Andy’s Take

A Column For A Good Doobie
July 11, 2025 Andy HerrFor most of you, this is a site and space that you have grown accustomed to reading about high school hoops, most specifically the Lancaster-Lebanon League scene in particular. Rest assured, so long as it’s still up and running, the premise of this site will never deviate from what made it great and self-sustaining for […]

Spooky Nook Sightings- Vol. II
June 30, 2025 Andy HerrMuch like the cover photo used for this post, the sun has now also set on Spooky Nook’s 2025 edition of their summer league slate. Additionally, this notebook figures to be a bit more abridged considering how the back half of the month is typically when teams in the league begin to pull the string […]

Spooky Nook Sightings- Vol. I
June 16, 2025 Andy HerrAs part of our summer coverage, LLHoops will post semi-weekly updates regarding things we have seen while over at Spooky Nook observing their annual summer league. With the June-only league now sitting squarely on its halfway point, it seemed like as good a time as any to release the first report of our findings. And […]

Lancaster-Lebanon League Seniors Lock In, Put On One Final Show In 2025 Edition Of Annual All-Star Showcase
April 10, 2025 Andy Herr(Photos by Kate Levato) On Wednesday evening, when those of whom were selected to partake in the Lancaster-Lebanon League Senior All-Star Game were asked to put their school’s uniform on for one final run, some things were different. Yet some things remained similar as they had all year long. Or year(s) long for that matter. […]

Forget Giant Center, Just Call It Palestra West: Philadelphia Catholic League Remains Both The Irresistible Force And The Immovable Object (State Of The State 2025 Column)
March 31, 2025 Andy HerrBefore we start, let’s first lay out an initial ground rule. First and foremost, this piece is not intended to be one that addresses the overarching elephant sitting in the room that comes up this time of year – public or private. Yes, private schools won all six of the boys’ state finals this weekend […]

Sankofa Academy Seizes The Day As Warriors Bounce Lancaster Country Day From PIAA-1A Tournament In Semifinal Round, Prompting Cougars To Look Onward With ‘Really Good Basketball Ahead Of It’
March 22, 2025 Andy HerrA week ago in this space, the question was outwardly posed as to whether or not this was the best iteration of a Lancaster Country Day boys’ basketball varsity team that had ever been assembled at any point during the tiny private school’s history. In short, that overarching question would be demonstrably answered over the […]

In City Defined By Steel, Holy Cross Proves To Be Less Malleable As Crusaders Rigidly Force Lancaster Mennonite’s Exit In Quarterfinal Round Of PIAA-3A Tournament In Bethlehem, Allowing Blazers To Look Towards Immediate Future Of Promise
March 16, 2025 Andy HerrIt’s funny in some ways how so much yet so little can change over the course of just two years’ time. Whether you want to ponder that statement and apply it to life in general, or would rather drill that notion all the way down to that of the boys’ high school basketball scene in […]

Cam Harris, Lancaster Country Day Submit Their Names To A Statewide Audience As Cougars Outlast The Christian Academy, Cement Legacy In Reaching State Semifinals For The First Time By Winning Second Straight Overtime Game In PIAA-1A Playoffs
March 15, 2025 Andy HerrIs this the best season ever in Lancaster Country Day boys’ basketball history? Admittedly, while a bit of loaded question to rattle off right out of the chute, it’s an inquiry that doesn’t make it any lesser fair to at least ponder. Rest assured, there are ample reasons as to why those on one […]

Fisher’s ‘Rock Freaking Solid’ Night (And Final Erasure) Seals The Deal As Lancaster Mennonite Fends Off Young Catasauqua Crew In PIAA-3A Second Round, Advances To Fifth Consecutive Elite Eight State Appearance
March 13, 2025 Andy HerrIt’s among the oldest cliches and worn-out phrases possibly used in the world of sports. That is to say that a team is “built for this.” Built for what exactly? It’s admittedly a bit of a leading question that doesn’t necessarily require a specific answer depending on how you yourself choose to best answer the […]

History Repeats Itself As Lancaster Country Day Vanquishes Phil-Mont Christian In PIAA-1A Second Round For Second Straight Season As Cougars Prevail In Thrilling Overtime Affair
March 12, 2025 Andy HerrAs far as the numbers of it all are concerned, there are 192 boys’ basketball teams from all around the state of Pennsylvania that make it into the state tournament on annual basis ever since the implementation of the six-classification rule as decided almost a decade ago now. All that is to intimate, surely the […]

Despite Early Jitters, Lancaster Mennonite Responds In Kind As Blazers Begin State Playoff Journey By Posting Commanding Victory Over Lansdale Catholic To Kick Off PIAA-3A Tournament On Saturday Afternoon
March 8, 2025 Andy HerrIf you’ve followed along this whole season inside this space when it comes to the Lancaster Mennonite Blazers, the word “plural” has been used so much that it might as well have become just as familiar as the school’s black and yellow color scheme. Plural of course being used to describe the litany of titles […]

Octorara Meets Its Match, Falls To Upper Dublin In Opening Round Of PIAA-5A Tournament As Cardinals Continue To Rewrite History In 28th Consecutive Win
March 8, 2025 Andy HerrBefore we get started and look forward, let us first look back. Like, all the way to the very beginning type of “back.” There, on just the second day of the newly designated high school basketball schedule — Saturday, November 30th to be exact — the Octorara Braves traveled down to District 1 territory and […]

Cocalico Comes ‘Full Circle’ As Eagles Knock Lower Dauphin From District Playoffs, Capture Final Spot In State Tournament Field For First Time Since 1983
February 28, 2025 Andy HerrQuick question here, but what’s the best way to get to either Chartiers Valley or Peters Township High School? Sure, while there’s bound to be various twists and turns involved, especially considering the roughly 15 miles that separates those schools apart from one another, your best bet is to simply get on the PA Turnpike […]

In Expected Battle Between Two Behemoths, ‘Angry’ Trinity Makes Good District 3-3A Title Dreams As Shamrocks Hold Off ‘Proud’ Lancaster Mennonite Effort, Nab 20th District Title In The Process
February 27, 2025 Andy HerrIn hindsight, how exactly do you prepare for this game? Admittedly, it’s a bit of a curious, if not totally leading question to try and ask. Aside from the pure “Captain Obvious” aspect to it all that involves, you know, preparing, and putting together a scouting report and subsequent gameplan of attack, there was more […]

Lancaster Country Day Bounces Back From Dizzying Cedar Crest Defeat By Handling Dayspring Christian In Opening Round Of District 3-1A Play As Cougars And/Or ‘Lions’ Make Good On Shared ‘Investment’
February 22, 2025 Andy HerrEver since they came into the league, they hadn’t been shy when it came to saying out loud that reaching that stage for what would be the first time in its program history would be a momentous achievement whenever that time ultimately came to pass. The school? Lancaster Country Day. The occasion? Reaching the […]