Boys Basketball Results Tracker: December 3-6

In this post, we’ll provide updates on Boys Basketball action from across Lebanon County. This will be a rolling summary, continually updated as we receive new details, giving you a one-stop place to stay informed on all the latest happenings.

Click here to access the Girls Results

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Saturday, December 6

Lebanon 60, ELCO 51

After the Cedars defeated Our Lady of the Cross and ELCO won an overtime thriller against Elizabethtown, the two Lebanon County programs squared off on Saturday night for the Lebanon Tip-Off Tournament Championship.

Lebanon wasted no time establishing control, racing out to a nine-point lead by the end of the 1st quarter. Manny Martinez set the tone early, scoring 8 points in the opening frame, including two three-pointers. In the 2nd quarter, Derek Franco took over, pouring in 8 points as part of a 14-point first half. By halftime, the Cedars held a comfortable 37–22 advantage.

In the 2nd half, ELCO mounted a push as both teams heated up from the perimeter, trading three-pointers and momentum swings. Despite ELCO’s rally, Lebanon delivered at the free-throw line down the stretch, securing the tournament title.

Franco led Lebanon with 21 points, while Martinez added 20. Noriah Jones also reached double figures with 10 points. As a team, the Cedars were outstanding at the foul line, going 20-for-23.

ELCO was paced by three players in double figures: Paul Williams, Cole Doster, and Josiah Hayes, each finishing with 10 points.

Lebanon (3–0) will put its unbeaten record to the test Tuesday when it travels to Warwick.
ELCO (2–1) returns home Tuesday to host Hamburg.

Lebanon Scoring: D. Franco 21, M. Martinez 20, N. Jones 11, D. Rodriguez 6, E. Schappell 2,

ELCO Scoring: P. Williams 10, C. Doster 10, J. Hayes 10, A. Smith 7, K. Tillison 5, E. Gensamer 4, J. Dolan 3, G. Kreider 2

Ephrata 48, Palmyra 45 (2 OT)

After a resounding win over Middletown on Thursday night, the Cougars advanced to the championship game of Ephrata’s Tip-Off Tournament, where they faced the host Mounts. Palmyra started slowly and fell behind 17–4 by the end of the 1st quarter, but their early struggles didn’t last. The Cougars responded by dominating the 2nd quarter 13–3, cutting the deficit to 20–17 by halftime. Tommy Steelman scored 6 points in the half, while Brady Kyper added 5, including a three-pointer.

In the 3rd quarter, Palmyra continued to surge, taking a 30–26 lead into the final frame. Ephrata, energized by the home crowd, battled back and tied the game in the closing seconds of regulation, forcing overtime with the score knotted at 37–37.

The drama escalated through two overtime periods. After Ephrata led by three in the first overtime, Palmyra rallied to force a second. In the final extra session, the Mounts delivered the decisive blow—a go-ahead three-pointer by Luke Hurst with just 2.5 seconds remaining—to claim the victory.

In what LLHoops.com’s Andy Herr called an early contender for most exciting game of the year, the Cougars were led by Kyper and Steelman, who each scored 10 points.

Palmyra (1–1) will travel on Wednesday to take on the Cedar Cliff Colts.

Palmyra Scoring: B. Kyper 10, T. Steelman 10, L. Johnson 7, L. Grumbein 6, B. Bown 5, J. Meley 4, M. Warner 3

York Country Day 61, Annville-Cleona 25

After defeating Biglerville on Friday night, Annville-Cleona played York Country Day in “The Barn” in the Tip-Off Tournament championship game. YCD proved to be too much for the home team early, building a dominant 41-11 halftime lead. The second half was much more competitive, but by that point the damage had been done.

Senior Hudson Sellers led Annville with 12 points.

Annville-Cleona (1-1) will host Northern Lebanon on Tuesday.

AC Scoring: H. Sellers 12, D. Shay 6, J. Garney 5, J. Ditzler 3, M. Ortwein 2

Conestoga Christian 84, New Covenant 66

Cougar Classic Championship Game, hosted by Conestoga Christian.

Pottstown 63, Cedar Crest 54

Elizabethtown 63, Our Lady of the Cross 12

Consolation game of the Lebanon Tip-Off Tournament.

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Friday, December 5

New Covenant 75, Lititz Christian 39

On Friday night, the Flames traveled to Covenant Christian to take part in the Cougar Classic, opening the tournament against Lititz Christian. New Covenant controlled the game from start to finish, using an aggressive offensive pace and steady defensive pressure to secure a dominant 36-point victory.

The Flames were led by junior Grayden Summer, who poured in 24 points to pace the offense. Senior Ben Rhine added 21 points, knocking down two three-pointers as part of his strong performance. Junior Talan VanderPloog also made a major impact, hitting three shots from beyond the arc on his way to 18 points, giving New Covenant three players in double figures.

New Covenant (2-0) will advance to play for the Cougar Classic Tournament Championship on Saturday.

New Covenant Scoring: G. Summer 24, B. Rhine 21, T. VanderPloog 18, B. Demler 4, Y. Navarro 4, G. Canakis 2, E. Schaetzle 2

Lebanon 67, Our Lady of the Cross 27

On Friday night, the Cedars hosted Our Lady of the Cross in the first round of the Lebanon Tip-Off Tournament. Lebanon was led by Yassine Hakam, who scored 11 points, including 7 in the 2nd quarter, and Elliott Schappell, who added 10.

Lebanon County’s newest team, the Lions, also found ways to score inside the Cedars’ gym, led by Jadison Shuey, who finished with 9 points.

On Saturday evening, Lebanon (2-0) will play ELCO for the tournament championship. OLC will face Elizabethtownin the consolation matchup.

Lebanon Scoring: Y. Hakam 11, E. Schappell 10, J. Morales 6, O. Sledge 6, S. Howard 6, J. Sanchez 8, H. Cortes 5, D. Rodriguez 5, N. Jones 4, S. Gotay 4, D. Franco 2

OLC Scoring: J. Shuey 9, O. Carl 8, C. Hatzfeld 4, C. Gill 4, L. Hardebeck 2

ELCO 49, Elizabethtown 48 (OT)

In the opening game of the Lebanon Tip-Off Tournament, ELCO and Elizabethtown delivered a thriller that kept the crowd engaged from start to finish, with the contest ultimately spilling into overtime.

The 1st half was tightly played, with neither team creating much separation as they went into the break tied 19–19. Kaden Tillison led the Raiders in the half with 5 points.

Elizabethtown edged ahead by two entering the 4th quarter, but ELCO battled back, fueled by two three-pointers each from Tillison and Cole Doster, forcing the game into overtime.

In the extra period, the Raiders came up clutch. Josiah Hayes and Cole Doster each scored from the field, while Austin Smith calmly knocked down two free throws to help ELCO secure a narrow victory.

Smith finished with a team-high 12 points, while Tillison—who hit three three-pointers—joined him in double figures with 10.

ELCO (2-0) will now face Lebanon in Saturday evening’s championship game of the Lebanon Tip-Off Tournament.

ELCO Scoring: A. Smith 12, K. Tillison 11, C. Doster 8, J. Hayes 9, G. Kreider 6, D. Gutierrez 3

Annville-Cleona 49, Biglerville 35

Annville-Cleona opened its season on Friday night, hosting Biglerville in the first round of their Tip-Off Tournament. Offense was limited early, but the Dutchmen managed to build a 16–11 halftime lead behind 6 points each from Hudson Sellers and James Garney.

The pace picked up in the third quarter as A-C outscored Biglerville 17–13, led by an 8-point burst from John Ditzler. The same trend continued into the fourth, where the Dutchmen pulled away comfortably to secure the win.

Sellers led Annville-Cleona with 14 points, including 8 in the final quarter. Garney added 12 points, while Ditzlerfinished with 11.

Annville-Cleona (1–0) will face York Country Day on Saturday for the tournament championship.

AC Scoring: H. Sellers 14, J. Garney 12, J. Ditzler 11, Z. Hogue 4, D. Shay 4, L. Custer 3, L. Peters 1

Muhlenberg 63, Cedar Crest 54

On Friday night, Cedar Crest traveled to take on Muhlenberg. The game remained close through the first half, with Muhlenberg holding a narrow 27-26 lead at the break. However, the 3rd quarter proved decisive, as the Muhls created separation and built a lead they would not relinquish.

Junior Antonio Tirado led the Falcons with 19 points, while sophomore Steven Reyes added 13 in the effort.

Cedar Crest (0-2) will travel to Conrad Weiser on Wednesday night.

Cedar Crest Scoring: A. Tirado 19, S. Reyes 13, J. Pauleus 8, J. Bechtold 8, C. Tirado 2, J. Smith 2, O. Outman 2

Twin Valley 72, Northern Lebanon 69

On Friday, the Vikings traveled to Elverson to take on the Twin Valley Raiders on the hardwood, just one day after Twin Valley’s football team competed in the State Championship.

Much like Wednesday’s matchup with Upper Dauphin, Northern Lebanon came out strong, scoring 16 points in the opening quarter to take a 16-14 lead. That early surge was powered by 7 points from Nolan Lesher and a three-pointer from Ryan Clemmer.

In the 2nd quarter, however, Twin Valley found its rhythm, outscoring the Vikings 24-15 to take a 38-31 lead into halftime. Northern Lebanon battled back in each of the final two quarters, highlighted by three made three-pointers from Carter Moyer, but the comeback ultimately fell just short.

Andrew Via led the Vikings with 20 points, while Lesher added 17 and Moyer finished with 15. The trio combined to shoot an exceptional 14-of-16 from the free-throw line. Christian Anspach also reached double figures, scoring 10 points.

Northern Lebanon (1-2) will look to build on the positives when they face Annville-Cleona on Tuesday.

NL Scoring: A. Via 20, N. Lesher 17, C. Moyer 15, C. Anspach 10, R. Clemmer 7

Thursday, December 4

Palmyra 57, Middletown 25

Palmyra opened its season with a matchup against Middletown in the 1st round of the Ephrata Tip-Off Tournament, and the Cougar defense made an immediate statement. The Cougars held the Blue Raiders scoreless throughout the entire 1st quarter and carried that momentum into halftime with a 26–12 advantage. Micah Warner powered the early effort, scoring 10 points in the opening half on his way to a game-high 13.

In the 2nd half, Palmyra continued to find scoring opportunities as their perimeter attack came alive with three-pointers from Braydon Bown and Luke Loser. Middletown was unable to make any significant dent in the deficit as the Cougars maintained control from start to finish.

Warner led all scorers with 13 points, while Luke Johnson joined him in double figures with 11 points each.

Palmyra (1–0) advances to Saturday’s championship game of the Ephrata Tip-Off Tournament.

Palmyra Scoring: M. Warner 13, L. Johnson 11, L. Grumbein 7, B. Bown 7, L. Loser 6, T. Steelman 6, S. Harrison 3, J. Meley 2, N. Bown 2

Wednesday, December 3

Northern Lebanon 70, Upper Dauphin 48

Northern Lebanon came out hot in the 1st quarter against Upper Dauphin, with Nolan Lesher scoring 10 points and Andrew Via adding 8 as the Vikings built a commanding 28-9 lead before the 2nd quarter even began. The remainder of the game was played much more evenly, but the early damage was more than enough as Northern Lebanon cruised to give Coach Franklin Wilson his first victory at the helm.

Via finished with 18 points, while Lesher totaled 16. Carter Moyer also reached double figures, contributing 12 points to the win.

Northern Lebanon (1-1) will travel to Twin Valley on Friday night.

NL Scoring: N. Lesher 16, A. Via 18, C. Moyer 12, A. Padovani 9, L. Erdman 5, C. Anspach 5, A. Martin 3, K. Hoffer 2

Lebanon 68, Oxford 45

The Cedars hosted Oxford on Wednesday and put together four strong quarters to earn their first win of the new season. After the teams traded 13 points apiece in the opening frame, Lebanon began to separate in the 2nd quarter, taking a 33–26 lead into halftime.

In the 3rd quarter, a combination of tough defense and consistent scoring allowed Lebanon to break the game open, outscoring Oxford 22–4 to build a commanding 55–30 advantage heading into the final period. From there, the Cedars were able to close it out and secure the victory, improving to 1–0.

Derek Franco led the way with 22 points (2 threes, 4–6 FT), while Manny Martinez added 20 points (1 three, 3–3 FT). Gauge Soliday joined them in double figures, contributing 10 points (1 three, 3–3 FT).

Lebanon (1–0) will host their Tip-Off Tournament beginning Friday night when they face Our Lady of the Cross.

Lebanon Scoring: D. Franco 22, M. Martinez 20, G. Soliday 10, N. Jones 9, D. Rodriguez 7

Milton Hershey 72, Cedar Crest 57

The Falcons opened their season at home against a tough Milton Hershey squad. After falling behind early, Cedar Crest battled back in the 2nd quarter to cut the Spartans’ halftime lead to just two points (29–27). However, the 3rd quarter proved to be the turning point, as Milton Hershey surged ahead to build a double-digit advantage that they protected the rest of the way.

For Cedar Crest, sophomore Jemar Pauleus delivered an outstanding offensive performance, finishing with a team-high 24 points. In total, 11 different Falcons contributed to the scoring effort. Milton Hershey was led by Khalif Turner, who poured in 40 points to lead all scorers.

Cedar Crest (0–1) will travel to Muhlenberg on Friday night.

Cedar Crest Scoring: J. Paulues 24, J. Gentry 8, C. Tirado 4, O. Outman 4, A. Tirado 5, A. Jacoby 3, K. Speaks 2, J. Smith 2, C. Hallman 2, G. Starry 2, S. Reyes 1

New Covenant 82, Mount Cavalry 57

New Covenant Scoring Leaders: Rhine 29, Vanderploog 17, Canakis 13

ELCO 49, Conrad Weiser 48