Eastern Girls Basketball news at a glance ...
-
THE CHOPS
- Official BleacherCoach
- Posts: 1900
- Joined: October 24th, 2003, 10:42 am
- Location: SCOTTDALE, PA.
Eastern Girls Basketball news at a glance ...
THE WEEK IN MIDSTATE HIGH SCHOOL GIRLS' BASKETBALL
Monday, January 17, 2005
PRIME-TIME PLAYERS: Harrisburg's two big girls, Shay Johnson and Ashlee Finley, each had a monster week scoring 34 points apiece. Johnson, a 6-2 senior, had double-double games against CD East and Bishop McDevitt. Finley had 23 points against CD East. Cumberland Valley guard Megan Sollenberger has become a consistent scorer for the Eagles. Sollenberger has 92 points over her last six games for a 15.3 average.
WHAT'S ON TAP: Big night Friday when the top four teams square off. Bishop McDevitt plays at Trinity in the third meeting this season between the Shamrocks and Crusaders. Trinity won the previous two. And Carlisle visits Manny Weaver Gymnasium to battle Harrisburg. Then Saturday, the Cougars take on Lewistown as part of the SportsFever Challenge at Stevens College in Lancaster.
IN THEIR OWN WORDS: "We haven't had that starting lineup we used tonight all year. It's been since the summer since we've used this lineup and had everyone healthy enough to go with it. Yes, it was nice to see." -- Bishop McDevitt coach Kevin Dupes.
MY 2 CENTS: This hasn't been an easy year midway up Market Street for Bishop McDevitt. The loss of 6-2 center Monica Dean for nine games with an ankle injury was a major hurdle. And senior guard Kasey Hicks has been hobbled lately as well. But everyone returned to the lineup for Friday's game at Harrisburg. Dean clearly has some rust to work off, but hey, she's back and that's all that matters. Right now the Crusaders are 9-5, but still have plenty of time to put work out the rough edges and get ready for a strong playoff run. The talent is there for sure.
LEAGUE SCORING LEADERS: Hill, Bishop McDevitt, 20.0 ppg; Langford, Harrisburg, 17.5 ppg; Ka. Murray, Trinity, 15.9 ppg; James, Carlisle, 15.2 ppg; Carter, Chambersburg, 12.8 ppg.
KEYSTONE
WORTH ANOTHER LOOK: Palmyra isn't nearly as bad as the 55-20 loss to Lower Dauphin seems to indicate. The Cougars are still undefeated when not playing the all-senior Falcons. Coach Ron Berman needs to find another consistent scorer, but his team is versatile and should improve on defense. Still one of the favorites in the District 3-(AAA) race.
STREAKS: Lower Dauphin will almost certainly win its third consecutive Keystone Division crown. Bob Heusser's club has won 40 straight Keystone games. The last loss came on Feb. 5, 2002 by a 31-28 count to Susquehanna Twp. Now that's impressive.
WHO'S HOT/WHO'S NOT: The gap between the top three teams and the other five is fairly wide. Lower Dauphin, Palmyra and Susquehanna Twp. are a combined 26-4. The other six teams in the division are just 18-40 combined.
NUMBERS CRUNCHING: One of the big reasons Susquehanna Twp. is among the top five Class (AAA) teams in the power ratings is close games. Over the past two years the Indians have not been the best at securing victory in games decided by 10 of fewer points. This season is a different story. Susquehanna Twp. is 7-2 in games decided by 11 points or less. Overall the Indians have won seven straight, although that 30-24 come-from-behind win over struggling Middletown is a bit of a head-turner.
LEAGUE SCORING LEADERS: Cale, Lower Dauphin, 11.9 ppg; Olarte, Susquehanna Twp., 11.9 ppg; Bream, Lower Dauphin, 11.8 ppg; M. Briggs, Palmyra, 11.8 ppg; Brooks, Susquehanna Twp., 11.8 ppg.
TRI-VALLEY
PRIME-TIME PLAYERS: Sami Cox had 23, 11 and 21 points in key wins over Newport, Millersburg and Greenwood last week for Halifax to give the Wildcats the first-half title in the Tri-Valley League. Lydia Wilkinson, a 5-11 junior, has posted double digits in eight straight games for Millersburg. She leads the Indians with 13.6 ppg.
IN THEIR OWN WORDS: "We went through a tough stretch there, but we felt we needed to. The girls thought the best team they saw last year was in the first round of the playoffs [vs. Reading Holy Name]. And they didn't want that to happen again." -- Newport coach Randy Cree, on his team's consecutive losses to Pine Grove, Pius X and York Catholic.
WHO'S HOT/WHO'S NOT: Line Mountain is starting to look more and more like a contender for the second-half TVL title. The Eagles have won four straight league games and are 8-2 over their last 10. Halifax has won three in a row and five its last six. Newport has really hit the wall. The Buffaloes are only 1-5 in their last six. East Juniata has dropped five straight and Midd-West has just one win since Dec. 10.
WORTH ANOTHER LOOK: When looking at rematches, it's always best to direct your attention to the team with a bone to pick. Halifax's only loss in the first half was a 64-62 thriller at Greenwood where Wildcats senior Gina Amey poured in 31 points. So with the first-half TVL title on the line, Halifax had no trouble rolling to a 54-33 victory over the same Greenwood team.
LEAGUE SCORING LEADERS: Bassler, East Juniata, 16.5 ppg; Amey, Greenwood, 15.7 ppg; Cox, Halifax, 15.2 ppg; Wright, Newport, 14.9 ppg; Wilkinson, Millersburg, 14.1 ppg.
CAPITAL
PRIME-TIME PLAYERS: James Buchanan junior Alicia Myers had yet another huge week for the Rockets. The junior scored 46 of her team's 104 points in a pair of victories.
IN THEIR OWN WORDS: "Those five wins in a row really helped a lot. We're so much more relaxed. Before we were pressing so much to make something happen. Now we've settled down and can focus on coming out prepared to battle hard each game." -- Big Spring coach Scott Weyant, whose 9-7 Bulldogs are 6-1 in their last seven games.
NUMBERS CRUNCHING: Let's take a closer look at Scotland's 6-8 overall record. First, the Cadets are more than worthy of being considered as one of the top five teams in District 3-A. Anyone who thinks differently isn't very bright. All of the Cadets' losses are to teams with winning records. And seven are to Class AAA schools. Their last three setbacks, to James Buchanan, Boiling Springs and West Perry, were all fairly tight games. Look at where those three teams are in the standings. That's all you need to know.
WORTH ANOTHER LOOK: As Big Spring makes its final push for the District 3 playoffs, remember Friday's game with Shippensburg. The Bulldogs pulled out a 36-35 victory to improve the Bulldogs' record to 9-7.
LEAGUE SCORING LEADERS: Myers, James Buchanan, 22.7 ppg; A. Fry, Big Spring, 21.7 ppg; A. Pittman, Shippensburg, 14.8 ppg; Taylor, Scotland, 14.0 ppg; Swartz, Big Spring, 12.0 ppg.
COLONIAL
WORTH ANOTHER LOOK: West Perry certainly shook up the top of the division by handling Boiling Springs 47-31 Friday night. The Mustangs were overdue for a victory over the Bubblers. Boiling Springs had won the previous nine games. West Perry's last victory came in 1999-2000 season. And the last two games were blowouts by more than 20 points. The loss came at the end of a brutal schedule for Boiling Springs. Since coming off the holiday break, Frank Karli's team played seven games in 12 days.
STREAKS: Milton Hershey has won back-to-back games for the first time this season. For this team that's a big deal. The Spartans were basically starting over this season and dropped its first six before beating Camp Hill. Then they lost five more in a row. Milton Hershey outscored it last two opponents 95-61 and picked up its first win over a division foe by beating Susquenita 51-38.
NUMBERS CRUNCHING: Led by its trio of double-digit scorers, Halima Smith, Jess Radonovich and Katelyn Ream, West Perry has stood up recently to some tall competition. Combined the Mustangs's last three opponents, Palmyra, James Buchanan and Boiling Springs, are a combined 37-7. West Perry beat JB and Boiling Springs and fell to Palmyra by 13. It's the type of competition that will help this club later down the line.
WHO'S HOT/WHO'S NOT: Rarely does a team find its way into each category in the same week. Northern fits the bill this week, though. The Polar Bears started out by shocking then first-place Shippensburg 30-28. Then they turn around and lose an overtime game to East Pennsboro 47-45. Northern has not managed to win back-to-back this season, but it's still learning how to win. Remember, the seven wins this season are only one less than the previous two years combined.
LEAGUE SCORING LEADERS: Lewis, Milton Hershey, 17.4 ppg; Smith, West Perry, 13.3 ppg; Lisenbach, East Pennsboro, 12.5 ppg; Nicodemus, Northern, 12.0 ppg; Ream, West Perry, 11.2 ppg.
"THE CHOPS".
Monday, January 17, 2005
PRIME-TIME PLAYERS: Harrisburg's two big girls, Shay Johnson and Ashlee Finley, each had a monster week scoring 34 points apiece. Johnson, a 6-2 senior, had double-double games against CD East and Bishop McDevitt. Finley had 23 points against CD East. Cumberland Valley guard Megan Sollenberger has become a consistent scorer for the Eagles. Sollenberger has 92 points over her last six games for a 15.3 average.
WHAT'S ON TAP: Big night Friday when the top four teams square off. Bishop McDevitt plays at Trinity in the third meeting this season between the Shamrocks and Crusaders. Trinity won the previous two. And Carlisle visits Manny Weaver Gymnasium to battle Harrisburg. Then Saturday, the Cougars take on Lewistown as part of the SportsFever Challenge at Stevens College in Lancaster.
IN THEIR OWN WORDS: "We haven't had that starting lineup we used tonight all year. It's been since the summer since we've used this lineup and had everyone healthy enough to go with it. Yes, it was nice to see." -- Bishop McDevitt coach Kevin Dupes.
MY 2 CENTS: This hasn't been an easy year midway up Market Street for Bishop McDevitt. The loss of 6-2 center Monica Dean for nine games with an ankle injury was a major hurdle. And senior guard Kasey Hicks has been hobbled lately as well. But everyone returned to the lineup for Friday's game at Harrisburg. Dean clearly has some rust to work off, but hey, she's back and that's all that matters. Right now the Crusaders are 9-5, but still have plenty of time to put work out the rough edges and get ready for a strong playoff run. The talent is there for sure.
LEAGUE SCORING LEADERS: Hill, Bishop McDevitt, 20.0 ppg; Langford, Harrisburg, 17.5 ppg; Ka. Murray, Trinity, 15.9 ppg; James, Carlisle, 15.2 ppg; Carter, Chambersburg, 12.8 ppg.
KEYSTONE
WORTH ANOTHER LOOK: Palmyra isn't nearly as bad as the 55-20 loss to Lower Dauphin seems to indicate. The Cougars are still undefeated when not playing the all-senior Falcons. Coach Ron Berman needs to find another consistent scorer, but his team is versatile and should improve on defense. Still one of the favorites in the District 3-(AAA) race.
STREAKS: Lower Dauphin will almost certainly win its third consecutive Keystone Division crown. Bob Heusser's club has won 40 straight Keystone games. The last loss came on Feb. 5, 2002 by a 31-28 count to Susquehanna Twp. Now that's impressive.
WHO'S HOT/WHO'S NOT: The gap between the top three teams and the other five is fairly wide. Lower Dauphin, Palmyra and Susquehanna Twp. are a combined 26-4. The other six teams in the division are just 18-40 combined.
NUMBERS CRUNCHING: One of the big reasons Susquehanna Twp. is among the top five Class (AAA) teams in the power ratings is close games. Over the past two years the Indians have not been the best at securing victory in games decided by 10 of fewer points. This season is a different story. Susquehanna Twp. is 7-2 in games decided by 11 points or less. Overall the Indians have won seven straight, although that 30-24 come-from-behind win over struggling Middletown is a bit of a head-turner.
LEAGUE SCORING LEADERS: Cale, Lower Dauphin, 11.9 ppg; Olarte, Susquehanna Twp., 11.9 ppg; Bream, Lower Dauphin, 11.8 ppg; M. Briggs, Palmyra, 11.8 ppg; Brooks, Susquehanna Twp., 11.8 ppg.
TRI-VALLEY
PRIME-TIME PLAYERS: Sami Cox had 23, 11 and 21 points in key wins over Newport, Millersburg and Greenwood last week for Halifax to give the Wildcats the first-half title in the Tri-Valley League. Lydia Wilkinson, a 5-11 junior, has posted double digits in eight straight games for Millersburg. She leads the Indians with 13.6 ppg.
IN THEIR OWN WORDS: "We went through a tough stretch there, but we felt we needed to. The girls thought the best team they saw last year was in the first round of the playoffs [vs. Reading Holy Name]. And they didn't want that to happen again." -- Newport coach Randy Cree, on his team's consecutive losses to Pine Grove, Pius X and York Catholic.
WHO'S HOT/WHO'S NOT: Line Mountain is starting to look more and more like a contender for the second-half TVL title. The Eagles have won four straight league games and are 8-2 over their last 10. Halifax has won three in a row and five its last six. Newport has really hit the wall. The Buffaloes are only 1-5 in their last six. East Juniata has dropped five straight and Midd-West has just one win since Dec. 10.
WORTH ANOTHER LOOK: When looking at rematches, it's always best to direct your attention to the team with a bone to pick. Halifax's only loss in the first half was a 64-62 thriller at Greenwood where Wildcats senior Gina Amey poured in 31 points. So with the first-half TVL title on the line, Halifax had no trouble rolling to a 54-33 victory over the same Greenwood team.
LEAGUE SCORING LEADERS: Bassler, East Juniata, 16.5 ppg; Amey, Greenwood, 15.7 ppg; Cox, Halifax, 15.2 ppg; Wright, Newport, 14.9 ppg; Wilkinson, Millersburg, 14.1 ppg.
CAPITAL
PRIME-TIME PLAYERS: James Buchanan junior Alicia Myers had yet another huge week for the Rockets. The junior scored 46 of her team's 104 points in a pair of victories.
IN THEIR OWN WORDS: "Those five wins in a row really helped a lot. We're so much more relaxed. Before we were pressing so much to make something happen. Now we've settled down and can focus on coming out prepared to battle hard each game." -- Big Spring coach Scott Weyant, whose 9-7 Bulldogs are 6-1 in their last seven games.
NUMBERS CRUNCHING: Let's take a closer look at Scotland's 6-8 overall record. First, the Cadets are more than worthy of being considered as one of the top five teams in District 3-A. Anyone who thinks differently isn't very bright. All of the Cadets' losses are to teams with winning records. And seven are to Class AAA schools. Their last three setbacks, to James Buchanan, Boiling Springs and West Perry, were all fairly tight games. Look at where those three teams are in the standings. That's all you need to know.
WORTH ANOTHER LOOK: As Big Spring makes its final push for the District 3 playoffs, remember Friday's game with Shippensburg. The Bulldogs pulled out a 36-35 victory to improve the Bulldogs' record to 9-7.
LEAGUE SCORING LEADERS: Myers, James Buchanan, 22.7 ppg; A. Fry, Big Spring, 21.7 ppg; A. Pittman, Shippensburg, 14.8 ppg; Taylor, Scotland, 14.0 ppg; Swartz, Big Spring, 12.0 ppg.
COLONIAL
WORTH ANOTHER LOOK: West Perry certainly shook up the top of the division by handling Boiling Springs 47-31 Friday night. The Mustangs were overdue for a victory over the Bubblers. Boiling Springs had won the previous nine games. West Perry's last victory came in 1999-2000 season. And the last two games were blowouts by more than 20 points. The loss came at the end of a brutal schedule for Boiling Springs. Since coming off the holiday break, Frank Karli's team played seven games in 12 days.
STREAKS: Milton Hershey has won back-to-back games for the first time this season. For this team that's a big deal. The Spartans were basically starting over this season and dropped its first six before beating Camp Hill. Then they lost five more in a row. Milton Hershey outscored it last two opponents 95-61 and picked up its first win over a division foe by beating Susquenita 51-38.
NUMBERS CRUNCHING: Led by its trio of double-digit scorers, Halima Smith, Jess Radonovich and Katelyn Ream, West Perry has stood up recently to some tall competition. Combined the Mustangs's last three opponents, Palmyra, James Buchanan and Boiling Springs, are a combined 37-7. West Perry beat JB and Boiling Springs and fell to Palmyra by 13. It's the type of competition that will help this club later down the line.
WHO'S HOT/WHO'S NOT: Rarely does a team find its way into each category in the same week. Northern fits the bill this week, though. The Polar Bears started out by shocking then first-place Shippensburg 30-28. Then they turn around and lose an overtime game to East Pennsboro 47-45. Northern has not managed to win back-to-back this season, but it's still learning how to win. Remember, the seven wins this season are only one less than the previous two years combined.
LEAGUE SCORING LEADERS: Lewis, Milton Hershey, 17.4 ppg; Smith, West Perry, 13.3 ppg; Lisenbach, East Pennsboro, 12.5 ppg; Nicodemus, Northern, 12.0 ppg; Ream, West Perry, 11.2 ppg.
"THE CHOPS".