Before I get to the latest District 3 rankings, I wanted to give you a quick update on a local girls’ player who doesn’t always get a lot of pub.
She is Living Word Academy senior forward Megan Smoker (that’s her on the right), and she’s having another big season for the Lions.
She certainly had a big game last Friday against Harrisburg Christian, scoring 18 points and grabbing a school-record 28 rebounds in LWA’s victory.
Heading into this week, Smoker has 1,615 career points (most in school history – boys or girls) and she’s averaging 20 points a game for LWA.
Last season, Smoker helped LWA reach the District 3 Single-A title game (Reading Central Catholic 48, LWA 23) and into the state playoffs, where the Lions fell to East Juniata 39-34 in the first round and finished 22-7 overall.
LWA is just 7-11 this season, but will qualify for the district playoffs.
Here’s how the latest rankings look heading into the L-L League’s final two games:
QUAD-A: Section 1 leader McCaskey (19-2) is No. 2; Cedar Crest (18-3) is No. 3; Hempfield (17-4) is No. 5; Warwick (14-7) is No. 9; Manheim Township (13-8) is No. 10; and Section 2 leader Conestoga Valley (11-10) is No. 16, although the Buckskins need one more win to qualify for the field, and if they get a win, they’d probably bump up a spot or two – or get stuck in a play-in game, depending what else shakes down this week.
Either way, CV needs one more win to get in.
Garden Spot (10-11) and Solanco (10-11) both need to go 2-0 this week to get in, and would almost certainly face play-in games to advance into the bracket.
Red Lion (20-2), which fell to McCaskey in last year’s district finale, is No. 1.
TRIPLE-A: Two-time defending champ Lancaster Catholic (19-2) is No. 3; Lampeter-Strasburg (15-6) is No. 9; Section 3 leader Lebanon (15-6) is No. 12; Manheim Central (13-8) is No. 17; Lancaster Mennonite (14-7) is No. 18; and Elco (12-9) is No. 19, meaning if things finish the way they stand, Central, Mennonite and Elco would face play-in games just to get into the bracket.
Muhlenberg (17-3) is No. 1 and Boiling Springs (19-2) is No. 2.
DOUBLE-A: Columbia (5-16) is No. 15 and needs to keep winning to earn a seed. If not, it will come down to the Crimson Tide’s power rating to see if Columbia can at least get a play-in game.
Pequea Valley (5-16) and Annville-Cleona (5-17) are hanging on by a thread, and need victories this week to get into the mix for probably a play-in game.
Defending district and state champ York Catholic (22-0) is No. 1 and Trinity (17-3) is No. 2. Both of those teams knocked off Section 4 champ Lancaster Catholic this season – the Crusaders’ lone losses.
SINGLE-A: Several local teams are in the mix, including Lancaster Country Day (16-3) at No. 2; Lititz Christian (13-4) at No. 3; Lebanon Catholic (8-13) at No. 6; Lancaster Christian (12-8) at No. 7; Smoker and LWA (7-11) at No. 10; and Linden Hall (6-7) at No. 13.
Mount Calvary (6-11), Dayspring Academy (6-13) and Conestoga Christian (5-13) are on the proverbial bubble.
Defending champ Reading Central Catholic (18-3) is No. 1.
The District 3 rankings are compiled by Geoff Morrow at the Harrisburg Patriot-News.
