That’s right, I said basketball notes … it’s that time of year, folks. Practice started last Friday, don’t forget.

Just got my grubby little paws on the master Lancaster-Lebanon League basketball schedule, so I thought I’d put together a post about what I found.

Once again, league play will open with the always-popular crossover games – three right out of the chute and then the final three in mid-January. The crossovers, for lack of nothing better to say, haven’t exactly gone over well, especially in the girls’ league.

But until somebody can come up with a better idea, we press on …

The first L-L League game is set for Friday, Dec. 18. That’s also the same weekend as the football state championships, so some local teams (on the boys’ side) could have some conflicts. Stay tuned.

Christmas is the following week, so the league bumped up the next two league games to Monday, Dec. 21 and Wednesday, Dec. 23. That will cap the first round of crossover games and cap league play before the holiday break.

League games will start up again with head-to-head section games on Tuesday, Jan. 5 and Friday, Jan. 8.

Then comes the season’s only three-games-in-one-week stretch, with section games set for Monday, Jan. 11, Wednesday, Jan. 13 and Friday, Jan. 15. Remember a couple of years ago when there were three of those weeks? I think there were two of those weeks last year, if I recall. This season – uno.

Then it’s back to the crossover games the following week, with those final three games set for the usual Tuesday-Friday-Tuesday slate.

It’s back to the final round of head-to-head section play starting Friday, Jan. 29.

Have I mentioned that I’m absolutely bursting to get back in a gym and watch some hoops? Wow.

The final two league games, as usual, will be played Monday-Wednesday to allow time for any possible playoff games to decide section championships before the league playoffs.

The last L-L League game is set for Wednesday, Feb. 10. Seems so, so far away, but it’ll be here before you know it.

The girls’ playoffs will be contested Monday, Feb. 15, Wednesday, Feb. 17 and Friday, Wednesday, 19. The championship game will be played at Manheim Township High School.

The boys’ playoffs will be contested Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday of that week, with the title game also at Township. Really, really, really, really like the title games in Township’s sweet new gym. That’s been a major hit the last two seasons. Good call, L-L front office on that one.

Not that anyone should be worried about such things in late November, but the girls’ bracket will look a little something like this …

Section 2 champ vs. Section 4 runner-up.
Section 3 champ vs. Section 1 runner-up.
Section 4 champ vs. Section 2 runner-up.
Section 1 champ vs. Section 3 runner-up.

Here’s a quick refresher course from the 2008-09 girls’ season:

Section 1 champ – Manheim Township (14-2).
Section 2 champ – Ephrata (10-6).
Section 3 champ – Lampeter-Strasburg (16-0).
Section 4 champ – Lancaster Mennonite (15-1).

L-L League championship game – Lancaster Mennonite 50, Manheim Township 33

District 3 Quad-A championship – Central Dauphin 36, Wilson 34
District 3 Triple-A championship – Trinity 46, Lampeter-Strasburg 34
District 3 Double-A championship – York Catholic 57, Lancaster Mennonite 51 (OT)
District 3 Single-A championship – Lebanon Catholic 40, Greenwood 30

So the L-L League had three finalists and one champion – Lebanon Catholic, which won its 15th District 3 championship. Mennonite had won the Triple-A crown the year before and made the finale in its first jaunt through Double-A. L-S, which finished the season with an L-L League-best 29 wins, was making its first finals appearance.

PIAA Quad-A championship – Mount Lebanon 67, Cardinal O’Hara 58
PIAA Triple-A championship – Archbishop Carroll 68, Lampeter-Strasburg 45
PIAA Double-A championship – Villa Maria 56, York Catholic 51
PIAA Single-A championship – Bishop Guilfoyle 49, Pottsville Nativity 27

L-S becomes the first L-L League girls’ team to reach the state championship game since Lancaster Catholic won the PIAA Triple-A state crown in 1996.

Other random stuff … 

SIGN HER UP – One L-L League player will enter the season with a national letter of intent already signed, sealed and delivered. Lebanon Catholic senior Hailey Carangelo has committed to Division I St. Francis University in Loretto. She will begin her senior season with 1,092 career points.

APPROACHING A GRAND – A pair of L-L League players should crack the 1,000-career-point plateau fairly early in the season: Cedar Crest senior G Meghan Phillips is sitting on 908 points and Elco senior F Kala Yoders has 881 career points.

MILESTONE WATCH – Several L-L League coaches are creeping up on some milestone victories …

Lebanon Catholic’s Patti Hower needs 17 wins for 600 (32nd season; 583-283 overall).
Hempfield’s Lenny Groft needs 4 wins for 300 (16th season; 296-115 overall).
Lebanon’s Carlos Sanchez needs 10 wins for 200 (13th season; 190-127 overall).
McCaskey’s Brian McCloud needs 11 wins for 100 (6th season; 89-50 overall).
Manheim Township’s Lance Wagner needs 12 wins for 100 (8th season; 88-77 overall).
Lancaster Mennonite’s Sherri Gorman needs 14 wins for 100 (5th season; 86-28 overall).

Lancaster Catholic’s Lamar Kauffman, entering his 28th season with the Crusaders, is the L-L League’s winningest coach (637-159 overall). Hower is poised to join Kauffman in the 600-win club.

FAMILIAR FACE, NEW TEAM – Katie Andrews, who helped Lampeter-Strasburg win the Section 3 title and reach the L-L League semifinals, the District 3 Triple-A championship and the PIAA Triple-A state title game, transferred to Lancaster Mennonite. Andrews averaged 5.5 points and hit 14 3-pointers for the Pioneers last season. She was also the team’s lock-down defender. Ironically, Andrews played one of her best games last season against Lancaster Mennonite, scoring 10 points and drilling a pair of clutch fourth-quarter treys in the Pioneers’ 55-54 victory. It was Mennonite’s lone league loss. Andrews, a junior guard, will join a veteran group at Mennonite this season. Just what the rest of Section 4 and District 3 Double-A wanted to hear, no doubt.

WELCOME ABOARD – Three new head coaches in the girls’ league this season, and two of them should sound quite familiar in local basketball circles.

First and foremost is Gary Sutton, the former Columbia boys’ coach who will return to the Crimson Tide bench this season on the girls’ side. Sutton led Columbia’s boys’ team to the 1987 PIAA Double-A state championship. He replaces Lisa Tomsheck, who resigned her post after three seasons.

Meanwhile, John Trovato is back on Pequea Valley’s bench, replacing Melissa Mabry, who resigned her post after three seasons on the gig. Mabry replaced Trovato prior to the 2006-07 season. Trovato, a Manheim Central grad, had coached the Braves the previous two seasons. He’s back for his second stint in Kinzers.

And former Warwick and Cedar Crest assistant coach Mike Neuman has the job at Warwick, replacing Matt Reber, who resigned his post after six years with the Warriors.

Ah yes, basketball … it’s here.