Umm…about that live blog at was supposed to happen tonight…

About midway through the third quarter of tonight’s District 3 Class AA final between Lancaster Mennonite and Trinity, I began wondering why no one was commenting. So I checked the LancSports.com main page to be sure the link to the blog was active…and discovered it wasn’t.

Oops.

So my profound apologies to those who visited the site tonight to view the live blog. Errors like this drive me crazy, and as an added bonus, this one was totally my fault — because I’m the one who set up the link incorrectly.

For the record, Trinity defeated the Blazers 77-65. Be sure to pick up a copy of the Intell/New Era tomorrow to read Ed Gruver’s account of the game (which will almost certainly appear, unlike my live blog).

I’ll be back tomorrow with my live blog of the Hempfield-Reading clash in the District 3 Class AAAA championship game (trust me — I’ve triple-checked the link). Coverage will begin at 12:45 p.m. You can access it by visiting our main page or clicking here.

Two words: Instant classic.

Thursday night’s District 3 Class AAA championship between Lancaster Catholic and Eastern York will not be soon forgotten by those fortunate enough to be in the Giant Center to witness it.

That the Golden Knights won, 55-53, on a short jumper by Nate Bollinger with 2.7 seconds left is almost irrelevant. Both teams turned in a tremendous effort. As the old saying goes, it’s a shame somebody had to lose. Catholic, which showed incredible heart and determination in fighting back from an early 16-point deficit to grab the lead in the fourth quarter, certainly deserved a better fate. They had the game in their hands late, but Eastern — to its credit — found a way to win.

The Knights (28-0) were expected to cruise in this one. A championship seemed almost inevitable. And when they came out of the gate on fire, nailing 10 of their first 13 shots on their way to a commanding 23-7 lead after one quarter, it looked like Catholic was going to be the latest team with Eastern’s footprints on its back. Eastern’s star players — Andrew Nicholas and Austin Tillotson — were draining 3-pointers at will. Nicholas, the 6-6 Rutgers prospect, was hitting from beyond NBA length. Catholic looked a little shell-shocked by the time the first buzzer sounded.

But anyone who watched the Crusaders’ run through Districts had to know they weren’t through. Catholic had made a habit out of slaying giants during this playoff run, and they did it by refusing to wilt under pressure.

“Eastern is a great team, and I told our kids they can make some dynamic runs,” Crusaders coach Joe Klazas told reporters after the game. “I told the kids to just keep doing what you’re doing, that eventually the shots will stop falling.”

Klazas was correct. In the second quarter, Eastern’s shooters cooled off. And Catholic’s Tyler Purvis got hot. The 6-3 guard poured in 12 of his game-high 25 points in the second as the Crusaders scrapped their way back to within 10 points. Nicholas, who looked unstoppable in the first quarter, suddenly appeared to be human. He air-balled a pair of 3-pointers and blew a breakaway dunk attempt in the second quarter alone. By the time the teams headed into the locker room for the halftime break, Eastern’s lead was down to 37-27, and the momentum had swung to the Crusaders’ side.

“I looked at my assistants (during Catholic’s second-quarter rally) and said, ‘This won’t be this easy,’” Eastern coach Larry Fisher said. “They’re too good rebounding the ball, and Purvis is just too good.”

Catholic (22-5) continued its comeback in the third quarter, as Purvis poured in eight more points to help fuel a 21-8 surge. Suddenly, the Crusaders were in front, 48-45 as the game entered the final quarter, and it was safe to wonder how Eastern — which won 26 of its previous 27 games by double-figure margins — would react in crunch time.

The Knights provided an answer in the game’s final moments. Role players Ryky Smith and Devon Zimmerman came up big down the stretch — Smith hitting a big 3-pointer to give Eastern a brief lead early in the quarter, and Zimmerman scoring on a steal and a layup to tie the game at 53 with three minutes to go.

What likely kept Catholic’s players and coaches awake last night was how the closing moments of the game unfolded. The Crusaders could padded their lead midway through the quarter, but Phil Wenger missed the front end of a one-and-one with 4:29 left, and Ross Hall only managed to go one-for-two from the line a few seconds later. Instead of leading by five points, Catholic was only up two. Zimmerman’s late bucket then tied the game.

The second miscue came with the score still tied and 1:03 left on the clock. Catholic had to inbound the ball in its own end, but couldn’t get a pass off. Before the Crusaders could call time out, they were whistled for a five-second violation and turned the ball over to Eastern.

The Knights held for the last shot, eventually getting it to Bollinger for the game-winner — a mid-range jumper from just inside the foul line that seemed to hang on the rim forever before dropping in.

Catholic called time out and managed one last gasp, but Schlosser’s 3-point attempt from just over the half-court line was just short as the buzzer sounded, sending Eastern’s fans into a frenzy.

It was the first district title in 21 years for the Knights, who move on to the state playoffs after passing a big test of their mettle.

“We hadn’t had to play the last second, and I didn’t know how it was going to turn out,” Fisher admitted afterward.

Now he knows. The Knights were finally challenged by a team late in the game, and they handled the pressure well. Certainly better than some of their fans did. Newsflash, Knights supporters: When you play the kind of pressing, trapping defense your team is famous for and your opponent doesn’t, the foul calls probably won’t go in your favor. So pleading with the officials to “even up the calls” is pointless.

But this game also proved that Eastern has some flaws. The Knights seemed a little to eager to fire away from 3-point range, even as the shots stopped falling. And while their defense was effective at times, there were stretches where they got too nonchalant — especially when it came to guarding Purvis, who was able to score at will in the second quarter. If they want to make a deep run into States, the Knights have some issues to address.

Catholic had already proved itself before the district final, having dispatched heavy favorites Hershey and Steel-High to get there. But the Crusaders showed once again that they will not back down from any opponent — and can play with just about anyone. In addition to Purvis’ spectacular effort — he eclipsed the 1,000-point mark for his career in the first half — Catholic got 10 points and 12 rebounds from Hall and 11 points from Wenger.

The Crusaders will face the third-place finisher out of District 1 — either Octorara (19-5) or Pottsgrove (17-9) — in the first round of the state playoffs, which begin next Friday at a site and time to be determined.

Elsewhere in Districts Thursday night:

Red Land 67, Warwick 50: Steve Zack scored a game-high 25 points and Max Flourney added 10 as the Patriots (24-5) knocked off Warwick to claim fifth place in the Quad-A bracket. Red Land built a 40-27 lead at halftime and cruised from there. Vince Soto poured in 19 points to lead the Warriors (17-10), who still move on to the state playoffs. Warwick will face the winner of the District 2/4 subregional – either Scranton (19-6) or Hazleton (19-4) – in the first round of the state playoffs next Saturday at a site and time to be determined.

Penn Manor 64, Daniel Boone 54: Patrick Welsh scored 16 points to lead four players in double figures as the Comets clinched the final berth in the Quad-A state playoffs with a triumph in the seventh-place game. Penn Manor took the lead for good with a 14-7 surge in the first quarter and held on from there. LaRonn Lee added 14 points for the Comets (17-10), while Sam Cornell had 11 and Jon Brooks had 10. Penn Manor will face the District 1 champion — either Plymouth-Whitemarsh (25-1) or Penn Wood (22-3) — in the first round of the state playoffs next Saturday at a site and time to be determined. Plymouth-Whitemarsh is the top-ranked team in the state in the latest Patriot-News poll, while Penn Wood is No. 2.

Wilson 59, York 57: Sam Marella got a crucial steal and layup in the final minute to put Wilson ahead by a point, and the Bulldogs held on for a victory in the Quad-A third-place game at Manheim Township. Jerome Good led Wilson with a career-high 22 points, while Tyler Beck added 11. The Bulldogs (24-4) draw the fifth-place finisher out of District 1 in the state playoffs next Saturday, while York (23-6) will get the third-place team from District 1.

Steel-High 72, East Pennsboro 64: Jermell Fleming scored 20 points to lead the way as the Rollers rebounded to claim third place in the District 3 Class AAA tournament with a victory over the Panthers. Ryan Hill added 16 and Jeff Davis had 15 for Steel-High (20-8), which will face the District 2 runner-up — either Holy Redeemer (23-2) or Abington Heights (26-2) — in the first round of the PIAA playoffs next Friday. East Pennsboro (20-7) draws the winner of the Holy Redeemer-Abington Heights title game.

Susquehanna Township 64, York Suburban 29: A.J. Dean poured in 18 points and Tahj Turner added 10 for Hanna, which romped past Suburban to claim fifth place in Class AAA. Township took control in the third quarter by outscoring Suburban 24-9. Hanna draws the District 12 (Philadelphia Public/Catholic League) champion — either Dobbins Tech (16-7) or Simon Gratz (20-5) in the first round of States. Suburban gets the winner of the District 5/6 subregional — Huntington (15-10) or Johnstown (21-3) in the first round.

Lebanon Catholic 56, Millersburg 54: Zack Arnold and Nick Fortna scored 24 points each to lead the way as the Beavers claimed third place in the Class A playoffs with a nail-biting victory in overtime. The Beavers (15-11) trailed by five points heading into the fourth quarter, but rallied to tie the game and force the extra session. They then outscored Millersburg 8-6 to pull out the victory. Lebanon Catholic will face the District 6 runner-up — either Homer Center (20-6) or Conemaugh Valley (21-3) in the first round of the state playoffs next Saturday.

   

By all accounts, this has been a successful District 3 playoff run for the Lancaster-Lebanon League. An unprecedented success, actually.

On Wednesday night, Lancaster Mennonite became the third L-L League team to reach the District 3 finals with its 68-57 triumph over Delone Catholic in the Class AA semifinals in Hershey’s Giant Center (click here to read Joel Schreiner’s account of the game). The Blazers will return to the big barn to take on perennial district powerhouse Trinity in the championship game Friday at 6:45. Trinity, which is seeking its 11th district crown since 1991, defeated Hanover 62-39 in Wednesday’s other semi.

Mennonite (19-6) joins reigning L-L League champion Hempfield and Section 4 nemesis Lancaster Catholic in the district championship. Catholic, which edged out Mennonite for the Section 4 crown, will take on undefeated titan Eastern York in the Class AAA title game tonight at 7 in the Giant Center (cheap plug alert: click heretonight at 6:45 to visit my live blog). Hempfield, the district’s other undefeated team, faces Reading for the Class AAAA crown on Saturday at 1 p.m. (Cheap plug #2: I’ll be blogging from that one as well, but the link’s not up yet).

It’s believed to be the first time that three L-L League boys teams have made the district finals in the same season. No one I’ve spoken to can remember it happening before, and a quick search of newspaper records yesterday revealed no evidence of it. There have been three times since the year 2000 that two L-L League boys teams have gotten there: McCaskey and Lampeter-Strasburg both won titles in 2000, McCaskey and Lebanon Catholic got there in 2002 (the Tornado won, the Beavers lost), and McCaskey and Lancaster Catholic made it in 2003 (Catholic won, McCaskey lost).

Of course, the title games aren’t all blue skies and rainbows for the three local finalists. Two of the three — Catholic and Mennonite — will be considered underdogs in their respective championships. And Hempfield vs. Reading is probably a 50-50 proposition.

Catholic (22-4) will have the tallest order, trying to find a way to slow down Eastern York and its star player, junior Andrew Nicholas. The 6-6 guard/forward is averaging 26.6 points per game in the district tournament, and finding an answer for him will be the Crusaders’ No. 1 priority. But Catholic can’t concentrate solely on Nicholas, because junior guard Austin Tillotson (19.6 points per game in Districts) is capable of taking over a game as well. Oh, yeah — and senior Nate Bollinger (12.6 per game in Districts), a Spring Grove transfer, is a reliable third option who also can’t be ignored. The Golden Knights (27-0) are ranked fourth in this week’s state poll, and the ranking has merit. They’re legitimate title contenders.

So Catholic is exactly what it wants to be — the underdog. It’s a position the Crusaders are used to occupying. They’ve made beating the odds a habit in this year’s tournament, knocking off favored Mid-Penn champion Hershey 52-46 in the quarterfinals and hammering perennial district powerhouse Steel-High 62-44 in the semifinals. Their victory over Hershey was a stunner, and perhaps should have earned them a bit more respect heading into the Steel-High clash. But most observers still expected the Rollers to prevail. Wrong again.

Now Catholic heads into the finals against a dangerous team that has already received a wakeup call. Eastern actually trailed East Pennsboro by seven points at halftime in the semifinals before exploding in the second half to turn the game into a rout. If nothing else, East Pennsboro proved that it’s possible to slow Eastern down — for a half, at least. Catholic will have to turn in its best effort for the full 32 minutes.

Meanwhile, Mennonite will also be an underdog against Trinity, even though the Blazers are the top seed in the AA bracket. The Shamrocks are not quite the powerhouse we’re used to seeing at this stage — they’re filled with underclassmen, and their 16-7 record is far less impressive than they’re accustomed to. Trinity lost to short-handed Lancaster Catholic in its season opener, even though the Crusaders’ Tyler Purvis was still playing football at the time. But the Shamrocks have won nine of their last 11 games and looked impressive in their win over Hanover in the semifinals.

Still, the Blazers won’t be huge underdogs here. Part of the reason Trinity is expected to win — by some, at least — is that the Shamrocks’ regular-season schedule was supposedly tougher than Mennonite’s. The ‘Rocks play in the powerful Mid-Penn conference, after all. That’s usually good for extra points among mid-state observers, because the Mid-Penn is a much tougher conference than everyone else’s. Wait…what’s that? The Mid-Penn champs got smoked by a team that didn’t even make it out of the first round of the L-L League tournament? And Trinity’s the only Mid-Penn team to make a district final this year?

Nevermind.

Hempfield (27-0) and Reading (26-2) will square off Saturday in a battle of champions. Reading won the Berks League title and is riding a 22-game winning streak into the finals. That makes them the hottest team in the AAAA tournament — besides Hempfield, that is. Led by Siena-bound guard Trenity Burdine (17.7 points per game). A talented, athletic scorer, Burdine is the Red Knights’ No. 1 option, but he’s far from the only player to worry about. Yamil Echavarria (9.3 ppg), Xavier Mumford (8.4 ppg) and Taeshaun Huffman (7.2 ppg) are reliable scorers as well. Reading loves to turn on the pressure, force turnovers and run the floor.

The Black Knights will counter with a balanced attack paced by guards Christian Walck (17.5 ppg) and Zach Sheetz (11.6 ppg) and forwards Taylor McDuffie (13.3 ppg) and Mike Uehlein (9.0 ppg). Walck is the main piston in the engine, but the big men are a huge factor – especially the 6-6, 190-pound Uehlein, who has really turned it on in the postseason. Hempfield is talented, deep and unflappable. This is the Black Knights’ best team in a decade and coach Warren Goodling’s best chance at winning the district title that has eluded him.

No matter what results the next three days bring, the L-L League made a great showing in the district tournament — hopefully shelving, at least for a year or so, the perception that it is weaker than its mid-state neighbors. Kudos to the teams involved.

It seems sort of funny now, all that talk about Hempfield’s inability to win a district playoff game.

That’s all you heard as the District 3 Class AAAA playoffs approached. But the Black Knights sure look like they’re getting used to playoff success.

Tuesday night, they took another giant step forward in Hershey’s Giant Center, putting together an impressive all-around performance in their 69-53 triumph over York in the Class AAAA semifinals.

It was the 27th consecutive victory for the Knights, one of two undefeated teams in District 3 (Eastern York, the other unbeaten, puts its record on the line against Lancaster Catholic in the Class AAA final Thursday night). Hempfield moved on to the AAAA championship game, where it will face reigning Berks League champion Reading (26-2) on Saturday at 1 p.m. in the Giant Center. The Red Knights survived an upset bid from Berks rival Wilson on Tuesday, hanging on for a 34-33 victory.

Prior to the start of the tournament, Reading was perceived to be the favorite — even though the Red Knights were the No. 3 seed. With two district crowns in their trophy case since the 2004 season, they had a more proven track record in the playoffs than top-seeded Hempfield, which hadn’t won a district playoff game since 2001.

In addition, the Black Knights weren’t playing their best basketball the week before Districts. Sure, they won the L-L League crown, but they struggled in all three games. They had to rally from 10 points down to beat a Cocalico team running on fumes in the final. And, of course, the L-L League was a weak league anyway — or so the conventional wisdom said.

This year’s district tournament has rendered those arguments moot. And now you have to wonder if Reading really will be the favorite in Saturday’s title game.

Hempfield has turned it on at the right time, defeating three teams in impressive fashion. The Black Knights routed Central Dauphin 71-40 in the first round and knocked off L-L League rival Penn Manor 60-54 in the quarterfinals.

But Tuesday night’s semifinal victory over York was their best effort yet. Led by 21 points from guard Christian Walck and a combined 35 from big men Mike Uehlein and Taylor McDuffie, the Black Knights took control of the game early and never relented. York had no answer for Uehlein and McDuffie, who dominated the game. And their full-court pressure was only marginally successful in slowing down the Knights.

Hempfield led 35-24 at halftime and was in total control until midway through the fourth quarter, when York rallied to cut the margin down to eight.

But the Bearcats self-destructed when a foul call didn’t go their way. Coach Troy Sowers was assessed a technical foul for arguing, and the Knights converted all four free throws — two by Uehlein (who was fouled by Kelvin Parker, triggering Sowers’ outburst) and two by Walck. The free throws boosted Hempfield’s lead back up to 12, and York never recovered.

Hempfield returns to the finals for the first time since 1999, when they were mugged by Harrisburg, 56-39. Interestingly, that year’s version of the Knights was also undefeated going into the district final.

Reading, meanwhile, had its hands full with Wilson in the semifinals. It was the third meeting between the Red Knights and their Berks County neighbors, who had lost two regular-season games to Reading and were out for revenge. And much like Hempfield did in its quarterfinal clash with Section 1 foe Penn Manor, Reading struggled against its bitter rival.

Wilson trailed by as many as 12 points late in the third quarter, but staged a fierce rally in the final eight minutes and nearly drew even. They trailed by two points with 15 seconds left and had Tyler Beck on the foul line with a chance to tie the score. Beck hit one of two shots, but grabbed his own rebound after missing the second and called time with 12.1 seconds to go.

It looked like the ‘Dawgs were going to complete the comeback, but they never got off another shot. Reading made two big defensive plays down the stretch. The Red Knights’ Delvon Brown stripped a driving Beck, and Trenity Burdine dove to recover the ball, passing it to Brown from his stomach. Brown was fouled, but missed the front end of a 1-and-1. Wilson rebounded and called time with 2.1 seconds to go.

But Burdine struck again when action resumed, stepping in front of Wilson’s inbounds pass and grabbing the ball. Time ran out, and Reading escaped.

Reading is a very good basketball team. The Red Knights have won 23 in a row since suffering back-to-back losses to Exeter and Chester in late December. With Burdine, a Siena prospect, leading a strong cast of characters, they will be a tough foe for Hempfield in the final.

But the Red Knights are far from unbeatable. Not with the way Hempfield is playing these days. The Black Knights I saw last night can play with just about anyone.

And that argument about how weak the L-L League is? Check out the District 3 brackets. Hempfield and Lancaster Catholic are in the AAAA and AAA finals, respectively. They have both made impressive victories look almost routine.

And if Lancaster Mennonite can defeat Delone Catholic in tonight’s AA semifinal, the Blazers will join their L-L League neighbors in the championship game. A quick search of  our newspaper records indicates that having three boys teams in the district finals would be an unprecedented event for the L-L League.

McCaskey and Lampeter-Strasburg both won titles in 2002, and the league has had two teams playing for titles two other times — in 2000 and 2003. But it’s never had three in the finals at the same time.

So let’s put that “L-L League is weak” argument to bed … at least for this year.

Hempfield will need its best effort to beat the Red Knights. Before the playoffs began, many people probably would have said that even Hempfield’s best effort wouldn’t get the job done. But the Black Knights have changed people’s minds. Now all they have to do is finish the job.

Elsewhere in the AAAA playoffs Tuesday night:

Warwick 68, Daniel Boone 58: Vince Soto poured in 16 points to lead four players in double figures as the Warriors bounced back from their quarterfinal loss to Wilson with a victory over Daniel Boone in a consolation game. Warwick trailed 47-46 heading into the final quarter, but outscored Boone 22-11 to put the game away and clinch a berth in the upcoming PIAA playoffs. Hector Cruz added 15 points for the Warriors, while Deron Thompson had 13 and Tim Heckman had 12.

Warwick (17-9) will face Red Land (23-5) in the fifth-place game on Thursday at a site and time to be determined. The Patriots defeated Penn Manor in a consolation game Tuesday night.

Red Land 44, Penn Manor 37: Steve Zack scored 19 points and guard Nick Diller made a series of key defensive plays in the final minute as Red Land survived a slugfest with the Comets and clinched a berth in the state playoffs. Patrick Welsh scored 13 points and Dan Elliott had 13 for Penn Manor, which rallied to grab a 37-35 lead with 3:12 remaining, but couldn’t hold on. Mike Zangari’s driving layup with 1:12 to go put Red Land in front for good, and the Patriots put the game away at the free throw line.

The Comets (16-10) can still earn a berth in States, but they must defeat Daniel Boone in the seventh-place game on Thursday at a site and time to be determined.

 Maybe now people will start taking Lancaster Catholic seriously. I’m including myself in that company.

If the Crusaders haven’t proven themselves by now, I’m not sure what else they can do. Catholic continued its surge through the District 3 Class AAA playoffs with a rout of perennial Mid-Penn superpower Steel-High in Monday night’s semifinals in Hershey’s Giant Center. Led by a game-high 19 points from Paul Senkowski, the Crusaders rolled the Rollers 62-44.

It was the second straight impressive win over a favored Mid-Penn team for Catholic, which defeated Mid-Penn champ Hershey 52-46 in the quarterfinals last Friday. No one expected them to beat the Trojans, who had three players who stood taller than 6-6. But Catholic had a sound defensive game plan, and its balanced scoring attack carried the day.

Then came the leadup to the Steel-High game. And no one expected Catholic to be able to hold off the Rollers, who appeared to be peaking at the right time following their 55-47 triumph over Susquehanna Township in the quarterfinals. Conventional wisdom suggested that Steel-High’s perceived advantages in speed and size would be too much for the Crusaders to overcome.

Wrong again.

While Catholic trailed by three points at halftime, no one in its locker room was discouraged. The Crusaders simply didn’t shoot the ball well in the first half, hitting just seven of 22 from the floor. Defensively, they were dictating the pace of the game. And the Rollers’ shots weren’t falling, either.

When Senkowski came out red-hot in the second half, the script quickly changed. The 6-2 junior nailed four 3-pointers during a 23-6 third-quarter explosion that put Catholic in front for good. Senkowski scored 14 of his points after the break to lead four Crusaders in double figures. Phil Wenger added 17, while Tyler Purvis and Ross Hall — who turned in another fantastic effort in the paint — had 12 each.

Once again, the underdog Crusaders proved their doubters wrong. You get the sense that it’s becoming a habit — one the players enjoy.

“We love it,” said Wenger. “I don’t know if people will ever respect us, but we’re still here.”

“Everyone counts us out,” agreed Purvis. “Nobody gave us a chance against Hershey, and no one expected us to win tonight. But we’re playing well. As I’ve said before, there’s no pressure on you when you’re the underdog. We just show up and play.”

Well, here’s some great news for the Crusaders: They’ll be underdogs again in Thursday night’s title game, which will tip off at 8 p.m. in Hershey (Cheap plug: I’ll be blogging live from the game). Catholic will go up against undefeated top seed Eastern York (27-0), which erased a five-point halftime deficit and crushed East Pennsboro 66-52 in Monday’s other semifinal. The Golden Knights erupted for 31 points in the third quarter alone, led by a game-high 28 from 6-6 forward Andrew Nicholas, one of two junior Division I prospects on the team. The other, guard Austin Tillotson, shook off a cold first half to finish with 17. Nate Bollinger, the Knights’ No. 3 scorer, added 14 more.

Eastern has defeated 26 of its 27 opponents by double digits. The only team to stay within 10 of them is District 3 Class AAAA semifinalist York, which fell 62-55 in the YAIAA title game two weeks ago. The Knights love to use their pressing, trapping defense to generate turnovers and unleash their potent fast break.

Sounds a lot like Catholic, which also adheres to a “defense creates offense” philosophy.

“They’re obviously a very good team,” said Wenger. “They’ve got two really good players. I know people will just expect them to win. They weren’t expecting to see us in the final — after they won (over Susquehanna Township) the other night, their big guy was talking about seeing Steel-High.”

But if Eastern falls into the same trap that Hershey and Steel-High did and overlooks the Crusaders, it could be in trouble. East Pennsboro proved that it’s possible to disrupt the Knights’ offense for one half — they just couldn’t sustain it through four quarters. To have any chance, Catholic will have to play its best for a full 32 minutes.

“They’re very balanced, just like us,” said Catholic coach Joe Klazas of Eastern. “They play good defense, they shoot the ball well — they do a lot of really good things. We’re going look at film, get as much information on them as we can and try to come up with a good game plan to give us a chance to win.”

In Class AA on Monday:

Lancaster Mennonite 70, Upper Dauphin 46: Dean Royal (20 points) and Phil Yoder (15) combined to lead the way as the Blazers romped past Upper Dauphin and punched its ticket to the semifinals, where they will face Delone Catholic. Mennonite (18-6)  took control for good with a 22-7 surge in the second quarter to build a 40-19 lead at the break.

The Blazers will face Delone (15-8) on Wednesday at 7 p.m. in the Giant Center. Delone knocked off Bishop McDevitt 58-50 in the quarterfinals. In Wednesday’s other semifinal, Trinity (15-7) will take on Hanover (17-5). The championship game is set for Friday at 6:45 in the Giant Center.

In Class A:

Greenwood 48, Lebanon Catholic 33: Jordann Ferguson poured in 19 points to lead the way as the defending district champs defeated the Beavers in the semifinals. Cameron Hinkel added 12 points and Zach Fortenbaugh had 10 for Greenwood (23-2), which advances to the title game. The Wildcats will take on top-seeded Reading Central Catholic (25-1), which crushed Millersburg 60-31 in the other semifinal. The Class A title game will be held Friday at 5 p.m. in the Giant Center.

Lebanon Catholic (14-11) will face Millersburg (18-7) in a consolation game on Thursday. The site and time has yet to be determined. The Beavers have already clinched a state-playoff berth.

 

To hear the Mid-Penn followers tell it, this is the biggest upset since a plucky underdog named David took out the heavily favored Goliath in their one-on-one matchup (see artist’s rendering, above. Thanks, Google Images).

Come to think of it, that one involved a giant getting toppled, too.

Lancaster Catholic pulled off the stunner of the District 3 Class AAA tournament with Friday night’s 52-46 victory over Hershey in the Giant Center. Led by 17 points from Tyler Purvis, 16 points from Will Schlosser and a gutty effort underneath by out-sized forward Ross Hall, the Crusaders shocked the Mid-Penn champs and their massive frontcourt.

No one expected this outcome. No one outside of Catholic’s locker room, that is.

“We felt like we had a chance to win,” said Catholic coach Joe Klazas. “We told the kids that they deserved to be here and deserved to win. This is the third straight year we’ve been at this point, and we hadn’t won one yet. We told them not to be satisfied with just getting here — be here to win.”

The Crusaders took his advice to heart. That, and one other thing.

“The (Harrisburg Patriot-News) said (in its game preview) that our size would be a big disadvantage — that there were too many one-on-one matchups we’d lose,” said Klazas. “We took that to heart, because we felt that we had some advantages they didn’t have — we had more strength inside, better speed and good shooters.”

In the interest of full disclosure, I didn’t think Catholic had a shot in this one, either. It’s hard to blame the experts for getting it wrong. All you have to do is look at the size of Hershey’s big guys — 6-9 center Scott Eatherton, 6-8 forward forward Matt Banas and 6-6 forward Joe Gunkel — and then look at Catholic’s lineup, where the tallest starter is Hall, at 6-4.

Hershey claimed the Mid-Penn title by outlasting Red Land, then knocked off Milton Hershey by 22 points in the first round of Districts, where they were the second seed. They were expected to see top-seeded Eastern York in the finals.

Then there was Catholic, which was ousted from the Lancaster-Lebanon League playoffs in the first round. If the Crusaders couldn’t even win a title in their supposedly weak league, how were they going to compete with the Mid-Penn’s top dogs?

But Catholic proved everybody wrong. Using a combination of great team defense, a patient, methodical approach on offense and simple grit and determination, the Crusaders withstood an early barrage by the Trojans to grab a 22-17 lead at the half.

It was easy to dismiss that first half as a fluke — until the Crusaders came out in the third quarter and reeled off eight straight points. Their lead swelled all the way to 14 when Schlosser nailed the third of his four 3-pointers with 5:10 left.

Then Hershey, to its credit, fought back. The Trojans abandoned their zone defense and went to a half-court trap. Catholic had little trouble breaking through, but the Crusaders’ shots stopped falling. And then Eatherton, who was held to just one point in the first half, began to establish himself underneath. His stickback with 56 seconds left in the third cut Catholic’s lead to 10, and set up a tight fourth quarter.

Hershey got the margin down to 42-40 with 2:11 left when Gunkel scored on a bucket underneath, but Purvis answered at the other end with his fourth 3-pointer of the game.

Hershey crawled back to within three with 1:22 to go, but had to start fouling. And while Catholic didn’t exactly lock things down from the free-throw line — missing five of its final 10 free throws — the Crusaders did enough to keep the Trojans at bay.

Afterward, Purvis admitted that the Crusaders took some extra satisfaction out of proving the naysayers wrong.

“That’s the great part of this,” he said with a grin. “No one expected this from us. (Hershey) came out figuring this would be a walk in the park. But we like the underdog role. We just came out and played our game. All the pressure was on them.”

Catholic will get its wish again in the semifinals — the Crusaders will be the underdogs again. They face a resurgent Steel-High, which defeated York Suburban 55-47 Friday night at the Giant Center. The Rollers celebrated the return of big man Jeff Davis with a convincing victory over highly regarded Suburban. They’ll face Catholic Monday at 6:30 in the Giant Center.

“They’re more of a speed team, even though they’ve got some size underneath,” Purvis said. “But we have speed as well. I think we prefer going against a fast team, because we have similar size.”

Steel-High is also from the mighty Mid-Penn.

“They’re a heck of a team,” said Klazas. “They have great athletes and scorers. We’ll have to play very well to have a chance to beat them.”

Elsewhere in the Triple-A tournament Friday night:

No. 1 Eastern York 74, No. 9 Susquehanna Township 55: The Golden Knights are clearly as good as advertised. Andrew Nicholas, the 6-4 junior forward, poured in 34 points to lead the way as Eastern cruised to the semifinals with its second straight blowout. Austin Tillotson added 18 points and Devin Zimmerman had 11 for the Knights, who blew the game open with a 30-14 outburst in the third quarter. Eastern will take on East Pennsboro, a 52-48 winner over West York, the Monday’s semifinals in the Giant Center. The game will tip off at 8 p.m.

No. 5 East Pennsboro 52, No. 4 West York 48: Alberto de los Santos and Matt Aikey scored nine points each to lead the way as East Pennsboro survived a tight battle with West York and moved on to the semifinals. Kelvin White added eight points and Nate Conrad and Grigory Stepanyan had seven each as the Panthers held on for the victory. Their reward is a semifinal date with powerful Eastern York in the semifinals.

No. 6 Steel-High 55, No. 3 York Suburban 47: Anyone who had written off the Rollers had better think again. With 6-8 forward Jeff Davis back from suspension, Steel-High had more than enough firepower to knock off the highly regarded Trojans. Davis, who is the Rollers’ first man off the bench, poured in 20 points and grabbed 11 boards in his first game back since Feb. 12. Ryan Hill matched Davis’ output with 20 points of his own. Steel-High broke the game open with a 21-13 burst in the second quarter and held on for the victory. Up next for the Rollers is a date with Lancaster Catholic in Monday’s semifinals.

In the Single-A bracket:

No. 6 Lebanon Catholic 74, No. 3 New Hope 61: Dustin Arnold paced a balanced scoring attack with 14 points as the Beavers continued their annual district-playoff surge with a victory over the Mighty Ants. Darius Zook added 13 points and three other players — Michael Wolfe, Nick Fortna and Timmy Orr — scored 11 each as Lebanon Catholic (14-10) reached the semifinal round. The Beavers will face either Greenwood or Camp Hill, whose quarterfinal game was postponed to Saturday at 8 p.m. at East Pennsboro.

No. 1 Reading Central Catholic 63, No. 8 Antietam 43: Marcus Dawkins scored 23 points to lead three players in double figures as the Cardinals advanced to the semifinals with ease. Marquis Marshall added 14 points and Donovan Jack had 13 points and 11 rebounds for Central Catholic, which broke the game open with a 20-13 surge in the second quarter. The Cardinals (23-1) will face the winner of the Millersburg-Living Word Academy quarterfinal, which was postponed because of Friday’s snow and was moved to Saturday at 6:30 p.m. at East Pennsboro. The semifinal will be held Monday at 6 p.m. at Lower Dauphin.

That whole “Hempfield can’t win a first-round game in Districts” thing?

Yeah, we can stop talking about that now.

The Black Knights proved that it’s a new season — and that they’re a different team — with their thorough dismantling of Central Dauphin in Wednesday night’s first round. Led by a game-high 20 points from Zach Sheetz and 19 more from Christian Walck, Hempfield built an 18-point lead at halftime and cruised from there, battering the Rams 71-40 at Conestoga Valley.

Earlier Wednesday night, Warwick avenged a pair of regular-season losses to Solanco in a big way, hammering the Golden Mules 61-41 behind 18 points from Vince Soto. The Warriors jumped out to a 19-4 advantage after one quarter and were never truly threatened after that. They held Solanco to just 3-of-18 from the field in the first half.

Hempfield, in the words of head coach Warren Goodling, came out “confident and motivated.” The Knights held CD’s top player, guard Desi Washington, to just 14 points — almost 10 below his average. Washington, who is verbally committed to Delaware State, managed just three second-half points before exiting the game for good late in the third quarter, his team trailing by 18.

Goodling placed the task of guarding Washington on senior guard Mark Enoch, with reserve Joey Farthing providing relief. Enoch did a good job of sticking to the elusive Washington.

“My goal was to just try and stay in front of him and keep a hand in his face,” said Enoch. “My teammates did a good job of helping out with him.”

Goodling said his plan was to put Enoch and Farthing on Washington in the first half. He planned to put Walck on him after that, but Washington hardly played after the break.

“He’s a scary player,” said Goodling. “You look at him on tape, and he’s scoring 39 against one team, 37 against another. But at the same time, he’s a human being. We wanted to make him work for everything he got.”

With the win, the Knights improved to 25-0 on the season and advanced to Saturday’s quarterfinal round. They’ll face a familiar foe on Saturday — Section 1 runner-up Penn Manor, which surprised Harrisburg 63-61 Wednesday night. Hempfield beat the Comets 59-52 and 57-56 in the regular season. The third meeting will tip off at 1 p.m. in the Giant Center.

Warwick will face Wilson — a 61-33 winner over McCaskey in the first round — Saturday at 11:30 a.m. in the Giant Center.

At CV, Hempfield got a spectacular all-around effort from Sheetz, who grabbed eight rebounds and a pair of steals. He also nailed a pair of back-breaking 3-pointer to end the third quarter. It actually turned into a four-point play, as Sheetz drew a foul call on the shot. His free throw capped an 11-2 rally, put the Knights back in front by 18 and ended any hope of a Ram rally.

“Zach had a tremendous game, and he’s had a tremendous season,” said Goodling. “It’s unbelievable to see what a complete player he’s become.”

Mike Uehlein added 13 for the Knights, who earned their first win in the district playoffs since 2001.

Not that they’re eager to talk about that.

“We don’t really listen to what people say about that,” said Uehlein, who has shown steady improvement since the beginning of the postseason. “We just use it as motivation.”

Here’s a roundup of all of Wednesday night’s action:

QUAD-A

No. 8 Penn Manor 63, No. 9 Harrisburg 61:  The Comets trailed by 13 points early in the fourth quarter, but put together a decisive 20-2 run to take the lead and held on down the stretch to bring the Cougars’ season to a stunning end. Though Harrisburg had lost three straight games to end the regular season and fell to Hershey in the Mid-Penn semifinals, many expected the Cougars to contend for another district title. Penn Manor had other plans. Led by 21 points from Patrick Welsh and 12 from Keith Eshleman, the Comets (16-8) grabbed the lead one a 3-pointer from Jon Brooks and held on from there. Harrisburg, which played without top scorer Charles Arp and back up forward Darron Wilson because of academic ineligibility, ends its season with a 16-8 mark.

No. 10 Warwick 61, No. 7 Solanco 41: The Warriors dropped a pair of close decisions to Solanco in the regular season, but they got their revenge when it counted most. Warwick exploded to a 15-point lead after one quarter and a 30-9 advantage at the break. The Warriors’ unrelenting defense completely smothered Solanco in the first half, putting the Mules in a hole they couldn’t dig out of. B.J. Enck, who tied Soto for game-high honors with 18 points, led a short-lived resurgence in the second half as Solanco cut the deficit to 41-34 with 14 seconds gone in the foruth quarter, but closed the game with a 13-2 surge to put it away. Deron Thompson added 11 points for the Warriors (16-8), while Hector Cruz added 10. Josh Eberly added 15 points in a losing effort for Solanco, which ends the season with a 16-7 record. 

No. 2 Wilson 61, No. 18 McCaskey 33: A lot of people — me included — had labeled McCaskey as the tournament’s darkhorse. Well, the Red Tornado galloped right out of Districtsas the Bulldogs flexed their muscle. Sam Marrella and Tyler Beck scored 14 each and Jerome Good added 13 for Wilson (22-3), which won another game without top player Zach Zweizig (broken hand). The Red Tornado was unable to defend the Dawgs and was ice-cold from the field. It all added up to their most lopsided loss of the season. Leontae Turner, McCaskey’s top scorer, ended his high school career with just two points. Amos Clay led the Tornado (13-11) with 10.

No. 4 York 71, No. 20 Lampeter-Strasburg 39: The Bearcats took control for good with a 21-13 surge in the second quarter and pulled away from there to hand the Pioneers a season-ending loss. York (22-4) got a game-high 17 points from Jevaughn Murphy, 14 from Ryan Matthews and 12 from Kelvin Parker to subdue L-S. Tyrone McFadden and Taylor Groff scored 13 each in a losing effort for the Pioneers (17-8). York advances to Saturday’s quarterfinals, where it will face Red Land (22-4), a 45-36 winner over Red Lion. The game will be held at 3 p.m. in Chambersburg.

No. 5 Red Land 45, No. 12 Red Lion 36: The hulking tandem of 6-10 Steve Zach and 6-9 Mike Zangari combined for 13 points each as the Patriots — the only Mid-Penn team left in the Quad-A field – survived a blistering 3-point attack from the outsized Lions to advance to the quarterfinals. Red Land held Spencer McCreary, the YAIAA’s second-leading scorer, to just five points (17 below his average). Nine of Red Lion’s 12 field goals came from 3-point range, but the Lions were never really in it. Evan Ehrhart led Red Lion (16-7) with 13 points.

No. 3 Reading 63, No. 14 Exeter 49: The Eagles are one of just two teams to beat Reading this season, and opened Wednesday night’s game quickly, building a pair of five-point leads in the first quarter. But the Red Knights squashed any upset hopes by opening the second quarter with eight straight points, and they gradually pulled away from there. Trenity Burdine led the way with 15 points, while Xavier Mumford added 14 and Taeshan Huffman scored 13 off the bench. Reading (24-2) advances to Saturday’s quarterfinals, where it faces a rematch with Daniel Boone at 10 a.m. in the Giant Center. Reading has beaten Boone twice this season — 65-40 in the regular season and 64-55 in the Berks League title game.

No. 6 Daniel Boone 49, No. 11 Central York 47: John Davis nailed a runner from the baseline with three seconds left as the Blazers survived an upset bid from Central York. Boone (21-5) rallied from a six-point deficit in the final 4:35 to earn the victory. Tyler Brooks led the way for the Blazers with 15 points. Tremaine Bowman scored 18 points to pace Central York (15-9).

DOUBLE-A

No. 8 Upper Dauphin 59, No. 9 Reading Holy Name 55 (2 OT): Trailing by seven with two minutes left in regulation, the Trojans rallied to tie the game and eventually pulled away in the second extra session to subdue the Blue Jays. Jon Angstadt, who had 26 points, eight rebounds and six assists, hit a 12-footer with 15 seconds left in the first OT to tie it and send it to the second overtime. Colby Kutz had 13 points and Peter Rowan had 12 rebounds for Upper Dauphin (14-7), which will face top-seeded Lancaster Mennonite in Saturday’s quarterfinals. Mennonite, which earned a bye in the first round, will take on the Trojans at 1:30 p.m. at Governor Mifflin.

No. 5 Bishop McDevitt 53, No. 12 Pequea Valley 41: Ryan Corrigan and Corey Ford scored 17 points each and Jay’re Jackson added 12 as the Crusaders closed the game with a 19-13 surge to hold off Pequea Valley. The Braves trailed by six heading into the final quarter before allowing McDevitt to pull away. Dylan Carney led PV (5-18) with 14 points. McDevitt (9-12) advances to Saturday’s quarterfinals, where it will face fourth-seeded Delone Catholic, which earned a bye in the first round. The game will be held at 1:30 p.m. at Hershey High School.

No. 7 York Catholic 60, No. 10 Tulpehocken 42: Joseph Falci poured in a game-high 19 points to lead the way as York Catholic routed Tulpehocken to set up a quarterfinal date with second-seeded Trinity. Michael Sperring added 15 points and Nicholas Full had 14 for Catholic (12-11), which opened the game with a 16-6 run and put it away with an 18-6 surge in the third quarter. The Fighting Irish will take on Trinity Saturday at 1:30 p.m. in Chambersburg.

No. 6 Annville-Cleona 42, No. 11 Columbia 41: Trey Blanding poured in 24 points and Tyler Napierala added 10 as the Little Dutchmen nipped the Crimson Tide in a tight battle between the L-L League Section 4 neighbors. Brandon Arnold scored 13 points and Nate Wall had 11 for Columbia, which nearly sprung an upset. But A-C (13-9) advances to face third-seeded Hanover in Saturday’s quarterfinal. The game will be held at noon at Northern York.

Citing the need to spend more time with his family, Cedar Crest boys basketball coach Darrin Brossert is calling it quits after two years at the Falcons’ helm, according to a report in the York Daily Record.

Brossert went 15-29 in his two seasons at Crest.

You can read the Daily Record’s report here.

 

The first night of the District 3 playoffs is in the books, and things pretty much went according to script. A total of 15 games were played in the Class AAA and A brackets, and the higher seed advanced in 13 of them.

Locally, Lancaster Catholic, Living Word Academy and Lebanon Catholic all advanced to the quarterfinal round with victories. The Crusaders clobbered Greencastle-Antrim 68-50 in the Triple-A playoffs, while LWA rallied past Harrisburg Christian 51-58 and Lebanon Catholic buried York Christian 72-39.

Here are all of last night’s results:

TRIPLE-A

No. 7 Lancaster Catholic 68, No. 10 Greencastle-Antrim 50: The Crusaders were still smarting from last week’s early exit in the L-L League playoffs, but they worked out any lingering frustration in the first quarter, jetting out to a 23-6 lead behind Phil Wenger’s 11 points. Catholic (20-4) was up 40-19 at the break, effectively ending the suspense. The Blue Devils showed a flicker of life in the third quarter, outscoring the Crusaders 17-9 to pull within 11, but Catholic slammed the door in the final eight minutes. Wenger finished with 19 points for Catholic, while Tyler Purvis added 13, Paul Senkowski had 11 and Will Schlosser had 10.

The Crusaders will take on Hershey, a 56-34 winner over Milton Hershey, in the quarterfinals Friday night (6:30 p.m. in Hershey’s Giant Center).

No. 2 Hershey 56, No. 18 Milton Hershey 34: Matt Banas scored nine of his game-high 23 points in the first quarter as the Trojans (21-4) exploded to a 22-5 lead and never looked back. Hershey’s hulking frontcourt, which consists of the 6-8 Banas, the 6-9 Scott Eatherton and the 6-6 Joe Gunkel, all finished in double figures. Eatherton had 14 points and Gunkel had 10.

No. 1 Eastern York 71, No. 16 Wyomissing 48: Austin Tillotson poured in 24 points and Andrew Nicholas added 18 as the Golden Knights hammered Wyomissing, avenging an overtime loss to the Spartans in the first round of last year’s district playoffs. Nate Bollinger added 17 for Eastern, which improved to 24-0 on the season and will take on Susquehanna Township in Friday’s quarterfinals (8 p.m. in Giant Center).

No. 9 Susquehanna Township 57, No. 8 Boiling Springs 41: A.J. Dean and Tahj Turner combined for 21 points to lead the way as the Indians ousted the Bubblers. Township (14-8) jumped out to an 18-9 lead after one quarter and never looked back. Dean finished with 11 points, while Turner had 10.

No. 4 West York 70, No. 13 Big Spring 56: Bryton Abel scored 14 points to lead four players in double figures as the Bulldogs blasted Big Spring to reach the quarterfinal round. West York (16-6) broke open a close game with a 22-14 surge in the third quarter. Dillan Miller added 13 for the Bulldogs, while Nate Kosalek had 12 and Isiah Wallace had 10.

No. 5 East Pennsboro 56, No. 12 Middletown 52: Down by 22 points with just under 10 minutes left in the game, the Panthers staged an unbelievable rally in the final minutes to edge the Blue Raiders. Alberto De Los Santos scored 17 points and Kelvin White poured in 13 to fuel the rally. East Pennsboro (19-4) faces West York in Friday’s quarterfinals (8 p.m. at Milton Hershey).

No. 3 York Suburban 60, No. 14 Muhlenberg 34: Ted Hinnenkamp scored 14 points and Cody Waltmoyer added 13 as the Trojans hammered Muhlenberg and set up a quarterfinal clash with Steel-High. Kevin Donahue added 10 points for Suburban, which built a 33-12 halftime lead and cruised from there. The Trojans (21-3) face the Rollers Friday at 5 p.m. in Hershey’s Giant Center.

No. 6 Steel-High 52, No. 11 Oley Valley 34: Jermell Fleming scored 22 points and Ryan Hill added 13 as the Rollers — playing without big men Jeff Davis and Troy Love — had more than enough to subdue the Lynx. Steel-High (17-7) blew things open with a 15-2 run that covered parts of the first and second quarters, then slammed the door with a 9-0 surge in the third. According to reports on the game, the status of Davis and Love is uncertain for the remainder of the playoffs.

SINGLE-A

No. 6 Lebanon Catholic 72, No. 11 York Christian 39: Ryan Morrison and Timmy Orr scored 12 points each and Alex Groh added 11 as the Beavers (12-10) opened Districts with a romp. Lebanon Catholic surged to a 36-20 halftime lead, then put the game away with a 20-7 outburst in the third quarter. The Beavers advance to the quarterfinals, where they will take on New Hope Academy (17-2), a 50-37 winner over Mt. Calvary.

No. 3 New Hope 50, Mt. Calvary 37: Collin Smith exploded for 27 points to lead the way as the Mighty Ants (17-2) cruised to victory. New Hope broke the game open with a 19-8 surge in the third quarter. Mount Calvary finishes the season with a 8-12 mark.

No. 10 Camp Hill 47, No. 7 Lancaster Country Day 41: Alex Patchin scored 18 points and Lucas Hamm added 13 as the Little Lions rallied from a 35-26 deficit by outscoring Country Day 21-6 in the fourth quarter. Camp Hill (7-15) advances to face defending district champ Greenwood in the quarterfinals. Country  Day ends its season with a 12-7 mark.

No. 2 Greenwood 76, No. 15 Dayspring Christian 54: Cameron Hinkel poured in 21 points and Zach Fortenbaugh added 13 as the defending district champs rolled to a first-round rout. Greenwood (20-2) led 40-20 at halftime and kept pouring it on with a 20-5 outburst in the third quarter. The Wildcats face Camp Hill Friday at 8 p.m. at East Pennsboro.

Living Word Academy 41, Harrisburg Christian 38: Sophomore Ryan Shipper poured in a game-high 19 points to lead the way as Living Word (19-5) rallied from an early deficit and held on to win. The Lions will face fourth-seeded Millersburg, a 69-34 winner over Lancaster Christian, in Friday’s quarterfinals (6:30 p.m. at East Pennsboro).

No. 4 Millersburg 69, No. 13 Lancaster Christian 34: Christian Wenner scored 18 points to lead four players in double figures as Millersburg cruised to an easy win. Ian Klinger added 14 points for the Indians (17-6), while Jared Wolfgang and Josh Clark added 10 each.

No. 8 Antietam 64, No. 9 Harrisburg Academy 47: Billy Hartman scored 18 points and Andrew Day and Hayden Lee added 15 each to lead the way as Antietam blasted Harrisburg Academy and set up a third meeting with top-seeded Reading Central Catholic. Antietam (12-11), which lost its two regular-season meetings with the Cardinals by a combined 45 points, will see them again Friday at 6:30 p.m. at Governor Mifflin. Central Catholic (22-1) had a bye through the first round.

By now, every player, coach and fan in the Lancaster-Lebanon League knows about the league’s reputation in the District 3 playoffs. And it’s a safe bet that most of them are sick of hearing about it.

But the truth is out there. The L-L League hasn’t fared well in the tournament in recent years, especially in the big-school classifications. It’s been eight years since the league’s last Quad-A title, which McCaskey captured in 2002. Lancaster Catholic is the last Triple-A team to win a district title; the Crusaders captured the gold back in 2003, during their undefeated run to the state championship.

The league’s most recent title in any class came back in 2006, when Lebanon Catholic won the Single-A crown.

Hempfield, the top seed in this year’s Quad-A bracket, is trying to change all that.

Coach Warren Goodling has done just about everything during his long tenure at the Black Knights’ helm, but there are two glaring omissions: In his 26 years, Hempfield has never won a state playoff game. There are also no district titles on his resume. In fact, Hempfield’s last district playoff win came in 2001.

So the Knights enter this year’s playoffs with something to prove — even though they’re the No. 1 seed.

Can they win it all? Possibly, but the road will be difficult. This year’s bracket is littered with the usual suspects, and Hempfield’s top billing didn’t make it’s path to the finals any easier.

Lurking in Hempfield’s half of the bracket are two perennial district title contenders: Harrisburg and York. Also there is Red Land, which knocked Hempfield out of districts in the first round last year — winning by 19 points, in fact. Not to mention Section 1 foe Penn Manor, which lost a pair of close regular-season meetings with Hempfield. The Comets draw Harrisburg in the first round.

Heck, the Knights’ first-round foe, Central Dauphin (14-9), enters the postseason as one of the bracket’s hottest teams. The Rams, who dispatched Dover 64-40 in last Friday’s play-in game, have won six in a row.

Lampeter-Strasburg, the L-L League Section 3 runner-up, has to feel like a guppy in a shark tank. The Pioneers are in the top half of the bracket as well. They won their play-in game against Carlisle, but now they get York in the first round.

Hempfield guard Christian Walck is eager to get the district playoffs started. Like the rest of the guys in his locker room, the 6-2 senior is tired of hearing how the Knights can’t get out of the early rounds and wants to do something about it.

“We have to get this monkey off our backs — this idea that we can’t win a first-round game in Districts,” he said on Saturday, after the Knights defeated Cocalico to capture the L-L League title. “We’re ready to get it going. We can’t wait.”

At least Hempfield caught one break. Reading (23-2), the probable favorite in this year’s tournament because of its stellar record against a top-notch schedule, is not in the Knights’ half of the bracket. The only way Hempfield will meet the Red Knights is in the championship game — or in a consolation final.

Section 2 champion Solanco is in Reading’s half of the bracket, along with Warwick, the third-place finisher in Section 1. Those two teams will square off in the first round. The Warriors knocked off Mechanicsburg 61-46 in their play-in game on Friday, and will be looking to avenge a pair of close losses to Solanco in the regular season.

Joining the Warriors and the Golden Mules in the lower half is McCaskey, which knocked off Cocalico in last Friday’s play-in round. The Red Tornado faces second-seeded Wilson (20-3) in the first round.

Here’s a closer look at the Quad-A bracket and a prediction on how it will all shake out:

FIRST-ROUND MATCHUPS: Wednesday, Feb. 24

No. 1 Hempfield (24-0) vs. No. 16 Central Dauphin (14-9) — 8 p.m. at Conestoga Valley

No. 8 Harrisburg (16-7) vs. No. 9 Penn Manor (15-8) — 8 p.m. at Cumberland Valley

No. 4 York (19-4) vs. No. 20 Lampeter-Strasburg (16-7) — 6 p.m. at New Oxford

No. 5 Red Land (21-4) vs. No. 12 Red Lion (16-7) — 6:30 p.m. at Cumberland Valley

No. 2 Wilson (20-3) vs. No. 18 McCaskey(13-10) — 7:30 p.m. at Manheim Township

No. 7 Solanco (16-6) vs. No. 10 Warwick (15-8) — 6:30 p.m. at Conestoga Valley

No. 3 Reading (23-2) vs. No. 14 Exeter (15-7) — 7:30 p.m. at Wilson

No. 6 Daniel Boone (18-5) vs. No. 11 Central York (15-7) — 7:30 p.m. at Conrad Weiser

Quarterfinals: Saturday, Feb. 27

Semifinals: Tuesday, March 2 (6:30 and 8 p.m. in the Giant Center)

Finals: Saturday, March 6 (1 p.m. in the Giant Center)

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TEAM CAPSULESHempfield (24-0): The Black Knights won their sixth L-L League title and their first since 2001 on Saturday with a 45-38 triumph over Cocalico. Led by guard Christian Walck (17.5 ppg), Hempfield is looking to erase the sting of last year’s first-round exit, when they fell to Red Land by 19 points despite entering the tournament with a 22-2 record. The Knights have a good combination of athletic guards and beefy big men. Senior guards Zach Sheetz (11.7 ppg) and Mark Enoch (4.8 ppg) and forwards Taylor McDuffie (13.7 ppg) and Mike Uehlein (8.2 ppg) round out the starting five. McDuffie stands 6-5, 240 and Uehlein is 6-6, 190. The Knights must play better than they did in the league playoffs to have any shot at a deep run.

Central Dauphin (14-9): The Rams have won six straight games, including a 61-40 rout of Dover in the play-in round. Led by Division I prospect Desi Washington, a 6-2 senior guard, CD is one of the hottest teams in the tournament and is likely under-seeded. Washington, who has given a verbal committment to Delaware State, averages 23.8 points per game. Sophomore Devin Thomas, a 6-8 forward, is second on the team in scoring (14.5 ppg).

Harrisburg (16-7): The Cougars are normally one of the most dangerous teams in the district bracket, but they are limping into this year’s playoffs. They’ve lost six times since Jan. 16. Their top scorer is Charles “Sonny” Arp, a 6-3 guard who averages 13.3 points per game. Other top scorers include 6-7 forward Bryan Taylor (10.9 ppg) and 6-4 forward Darron Wilson (8.2 ppg). As always, Harrisburg will be one of the most athletic teams in the field and will try to use its quickness and high-pressure defense to fuel its transition game. Look past them at your peril.

Penn Manor (15-8): The Comets were eliminated in the league quarterfinals by Cocalico (53-51) after finishing tied for second in Section 1. Led by guards Patrick Welsh (15.5 ppg) and Jon Brooks (12.3 ppg), they’ll try to rebound in spite of their tough first-round draw. Junior forward Dan Elliott (8.o ppg) will try to match up with Harrisburg’s Taylor and provide some scoring punch in the paint. The Comets are 3-3 in their last six games.

York (19-4): The Bearcats fell to Eastern York in the YAIAA final on Saturday night, but they remain a dangerous team. They’re not as strong as last year’s squad, which reached the PIAA title game, but they’re still very good. Like Harrisburg, York will try to pressure all over the court and look to push the ball up and down the floor. Guard Kelvin Parker leads three scorers who average in double figures, pumping in 18.1 points per game. The other two are guards Ryan Matthews (16.7) and Jevaughn Murphy (14.5). The Bearcats have some size underneath with 6-5 forwards Zach Newby and Tyvon Efferson, but they aren’t called upon to score — concentrating more on rebounding and defense.

Lampeter-Strasburg (17-7): The Pioneers fought their way into the bracket with a 47-43 triumph over Carlisle in the play-in round after being eliminated by Hempfield in the L-L League quarterfinals (53-45). Led by senior forward Taylor Groff (14.4 ppg) and guard Tyrone McFadden (11.3 ppg), L-S will try to spring an upset on the Bearcats in the first round. Taylor Rutt (9.4 ppg) and Garrett Terrell (7.1 ppg) are also capable of providing offense for the Pioneers, but matching up with York’s quickness advantage could be a problem.

Red Land (21-4): The Patriots fell to Hershey 58-45 in the Mid-Penn finals last Friday, but still enter the district tournament as a serious contender. Red Land, which eliminated Hempfield in the first round of last year’s playoffs, boast a massive pair of forwards in 6-9 Mike Zangari (17.2 ppg) and 6-10 Steve Zack (13.4 ppg). That’s a matchup problem for just about anyone. Guards Nick Diller (4.7 ppg) and Max Flournoy (7.8 ppg) and forward Duke Antonelli (7.7 ppg) round out the starting five.

Red Lion (15-7): The Lions aren’t very big, so they live and die on the perimeter, where they have hit a total of 123 3-pointers. The top sniper is guard Spencer McCreary (22.3 ppg), while Evean Ehrhart adds 10.8 per game. Matt Bray (6.7 ppg), Eric Seitz (4.3 ppg) and Jordan Jackson (3.0 ppg) round out the starting five. Red Lion’s lack of size could prove fatal against Red Land, unless their shooters have a big night.

Wilson (21-3): The Bulldogs’ three losses have all come against quality opponents; they’ve lost to Reading twice (50-47 and 62-40) in the regular season and to Daniel Boone in the Berks semifinals (32-28). Wilson has been playing for the last few weeks without top scorer Zach Zweizig, who has been sidelined by a broken hand since Jan. 30. Zweizig reportedly was cleared to return during the Berks playoffs, but was held out — presumably so he can return fresh for Districts. He averages 15.6 points per game. Tyler Beck is second on the team at 9.8 per game. The Bulldogs score just 51 points per game, but hold opponents to an average of 36. 

McCaskey (13-10): The Red Tornado finished tied with Penn Manor in Section 1, but missed the league playoffs on a tiebreaker. That might have been a plus, since leading scorer Leontae Turner was hobbled by an ankle sprain late in the season. With a week’s rest, Turner scored in 14 in McCaskey’s 69-56 triumph over Cocalico in the play-in round. The 6-2 senior led the L-L League in scoring this season, averaging 20.6 per game. He’s one of just two seniors in McCaskey’s lineup; the other is guard Amos Clay (10.5 ppg). McCaskey’s high-pressure, run-and-gun style will be an interesting matchup against Wilson’s methodical, defense-first approach.

Solanco (16-6): The Golden Mules won the Section 2 title, only to get ousted by Cocalico 45-44 in overtime in the league semis. Led by guard B.J. Enck (16.2 ppg), the Golden Mules play hard-nosed, blue-collar basketball and love to mix it up. Mike Fasano (12.6) and Josh Eberly (11.4) also provide some scoring punch for the Mules, who defeated Warwick twice in the regular season (55-52 and 45-44).

Warwick (15-8): The Warriors got off to a 5-1 start early in the season, but squandered it with a four-game slide soon after. They spent the rest of the season playing catch-up in the Section 1 race, and never quite made it over the hump. They missed out on the league playoffs, but knocked off Mechanicsburg (61-46) in the play-in round to earn their third date with Solanco. Vince Soto (14.3 ppg) is the Warriors’ top scorer, but Tim Heckman (9.5), Anthony D’Imperio (6.9) and Hector Cruz (6.0) have all led the team in scoring at one point or another.

Reading (23-2): The Red Knights can probably be considered the favorite in this tournament, given their impressive record against a tough schedule. The Knights have notched wins over York (67-61), Coatesville (61-60), Simon Gratz (60-58), McCaskey (86-70), Wilson (50-47 and 62-40) Reading Central Catholic (62-57) and Daniel Boone (64-55). Their losses came in consecutive games against Chester (75-62) and — inexplicably — Exeter (59-58), their first-round foe. Led by star guard Trenity Burdine (17.5 ppg) and Yamil Echavarria (10.0 ppg), Reading is seeking its third district crown since 2004.

Exeter (15-7): The Eagles can boast that they’re one of two teams to defeat Reading this season, but the win did little to help them in the Berks League Section 1 race, where they finished a distant third. They also lost their regular-season rematch with Reading 85-51. The Eagles’ top scorers are Ben Savage (11.2 ppg), Eric Sarra (10.4ppg) and Matt Siefert (9.1 ppg). They closed out their regular season with five losses in six games, but bounced back to eliminate Chambersburg (57-50) in the play-in round.

Daniel Boone (20-5): The Blazers fell to Reading 64-55 in the Berks finals, snapping their seven-game winning streak. The last team to beat them before the streak? Reading again (65-40). Boone relies on the 1-2 scoring punch of Tyler Brooks (18.4 ppg) and Justin Sowers (11.1 ppg), but Brett Simmons and John Davis can be relied upon for eight points per game as well. Kevin Riccio (7.0 ppg) rounds out the starting five.

Central York (15-7): The Panthers defeated Dallastown 56-49 in the play-in round to set up their date with Daniel Boone. Central is in the midst of a youth movement; only two seniors have started this year. The leading scorer, guard Tremaine Bowman, is a sophomore. He averages 13.7 points per game and has 39 3-pointers. He’s the only double-figure scorer. The starting five is rounded out by sophomore Jalil Ford (7.3 ppg), Raphael Nwanguma (8.8 ppg), Kyle Wisner (6.5 ppg) and Chris Stewart (4.1 ppg). Sixth-man Spencer Ortmyer, a 6-4 forward, is productive off the bench (7.5 ppg).

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HOW IT WILL PLAY OUT: If Hempfield can get past CD, their path opens a bit — as long as Harrisburg continues its struggles. I don’t see the Knights surviving a semifinal clash with York, however. The same is true for McCaskey — if the Tornado can force Wilson to run with them, they can pull off an upset. But they probably won’t survive a rematch with Reading in the semifinals; the Knights won 86-70 in the regualar season.

I see York and Reading in the finals, with the Red Knights claiming the prize.

PREDICTED FINISH: 1. Reading 2. York 3. Hempfield 4. McCaskey 5. Red Land 6. Daniel Boone 7. Harrisburg