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THE CLOSER<\/p>\n
Has anyone made more clutch shots this season than Lancaster Catholic junior Nevaeh Kennedy?<\/p>\n
An inventory:\u00a0<\/p>\n
Back on Dec. 6, she drilled the go-ahead 3-pointer with 31 seconds to play, and then she blocked the potential game-tying shot at the other end with four seconds left in an escape-job 31-28 win at Cedar Crest in the championship game of the Falcons\u2019 tip-off tournament.\u00a0<\/p>\n
On Jan. 15, Kennedy powered her way through the lane for the go-ahead layup with 1:11 to play, and Lancaster Catholic earned a gut-check 38-35 Section 3 win at Manheim Central.<\/p>\n
And on Jan. 23, Kennedy cashed in on a conventional three-point play with 4.1 seconds to go, giving the Crusaders a thrilling 37-35 Section 3 victory at Northern Lebanon.<\/p>\n
There was also her tour-de-force 31-point, 21-rebound effort in a must-have Section 3 win over Lampeter-Strasburg on Jan. 13.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Kennedy\u2019s clutch gene has been on full display all winter for Lancaster Catholic.\u00a0<\/p>\n
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AND DOWN THE STRETCH THEY COME<\/p>\n L-L League teams will hit the finish line this week, and all four section races are still dangling in the balance.\u00a0<\/p>\n In Section 1, Cedar Crest (8-1 L-L, 12-8 overall) and Manheim Township (7-2, 15-4) have scarfed up the two L-L playoff slots. The Falcons can clinch the section crown outright with a win at home Tuesday against Penn Manor.\u00a0<\/p>\n If there\u2019s a tie for the title, district power ratings will decide the L-L seeds, and Manheim Township \u2014 which would need a win over Lebanon on Tuesday, plus a Cedar Crest loss to get that share \u2014 currently owns that tiebreaker.\u00a0<\/p>\n <\/p>\n
In Section 2, Ephrata (10-1, 15-4) and Warwick (10-1, 14-6) have secured the two L-L playoff bids, and if they win out \u2014 the Mountaineers are at Cocalico and the Warriors welcome Garden Spot, both on Wednesday \u2014 they\u2019d share the section title, and district power ratings would determine the L-L bracket seeds.\u00a0<\/p>\n <\/p>\n
In Section 3, Lancaster Catholic (7-2, 13-6) clinches the title outright with a home win over Elco on Monday. Manheim Central (6-3, 13-6) and Lampeter-Strasburg (6-3, 12-7) are angling for second place and the L-L playoff bid.\u00a0<\/p>\n On Tuesday, Central is at Donegal and L-S is at Northern Lebanon. If there is a tie, district power ratings will determine the L-L qualifier.<\/p>\n And there\u2019s this scenario: If Elco beats Lancaster Catholic, and if Manheim Central and L-S both win, there would be a 3-way tie in Section 3. Then all the tiebreakers would come into play.\u00a0<\/p>\n Gives me a headache just think about that. Hey, nothing would surprise us in Section 3 at this point.\u00a0<\/p>\n <\/p>\n
Meanwhile, in Section 4, Pequea Valley (9-1, 17-3) and Columbia (8-1, 14-6) punched their tickets to the L-L playoffs, and they\u2019ll share the section hardware if the Crimson Tide win Wednesday at Lancaster Country Day.<\/p>\n District power ratings would determine the L-L playoff seeds in that scenario. Pequea Valley currently leads in that department.\u00a0<\/p>\n <\/p>\n
What a great finish. It\u2019s kind of hard to believe that nobody has clinched an outright title yet, with just one section game to go. Should be fun tracking all the results \u2014 and piecing together the L-L tournament bracket \u2014 this week.\u00a0<\/p>\n CCAC PUZZLE<\/p>\n Don\u2019t go etching anything in stone just yet, but it looks like Veritas Academy (16-1), 3-time reigning champ Linville Hill Christian (12-4), Lancaster County Christian (11-8) and High Point Baptist (3-10) will represent the East, and New Covenant Christian (17-1), Dayspring Academy (13-6), Mount Calvary Christian (13-6) and Covenant Christian (8-8) will rep the West in the Commonwealth Christian Athletic Conference playoffs, which begin with the quarterfinals on Feb. 9.<\/p>\n That championship is set for Saturday, Feb. 14 in a girls-boys doubleheader. The site is TBD.\u00a0<\/p>\n <\/p>\n
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FILLING IT UP<\/p>\n L-L League leading scorers: Lebanon\u2019s Olive Brandt<\/a> (25.5 points a game), Pequea Valley\u2019s Janae Patterson<\/a> (20.8), Manheim Township\u2019s Ciniya Robinson (16.9), Elco\u2019s Kenzie Eckhart<\/a> (15.9), Cocalico\u2019s Kira Lehman<\/a> (15.4), Cedar Crest\u2019s Elli Malinoski (14.0), Warwick\u2019s Mia Warfel (14.0), Lancaster Catholic\u2019s Nevaeh Kennedy (13.8), Garden Spot\u2019s Laina Steiner (12.8), Ephrata\u2019s Leah Caldwell<\/a> (12.2), Solanco\u2019s Layne Dawley (12.2).<\/p>\n SIGN UP FOR OUR $4 LNP SPORTS PASS<\/a><\/p>\n 2025-26 L-L LEAGUE GIRLS BASKETBALL STANDINGS, SCHEDULES, STATS<\/a><\/p>\n PERIMETER PLAYERS<\/p>\n L-L League leading 3-point shooters: Lebanon\u2019s Olive Brandt (57 treys), Cocalico\u2019s Corrine Fair (54), Warwick\u2019s Mia Warfel (54), Manheim Township\u2019s Ciniya Robinson (44), Cedar Crest\u2019s Elli Malinoski (36), Manheim Central\u2019s Gianna Walters (36), Donegal\u2019s Hailey Bomberger (31), Hempfield\u2019s Asheion Burgess (29), Solanco\u2019s Layne Dawley (29), Conestoga Valley\u2019s Bianca Henry<\/a> (28), Manheim Central\u2019s Lilah Walters (27), Lampeter-Strasburg\u2019s Trinity Carter (26), Garden Spot\u2019s Niveyah Crabb (24).\u00a0<\/p>\n <\/p>\n
MILESTONE MOMENTS<\/p>\n L-L League active career scoring leaders: Pequea Valley senior Janae Patterson (1,637 points, tops in program history), Lebanon senior Olive Brandt<\/a> (1,414), Elco senior Kenzie Eckhart (1,017; she joined the club last week<\/a>), Ephrata senior Leah Caldwell (1,010; she also gained entrance to the club last week<\/a>), Northern Lebanon senior Kasey Weimer (973), Cedar Crest senior Kaila Francis (972), Cocalico junior Kira Lehman (855), Northern Lebanon senior Hayley Sheroky<\/a> (841), Manheim Central junior Maddie Gehman (720), Penn Manor senior Alayzha Twyman (718), Lancaster Catholic junior Nevaeh Kennedy (703), Manheim Central junior Gianna Walters (700).\u00a0<\/p>\n Pequea Valley coach Jason McDonald<\/a>, in his 14th season with the Braves in Kinzers, is at 196 career victories, four shy of joining the 200 club. Only two current L-L girls coaches are in that fraternity: Northern Lebanon\u2019s Ken Battistelli (292) and Lancaster Catholic\u2019s Charlie Detz<\/a> (290) are both closing in on 300.\u00a0<\/p>\n <\/p>\n
NEWS AND NOTABLES<\/p>\n * Cedar Crest spent a good chunk of the winter enjoying a comfy, elbow-room 2-game lead in the Section 1 race. And on the night when the Falcons could have wrapped up the outright title last Thursday, Manheim Township came to town and pinned a rain-on-your-parade 45-39 loss on Cedar Crest, delaying the Falcons\u2019 clinching party. \u2026 Then came a 3-point setback at Manheim Central in a nonleague clash the very next night. So the Falcons kind of picked a bad time to have a hiccup. \u2026 The good news for Cedar Crest: They\u2019ve clinched no worse than a tie for the title \u2014 their first since 2019, snapping that dry spell \u2014 and they can win the outright section crown with a win over Penn Manor at home on Tuesday. \u2026 Last two games for Cedar Crest point guard Ali Groff: 25 points and six 3-pointers, including a 4-trey, season-high 15-point night in the Manheim Central game. \u2026 Did not peg Hempfield being 2-17 at this juncture; the Black Knights will try and snap a 10-game slide on Monday at Carlisle. \u2026 Looks like Lebanon will miss out on the postseason after that incredible 4-year joyride for the Cedars, which included the L-L crown last year, and four straight section championships, the last three in Section 1. \u2026 Last nine games for Lebanon\u2019s Olive Brandt: A staggering 27.8 points with 28 treys. The E-town College commit leads the L-L in points (484), scoring average (25.5), 3-pointers (57), free throws made (127) and free throw attempts (161). \u2026 It\u2019s been a simply jaw-dropping season for Brandt, who has scored 30 or more points in a game seven times. \u2026 Manheim Township had its 6-game winning streak snapped at home by Lampeter-Strasburg on Saturday<\/a>, when the Pioneers crawled out of a 13-point third-quarter deficit and stunned the Blue Streaks. \u2026 Still, Manheim Township will get a shot to get back to the finals in the L-L tourney, and the Streaks still have a shot at a co-crown in Section 1, pending Tuesday\u2019s results. \u2026 Last seven games for Manheim Township soph sniper Ciniya Robinson: 18.1 points with 23 3-pointers. She can really motor, and has one of the quickest triggers in the L-L. \u2026 Manheim Township 3-sport standout Liv Parmer<\/a> reported that she had successful knee surgery last week. Up next, plenty of rehab before she heads off to North Carolina to play lacrosse for the Tar Heels in the fall. \u2026 McCaskey has flashed some positive moments this season. Like that 3-game winning streak back in early January. And there was a 34-32 victory over Penn Manor last week, which knocked the Comets out of Section 1 contention. Sometimes it\u2019s OK playing spoiler. \u2026 Last four games for McCaskey\u2019s Anastasia Cruz: 9.5 points with seven treys, including an 18-point, 3-trey game vs. Milton Hershey on Saturday. \u2026 Last six games for McCaskey freshman Sumaiya Bint-Dawud: 8.3 points with five 3-pointers, including a career-high 14 points with two treys in the win over Penn Manor. \u2026 Speaking of the Comets, they have one game to go, and that\u2019s Tuesday at Cedar Crest. Penn Manor could play spoiler there; a Comets\u2019 win \u2014 coupled with a Manheim Township victory over Lebanon \u2014 would mean a tie for the section crown between the Falcons and the Streaks. \u2026 The Comets are also hanging on by a thread for a D3-6A playoff ticket; Penn Manor will start the week at No. 15, one slot inside the bubble, with No. 16 New Oxford and No. 17 Reading right on the Comets\u2019 heels. Keep your fingers and toes crossed, Millersville. \u2026 Manheim Township (No. 8) and Cedar Crest (No. 13) are safely inside the 6A bubble.\u00a0<\/p>\n <\/p>\n
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* No L-L playoff bid for Cocalico, but the Eagles will still have a say in the Section 2 race on Wednesday, when Ephrata unpacks the bus in Denver. \u2026 Cocalico can knock the Mountaineers off the 1-line \u2014 which they currently share with Warwick \u2014 with a win. There\u2019s never any love lost in that backyard rivalry. \u2026 Last nine games for Cocalico\u2019s Kira Lehman: 16.6 points with seven treys, as she continues to march toward the 1K point milestone. \u2026 Conestoga Valley opens the week trying to snap a 5-game slide. \u2026 Last four games for Buckskins\u2019 lefty sniper Bianca Henry: 12.5 points with six triples, including a 19-point, four-3 effort against Section 2 co-leader Warwick. \u2026 E-town hits the stretch drive trying to snap a 10-game slide. \u2026 Last four games for E-town vet\u00a0Chloe Wilkinson: 12.0 points with four treys, as she\u2019s capping her Bears\u2019 career in style. \u2026 Ephrata is 7-1 in its last eight games, including a 51-40 win over Warwick last week to tie the Warriors for the Section 2 lead. \u2026 The Mountaineers are angling for their third section title in a row, and sixth in the last seven years. The Warriors are looking to put their first section crown under lock and key since 1991. \u2026 It will be decided Wednesday, when Ephrata goes to Cocalico and Warwick welcomes Garden Spot, which has given everyone fits. \u2026 Last two games for Ephrata wing shooter Maura Clark: 28 points and six treys, including a season-best 16 points with a trio of 3-pointers in a win over Solanco. \u2026 Like Parmer at Manheim Township, Ephrata 3-sport standout Marie McCracken<\/a> also reported that her knee surgery was a success, and she\u2019ll begin rehabbing before heading off to Penn State to play field hockey for the Nittany Lions in the fall. \u2026 Must admit: It\u2019s a surreal feeling watching Parmer and McCracken get around via crutches. \u2026 Garden Spot is 2-1 in its last three games, and the Spartans have been a royal pain for all-comers this winter. \u2026 Last five games for Garden Spot floor general Niveyah Crabb: 14.6 points with 15 treys, including a season-high 18-point effort with four 3-pointers in a win over Solanco. She\u2019s hit at least one trey in the last eight games. \u2026 Solanco was closing in fast on a D3-5A playoff invite, but the Golden Mules went 0-3 last week, and they\u2019re on the outside looking in at a postseason trip. \u2026 Last five games for Solanco sniper Layne Dawley: 14.8 points with nine treys. She\u2019s really come into her own as a legit arc shooter this season in Quarryville. \u2026 Warwick finally blinked in a 51-40 setback at Ephrata last week. That after a snazzy 9-0 getaway in league games. But the good news for the Warriors is that they will go to the L-L playoffs, and Warwick is still very much in line for no worse than a tie for the section crown \u2014 its first in (gulp) 35 years. \u2026 Warwick\u2019s Sophia Dombach has hit at least one trey in the last seven games, and Mia Warfel is at 12.6 points with 15 3-pointers over that same clip. \u2026 In Class 5A, Warwick (No. 7) and Cocalico (No. 6) are safely inside the cut-line, and in 6A, Ephrata (No. 7) will make that bracket, all repping Section 2.\u00a0<\/p>\n <\/p>\n
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* Donegal has been dangerous down the stretch. The Indians had back-to-back wins, and they\u2019re 3-2 in their last five games \u2014 after a 0-15 start. \u2026 Donegal gave Section 3 leader Lancaster Catholic all it could handle last week, before the Crusaders finally broke free for a 44-32 win. That was a tie game in the third quarter. \u2026 Last four games for Donegal ninth-grader Paige Umbel: 13.5 points with nine treys, including a whopper 26-point, 4-trey night in a win over backyard rival E-town. \u2026 Said this before and will say it again: Donegal is way better than its 3-17 mark would suggest; the five teams ahead of the Indians in the Section 3 race are all in line to make the D3 playoffs. \u2026 Elco has gotten hot at the right time; the Raiders have won three in a row and they\u2019re 4-1 in their last five games and safely inside the D3-5A playoff bubble. \u2026 Elco can play spoiler Monday at Lancaster Catholic; the Crusaders need a win to clinch the Section 3 title outright. The Raiders can make yet another mess of that chase with a victory. \u2026 A nice moment last Thursday for Elco. They worked out a pregame deal with Northern Lebanon so that injured seniors Alexis Hartz and Maddie Stout could get on the floor one last time on Senior Night. \u2026 Elco controlled the tip-off to Hartz, who tossed an outlet pass to Stout, who was positioned under the bucket for a layup. It was her 692nd and 693rd and final prep points in Myerstown, before she heads off to St. Thomas Aquinas to play college hoops. \u2026 Lampeter-Strasburg had a gut-check nonleague win at Manheim Township on Saturday. And they needed it, coming off a 30-8 setback against Manheim Central to fall out of first place in the nutty Section 3 race last Thursday. \u2026 L-S and Manheim Central now share second place; on Tuesday, the Pioneers are at Northern Lebanon and the Barons are at Donegal. If there is a tie for second place \u2014 and the L-L playoff bid \u2014 it would come down to district power ratings. \u2026 In Class 5A at the top of the week, L-S is No. 8 and Manheim Central is No. 9. That\u2019s bound to change; L-S has the Northern Lebanon game, plus a nonleague clash against Garden Spot, and the Pioneers have a game against Conestoga Valley that was postponed, but hasn\u2019t been rescheduled to be made up yet. Stay tuned. \u2026 Manheim Central also has non-con games vs. Red Land and Daniel Boone on its slate. \u2026 Elco is at No. 13 in the 16-team bracket. \u2026 Lancaster Catholic is 8-1 in its last nine games, and the Crusaders can clinch the outright Section 3 title Monday with a win over surging Elco. Lancaster Catholic will get no worse than a co-crown, giving the Crusaders nine section championships in a row \u2014 and 29 overall, most in L-L history. \u2026 Last seven games for Lancaster Catholic\u2019s Nevaeh Kennedy: 18.4 points with three treys. She\u2019s been money in crunch time. \u2026 Manheim Central is humming right along with five wins in a row, that on the heels of a 2-game slide that saw the Barons slip out of a first-place tie in Section 3; they could still make the L-L bracket, pending Tuesday\u2019s results. \u2026 Last five games for Manheim Central sharpshooter Gianna Walters: 12.0 points with 14 treys, and the junior joined the 700-point club after she hit four 3-pointers and scored 15 points in a non-con win over Cedar Crest last week. \u2026 Northern Lebanon has dropped two games in a row, and the Vikings were eliminated from the Section 3 hunt last week after falling to Elco. \u2026 Welcome back, Hayley Sheroky; the PSU-Harrisburg recruit missed two games last week, but she was back on the court Saturday at Middletown. \u2026 Last seven games for Northern Lebanon\u2019s Kasey Weimer: 16.0 points, with a pair of 21-point outings mixed in there. She\u2019s been a rock for the Vikings down the stretch, and she\u2019s just 27 points shy of joining the 1K club. \u2026 At the start of the week in D3-4A, Northern Lebanon is No. 2 and Lancaster Catholic is No. 4 in an 8-team field.\u00a0<\/p>\n <\/p>\n
* Annville-Cleona needs a fast finish \u2014 and help \u2014 to get a D3-3A ticket. The Dutchmen are on a 3-game slide, and they get Lancaster Mennonite and West Perry this week, needing to jump Littlestown and Upper Dauphin to get to the 6-line \u2014 and a bid \u2014 in the power ratings. \u2026 Seems like A-C has been in this exact boat the last several years at this time; a winning record (11-9) but hovering right around the cut-line in D3. \u2026 Columbia is 6-2 in its last eight games, and the Crimson Tide get a co-crown in Section 4 with Pequea Valley with a win at Lancaster County Day on Wednesday. Columbia and the Braves have locked up the two L-L playoff bids. \u2026 Columbia has played a really good nonleague schedule. Check it out: Dayspring Christian (No. 4 in 1A), Mount Calvary Christian (No. 5 in 1A), Manheim Township (No. 8 in 6A), Kennard-Dale (No. 8 in 4A), 8-win 5A Solanco, reigning D3-4A champ Wyomissing, D11 competitor Executive Education, river rival Eastern York (No. 5 in 4A) and reigning D3-2A champ York Catholic. \u2026 Columbia will be battle-tested come playoff time. \u2026 Mentioned Lancaster Country Day at the top; the Cougars have four games remaining to try and get a W: York Country Day, Columbia, Our Lady of the Cross and Linden Hall, which is the last regular season game on the 25-26 slate on Feb. 9 \u2014 the first night of the L-L playoffs. \u2026 Lancaster Mennonite, which, like Country Day, has struggled with numbers this season, is out to snap a 4-game slide. But the Blazers \u2014 back this winter after the program was frozen last season \u2014 have four victories, and some confidence and momentum in the program moving forward. That\u2019s important stuff. \u2026 Ditto for Octorara, which has seven wins, as the Braves continue to make strides in their program, which as been in the L-L for eight years now. Where\u2019s the time going? \u2026 In two wins last week, Qualynn Chambers had 29 points and Sophie Ruscitelli had 25 points for Octorara in victories over Linden Hall and Lancaster Mennonite. \u2026 Chambers had a career-high 15 points against Linden Hall; Ruscitelli matched her season-high with 15 points against Mennonite. \u2026 Pequea Valley hit a bit of a speed bump with a 1-2 stretch. But the Braves barreled past Mennonite and Country Day last week to restore order, and finish up section play at 9-1. \u2026 Pequea Valley clinched no worse than a tie for the section title, giving the Braves back-to-back championships. They\u2019ll await the Columbia vs. Country Day score on Wednesday to see how Section 4 finishes. \u2026 Last seven games for Pequea Valley\u2019s Janae Patterson: 21.0 points with seven 3-pointers, as the senior closes in on 1,700 career points. \u2026 In the D3-3A power ratings, Pequea Valley is No. 2 and Columbia is No. 3 at the start of the week; the Braves fell to Trinity \u2014 which currently owns the top spot in the power ratings \u2014 in last year\u2019s finale at the Giant Center.\u00a0<\/p>\n DISTRICT 3 GIRLS BASKETBALL POWER RATINGS<\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\n
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