OK … it’s your first Reinhart’s Rankings for L-L League girls’ basketball: 2008-2009. Geez-o, where is the time going?

The first rankings poll is always the toughest to compile, because nobody has played a game yet, and all I have in front of me are rosters, schedules and last season’s stats. And it’s a mighty impressive pile of rosters, schedules and stats, let me tell you.

So this one isn’t going to be easy, because I’m bound to leave someone out or rank someone too high (or low) … yada-yada-yada.

Needless to say the poll will likely change in Week 2 after everyone has played a couple of games. Hey, it’s a new season for me, too, and I have 24 teams to track. This will get a tad easier in the days to come. So play along with me here, gang.

For now, here are my top 5 heading into Friday’s season-opening games …

1. Lampeter-Strasburg (23-6 last season) – If things go as planned, the Pioneers might be sitting atop this perch for the next several weeks, if not months. L-S returns the house: all five starters, plus its fearsome foursome of Katie Lynch, Renee Fritz, Danielle Rittenhouse and Lisa Boyer, who are back for their fourth and final season. Tons and tons to like here. And while I’m at it, I hereby proclaim L-S not only the team to beat in Section 3, but in the L-L League. Go ahead and print this up and tack it on the bulletin board in your locker room, and get back to me in February.

2. Lancaster Mennonite (28-5 last season) – Not sure how the Blazers can possibly top last season, when they won Section 4, reached the L-L League title game, won the District 3 Triple-A championship, advanced to the PIAA Eastern quarterfinals, and won a program-record 28 games. Whew! Three full-time starters are gone off that team. But Mennonite returns two of the top players in the league in Maine recruit Katelyn Vanderhoff and post player extraordinaire Erin LaVenice. Once the new-look backcourt is tweaked, the Blazers will be just fine. Trust me. Don’t forget: Mennonite is down in Double-A this season, so the Blazers will likely have a battle royale (or two) against York Catholic come late February. Stay tuned for that. Section 4 favorites. Book it.

3. Cedar Crest (23-8 last season) – The two-time defending Section 1 champs lost some major firepower, but with floor general Meghan Phillips back for her junior season running the show, the Falcons are in very good hands. Might be some parity in Section 1 this season (Cedar Crest lost four starters, McCaskey lost four starters, Penn Manor lost four starters, Warwick lost three starters and defending league champ Hempfield lost all five starters), so the race should be wide open. With Phillips and a flock of talented kids up from the Falcons’ undefeated JV team last season, I think Cedar Crest has a pretty good shot at the three-peat.

4. Lebanon Catholic (15-14 last season) – Going to put the Beavers here for now even though they might not win or even finish second in Section 4. But I do think Lebanon Catholic will go just as deep (if not deeper) in the postseason than any other L-L League team. A very nice nucleus returns from last season’s District 3 Single-A runner-up team (including junior sniper Hailey Carangelo, who is dynamite), and if the Beavers can get hot in crunch time, they should be more than battle-tested to do some major damage when the playoffs roll around. Yeah, I’m talking about the playoffs in the first week of December. Sorry.

5. Garden Spot (15-10 last season) – Defending Section 2 champs have a lot of moxie and grit. The Spartans also have Breana Caldwell, who will be one of the best players in the league before we put this season to bed. Watch. Some new faces, but I like the way this program is going. Will be tested in Section 2 by newcomer Lebanon. Those games could be wars. If Garden Spot survives, they could make a run at the league title. Keep an eye on New Holland, won’t you.