LL's begin....maybe....stay tuned as the girls end has the LL playoff structure in serious jeopardy. LL's were to start Monday for the girls side and Tues. for the boys side. The boys teams are all determined and ready to go..the girls? A mess to be sure. Hopefully the powers will allow the boys tournament to go as scheduled....

 

Short history....In the last 10 years, Section 1 teams have won the LL in 7 of those years. Last year was the second year that a Section 1 team did not make the finals. McCaskey had a strangle- hold on the LL for 4 years but have not qualified for the past 2 years. Last years champ, CV, did not make it in this season.

 

LL preview....if all played

 

Hempfield, 21-0, 67 ppg (Section 1 Champ)  vs LS, (Section 3 runner-up) 15-6 , 56 ppg.

 

Hempfield comes into this game unbeaten in all games. Christian Walck (18 ppg) is the top player for Hempfield. The Knights have all the makings of an LL champ. They are the number 1 seed in the 4A district tournament. LS finished second to Cocalico in a very close game. LS is led by 6'4" senior Tyler Groff (15 ppg) and super fast point guard, 6'1" jn,Tyrone McFadden. LS is a 4A team with a good record. They came on strong last year and gave Reading an excellent game in the district.

 

 

LCHS, 19-3 (Section 4 champ) 63 ppg vs Etown, 10-12 (Section 2 runner-up) 50 ppg.

 

LCHS breezed through Section 3-4 play this season with a 16-0 record. Rarely challenged during LL play, LCHS could make it interesting for the rest of the LL. Tyler Purvis is leading the Crusaders with a 14 ppg scoring average.  Etown hung in and got hot going down the stretch, with its biggest win over first place Solanco. The Bears lost to Lebanon knocking them out of the district 3 tournament, so some extra motivation for them as they are done if they lose. Both of these teams rely on balance in their scoring attack. Brad Garber comes in at 14 ppg. For the Bears.

 

 

Solanco, 15-5 (Section 2 Champ) 56 ppg. vs LMHS, 17-5 (Section 4 runner-up) 60 ppg.

 

Solanco beat a few Section 1 teams (McCaskey and Penn Manor) and breezed through Section 2 play. The Mules use a patient approach to wearing teams down and have mastered the low scoring blow-out games.  Six foot senior, BJ Enck, leads the Mules with a 16ppg avg. Geoff Groff coached LMHS into the play-off yet again. The Blazers use a tough man-to-man defense to win games. Nothing flashy for LMHS. Phil Yoder and Dean Royal are both posting 14ppg scoring.

 

 

PM, 15-7 (Section 2 runner-up) 65 ppg vs Cocalico, 16-6 (Section 3 Champ) 53 ppg

 

This could be the best first round game. The Comets beat out McCaskey on the 4^th tie-breaker (overall winning percentage) to gain a spot in the LL's. Cocalico gained the top spot by beating LS last week. Kevin Antol is averaging 11 ppg for the Eagles. Balanced scoring is the key word here.  Cocalico is used to being in the playoffs for the LL's as they have qualified for 4 out the past 5 years. Both teams have qualified for the district 3 4A tournament. Both teams use man-to man defense and some trapping. The Comets are led by 6'3" Senior, Pat Welsh (16 ppg).

 

 

If the favorites win the first night, we could have some interesting match-ups the second round. Hempfield could get a re-match with LCHS. Catholic lost to Hempfield a few weeks ago by the score of 49-40. The Crusaders have been known to knock off some top seeds in the LL in the past.  Solanco has proven it can play with the big boys. If they win the first night, they will get the winner of the PM/Cocalico. The Mules crushed PM earlier in the season. 

 

Finals will be played at TWP. Great place to watch—terrible parking.

 

District 3 website—brackets will be posted Sunday, Feb. 14^th.

 

http://district3.piaa.org/

 

Trivia....no cheating on LL archives!

 

      1) What year(s) did a Section 1 team not make the LL finals?

 

            2) In the current 4 section set-up, what section has never had a team in the finals?

 

Enjoy the play-offs!

 

~Dell Jackson