Northeastern Outslugs McCaskey As Bobcats Prevail In Old-Fashioned Nonconference Bout
Written by: Andy Herr on December 14, 2023
Let’s start off with a very unscientific straw poll here, shall we? Okay. “Do you consider the L-L League to be much better off when the McCaskey Red Tornado are the very top of the conversation?” Chances are, I’d have to imagine that any neutral observer without a particular dog in the fight would answer with a resounding “yes” vote. But better off for whom perhaps would be the more accurate way of looking at it.
Not that McCaskey’s familiar foes are really complaining all that much about having the opportunity to make a run at the top of the pecking order of course. In many ways though, even fathoming that original question off top would’ve seemed at best far-fetched, at worst sacrilegious, to even suggest not all that long ago.
As many are well aware, the L-L League seemed for years to be the makeshift equivalent of the “McCaskey Invitational” throughout nearly the entirety of the 2000’s and into the 2010’s when the Tornado seemed to make the rest of the conference their very own proving ground. In fact, in a way that maybe best exemplifies the sheer dominance of the McCaskey brand during that timeframe, one could rightly argue that one of their “off-year” teams by comparison, 2014-15, epitomized just how well the Red Tornado machine was rolling right along given how that particular team would nonetheless end nary a half-court shot away at playing for the AAAA state title that season.
That said, it’s been a relatively tough go of it for the Tornado ever since by and large.
Sure enough, for a program that seemed to have league playoff spots and overall playoff berths given to them like some sort of birthright, save for the pandemic year of 2019-20, that has been the lone time that McCaskey has appeared in the postseason dating all the way back to 2015-16. Or more simply put, just one time in the last eight years.
But this isn’t meant to be a piece to bemoan the recent past and to yearn for the days of Perry, Dustin, Akeem, Miles, Niquan, Dudie, Lamar, Leontae, Diante, and Devonne etc etc. Far from it in fact.
Suffice to say, to answer that question posed back at the very beginning, yes, the Lancaster-Lebanon emphatically makes for a far, far better product overall when McCaskey is one of the topics de jour. And behind a head coach who clearly gets “it” when it comes to leading and directing the young men serving in his program found in Freddy Ramos, the hope both inside, but also out of Lancaster city as well in some factions, is that this is finally the season in which McCaskey pokes its head through the glass ceiling placed above them that’s existed for almost a decade now.
Why this season compared to others? Well, while there was once again a heavy favorite in the division at least entering the year in Cedar Crest, the early returns on investment thus far from darn near everyone inside Section One seem to indicate that this race is entirely up for grabs. Needless to say, what a better time for the Red Tornado to try and make a move?
Now sure, while perhaps McCaskey’s 1-2 overall record heading into their mid-week game against Northeastern this week wouldn’t blow anyone away, falling at the hands of some of their most historic of friends (friends used loosely perhaps) in Coatesville and Reading, the latter of whom is coming off its third 6A state title in the last decade, is nothing to sneeze at. For that reason, this game against the Bobcats by way of Manchester, York County seemed to be an indication as to what McCaskey can perhaps do long-term as this season rounds into form.
Speaking of Northeastern, they too were grizzled and molded through their early slate just the same.
Ironically, Northeastern was completing their third tour of duty when it came to facing off against L-L League opponents once they rolled into Lancaster city on Wednesday night. As far as the specifics as to how it had gone down for them, the Bobcats were on 1-1 footing against the conference thanks to a 12-point win over Manheim Township which followed an earlier setback courtesy of Lampeter-Strasburg back on opening weekend. On the more macro side, Northeastern had also been able to topple the likes of CD East and New Oxford respectively along the way, meaning that this too was an equally large game of significance as far they had to be viewing it as well.
Yet while you never want to over romanticize one performance above all others, you’d have to tip your metaphorical hat to Northeastern given the way in which they were able to stare down McCaskey and walk out with in a win in the Tornado’s house by the end of the night in this one.
In the early going on Wednesday in this nonconference affair, the shooting from the field shared between either side was just as chilly as the temperatures found just beyond the gym walls. Case in point, while McCaskey was able to jump out the early 4-2 lead following a triple sunk by their returning big man following a one-year tour of duty in Florida at a prep school, Jared Kumah, the hosts would remain scoreless from beyond the arc over the next three minutes and change before a much-needed trey splashed in via Aiden Burgess made it a 9-4 count in McCaskey’s favor with 3:43 left to go in the opening frame. Yet even despite the somewhat mundane start to things all things considered, the Red Tornado certainly wouldn’t have been found turning down the spoils of a 13-6 lead after the first eight minutes.
Finally, and certainly not a moment too soon as far as they had to be concerned, Northeastern’s offense was able to shake loose from its early doldrums.
In that regard, it’d be easy to cite a triple dialed up by way of Konnor Reeser, a three-point incision into the McCaskey lead at 13-9 with a hair over two minutes having gone by in the second period. From there, the Bobcats kept the pedal down and not only continued biting into the Tornado lead, first with a tough bucket inside chipped in by Evan Jennings which whittled the McCaskey advantage down three at 15-12 with four and change to go in the half, but Jennings would later give Northeastern their first lead of the evening, 16-15, following a runout bucket with just a few possessions afterwards.
As the second quarter progressed onward however, the black and orange visitors only added to their existing cushion.
Sure, while Northeastern may have started things off seven points lesser than the opposition upon exiting the first quarter, the Bobcats more than turned the second stanza into an about-face performance.
Specifically speaking, the visitor’s lead inside the latter portion of the opening half would climb to as many as five in the aftermath of Jennings splitting a pair at the charity stripe which made it a 22-17 ballgame with inside of one minute left before the intermission.
But if you believe in the notion of momentum, McCaskey was at least able to grab a little morsel of it inside that final minute as the Tornado went into the break still down, but by a slightly lesser count at 22-19.
That said, Northeastern seemed to reclaim exclusive ownership rights concerning momentum once the third quarter rolled around on Wednesday night.
Fittingly, because that was in large part where the Bobcats found their most success throughout much of the opening half, a runout bucket in transition in the form of an Anthony Williams deuce at the tin right from the onset of the third quarter upped the Northeastern lead back to five, 24-19, within a flash. Later, the guests would feel rather flirtatious when it came to leading by double figures once sharpshooting guard, Josh Everly, took his turn at firing from beyond the arc as Everly’s 3-ball not only added to his eventual game-high scoring output that came with an 18-points performance once the dust had settled, but it more importantly made it a 27-19 Northeastern advantage with not even two minutes having gone by in the quarter by that point.
Regardless, as had become readily apparent almost right from the opening tip, this would prove to a game in which either side would refuse to flinch.
As far the McCaskey contingent was concerned, their team was able to answer the bell while still amid Northeastern’s early third quarter swing as a seamless floater in the lane tallied by an eye-catching sophomore guard, De’Andre Jones, got the Tornado back within three at 27-24 with roughly five minutes left in the third by that time. Not long afterwards, McCaskey was able to then get back within a pair, 29-27, following a hard-earned three-point authored by another Red Tornado underclassman, Kamryn Pugh, with one minute still to play in the third.
Then, as if one of McCaskey’s patented salvos they are able to generate inside their house like that of clockwork wasn’t already apparent for all to see, perhaps Jones’ two-handed dunk did the trick when it came to punctuating a final exclamation mark on things as the 10th-grader’s rim-rattler got McCaskey almost entirely back on level-footing at 32-31 with Northeastern being able to carry that slim lead with them into the final frame.
In many ways though, that was only a harbinger of things yet to unfold.
What’s better than one dunk? Why not two? For that, the McCaskey-partisan crowd was more than delighted to bear witness to De’Andre Jones throwing yet another dunk down in their favor following a steal, a timely bucket which finally put the Tornado back on top, 33-32, just inside of six minutes still left showing.
Did we mention though that this would be a dogfight all the way down to the finish line?
Suffice to say, Josh Everly seemed to take notice of that as the Northeastern wing was able to finish a Bobcats’ possession off with a layup at the cup that knotted things back up at 35-35 with just 2:45 left to play that juncture. And while a sweet feed from Jones to Nemias Tirado would counter that for the McCaskey charge on the Tornado’s ensuing trip down the floor, that would prove to be the final time the hosts would be able to play with the lead for the remainder of the evening.
Speaking of Everly and his exploits all game long, he would be the primary Bobcat inflicting the greatest amount of damage on McCaskey’s collective efforts by and large. And if that wasn’t already evident, perhaps his putback bunny in the lane which put Northeastern back in front at 38-37 with two minutes left should’ve given even further evidence to help bolster the case.
That said, as anyone who has had the honor of either playing or attending a game inside Shultz Transportation Gymnasium at McCaskey will surely tell you, expecting the Tornado to just award a victory to a visiting foe with the game hanging in the balance isn’t even remotely possible.
With that in mind, it should’ve come as little to no surprise whatsoever that McCaskey would go head-down –both literally and figuratively—before driving to the tin while down by a miniscule 38-37 difference in the aftermath of the Bobcats going 0-2 at foul line moments earlier. Unfortunately, that same fearless abandon would cost them dearly at the most critical juncture as the Tornado were whistled for an offensive foul on said possession, giving the ball back to Northeastern with a chance to add onto their lead in the waning seconds.
From there, after being able to get the ball successfully inbounded against the McCaskey pressure, Isaiah Beatty would walk to the other end with the chance to do his best at trying to wedge the Tornado into an almost possible position with just 5.1 seconds left to play. There, while he may have been able to only tally three points on the evening beside his name in the scorebook, his successful 2-2 venture to the line in the closing stages without question proved to be the most crucial Bobcats’ points of the entire contest as the junior’s visit to the charity stripe made it 40-37 in Northeastern’s favor with McCaskey having to travel the length of the floor yet.
And while McCaskey would do their best at trying to draw up on last play in their final timeout with 5.1 seconds still to go, their parting shot at the horn was not to be –perhaps not even having been counted at all – allowing Northeastern to head back home across the Susquehanna with the spoils of 40-37 victory for their troubles.
Needless to say, while McCaskey surely would’ve loved to scoop this game up to add onto their resume as the year moves forward, the simple fact of the matter is that the Tornado cannot in any way allow this tough defeat to Northeastern to prolong in the latter half of this week and beyond. In fact, the darling of the entire Section One race thus far, Penn Manor, is next up on the slate with the Comets most certainly wanting to make an early statement provided they can knock off McCaskey to begin divisional play on Friday night. Then, regardless of what happens there against their neighbors to the west, it’s a less than 24-hour turnaround for the game that defines this city’s bragging rights, McCaskey & Lancaster Catholic, come Saturday evening for the right to decide whether Lancaster will be bathed in red and black or purple and yellow. Even still, if the Tornado can right the ship following this one against Northeastern and perhaps snatch up some victories –especially triumphs of the Section One variety in particular– heading into the new calendar year, you’d have to consider McCaskey right there at the forefront of the Section One race. After all, the time is now.
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