Boys Basketball Results Tracker: December 4-9

In this post, we will attempt to bring you details from as much of the Boys Basketball action from around LebCo.  It will be a rolling summary, as we get details, that will serve as a place where you can find out about what is going on.

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Saturday, December 9

Northern Lebanon 55, Pine Grove 41

After two losses to start the season, to an outsider, the Vikings traveling to Pine Grove on Saturday seemed like more of a trip about growth than driving away with a victory. Northern Lebanon decided that they could have their cake and eat it, too. They rushed out to an early 16-10 lead in the 1st quarter, with sophomore big man Brady Krall asserting his dominance on the way to 7 points. They struggled offensively in the 2nd quarter, as the Cardinals made adjustments and cut the Northern Lebanon to just 2 points at the half. Entering the 3rd quarter leading 20-18, the Vikings again found their offense and exploded for 18 points to build a 12-point lead with one quarter left to play. In the 3rd quarter, Northern Lebanon hit three three-pointers. The 4th quarter was another 17-point performance, as the Vikings held Pine Grove at a double-digit distance.

Guard play was much improved, as Northern Lebanon took much better care of the rock in this one, cutting down on the number of opportunities that Pine Grove had to score against them.

Krall led the Vikings in the point department, finishing the game with 12 points. Fellow big Riley Clinger scored 9 points. A total of eleven Vikings scored in the game, which meant that every player who saw minutes was able to contribute to the 55-point final tally.

The JV team moved to 3-0 with a win prior to the varsity team taking the floor.

Northern Lebanon Head Coach Chris George shared his thoughts after the win: “The game was a physical battle most of the way. PIne Grove never went away. The big guys Luke Shaffer,  Brady Krall and Nolan Lesher dominated the glass all day.  Shaffer is now asserting his dominance all over the court now as well with 10 rebounds and multiple steals, along with hustle plays.  The wings, led by Riley Messinger, were attacking all day.  Our trio of sophomore guards Kael Erdman, Ben Planken, and Andrew Via were awesome off the bench, hitting multiple threes and locking down the Pine Grove guards.  Kael took multiple charges throughout the day as well.”

Northern Lebanon (1-2) will look to keep it rolling in the right direction but will have to wait until next Friday when they are set to travel to Cocalico.

NL Scoring: B. Krall (12); R. Clinger (9); B. Planken (7); R. Messinger (6); Kael Erdman (6); N. Lesher (5); B. Bicksler (2); C. Wolfe (2); D. Brandt (2); A. Via (2); L. Shaffer (2)

Conestoga Christian 54, New Covenant 37

By defeating Lititz Christian on Friday night, New Covenant found its way into Saturday’s Cougar Classic Tournament Championship against host Conestoga Christian. The Flames hung early in this one, led by two three-pointers by Alex Canakis, and trailed 17-14 after the 1st quarter. Unfortunately, they could not slow down Conestoga’s two top scorers in the middle quarters, and their own offense cooled off. Down 23 entering the 4th, New Covenant was able to make it a 17-point deficit by the end.

In the game, New Covenant was led in scoring with 12 points by Tycen VanDerPloog.

New Covenant (1-1) is next in action on Tuesday when they travel to take on Lancaster County Christian.

NC Scoring: T. VanDerPloog (12); K. Stoner (9); A. Canakis (6); C. Hess (5); S. Balsbaugh (2); Graden (2)

Downingtown West 56, Cedar Crest 52

The Falcons were back at Exeter High School on Saturday to participate in the showcase event, this time facing Downingtown West. Crest jumped out to an early lead led by Fernando Marquez, Aiden Schomp, and RJ Young as they used their size to build a 19-10 midway through the 2nd quarter. Downingtown weathered the storm, recovering to take a 24-21 lead into the half. They then protected their lead the rest of the way, never allowing Cedar Crest to make the much-needed run that would have flipped the script.

In the end, Marquez led the Falcons with 14 points. Young finished with 13 and Schomp had 10.

Cedar Crest (2-2) will next play next Friday at home against Hempfield.

CC Scoring: F. Marquez (14); R. Young (13); A. Schomp (10); L. Tirado (7); J. Custer (3); D. Groff (3); D. Speaks (2)

ELCO 49, North Schuylkill 42

On Friday, ELCO earned a gutsy team win over Spring Grove, earning their right to vie for the Lebanon Tip Off Championship. Saturday’s game started out being a tightly contest affair until the Raiders broke it open in the 2nd quarter to build a 28-18 lead going into halftime. While Camden Marquette scored 6 points in the 1st quarter, it was Micah Gray’s trio of three-balls that broke the game and gave ELCO their boost in the 2nd stanza. In fact, ELCO combined for six three-pointers in the quarter. North Schuylkill cut into the lead in the 3rd quarter, but the Raiders clamped down to keep them at arm’s length for the rest of the game.

ELCO scoring was led by Marquette, who scored 18, including seven that came in the 4th quarter. Gray was named to the Tournament MVP, with Dallas George joining him as an All-Tournament selection.

ELCO (2-1) is set to host Hamburg on Tuesday evening.

ELCO Scoring: C. Marquette (18); M. Gray (12); D. George (6); L. Kless (4); J. Hayes (4); K. Schultz Tillison (3); K. Boyer (2)

Spring Grove 44, Lebanon 39

After both teams suffered losses in the opening round of Lebanon’s tournament, the Cedars squared off against the Spring Grove Rockets. It was clear from the start that this would be a tight affair, as the two teams traded buckets for four quarters. After Lebanon junior guard Ben DiScuillo scored 8 points in the 2nd quarter, the Cedars trailed by only three at the half. Coach Uffner shortened up his rotation, with Lebanon continuing to press the Rockets. Another 5 points from DiScuillo in the 3rd kept the game close. Unfortunately, a solid 4th quarter by senior Braylon Beaver and a three-ball by Jaydyn Wolfe was not enough, as Spring Grove narrowly escaped with the victory.

DiScuillo was the game’s high scorer with 14 points, whose baskets included three treys. Sophomore Malachi Briddell scored 8 points for Lebanon.

Lebanon (0-3) will look to build on the positives from this game when they travel to Columbia on Tuesday.

Lebanon Scoring: B. DiScuillo (14); M. Briddell (8); J. Wolfe (5); I. Abdallaoui (5); N. Trace (5); J. Torres (2)

Girls Basketball: Results Tracker

Friday, December 8

New Covenant 63, Lititz Christian 50

The Flames opened their season against Lititz Christian as part of the Cougar Classic hosted by Conestoga Christian. New Covenant built a 17-10 lead by the end of the 1st quarter, but Lititz Christian battled back in the 2nd quarter to make it a 4-point game at the midway point. With the score 27-23 at the beginning of the 3rd quarter, the Flames put together a consistent offensive effort and outscored their opponent 16-9 during the period. It was in the 4th quarter that they really started clicking, scoring 20, and building a 22-point lead. In the final quarter, Sam Balsbaugh led the way with 10 of his 22 team-high points. Lititz hit four late threes to bring the game back to a reasonable outcome.

New Covenant (1-0) will play host Conestoga Christian in tomorrow’s tournament final.

NC Scoring: S. Balsbaugh (22); G. Canakis (12); K. Stoner (10); C. Hess (9); T. VanDerPloog (9); A. Canakis (2)

ELCO 66, Spring Grove 49

ELCO made the short trip to Lebanon to play Spring Grove in the opening round of Lebanon’s Tip Off Tournament, with the Raiders hoping to notch their first win following a tight loss to Pottsville on Tuesday night. While he was in the starting lineup, there were concerns coming into this game about Dallas George’s ankle following an injury in the Pottsville game. With that said, it was his teammates who picked up the pace early, including junior Micah Gray and sophomore Kaden Shultz Tillison(KST), who helped to give ELCO a 17-16 lead at the end of the 1st quarter. They would hold onto the one-point lead with a 32-31 lead at halftime. When the 2nd half opened, the Raiders played with more intensity and opened up a large lead, outscoring the visitors from York County 19-8 to make the score 51-39. It was much of the same in the 4th, with sophomore Josiah Hayes leading with 6 points in the quarter. George was hobbled but found his groove on defense and as a distributor on offense. He was also 8-8 from the free throw line. Gray led the Raiders with 19 points for the second straight game.

ELCO (1-1) will play North Schuylkill in Saturday’s championship.

ELCO Scoring: M. Gray (19); K. Boyer (11); K. Schultz Tillison (9); D. George (8); J. Hayes (8); C. Marquette (7); L. Kless (4)

North Schuylkill 68, Lebanon 50

On Friday night, Lebanon met North Schuylkill as part of the tournament they are hosting. The Cedars battled hard in the 1st quarter to keep it close, only trailing by 5 (17-12) when the 2nd quarter began. Unfortunately, the Spartans began to break the game open when a series of subs started hitting shots. They outscored Lebanon 22-8 in the quarter and held onto a 39-20 lead at the half. Despite the score, the Cedars continued clawing, led by junior Jaydyn Wolfe’s barrage of four three-pointers in the 2nd half. By the end of the 3rd quarter, Lebanon had outscored the visitors 22-13, cutting the deficit to 11 points going into the final act. That would be as close as the Cedars would get with North Schuylkill connecting on key free throws to slam the door on the hopes of a comeback by Lebanon.

For the game, Wolfe led the Cedars with 13 points.

Lebanon (0-2) will play Spring Grove in the consolation round on Saturday evening.

Lebanon Scoring: J. Wolfe (13); J. Torres (9); B. DiScuillo (7); M. Briddell (5); M. Suarez (4); R. Santiago (4); N. Trace (3); B. Beaver (2); R. Estevez (2); M. Martinez (1)

Berks Catholic 54, Cedar Crest 32

Following two wins to start the season, the Falcons traveled to Exeter on Friday night to take on Berks Catholic, last year’s District 3 AAAA champion. Berks Catholic showed early in this game that they might be ready to repeat, as they quickly slowed Cedar Crest down, limiting the Falcons to just 6 points in the 1st quarter. While Berks Catholic held a 14-6 advantage, Crest was able to keep it an 8-point game at the half, matching each of the 11 points scored by the Saints in the 2nd quarter. In the 3rd quarter, it was a defensive slog again, with the Falcons being limited to 6 points. Berks Catholic put it away in the 4th quarter, outscoring Crest 19-9.

Junior RJ Young was a bright spot for Cedar Crest, scoring 13 and grabbing 12 rebounds. Another positive was that the Falcons combined in going 10-12 from the free throw line.

Cedar Crest (2-1) will look to rebound when they play Downingtown West on Saturday.

CC Scoring: R. Young (13); L. Tirado (4); J. Custer (4); D. Speaks (4); F. Marquez (3); O. Chernich (2); D. Groff (2)

Girls Basketball: Results Tracker

Thursday, December 7

Annville-Cleona 59, Millersburg 42

The Dutchmen traveled to Millersburg on Thursday night in hopes of making it four in a row to start their season. After a close 9-7 score at the end of the 1st, Annville outscored the home team 20-12 in the 2nd quarter to take a 29-19 lead into halftime. The Dutchmen then kept the foot on the gas, scoring 18 in the 3rd quarter behind Elisha Slabach’s 8 points. Taking a 13-point lead in the 4th, Annville finished the game out with a strong defensive effort to secure the victory.

Slabach was the game’s high scorer, accounting for 24 points. His performance included two three-pointers and hitting 6-8 free throws. Through the first four games of the season, Slabach has averaged 24.0 ppg. Jon Shay scored 13, which included going 5-6 from the free throw line.

The Dutchmen (4-0) will play next Tuesday at home against Oley Valley.

AC Scoring: E. Slabach (24); J. Shay (13); B. Morcom (7); W. Mase (6); D. Casciotti (4); J. Zdazinsky (3); A. Pena (1)

Wednesday, December 6

Solanco 51, Northern Lebanon 28

Northern Lebanon hosted Solanco on Wednesday evening, hoping to rebound after Monday night’s season-opening loss to Tri-Valley. Unfortunately, it was not their night. The visiting Mules created 27 turnovers and capitalized upon those opportunities. The Vikings trailed 17-8 after the 1st quarter and then 23-13 at halftime. Solanco was able to break away further in the 2nd half, as Northern Lebanon’s shooting never came around despite forcing 20 turnovers of their own. One positive of the lopsided score was that Coach George was able to give valuable varsity minutes to many of his junior varsity players. Earlier in the evening, the JV squad improved to 2-0 with a dominant 15-point victory.

Riley Clinger and Brady Krall each scored 5 points to lead the scoring for the Vikings. All of Clinger’s points came from the charity stripe, as he went 5-6 from the line.

Northern Lebanon (0-2) will look to get things going when they travel to Pine Grove on Saturday.

NL Scoring: R. Clinger (5); B. Krall (5); R. Messinger (4); Kael Erdman (3); A. Via (3); B. Planken (2); C. Wolfe (2); Kade Erdman (2); N. Lesher (2)

For more on Northern Lebanon, check out: Northern Lebanon Boys Basketball ’23 – ’24 Season Outlook

Girls Basketball: Results Tracker

Tuesday, December 5

Annville-Cleona 65, Upper Dauphin 19

The Dutchmen entered their third game of the season with hopes of christening their newly refurbished gym with their third win of the season. Annville built an early 16-8 lead by the 1st quarter behind an 8-point performance by Jon Shay. In the 2nd quarter, Upper Dauphin could not keep up as Annville hit the accelerator, outscoring the visitors 22-5 and taking a 38-13 lead into halftime. While the Dutchmen slowed up in the 2nd half, they still held Upper Dauphin to 6 points and cruised to a 46-point victory.

Shay finished the game with 15 points. Elisha Slabach again led Annville in scoring as he racked up 22 points, including hitting four three-pointers. Ben Morcom added three three-points and scored 11 to join his teammates in double figures.

The Dutchmen (3-0) will travel to Millersburg on Thursday.

AC Scoring: E. Slabach (22); J. Shay (15); B. Morcom (11); J. Zdazinsky (5); A. Pena (4); J. Guerrido (3); W. Mase (2); H.Sellers (1)

Cedar Crest 63, Conestoga Valley 48

The Falcons hosted their second game in as many nights to start the season, this time welcoming visiting Conestoga Valley.  The two teams played an even 1st quarter before Crest built a 10-point, 36-26 lead at the half.  Cedar Crest continued to wear down the Buckskins and outscored them 18-7 in the 3rd quarter.  Going into the 4th quarter down 54-33, Conestoga Valley was able to bring it back to a more reasonable level, as Coach Smith was able to expand his rotation by giving valuable varsity minutes to more of his players.

Fernando Marquez led the Cedar Crest scoring with 13 points, while Owen Chernich and Leo Tirado each contributed 12 points. The Falcons (2-0) will have off until Friday when they will travel to take on Berks Catholic.

CC Scoring: F. Marquez (13); O. Chernich (12); L. Tirado (12); R. Young (8); J. Custer (8); D. Speaks (4); K. Tirado (3); B. Hassan (2); I. Wolfe (1)

Pottsville 50, ELCO 45

ELCO hosted Pottsville to open their season. The visitors are traditionally a good program, so it offered a great early season test for the Raiders. The game was a tight affair throughout, with ELCO nabbing a 24-21 lead at the half. However, a strong 3rd quarter by the Tide stormed back to take a lead going into the 4th. The Raiders battled until the end but could not overcome the physicality posed by the size of Pottsville’s squad. An injury late in the game to Dallas George limited ELCO’s scoring options down the stretch, as Pottsville held on for a 50-45 victory.

Junior Micah Gray led ELCO in scoring with a decent shooting performance that totaled 19 points, having hit three three-pointers while also going 4-4 from the free throw line.

After the game, ELCO Coach Brad Conners said, “Pottsville is a good program and has had a ton of success throughout the years. Hats off to them. We need to be better and take care of the ball. The turnover bug bit us, especially late in the game. We will go to work this afternoon at practice and will be better tomorrow.”

ELCO Scoring: M. Gray (19); C. Marquette (7); K. Boyer (7); K. Shultz Tillison (7); D. George (3); L. Leonard (2)

Muhlenberg 51, Palmyra 41

Girls Basketball: Results Tracker

Monday, December 4

Tri Valley 55, Northern Lebanon 27

Northern Lebanon opened their season at home against Tri-Valley, last year’s District 11 – 2A runner-up. The visiting team from Hegins was well prepared for the hungry Vikings, who were coming off of a 1-21 record last season. The game remained close early, with Tri-Valley leading by just two points, 11-9, after the 1st quarter of play. However, Northern Lebanon had issues taking care of the ball in this one, allowing Tri-Valley to break away. Tri-Valley led 30-18 at the half but extended that lead to 49-24 by the end of the 3rd. By the end of the game, the Vikings had turned the ball over 28 times. For the Vikings, it was Brady Krall who was the leading scorer with 9 points. Riley Clinger had 7 points, 7 rebounds, and 4 steals.  Northern Lebanon also forced Tri-Valley into 17 turnovers.

Northern Lebanon (0-1) will look to rebound when they host Solanco on Wednesday night.

NL Scoring: B. Krall (9), R. Clinger (7), C. Wolfe (3), R. Messinger (2), K. Erdman (2), L. Shaffer (2)

Cedar Crest 53, Governor Mifflin 35

Cedar Crest came into the season opener with high hopes for this season and hosted Governor Mifflin in The Cage for their first test. The Falcons built an early lead, with Aiden Schomp proving to be too much for the visitors to contain as the big man scored 6 points. At the end of the 1st quarter, Crest led 15-6. Leo Tirado and Danny Speaks each scored 6 points during the 2nd quarter as the Falcons extended their lead to 33-13 by halftime. The 3rd quarter was Fernando Marquez’s turn, as the senior scored 8 points as part of a 16-point frame for the home team. Sitting on a 28-point lead, Coach Tommy Smith took the opportunity to give minutes to some of the team’s valuable backups. The fresh faces kept the lead stable, as the Falcons quickly put this one into the win column. Defensively, RJ Young combined with Schomp down low to give Mifflin issues throughout the night. Offensively, it was a balanced attack, with Marquez finishing with 10 to lead the scoring as the only Falcon in double-digits.

Cedar Crest (1-0) will look to add another win when they host Conestoga Valley on Tuesday night.

CC Scoring: F. Marquez (10), A. Schomp (8), L. Tirado (8), O. Chernich (7), D. Speaks (6), R. Young (6), J. Custer (4), A. Abreu (3), I. Wolfe (1)