break - including a win over Lancaster Mennonite, which knocked the Blazers out of sole possession of first place in the section. Last three games for Timmy Orr: 21.7 points and four 3’s, including a season-best 28 points in the win over Mennonite. Elco transfer Anthony Pletz has at least one 3 in every game this season. Big game Wednesday: Lancaster Catholic at Lebanon Catholic as part of a girls/boys doubleheader on Assumption Hill. … Who had arguably the best holiday break? Pequea Valley. The Braves snapped a 6-game skid with a pair of victories to capture Fleetwood’s holiday tournament championship. And PV did it in fine fashion, earning a pair of gut-check wins: 55-53 in OT over Brandywine Heights and then 35-33 over host Fleetwood in the finale. Big tourney for Brian Lindquist, who scored 32 points, including 22 points in the win over Brandywine Heights. Lindquist has been a handful in the paint lately; he’s averaging 18.0 points in the last three games, including back-to-back 22-point outings. Kevin Lockard matched his season-high with 12 points in the win over Brandywine Heights.
THIS WEEK IN SECTION 4
WEDNESDAY
Pequea Valley @ Annville-Cleona
Lancaster Catholic @ Lebanon Catholic
Columbia @ Lancaster Mennonite
FRIDAY
Pequea Valley @ Lancaster Catholic
Lancaster Mennonite @ Annville-Cleona
Columbia @ Lebanon Catholic
SATURDAY
NON-LEAGUE
Lancaster Mennonite @ York Catholic, 1:30 p.m.
Bishop McDevitt @ Lancaster Catholic, 7:30 p.m.
Mount Calvary @ Lebanon Catholic, 7:30 p.m.
Palmyra vs. Annville-Cleona (at Lebanon Valley College), 8 p.m.
Happy New Year!
JEFF REINHART: jreinhart@pennlive.com
ON TWITTER: @JeffReinhartPN