A stack of girls basketball notables, as the regular season finally hits the finish line, and the playoffs are teed up and ready to go:
![Breaking down the L-L League basketball playoff bracket in the 'Full Court Press' [podcast]](data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAAEAAAABCAQAAAC1HAwCAAAAC0lEQVR42mP8Xw8AAoMBgDTD2qgAAAAASUVORK5CYII=)
L-L LEAGUE PLAYOFFS IN STARTING GATES
In case you missed it, the four L-L quarterfinal games are set for Monday at 7 p.m. The matchups:
Lampeter-Strasburg at Manheim Township and Warwick at Pequea Valley in the upper bracket.Â
Columbia at Ephrata and Cedar Crest at Lancaster Catholic in the bottom bracket.Â
The semifinals are Wednesday at Hempfield starting at 5:30 p.m. And the championship game is Friday at 7 p.m. at Manheim Township.
Reigning champ Lebanon did not make the playoffs.Â
The District 3 playoffs — gulp — start the following Monday. Buckle up, people. The postseason is here.Â
CCAC BRACKET UPDATE
Some intriguing first-round games on Monday:
Covenant Christian at Veritas Academy … Lancaster County Christian vs. Dayspring Christian (at Columbia) … Conestoga Christian at New Covenant Christian … Mount Calvary Christian at Linville Hill Christian, in a battle of old foes. Circle that one. … Those games all start at 7 p.m. … The semifinals are Wednesday and the title game is Saturday at 4 p.m. at Lancaster Bible College. … Linville Hill is the 3-time reigning champ — all against Mount Calvary in those title games. This year, those two will meet in the quarterfinals, and the loser is out. … Mount Calvary edged Linville Hill 32-30 back in early December in Mount Calvary’s tip-off tournament. The rematch will be for a spot in the CCAC semifinals. Â
DISTRICT 3 BRACKET UPDATE
If the season ended today, 19 teams combined from the L-L League and Lancaster/Lebanon CCAC squads would qualify for the D3 playoffs — in five of the six classifications; nobody local would make the Class 2A bracket.Â
There are also no bubble teams, so these 19 outfits look locked in to making D3 brackets: Ephrata (7), Manheim Township (10), Penn Manor (13), Cedar Crest (15) in the 16-team 6A field … Cocalico (6), Lampeter-Strasburg (7), Warwick (8), Manheim Central (9), Elco (13) in the 14-team 5A field … Lancaster Catholic (3), Northern Lebanon (4) in the 8-team 4A field … Pequea Valley (2), Columbia (3) in the 6-team 3A field … Veritas Academy (1), New Covenant Christian (2), Dayspring Christian (3), Linville Hill Christian (4), Mount Calvary Christian (8), Lancaster County Christian (10) in the 10-team 1A field.Â
The brackets will become official after all regular season games are completed on Wednesday, Feb. 11.Â
There are still a handful of regular season games (all non-con tilts) involving L-L teams: On Monday, Lancaster Country Day will visit Linden Hall and Lebanon will host Cumberland Valley. On Tuesday, Northern Lebanon will welcome Brandywine Heights. And Conestoga Valley’s master schedule still lists a makeup date vs. L-L quarterfinalist Lampeter-Strasburg on Wednesday, the last night to accumulate D3 power points. If L-S is in the league semifinals, obviously that game will get bagged. Stay tuned.Â
Again, nothing official just yet. But if the brackets hold true, some first-round matchups would include:
6A — Manheim Township at Ephrata (Blue Streaks beat the Mountaineers 37-29 in Neffsville on Jan. 29) … Penn Manor at Wilson … Cedar Crest at Central Dauphin (CD beat the Falcons 34-24 in the E-town College Showdown back on Dec. 13).Â
5A — Cocalico vs. Exeter … L-S vs. West York (L-S beat WY 53-38 in the Spike Bahn Memorial Showcase at WY back on Jan. 3) … Manheim Central at Warwick, in an all-L-L, win-or-go-home battle royale … Elco at Milton Hershey.Â
4A — Lancaster Catholic vs. Eastern York … Northern Lebanon vs. Susquenita (NL beat Nita 41-19 back on Jan. 21).
3A — Pequea Valley would get a bye, and would get the winner of Upper Dauphin at Columbia — so there could be a PV/Tide rematch in the semifinals; the Braves and Columbia split their regular season series, and shared the Section 4 title.Â
1A — Veritas Academy would get a bye, and get the winner of Conestoga Christian at Mount Calvary … New Covenant would get a bye, and get the winner of Lancaster County Christian at Harrisburg Academy … Alliance Christian at Dayspring … Greenwood at back-to-back reigning champ Linville Hill; those two have a history, and the loser there would be done. Â
DISTRICT 3 GIRLS BASKETBALL POWER RATINGS
MAKING BUCKETS
L-L League scoring leaders: Lebanon’s Olive Brandt (24.3 points a game), Pequea Valley’s Janae Patterson (19.8), Manheim Township’s Ciniya Robinson (17.2), Elco’s Kenzie Eckhart (16.1), Cocalico’s Kira Lehman (15.4), Warwick’s Mia Warfel (14.6), Lancaster Catholic’s Nevaeh Kennedy (13.6), Cedar Crest’s Elli Malinoski (13.6), Garden Spot’s Laina Steiner (12.4), Cedar Crest’s Kaila Francis (12.3), Lancaster Catholic’s Mia Bonafede (12.1), Ephrata’s Leah Caldwell (12.1), Solanco’s Layne Dawley (12.0).Â
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2025-26 L-L LEAGUE GIRLS BASKETBALL STANDINGS, SCHEDULES, STATS
SHARPSHOOTERSÂ
L-L League leading 3-point makers: Warwick’s Mia Warfel (62 treys), Lebanon’s Olive Brandt (60), Cocalico’s Corrine Fair (58), Manheim Township’s Ciniya Robinson (50), Manheim Central’s Gianna Walters (45), Cedar Crest’s Elli Malinoski (37), Donegal’s Hailey Bomberger (34), Manheim Central’s Lilah Walters (34), Conestoga Valley’s Bianca Henry (33), Hempfield’s Asheion Burgess (32), Solanco’s Layne Dawley (31).Â
MILESTONES
L-L League active career scoring leaders: Pequea Valley senior Janae Patterson (1,658 – heading into L-L quarterfinals, D3-3A playoffs) … Lebanon senior Olive Brandt (1,441 – one regular season to go) … Elco senior Kenzie Eckhart (1,052 – heading into D3-5A playoffs) … Ephrata senior Leah Caldwell (1,033 – heading into L-L quarterfinals, D3-6A playoffs) … Cedar Crest senior Kaila Francis (1,004 – heading into L-L quarterfinals, D3-6A playoffs) … Northern Lebanon senior Kasey Weimer (985 – one regular season game to go, plus D3-4A playoffs) … Cocalico junior Kira Lehman (902 – heading into D3-5A playoffs) … Northern Lebanon senior Hayley Sheroky (848 – one regular season game to go, plus D3-4A playoffs) … Manheim Central junior Maddie Gehman (761 – heading into D3-5A playoffs) … Manheim Central junior Gianna Walters (730 – heading into D3-5A playoffs) … Penn Manor senior Alayzha Twyman (738 – heading into D3-6A playoffs) … Lancaster Catholic junior Nevaeh Kennedy (726 – heading into L-L quarterfinals, D3-4A playoffs).Â
THIS AND THAT
* All eyes on Cedar Crest’s rotation Monday night when the Falcons touch down at Lancaster Catholic for an L-L quarterfinal. Leading scorer Elli Malinoski missed last Wednesday’s game at Governor Mifflin, as she rehabs from an injury that landed her in a walking boot. Stay tuned. … Cedar Crest will lug a 4-game slide into its matchup with the Crusaders. The good news: The Falcons did share the Section 1 title — so there is a trophy on the way — and Cedar Crest will continue on in the D3-6A playoffs. But they need to get healthy. Pronto. … A 2-19 finish — including 0-10 in Section 1 play — for Hempfield; Asheion Burgess (9.1 points, 32 treys) was a bright spot for the Black Knights, who have 16 players on the roster due back next season. … Lebanon finishes up Monday at home vs. Cumberland Valley in a late-add non-con showdown between D3-6A foes. … Mid-Penn power CV, at No. 14, is just inside the bubble for a D3-6A bid. … There was no Section 1 4-peat — or L-L repeat — for the Cedars. … The CV game will be the swan song for Lebanon sniper Olive Brandt, who leads the L-L in points (511), scoring average (24.3), free throws made (131) and free throws attempted (172). … The E-town College recruit has scored 30 or more points in a game seven times this season, including a league-best 43-point explosion vs. McCaskey back on Jan. 12. … Last three games for Lebanon’s Nina Harrison: 11.0 points with five treys, including a season-high 16-point, 4-trey effort vs. Manheim Township. … Speaking of MT, the Blue Streaks are 8-1 in their last nine games, and they battled right down until the end to get a share of the Section 1 pie. … Last nine games for Manheim Township’s Ciniya Robinson: 18.4 points with 29 3-pointers; she has at least one trey in all nine of those games, with five 20-point nights during that red-hot clip. … An 8-14 finish for McCaskey, including a 4-6 mark in Section 1, as freshmen Sariiah Sweeney (10.6, 21 treys), Sarai Lewis (10.4) and Sumaiya Bint-Dawud (4.4, 10 treys) all made instant impacts for the Red Tornado, who will return their top four scorers — including Anastasia Cruz (9.7, 23 treys) — next season. … Penn Manor will hit the D3-6A playoffs riding a 2-game winning streak — including that clutch win at Cedar Crest on the last night of league play, forcing the Falcons to share the section title — and the Comets are 5-1 in their last six games. … Penn Manor floor general Alayzha Twyman over that clip: 12.5 points with seven treys. And Leah Swanson — the Comets’ lone non-senior starter — is at 11.2 points over the same stretch. … Penn Manor will have a 13-day layoff between its last regular season game and its D3-6A opener.Â
* Cocalico went right down to the wire in the Section 2 hunt, and had a shot to knock Ephrata off the 1-line last week. It didn’t happen. But the Eagles earned the highest seed among L-L contenders in the D3-5A bracket, and they’ll be a force to be reckoned with there. … Last four games for Cocalico’s Kira Lehman: 17.0 points, including three games of 20-plus, with a 23-point night in a win over E-town in the regular season finale. … Cocalico sniper Corrine Fair has 20 treys in the last 11 games. … Conestoga Valley has won two games in a row — over E-town and Solanco to wrap up Section 2 action — and the Buckskins still have a makeup game vs. Lampeter-Strasburg on their master schedule for Wednesday. We’ll monitor that, considering the Pioneers are in the L-L quarterfinals. … Bianca Henry scored 23 points with five treys in the wins over E-town and Solanco for CV. Tia Logan had 22 points and four triples in that clip for the Bucks. … E-town finished up 3-18 overall and 1-11 in league play. That was a 6-point nod over Garden Spot back on Dec. 19; the Bears didn’t win after that. … Ephrata will take a 4-game winning streak into its L-L quarterfinal vs. Columbia. … The Mountaineers are 9-1 overall in their last 10 outings; 1,000-point scorer Leah Caldwell is at 12.9 points over that stretch, including a season-high 25-point night in a win over Conestoga Valley. … Garden Spot finished up 7-14 overall, with a 2-10 mark in the league. But the Spartans were definitely improved, and gave everyone headaches, especially the 1-2 punch of Laina Steiner (12.4) and Niveyah Crabb (7.7, 26 treys). … Those two, plus Leah Kurtz (5.1, 14 treys), Katie Hoffman (4.1) and Kayla Weaver (3.5, 14 treys) are all due back next season in New Holland. … Solanco was another team that was improved, and caused plenty of problems. The Golden Mules finished up 8-14 overall, with a 4-6 league record. … Solanco leading scorers Layne Dawley (12.0, 31 treys), Saskia Ludgate (9.2) and Jaelyn Gonzalez (7.3) are all due back next winter in Quarryville. … Warwick will take a 3-game winning streak into its L-L quarterfinal on Monday at Pequea Valley. The Warriors are 15-2 in their last 17 games, and they survived a late-season hiccup vs. Ephrata to share the Section 2 crown with the Mounts — Warwick’s first section conquest since 1991. … Last 10 games for Warriors’ sharpshooter Mia Warfel: 15.4 points with (wait for it) 27 3-pointers. She’s hit at least one trey in 21 of Warwick’s 22 games, including a 6-trey, 23-point night in a nonleague win over Chichester last week.Â
* Throw out Donegal’s 3-19 overall record, and 0-10 mark in Section 3 action. The Indians were way better than that — the five teams ahead of them in the section race are all headed to the D3 playoffs — and earned plenty of praise for their intensity and hard-nosed play from section coaches. … Last 10 games for Donegal’s Hailey Bomberger: 11.0 points with 22 3-pointers. … Last six games for Donegal freshman Paige Umbel: 12.2 points with 12 treys. … The Indians’ top five scorers from this season — including arc aces Bomberger (8.9, 34 treys) and Umbel (7.0, 24 treys) — are due back next winter in Mount Joy. … Elco was 4-2 down the stretch, and last Friday’s clutch 36-32 win at Lower Dauphin sewed up a D3-5A invite. How is Elco 5A in anything, by the way? … A lights-out stretch for Elco’s Kenzie Eckhart: 18.6 points with nine 3-pointers in the last nine games, with five 20-point outings, including 28 points in a win over Blue Mountain, plus a 24-point, 3-trey effort at Lancaster Catholic. … Eckhart gutted that one out, after getting hit in the face and checking out several times with a bloody mouth. … L-S won its final three regular season games to stay ahead of Manheim Central in the D3-5A power ratings, and nab the 2-seed out of Section 3 for the L-L playoffs. … Plenty of heroes to go around for the Pioneers, including post threat Morgan Dombach, who is at 10.0 points in the last five games. … Lancaster Catholic fended off nonleague rival Berks Catholic 34-32 in its regular season finale to push its winning streak to four in a row. And the Crusaders are 10-1 in their last 11 games overall, as they’ve put everything together heading into the postseason. … Last seven games for Lancaster Catholic dribble-driver Nevaeh Kennedy: 16.1 points with four treys. … Last seven games for Crusaders’ spunky freshman floor general Mia Bonafede: 14.1 points, including a career-high 22-point night in a win over Elco, which put the outright Section 3 championship under lock and key for Lancaster Catholic — its 29th section crown overall. … Manheim Central roared to eight straight victories to cap the regular season. But — there’s always a but — the Barons missed out on an L-L quarterfinal spot by a minuscule power rating tiebreaker with L-S, and it looks like Manheim Central will draw Warwick in the D3-5A opener. That’s a terrific local matchup. Sadly, it’s win-or-go-home, so the loser will be done. … Last eight games for Manheim Central sniper Gianna Walters: 12.3 points with 23 3-pointers, giving the junior 143 career treys. She’s well on pace for 200 career triples, and only two L-L players have ever done that (Columbia’s Stacie Aston with 205 and Lancaster Catholic’s Sommer Reeser with 236). … Last four games for Barons’ shooter Lilah Walters: 11.3 points with 10 treys; Manheim Central has splashed 40 3-pointers in its last eight games. … Northern Lebanon added a game on a fly to get to its max 22 slate; the Vikings will host Brandywine Heights on Tuesday as a tuneup for the D3-4A tournament. … Northern Lebanon senior Kasey Weimer will get at least two shots at scoring 15 points to join the 1K club. She’s at 15.5 points over the last eight games, with seven double-digit nights, including a pair of 21-point efforts.Â
* Annville-Cleona, once again, was agonizingly close to a D3-3A playoff bid, but came up just a tad short at the finish line; the Dutchmen are at No. 8 in a 6-team field. … A-C (12-10 overall) went 4-3 down the stretch, but appears to be on the outside looking in. … Columbia was 2-2 down the stretch, but the Crimson Tide are prepping for an L-L quarterfinal after sharing the Section 4 title with Pequea Valley. … Will mention this again; Columbia’s beefed-up non-con slate included: Dayspring Christian (No. 3 in D3-1A), Mount Calvary (No. 8 in D3-1A), Section 1 co-champ Manheim Township, Kennard-Dale (No. 8 in D3-4A), 5A Solanco, 2025 D3-4A champ Wyomissing, D11 contender Executive Education Academy, Eastern York (No. 6 in D3-4A), 2025 D3-2A champ York Catholic (No. 1 in D3-2A) and York (No. 9 in D3-6A). Bravo. … One last shot for Lancaster Country Day to get its first victory this season on Monday, when the Cougars head to Linden Hall for a nonleague bash. … A 4-13 finish, including a 2-8 mark in Section 4, for Lancaster Mennonite, which re-established its program after being frozen in 2024-25. … The Blazers had 13 different players appear in games this winter. … Octorara picked up a forfeit win over Dock Mennonite last week to improve to 8-13 overall. At last check, the Braves were trying to add a game on the fly to get to their max 22. Stay tuned. … Last six games for Octorara’s Sophie Ruscitelli: 12.7 points, including a career-best 21-point night vs. Conestoga Christian. … Pequea Valley heads into its L-L quarterfinal vs. Warwick riding a 4-game winning streak. That was after a 1-2 stretch, so the Braves have found it again. … Lauren Cazanave has 29 points with eight treys in the last two games, including a five-3, career-high 15-point night in a win over Solanco. … Last 10 games for Pequea Valley’s Janae Patterson: 18.7 points, with double-digit outings in all 10 games, with four 20-point nights mixed in there.Â
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