A few L-L League games were pushed back to tonight by the District 3 wrestling team tournament, which got underway on Tuesday. Here are the results from tonight’s games:

SECTION 2

Solanco 51, Conestoga Valley 35: B.J. Enck scored 17 points and Jon Fisher added 10 as the Golden Mules clinched the Section 2 crown with by routing the defending L-L League champs for the second time this season. Solanco (10-3 section, 15-4 overall) broke the game open with an 11-2 surge in the second quarter and never looked back, handing CV (5-8, 8-11) its sixth straight defeat. Brian Cherrington scored 16 points to lead the Buckskins, who fell into third place in the section race, one game behind second-place Elizabethtown.

SECTION 4

Lancaster Catholic 48, Annville-Cleona 35: Ross Hall scored a team-high 13 points and Tyler Purvis and Phil Wenger added 11 each as the Section 4 champion Crusaders earned their 10th win in 11 games and remained undefeated in section play. Trey Blanding paced Annville-Cleona with 17 points, while Josh Henning added 10.

Just when you think you’ve got the Lancaster-Lebanon League playoff picture figured out, another upset jumps up and throws the whole thing into disarray. This year’s race has featured more twists and turns than a season of ABC’s ‘Lost.’

We got another game-changer last night, when Warwick knocked off McCaskey 72-70. The victory turned the chase for second place in Section 1 into a three-team affair. The Red Tornado lost sole possession of second, dropping into a tie with Penn Manor (a 65-44 winner over Manheim Township Tuesday night). And now Warwick is lurking just a game behind, with a showdown against the Comets looming next week.

The Warriors will probably have to win their final three games (vs. Cedar Crest Friday, at Penn Manor on Monday and vs. Manheim Township next Wednesday) and hope both McCaskey and Penn Manor lose one more each to force a three-way tie for second. If that happens, they would win the playoff berth by virtue of an advantage in tiebreaking criteria (see the analysis of the playoff race I did earlier this week by clicking here).

Penn Manor, meanwhile, has a rematch with section-leading Hempfield on Friday, and will probably need a victory there to stay in second place. The clash with Warwick follows on Monday before the Comets close out the regular season at Cedar Crest next Wednesday. Penn Manor needs to win out to make the playoffs.

McCaskey’s control of its own destiny lasted for exactly one game. Now the Tornado will have to win their final three games and hope that both Penn Manor and Warwick drop another one, because both the Comets and the Warriors wouldhave the advantage over them in the event of a tie for second. McCaskey hosts Manheim Township on Friday, hosts Cedar Crest on Monday and closes the season at Hempfield next Wednesday.

Elsewhere, Hempfield clinched the Section 1 crown with a 70-46 rout of Cedar Crest. Lampeter-Strasburg and Cocalico both clinched playoff berths in Section 3, but remain tied for the lead. The title will likely be decided when the two teams face off in Lampeter next week. Section 2 leader Solanco did not play; its game with Conestoga Valley was moved to tonight because the District 3 wrestling team playoffs were held in Quarryville last night. The same thing was true for Section 4 leader Lancaster Catholic, whose game at Annville-Cleona was postponed until tonight.

Solanco and Catholic have already clinched playoff berths.

Got all that?

Here’s a rundown of last night’s games:

SECTION 1

Warwick 72, McCaskey 70: An incredible fourth-quarter rally came up just short for the Tornado, which trailed 63-41 after three quarters. McCaskey (9-4 section, 10-9 overall) exploded for 29 points in the final eight minutes, but the Warriors (8-5, 12-7) held on by their fingernails to pull out the victory. Vince Soto spearheaded Warwick’s victory with 23 points, while Anthony D’Imperio and Deron Thompson added 12 each. League scoring leader Leontae Turner scored 18 points for McCaskey in his return from an academic suspension, while Diante Cherry added 17 and Tyler Martin had 13.

Penn Manor 65, Manheim Township 44: Jon Brooks poured in 23 points to lead the way as the Comets fought their way back into second place with a rout of the Blue Streaks. Penn Manor (9-4, 13-4) put together a 22-9 surge in the final eight minutes to break the game open. Mark Stratton led Township (6-7, 8-10) with 13 points, while Jon Cheippor added 10.

Hempfield 70, Cedar Crest 46: Imposing forward Taylor McDuffie celebrated his return to the lineup from a concussion with a game-high 23 points to fuel the Black Knights’ romp over the Falcons. Ethan Strayer came off the bench to add 16 points, while Christian Walck had 14 and Mike Uehlein had 12 for Hempfield (13-0, 17-0), which wrapped up its second straight section title and remained undefeated on the season. Tyler Reed paced Cedar Crest (6-7, 9-9) with 18 points.

SECTION 2

Elizabethtown 53, Garden Spot 36: Drew Reinhold scored 15 points to lead the way as the Bears (6-7, 8-11) took over sole possession of second place in the section, a half-game ahead of idle Conestoga Valley, which visits section leader Solanco tonight. Kirby Turner added 13 points and Brad Garber scored 11 for E-town. Garden Spot (2-11, 3-15) squandered a 19-point effort by Jevin Zimmerman and lost for the fifth time in six games.

Lebanon 69, Ephrata 62: Kyle Thomas exploded for 36 points to carry the Cedars over the Mountaineers. Ernest Martez added 12 points for Lebanon (4-9, 7-11), which snapped a seven-game losing streak and swept the season series from the Mounts. Anthony Jamison scored 27 points in a losing effort for Ephrata (0-13, 5-14), while Ray Johnson added 12.

SECTION 3

Lampeter-Strasburg 50, Donegal 44: Tyrone McFadden poured in 21 points and Taylor Groff added 10 as the Pioneers (10-3, 13-5) clinched a league playoff berth and eliminated Donegal from playoff contention. L-S remained tied with Cocalico for first place in the section race. Austin Musser scored 16 points and Josh Rudy had 15 for the Indians (6-7, 10-9).

Cocalico 77, Elco 39: Kyle Rissell scored 15 points to lead four players in double figures as the Eagles (10-3, 13-6) wrapped up a league playoff berth with a blowout win over the visiting Raiders. Matt Carty and Dylan Brossman added 12 points for Cocalico, while Kevin Antol had 10. Tyler George paced Elco (5-8, 8-11) with 12 points.

Northern Lebanon 36, Manheim Central 26: Wesley Reitz and Tyler Sheffy scored seven points each to carry the Vikings over the Barons in a low-scoring affair. Northern Lebanon (3-10, 4-14) snapped a four-game skid with the victory. Derek Hart led Central (1-12, 2-17) with seven points.

SECTION 4

Lancaster Mennonite 74, Columbia 50: Elliott Groff poured in 19 points and Jon Lapp added 14 as the Blazers crept closer to the playoffs with a blowout win over the host Crimson Tide. Lancaster Mennonite (10-3, 14-8) can join section-leading Lancaster Catholic in the league playoffs by beating Lebanon Catholic on Thursday. Tre Simms led Columbia with 14 points, while Nick Nobile added 11 points and Brandon Arnold had 10.

Lebanon Catholic 51, Pequea Valley 48: Alex Groh (13 points) and Zach Arnold (10) combined to lead the scoring attack as the Beavers held off PV and kept their slim playoff hopes alive. Lebanon Catholic (7-6, 11-7) needs to win its final three games and hope for outside help to have any shot at a playoff berth. Dylan Carney scored 22 points in a losing effort for PV (3-10, 4-15).

As we head into the final two weeks of the regular season, the race for the league’s eight playoff spots is still in full swing (click here to see my thoughts on it).

As far as the Court Report’s power rankings go, very little has changed as the real contenders have entrenched themselves in my personal top five. Very soon, the top teams will be able to test themselves on the league’s ultimate proving ground.

Until then, here’s one guy’s opinion on how they stack up.

NOTE: This will be the last edition of the power rankings between now and the end of the regular season. I’m taking some much-needed vacation time next week to recharge my batteries in time for the playoffs. I’ll be back in time to break down the L-L League playoffs.

THE TOP FIVE

1. Hempfield (12-0 Section 1, 16-0 overall): The Black Knights added two more wins to their total last week and remain the league’s only undefeated team. They’re currently ranked No. 1 in the latest District 3 power rankings. Things are going great, but you get the sense from talking to the players that they understand the real tests are coming in the next few weeks.

2. Lancaster Catholic (12-0 Section 4, 15-3 overall): The Crusaders have already clinched a league playoff berth. Their only loss since the holidays was a 49-40 defeat to Hempfield (no shame there). They’re clearly the class of Section 4, and now that forward Ross Hall is back in the lineup, they’ll only get better.

3. Solanco (9-3 Section 2, 14-4 overall): A mini-slump last week has done little to take the luster off the Golden Mules’ season so far. Even though they’ve lost two of three, they have already earned at least a share of first place in the section and can clinch the title outright with one more win. It will be interesting to see how they’ll fare in the league playoffs.

4. Lampeter-Strasburg (9-3 Section 3, 12-5 overall): The Pioneers have won 10 of their last 11; the only loss was a 60-50 decision to Lancaster Catholic. Though they remain deadlocked with Cocalico for first place in the section race, they get the nod here by virtue of their 66-60 overtime win over the Eagles a few weeks ago. The rematch is set for Feb. 8, and the section title could ride on the outcome. 

5. Penn Manor (8-4 Section 1, 12-6 overall): The Comets suffered a disappointing loss at McCaskey last week, which cost them their share of second place in the section and put their league playoff hopes in jeopardy. They might have to win out to have any hope at catching the Red Tornado.

THE BEST OF THE REST

1. McCaskey (9-3 Section 1, 10-8 overall): Yes, the Red Tornado is barely over .500. But they’ve gone 6-2 over their last eight games and looked very impressive on both ends in Friday’s win over Penn Manor — a game they won without leading scorer Leontae Turner, who was benched by academic issues. If they hang on and make the playoffs, they’ll be a matchup no one wants.

2. Cocalico (9-3 Section 2, 12-6 overall): The Eagles have won six in a row and are tied with L-S at the top of the section, and can clinch a playoff berth with two more wins. They get their second crack at L-S next week. 

3. Lancaster Mennonite (9-3 Section 4, 13-5 overall): The Blazers probably wish Lancaster Catholic would get the heck out of Section 4; two of their losses this season have come at the Crusaders’ hands. Still, Mennonite is a win away from clinching a league playoff berth.

4. Warwick (7-5 Section 1, 11-7 overall): The Warriors are still mathematically alive in the race for second place in the section, but they need to win their final four games and hope for a ton of help. Too bad, because they were 7-0 at one point this season but couldn’t sustain the momentum.

We’re down to the final two weeks of the Lancaster-Lebanon League’s regular season. The postseason gets underway with the start of the league playoffs on Monday, Feb. 16.

According to my calculations, one team — Lancaster Catholic — has already clinched a spot in the league tourney. Five others — Hempfield, Solanco, Lampeter-Strasburg, Cocalico and Lancaster Mennonite — can follow suit with wins tonight.

That would leave two final playoff berths up in the air — the runner-ups in Section 1 and Section 2. And those races look like they could potentially go right down to the wire.

Let’s take a look at the playoff contenders from each section, and what they have to do in their final four games to get in.

[Read more →]

We’re officially into the home stretch, and the race for eight-team Lancaster-Lebanon League playoff field is hot and heavy.

In three of the four sections, there’s a clear line between the section leaders and their runner-ups. Hempfield has a three-game edge in Section 1 with four games left to play. They’re one win away from clinching at least a tie for their second straight section title. I think we can safely pencil them in for one of the league’s playoff spots. McCaskey won its second-place showdown with Penn Manor tonight, 91-84. So the Tornado is alone in second with three games to go.

In Section 2, Solanco has already clinched at least a share of the crown, thanks to Elizabethtown’s victory over Conestoga Valley tonight. The Golden Mules can claim the title outright with a win over CV on Tuesday. The real race in Section 2 will be for second place; CV and E-town are now tied for that spot.

In Section 4, front-runner Lancaster Catholic won a rematch with runner-up Lancaster Mennonite tonight, clipping the Blazers 66-57. The Crusaders are up three games with four to play. Mennonite still has a stranglehold on second place; the Blazers are three games ahead of their nearest competitor.

That leaves us with Section 3, where Cocalico and Lampeter-Strasburg are tied in first place, three games ahead of the nearest competitor. This one could all come down to their final faceoff on Monday, Feb. 8.

By my count, five of the league’s eight playoff spots are fairly secure. The race for the other three is still ongoing. I’ll take a closer look at all of the races on Monday.

In the meantime, here’s Friday night’s roundup:

SECTION 1

Hempfield 50, Warwick 45: Zach Sheetz scored 14 points to lead three scorers in double figures as the Black Knights stayed undefeated and swept the season series from the Warriors. Christian Walck added 12 points and Mike Uehlein had 10 for Hempfield (16-0 overall, 12-0 section), which took the lead for good with a 16-10 surge in the third quarter. Vince Soto (14 points) and Hector Cruz (12) paced Warwick (11-7, 7-5).

McCaskey 91, Penn Manor 84: Playing without leading scorer Leontae Turner, the Red Tornado (10-8, 9-3) rallied behind its underclassmen to win its rematch with the Comets and take sole possession of second place. Taj Hammond and Diante Cherry scored 17 each, while Amos Clay added 16 and Calvert Gantz had 14 for McCaskey, which overcame a spectacular 36-point effort from Penn Manor’s Patrick Welsh. Jon Brooks added 15 for the Comets (12-6, 8-4).

Manheim Township 56, Cedar Crest 49: Jon Cheippor poured in 21 points and Tyler Mitchell added 10 for the Blue Streaks (8-9, 5-6), who overcame an early 10-4 deficit to win their second in a row. Tyler Reed paced Cedar Crest (9-8, 6-5) with 13 points.

SECTION 2

Solanco 53, Ephrata 43: B.J. Enck poured in 19 points to lead the way as Solanco (14-4, 9-3) toppled the Mountaineers and snapped a two-game skid. Josh Eberly added 13 and Mike Fasano had 11 for the Golden Mules. Justin Lausch paced Ephrata (5-13, 0-12)  with 11 points, while Ray Johnson and Joseph Sellers added 10 each.

Elizabethtown 56, Conestoga Valley 44: Kirby Turner scored 21 points and Lucas Jewell added 10 as the Bears (7-11, 5-7) upended the Buckskins and forced a tie for second place in the section chase. While neither team will likely be able to catch Solanco, both are still fighting it out for the section’s other league playoff berth. Travis Switzer and Robbie Cardina scored 10 each for CV (8-10, 5-7), which visits Solanco on Tuesday.

Garden Spot 60, Lebanon 40: Jevin Zimmerman poured in 19 points to lead three scorers in double figures as the Spartans (3-14, 2-10) handed the struggling Cedars another lopsided loss. Lebanon (6-11, 3-9) has lost seven straight games — with the last four losses coming by a combined total of 117 points. Kyle Thomas (18 points) paced the Cedars.

SECTION 3

Lampeter-Strasburg 58, Elco 49: Taylor Groff exploded for 26 points and Tyrone McFadden added 13 as the Pioneers kept pace with Cocalico in the tight section title race by holding off Elco. L-S (12-5, 9-3) had a 16-point lead after three quarters, but the Raiders crept closer with a 19-12 surge in the final eight minutes. Frederick Shaak led Elco (7-11, 4-8) with 12 points.

Cocalico 57, Northern Lebanon 52: Kyle Rissell scored 18 points and Earvin Johnson added 13 as the Eagles escaped a serious upset bid from Northern Lebanon and stayed tied with L-S at the top of the heap in Section 3. The Vikings, who added another close loss to their season total, squandered a 20-point effort from Tyler Reitz.

Donegal 65, Manheim Central 43: Jon Ackerman scored 15 points to lead four players in double figures as Donegal (10-8, 6-6) kept its slim league playoff hopes alive with a rout of the Barons. Austin Musser added 13, Taylor Nauman had 12 and Drake Brumfeld scored 11 for the Indians, who trail L-S and Cocalico by three games but face both teams in the stretch run. Aaron Swarr paced Central (2-16, 1-11) with 17 points.

SECTION 4

Lancaster Catholic 66, Lancaster Mennonite 57: Tyler Purvis poured in 25 points to lead the way as the Crusaders moved closer to clinching another Section 4 title by beating their top competitors for the second time. Ross Hall added 13 points and Paul Senkowski scored 11 for Catholic, which leads Mennonite by three games with four to play. The Blazers, who are three games clear of Annville-Cleona and Lebanon Catholic in second place, got 25 points from Phil Yoder and 13 from Zach Zook.

Pequea Valley 46, Annville-Cleona 43: Chad Tyson scored 12 points and Erik Hostetter and Dylan Carney added 11 each as the Braves (4-14, 3-9)  surprised the visiting Little Dutchmen. Trey Blanding led A-C (10-7, 6-6) with 17 points, while Josh Henning scored 16.

Columbia 43, Lebanon Catholic 41: Brandon Arnold scored 15 points and Tre Simms added 14 as the Crimson Tide (7-10, 5-7)  rallied in the fourth quarter to upend the Beavers. Zach Arnold scored 10 points to lead Lebanon Catholic (10-7, 6-6).

 I just got home from downtown Lancaster, and my ears are still ringing.

Earlier tonight, McCaskey and Penn Manor spent a frenzied 32 minutes exchanging haymakers as they battled for sole possession of second place in the Lancaster-Lebanon League Section 1 standings. The Red Tornado eventually prevailed, 91-84, but not before Penn Manor nearly erased a 13-point deficit in a wild two-minute span late in the fourth quarter.

Click here to read Will Welliver’s account of the game.

Trailing 80-67 with 3:02 left, the Comets put together a 9-0 surge over the next minute to clay their way back in it. Patrick Welsh, who scored a game-high 36 points for Penn Manor, ignited the run with a 3-point play, scoring on a putback and drawing a foul. Marc Summy followed with back-to-back buckets, then Keith Eshleman drilled a 3-pointer on their next trip. Suddenly, McCaskey’s big lead had evaporated to 80-77, and there was still 2:07 left.

Diante Cherry and Tyler Martin each hit one of two free throws on consecutive possessions to give McCaskey some breathing room, but Welsh struck again — sticking back a missed shot with 1:29 left and scoring another bucket 15 seconds later after a Tornado turnover. That cut McCaskey’s lead to one point, and suddenly it seemed like a miracle comeback was in the making.

But McCaskey’s Amos Clay drew back-to-back foul calls and made three of four from the line, and Calvert Gantz followed with a huge tip-in on a fast break to push the Tornado lead back up to six points with 32 seconds to go. Welsh made one more 3-pointer to cut the lead in half, but the Tornado was able to salt the game away at the foul line from there.

It was gut-check time for McCaskey, which played the game without senior guard Leontae Turner, the league’s leader scorer. Turner, who averages 21.9 points per game for the Tornado, is spending a week on the bench because of academic ineligibility.

But instead of folding, McCaskey flourished. With Turner frantically waving towels and shouting encouragement from the bench, the Tornado turned to its underclassmen to lead the way. They pressured Penn Manor from the opening tip to the final buzzer, generated more turnovers than I could keep track of and fought for their biggest win of the season.

“The coaches said earlier it was on us to step up for Leontae,” said junior Taj Hammond after the game. “This game was all about heart and desire.”

Hammond and Cherry (a freshman) were McCaskey’s top scorers with 17 points each. Clay, one of only two seniors to see playing time, added 16, and Gantz (a sophomore) had 14. Martin was forced to the sidelines for large chunks of the game due to foul trouble, but still chipped in nine points and generally made a nuisance of himself on defense.

Their efforts were enough to overcome a huge night from Welsh, who has 68 points in his two meetings with McCaskey this season. The only other double-figure scorer was Jon Brooks, who had 15.

With the victory, McCaskey has second place in Section 1 all to itself with four games left to play. That’s crucial, since only two teams from each section earn berths in the league playoffs. The Tornado visits Warwick and hosts Manheim Township next week, then closes the regular season at Cedar Crest on Feb. 8 and home against Hempfield on Feb. 10.

Penn Manor is alone in third place, a game behind the Tornado. The Comets still have a chance, because if they happen to finish tied with the Tornado in second place they would win the playoff berth thanks to an advantage in the tie-breaking criteria. Penn Manor faces the same four teams McCaskey plays down the stretch. The Comets host Township and visit Hempfield next week, then host Warwick and visit Cedar Crest in their final two games.

In a way, Friday’s game was a microcosm of McCaskey’s season. They fell behind early and had to fight hard to get back into it. They were out-rebounded by a fairly large margin. They were careless with the ball at times. And though they turned in what could have been their best defensive effort of the season, they still allowed 84 points and suffered through the occasional lapse. These are all problems McCaskey has struggled with since the season tipped off back in December.

Earlier this season, the Tornado’s youth and inexperience showed in the non-league portion of its schedule, which is always a grind. McCaskey fell to traditional District 3 powerhouses Harrisburg, York and Reading and also dropped a decision to perennial state title contender Chester. Then, early in L-L League crossover play, they were upended by Section 2 leader Solanco. They also fell to Penn Manor in their first Section 1 clash, and also fell to undefeated Hempfield just two weeks ago.

“(The season) has been a learning experience for all of us,” said Hammond. “Early in the season, we had a lot of young guys making young-guy mistakes. I think playing the kind of schedule we played helped us, even though we were struggling. It brought us together.”

Still, when McCaskey followed the Hempfield loss with a non-league loss to Octorara the next day, the Tornado’s overall record stood at 5-8. Suddenly, their District 3 playoff hopes were in jeopardy, since you need a .500 record to be eligible for a play-in game.

But Hammond said his teammates never lost hope — or confidence.

“We’re always confident in ourselves,” he said. “We knew we’d be able to come back.”

Since the Octorara game, McCaskey has won five straight. The underclassmen who were struggling to find their way early on are playing with confidence. The Tornado doesn’t have to depend solely on Turner to provide the scoring punch anymore. More importantly, they have their playoff destiny in their own hands.

All they need to do is keep winning.

“That’s what we want to do,” Hammond said. “Our goal is to stay strong and keep this going — through the league playoffs, and into Districts.”

The section crossover portion of the Lancaster-Lebanon League season concluded last night with little fanfare. Starting Friday night, teams will only have to contend with foes from their own sections.

We’re down to five games left in the regular season, and the race for the league’s eight playoff spots is still on. In three of the four sections, the real chase is for second place, as we have dominant leaders in charge. The only place where there’s still a race for the section title is in Section 3, where Lampeter-Strasburg and Cocalico remain tied at the top.

Let’s have a look at last night’s results — and their league playoff implications:

SECTION 1-2

Hempfield 63, Conestoga Valley 39: The Buckskins jumped out to an early 10-point lead and were up 29-28 at the half, but Hempfield completely blew their doors off in the third quarter, as Christian Walck scored 11 points to fuel a 20-0 run over a 6:23 span. Walck added six more points as the Black Knights started the fourth quarter with an 11-2 surge, giving Hempfield a 61-33 lead with 4:06 left. He finished with 21 points. Zach Sheetz added 12 points and Ethan Strayer had 11 for the Knights (11-0, Section 1, 15-0 overall). CV maintained sole possession of second place in Section 2 in spite of the loss, but dropped to 8-9 overall and 4-7 in the section standings. Travis Switzer led the Bucks with 10 points.

McCaskey 87, Lebanon 45: With Leontae Turner, the L-L League’s leading scorer at 21.9 points per game, sitting out this week due to academic ineligibility, the Red Tornado turned to backup guard Tyler Martin, who exploded for 18 points to spark a rout of the struggling Cedars. Taj Hammond added 13 points, Amos Clay had 11 and Aaron Swinton had 10 for McCaskey (9-8, 8-3), which remained tied with Penn Manor for second place in Section 1. The Tornado hosts the Comets on Friday night, with the winner grabbing sole possession of second place. Kyle Thomas led Lebanon with 10 points.

Penn Manor 66, Garden Spot 34: Patrick Welsh, Jon Brooks and Keith Eshleman scored eight points each to lead a balanced attack as Penn Manor buried the Spartans. The Comets (12-5, 8-3) jumped out to an 18-4 lead after one quarter and never looked back. Mark Dunn scored seven points to lead the Spartans (2-14, 1-10), who have lost four straight and 12 of their last 13.

Manheim Township 66, Solanco 52: Jon Chieppor (18 points) and Tyler Mitchell (13 points) combined to lead the way as the Blue Streaks rebounded from last Friday’s loss to Elizabethtown by upending the Section 2 leaders. Township (7-9, 5-6) jumped out to a 15-7 lead after one quarter and slammed the door with a 23-point explosion in the final eight minutes. Solanco suffered its second straight loss after winning its previous 10 in a row, but the Golden Mules (13-4, 8-3) still hold a three-game lead over Conestoga Valley in the Section 2 race. Josh Eberly scored 19 points for Solanco, while Mike Fasano added 11.

Warwick 70, Ephrata 40: Jonathan Reyard and Anthony D’Imperio scored 13 points each to lead the way as Warwick slammed the Mountaineers for its fifth win in six games. The Warriors (11-6, 7-4) remain a game behind Penn Manor and McCaskey for second place in Section 1, so their playoff hopes are still alive. Ray Johnson, who is second in the league in scoring at 20.2 points per game, managed just eight points as Ephrata (5-12, 0-11) lost its eighth straight.

Cedar Crest 48, Elizabethtown 44: Lucardy Jean-Francois scored 15 points as the Falcons defeated E-town, denying the Bears a chance to move into second place in Section 2. Cedar Crest put together a 22-11 surge in the fourth quarter to erase a seven-point deficit. Gary Gristick added 11 points for the Falcons (9-7, 6-5), while Juan Palmores had 10. E-town (6-11, 4-7) squandered a 19-point effort from Brad Garber and 11 points from Kirby Turner in the loss.

SECTIONS 3-4

Lampeter-Strasburg 68, Pequea Valley 45: Taylor Rutt poured in 18 points and Taylor Groff added 10 as the Pioneers (11-5, 8-3) surged to their seventh win in eight games and remained tied with Cocalico on top of the Section 3 standings. Dylan Carney scored 20 points in a losing effort for PV (3-14, 2-9), which lost its 11th straight.

Cocalico 56, Columbia 36: Matt Carty scored 14 points to lead the way as the Eagles won their third straight and kept pace with L-S in the Section 3 race. Kyle Rissell added 13 points and Dylan Brossman had 12 for Cocalico. Brandon Arnold (18 points) was the top scorer for Columbia (6-10, 4-7), whose modest three-game winning streak was snapped.

Lancaster Catholic 62, Donegal 33: Will Schlosser scored 12 points to lead three players in double figures as the Crusaders rebounded from Saturday’s non-league loss to Hempfield with a rout of the Indians. Tyler Purvis added 11 points and Paul Senkowski had 10 for Catholic, which maintained its two-game lead over Lancaster Mennonite in the Section 4 title chase. Josh Rudy scored 11 points to lead Donegal (9-8, 5-6), whose hopes of grabbing one of the two league playoff berths in Section 3 suffered a crippling blow. The Indians have lost four straight.

Lancaster Mennonite 72, Elco 52: Jon Lapp poured in 20 points and Phil Yoder added 15 as the Blazers stayed two games behind Lancaster Catholic in Section 4 with their eighth straight victory. Mennonite hosts the Crusaders Friday night. Frederick Shaak (13 points) and Derek Beamer (11) combined to lead Elco (7-10, 4-7).

Manheim Central 55, Lebanon Catholic 43: Josh Robeson exploded for 25 points to lead the way as the Barons surged past the Beavers, snapped a nine-game skid and earned their first L-L League victory of the season. Michael Smith added 13 points and Derek Hart had 10 for Central (2-14, 1-10). Zach Arnold scored 14 points for Lebanon Catholic (10-6, 6-5), which fell into a tie with Annville-Cleona for third place in Section 4 — three games out of second place.

Annville-Cleona 52, Northern Lebanon 48: Trey Blanding poured in 19 points and Tyler Napierala added 14 as the Little Dutchmen (10-6, 6-5) handed the Vikings another frustrating loss. Northern Lebanon (3-13, 2-9) has lost seven games by less than five points this season. Tyler Reitz scored 14 points and Ricky Duenas had 13 for the Vikes.

The T-shirts on sale in the lobby outside Hempfield’s gymnasium say it all.

The front of the black and red shirts are adorned with the Black Knights’ basketball logo. The back has a two-word slogan:

“Unfinished business.”

With the start of the postseason a little less than three weeks away, the Black Knights are already preparing for what they hope will be a deep playoff run. Thanks to last night’s 63-39 Section 1-2 crossover rout of Conestoga Valley, they maintained their three-game lead over Penn Manor and McCaskey in the Section 1 race with five games left to play. Barring a complete collapse down the stretch, their spot in the L-L League playoffs seems secure.

But simply making the playoffs isn’t enough for Hempfield this year. The Knights are hoping to erase the sting of last season’s disappointing finish, when they upset by CV in the L-L League semifinals and knocked out of the District 3 Class AAAA playoffs in the first round by Red Land. Sure, Hempfield went 21-3 last year, but the way they finished left a bad taste in their mouths.

“There are definitely mixed emotions about last year,” said Hempfield coach Warren Goodling last night. “There were lots of positive things — 21 wins is nothing to be down about — but the way things ended is certainly in the back of our minds.”

Senior Christian Walck, the Knights’ leading scorer, is more direct.

“(Doing well in the playoffs) is a huge deal for us,” he said. “Especially after the way last season ended. We want to get through Leagues, make a big run in Districts and get into States.”

Last night’s rout of CV was part of that preparation process for the Knights. In spite of the lopsided final score, Hempfield had a fight on its hands in the first half. The Buckskins, who are fighting for their playoff lives in Section 2, seemed to catch the Knights off guard with a fast start and jumped out to an early 13-3 lead.

But Hempfield didn’t panic. After Goodling called a time out with 2:56 left in the first quarter, the Knights calmly began extracating themselves from the hole they had dug. They got the margin down to 29-28 at halftime, and only a defensive breakdown as time expired allowed CV to keep that lead. Travis Switzer got open underneath and drew a foul as the buzzer sounded, then sank both free throws to give the Bucks the edge.

“I think the key tonight was that we didn’t panic when we got down early,” Goodling said. “We were ecstatic to only be down one at the break. When you get down early, you have two options: You can totally go into the tank, or you can dig your way out. The fact that we took the second option is a sign of our experience.”

The second half was all Hempfield — and all Walck.

Trailing 31-30 with 7:01 left in the third quarter, the Knights rode a wave of momentum generated by their leading scorer. Walck scored 11 points to ignite a spectacular 22-0 run over the next seven minutes as Hempfield turned a one-point deficit into a 21-point lead. By the time Walck ended the run with a one-handed breakaway dunk — his second jam of the night — the Knights held a 52-31 lead early in the fourth quarter. He added four more points before Goodling pulled the starters with four minutes to go, his team up 61-33.

CV managed just four field goals and 10 points in the second half.

Afterward, Walck admitted the Knights had revenge on their minds. It was CV that knocked them out of the league playoffs with a 51-45 upset in the semifinals. The Buckskins went on to beat Elizabethtown in overtime to capture the league crown.

While several starters from last year graduated for CV, there were still enough holdovers for Hempfield to want to send a message.

That might have been part of the problem for the Knights early on.

“I think we came out trying to get up 20 points on one possession,” said Walck. “All day long, we were getting calls and texts from people reminding us of what happened last year. Revenge was definitely on our minds. We just had to calm down and play our game.”

The Knights never recovered from last year’s loss to CV. One week later, they were no match for Red Land in the first round of the District 3 playoffs, falling 54-35. The early exit did little for the district-wide reputation of the L-L League in general and Hempfield in particular.

When it comes to the marquee classifications — Class AAAA and Class AAA — the L-L League is regarded as soft by fans of Mid-Penn, Berks County and York County basketball. The last L-L League team to win a Class AAAA title was McCaskey in 2002. The last Class AAA team to capture one was Lancaster Catholic in 2003.

Hempfield hasn’t won a district playoff game since 2001 and has never won a state playoff game in Goodling’s 26 seasons.

Those numbers weigh heavily on Walck.

“We want to do well in the playoffs this year,” he said. “Not just for us as a team, but for the league. Everybody says ‘Oh, Hempfield’s soft’ and that the L-L League is soft. To get into the playoffs and make some noise would be huge.

“Not only do we want to do it for us, but we want to do it for Coach Goodling. We’d love to win a district title for him — that’s the one piece he’s missing. I’m holding it on myself to get us to the next level.”

Can they do it?

This year’s team appears to be the most talented group Goodling has assembled in at least a decade. With Walck and fellow guards Zach Sheetz and Mark Enoch raining down 3-pointers from the perimeter and forwards Taylor McDuffie and Mike Uehlein banging around underneath, the Knights can play a variety of styles. And they’ve got good depth with guys like Lee Eckert, Joey Farthing and Ethan Strayer coming off the bench.

“This team can play,” said Walck. “We can go small and quick, or we can pound it inside — and we’re comfortable with either. Ever since we lost to Red Land last year, it’s been ‘no blood, no foul’ at practice. We really go at each other. We’re not afraid to be physical.

“Everybody is bonding well. We all know our roles and what’s expected of us. We’ve been growing together all season, and we’re getting ready to take it to the next level.”

Where they hope to take care of that unfinished business.

In all honesty, Tuesday night’s games are kind of blah this week. Not much to get excited about.

The best of the bunch is probably the Section 1-2 crossover between Hempfield and Conestoga Valley, but only because it’s a revenge game for the Knights. Last year, Hempfield put together a perfect 16-0 record in L-L League regular-season play, but got upset by CV in the semifinals. A rematch sounds good on paper, but CV isn’t the same team that won the league title last season. The Buckskins are 8-8 overall and are barely clinging to second place in Section 2, three games behind Solanco.

That takes us to Friday’s docket, which marks the return to straight section play. There are some good matchups there. Let’s take a look at the two top choices:

SECTION 1

Penn Manor (11-5, 7-3) at McCaskey (8-8, 7-3):The winner of this one gets sole possession of second place in Section 1 with two weeks left in the regular season. Since only two teams from each section make the playoffs, that’s big. Penn Manor won the first meeting 80-64 earlier this month, but has been struggling recently. The Comets are 3-3 in their last six games. McCaskey has gone 4-2 during the same span.

SECTION 4

Lancaster Catholic (13-3, 10-0) at Lancaster Mennonite (12-4, 8-2): If the Blazers are going to have any shot at catching Catholic in the section title chase, they absolutely have to get a ‘W’ here. Good luck with that; the Crusaders won the first meeting 53-33 back on Jan. 5, and have been steadily improving since. But Mennonite’s no slouch, either; the Blazers have won seven straight since they met the Crusaders and will be gunning for vengeance in the rematch.

We’re down to three weeks left in the regular season, and the real contenders are starting to separate themselves.

Picking the league’s No. 1 team has been easy this season — just pencil in Hempfield. The Knights maintained their lofty perch in the Court Report’s highly unscientific poll this week after going 3-0 in the last seven days, winning a pair of Section 1-2 crossover games and knocking off Lancaster Catholic in a non-league clash on Saturday.

Here’s the poll.

THE TOP FIVE

1. Hempfield (16-0 overall, 10-0 Section 1): The Knights are clearly the class of the Lancaster-Lebanon League this season and are roaring full steam ahead into the playoffs. With three good guards and a handful of guys who can dominate inside, they’re a tough matchup for anyone in the league. Soon we’ll see how they fare against the rest of District 3.

2. Lancaster Catholic (13-3 overall, 10-0 Section 4): The Crusaders’ 49-40 loss to Hempfield Saturday is nothing to get down about. They pushed the Knights hard before succumbing. If Ross Hall can provide an inside presence to compliment their stellar guard play, look out.

3. Solanco (13-3 overall, 8-2 Section 2): The Golden Mules saw their 10-game winning streak end at the hands of Daniel Boone on Saturday, but they picked up impressive crossover wins vs. Warwick and Penn Manor prior to that. With a three-game lead in the section race, you can almost pencil them into the league playoffs.

4. Penn Manor (11-5 overall, 7-3 Section 1): The Comets are 3-3 in their last six games, with losses to Hempfield, Warwick and Solanco. Now they find themselves locked in a second-place tie with McCaskey, whom they visit Friday. Time to get it back together, Comets.

5. Lancaster Mennonite (12-4 overall, 8-2 Section 4): Blazers’ six-game win streak was ended by York Catholic on Saturday. EDITED FOR CORRECTION: Oops. I had my game results transposed. Mennonite actually beat York Catholic on Saturday. Their winning streak stands at seven games. Sorry to all for my mistake.

THE BEST OF THE REST:Lampeter-Strasburg (10-5 overall, 7-3 Section 3): The Pioneers gave Lancaster Catholic a tough run on Tuesday before falling, then survived an upset bid at Annville-Cleona. They’re tied with Cocalico for first place in the section race, but L-S needs to keep it going.

Cocalico (10-6 overall, 7-3 Section 3): Eagles are tied with L-S for first place and have won three of four.

McCaskey (8-8 overall, 7-3 Section 1): Red Tornado has won three straight and fought its way back into the league playoff picture.

Warwick (10-6 overall, 6-4 Section 1):Warriors nearly pulled off a miracle comeback vs. Solanco last week, then stomped Lebanon. They’re 4-1 in their last five games.

Lebanon Catholic (10-5 overall, 6-4 Section 4): Beavers have won three straight games by a total of seven points, including a pair of one-point crossover wins last week.