If you like this type of coverage, please let us know by Following us on social media: Twitter/X – @lebcosports1 and Facebook.
For any questions, comments, or discrepancies, please reach out to dan@lebcosports.com.
After a successful regular season, a total of NINE LebCo Basketball teams have qualified for their respective District 3 Championship Tournaments. Out of those deserving teams, the ELCO Boys team may have had the most exciting, stressful, and rewarding journey.
The Raiders held an 8-8 record through their first sixteen contests. In the 4A Power Rankings, they sat in the 14th position, knowing that only the top ten teams qualify for Districts. ELCO then went on a three-game winning streak to jump to 11th. Following a loss to Cocalico, the prospect of extending their season seemed bleak.
However, the Raiders dug deep and, on February 6th, notched a monumental victory over Octorara. Two nights later, they worked to defeat Donegal to cap off the regular season, having won five of their last six games. This moved them into the 10th position on the Power Rankings.
For a brief moment, there was jubilation. A short time later, it was discovered that another school had not updated its record, which would have a ripple effect that could out their playoff hopes in jeopardy. When it was finally updated at the beginning of this week, ELCO held a razor-thin lead over Kennard Dale for the final spot, 0.599785 – 0.599715.
ELCO’s chances at qualification then hinged on the result of Monday night’s game between the Boiling Springs Bubblers and the Middletown Blue Raiders. With both teams ranked ahead of ELCO, the most crucial aspect of this matchup was a December 20th game when Middletown defeated ELCO. If Middletown took another loss, it would decrease ELCO’s rating and cause Kennard Dale to pass them for the final postseason berth. Fortunately, the Blue Raiders helped our Raiders, winning 59-51 at home against Boiling Springs. This moved ELCO’s overall rating to 0.600221 and solidified their finish in the 10th position.
Coach Brad Conners commented on how his team finished the regular season:
“Our guys never wavered. They never gave in and just kept their heads down and worked to improve every day in practice. It was important to win our games at home, and we did just that. Five of our last six games were at home, and our seniors showed leadership and refused to go away.”
While there were several speedbumps on the way to punching their ticket for the District 3 Playoffs, in the end, it came down to ELCO playing good basketball to win critical games and letting everything else work itself out. ELCO will have another chance to defy the odds when they begin their journey through Districts, beginning with a game against Boiling Springs on Tuesday, February 20th.
To quickly see who each of the LebCo Teams will be facing to start Districts, check out:
