Standout senior helped Raiders close in on Section 3 lead

Kala Yoders picked a fine time to come up with back-to-back clutch performances.

Last Tuesday, in an L-L League crossover game against Pequea Valley, Elco’s 5-10 scoring machine scored 17 points in the Raiders’ 43-39 triumph over the Braves.

The win not only kept Elco in the thick of the Section 3 chase, but the Raiders got some payback against Pequea Valley, which dispatched Elco 36-31 in the title game of the Hamburg Holiday Tournament back on Dec. 30.

Then last Thursday, in a key L-L League showdown game against backyard rival Lebanon Catholic, Yoders popped in a career-high 30 points and drilled four 3-pointers in Elco’s 55-44 win over the Beavers.

And when Lancaster Catholic knocked off Manheim Central 55-42 the same night in Manheim, Elco picked up a game in the Section 3 standings. Heading into Tuesday’s final crossover games, the Raiders are 7-3 in league games, alone in second place and just a game behind Manheim Central.

The Barons, who topped the Raiders 55-41 on Jan. 13, visit Elco on Feb. 8.

Yoders, who joined the 1,000-career-point club earlier this season, scored 47 points and hit five 3-pointers in Elco’s two big league wins last week, and for her efforts, she is the LancSports.com L-L League girls’ Player of the Week.

Yoders leads all Section 3 players in scoring, averaging 18.6 points in 16 games for Elco, which is 9-7 overall heading into Tuesday’s game against Section 4 leader Lancaster Mennonite.

Yoders has 298 points this season and 1,179 career points. She was the seventh player in the history of Elco’s girls’ basketball program to hit the 1,000-career-point milestone.

Before exploding for 30 points against Lebanon Catholic, Yoders’ previous career best was 29 points against Columbia in a league crossover game early last season.

Yoders has scored in double digits in 15 of 16 games this season, and her 10 3-pointers this season are already a single-season best.

LebCoSports.com story about Kala Yoders here.