Cocalico Gets Defensive As Eagles Stifle Northern Lebanon En Route To Resounding 17-Point Road Win To Begin Section Three Slate
Written by: Andy Herr on December 17, 2022
It may seem hard to believe, but two weekends ago, the high school basketball formally tipped off in earnest. For most, that meant that it was time to get going for real with the full compliment of players that had been training and preparing for weeks for the start of the season that had now finally arrived. Of course, not everyone found themselves in such an auspicious position. Just take a look at Cocalico for instance.
At the same time two weekends ago, a lion’s share of the Eagles’ basketball players understandably had other things on their mind. Most notably being the opportunity to compete in the PIAA 5A state semifinals in football against the powerful brand that is Pine Richland, while their cohorts halfway on the other side of the state were tipping the season off on the hard congruently against Bermudian Springs. And on that Friday night, while the football team would come up short against the eventual state champions on the gridiron, the basketball team –the few and proud that had stayed behind to man the controls of the ship – were able to vanquish Bermudian Springs’ Eagles by a 36-27 final verdict to register what was arguably the most impressive win tallied by anyone in the L-L League on opening night given the circumstances.
Since then however, Cocalico has struggled to regain it’s collective footing since that opening night triumph considering they had gone on to drop their next three consecutive outings before running headfirst into a pivotal matchup against Northern Lebanon –at arguably one of the toughest places in the entire Lancaster-Lebanon League to try and scrounge up a victory – on Friday night in Fredericksburg.
Speaking of their opposition on this night, they too would find themselves at a crucial part of their season as well.
For Northern Lebanon, while they did not have contend with a depleted roster at the onset of the season thanks to dueling fall sports, the Vikings still have had a tough go of it nonetheless. In fact, even taking their 0-3 record coming into the night aside for a moment, all of the Vikings’ setbacks thus far through the first few outings save for their most recent game against neighboring Pine Grove have all come in the form of double-digit losses. However, with what appears to be an eager and young crop ready to take their turn at competing under the hot, bright varsity lights, there’s reason for optimism in the nether regions of Lebanon County both this year and into the beyond.
Of course, that does not change the fact that the Friday night tussle between Cocalico and Northern Lebanon was in some ways — either rightly or wrongly — a “make or break” affair of sorts for either club. Yes, albeit with this matchup only raising the curtain of divisional play on this the second weekend of the season.
But if one thing became abundantly clear as this game rounded into form, it was most certainly that Cocalico’s brand of basketball –a style of play that is a non-negotiable in terms of locking down and playing defense throughout all 32 minutes – is something that can resonate so profoundly that should the Eagles be able to replicate what they were able to do in negating Northern Lebanon’s famed “snake pit” to a mere harmless exhibit, Cocalico will be a headache for the rest of L-L Section Three to try and contend with for the remainder of this season.
In the early going on Friday evening, both sides took their turns lobbing shots back and forth against one another with nothing but the highest of offensive efficiency. In fact, after scoring on their first two possessions to begin the contest, Northern Lebanon was able to enjoy a 4-2 lead following a Riley Clinger jumper just a few minutes in.
However, not long thereafter, Cocalico was able to take the lead at 8-6 following a theft and layup by way of 6’5 sophomore wing, Camden Ochs, before Ochs would pepper in a trifecta on the Eagles’ ensuing trip back down the floor offensively which upped the visitor’s lead to an 11-6 count with 2:36 remaining in the opening stanza.
As it turned out, it would prove to be a lead that Cocalico would never relinquish.
Granted, while a crafty James Voight spin move in the lane on Northern Lebanon’s next possession following the timeout taken by Vikings’ head coach Chris George on the heels of Ochs’ most recent tirade would follow suit, the Eagles were able to head into the second frame with the wind of a half-dozen point lead still in their sails, 14-8, once the opening eight minutes eventually expired.
But in the second quarter, Cocalico just kept rolling downhill.
In fact, their lead inside the second quarter would balloon up to double figures following a personal 4-0 spurt courtesy of 5’10 senior guard, Tyler Hambright, as the pair of Hambright buckets made it a 21-11 Eagles’ lead with George having to call yet another timeout to try and stem the tide once again near the midway point of the period.
This time around though, the halt in momentum would indeed work in the Vikings’ favor.
There, following a smooth pullup jumper sank by a member of the Vikings’ aforementioned impressive young crop, freshman Kael Erdman, which made it a 23-15 ballgame, a timely triple dialed up 6’0 junior, Riley Clinger, had suddenly cut Cocalico’s sizable lead down to a much more modest 23-18 difference with 2:10 left to play before intermission.
However, in this instance too when it seemed as if Cocalico might have been pushed to a proverbial breaking point perhaps, it would be to no avail as far as the hometown patrons would be most concerned.
Sure enough, after taking the 5-0 Northern Lebanon flurry in stride, Cocalico would counterpunch with a 5-0 blitz of their own, capped off with an Aaryn Longenecker layup at the cup, that allowed the Eagles to head into the halftime recess with the 28-18 cushion.
The third though would prove to be where Cocalico would inflict their greatest amount of damage against the opposition.
Here, with what seemed to be a dizzying number of deflections and subsequent steals, Cocalico was able to turn up their defensive performance to an entirely different level it seemed. And with points off turnovers helping to serve as the blueprint, the Eagles were able to successfully rip of a prompt 10-2 run over the course of the first 3:35 of the third stanza — a run which culminated in an Aaryn Longenecker bucket en route to his game-high 15-point performance once the night was over with – as Cocalico looked up and found themselves in firm control given their 38-20 advantage. In fact, even after relinquishing a Riley Messinger trifecta in the immediate aftermath which aided in the collective Northern Lebanon cause, the Eagles remained relatively unphased nonetheless given the 46-27 cushion they carried with them into the final quarter on Friday night.
And if you’re wondering, yes, the final eight minutes would indeed prove to be more than ample time for Cocalico to have its reserves show off and offer glimpses of the shared firepower that it seems may be found residing across the entirety of the Eagles’ bench this season.
Case in point, a pair of back-to-back treys sunk by 6’0 junior, Connor Sala, as the Eagles’ sniper helped make it a 58-31 Cocalico lead with 4:45 left to be played. Then, following a nice three-point play offered up by another of NL’s young guns, sophomore Donovan Brandt, it would prove to be Roman Santa-Rosa’s opportunity to shine as the Eagles’ 6’0 junior forward was able to finish things off with a bucket in transition over the final minute and change which made it a 64-41 contest.
That said, and as the score would clearly indicate, Cocalico’s defensive effort throughout nearly the entirety of the evening proved as to why the Eagles were able to saunter back home to Denver in registering what could only be described as an impressive 64-47 final triumph for their troubles by the end of Friday evening.
NEXT UP: For Northern Lebanon, as fate would have it, it’s not much in terms of rest for the weary as far as this merry band of Vikings is concerned considering that they now make that infamous bus ride –on a charter bus though mind you – from Fredericksburg all the way down to Chester County and the hamlet of Atglen to tangle with what is arguably one of the best teams in the entire conference this year, Octorara, in a Saturday afternoon matinee literally just a few hours following the Cocalico contest.
Speaking of the Eagles, while they don’t have to worry about playing on Saturday this weekend, it’s not exactly as if they can rest easy on their laurels as far as their next opponent is concerned either. No, especially not when it is the Lancaster Catholic Crusaders coming into town for what will be an early battle for first place in Section Three given the Crusaders’ buzzer-beating shot against Donegal on Thursday night in Lancaster city.
Either way, no matter which way you may try and slice it, the fact of the matter is that the future remains bright for both two clubs. And with the bulk of their lineups poised to return into next season and beyond, Friday night’s matchup between Cocalico and Northern Lebanon may very well end up being a harbinger of things to come –that harbinger being that contests between the Eagles and Vikings taking on even much greater significance in the very near future, perhaps even for section supremacy should everything fall into place.
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