Andy’s Take

No matter how you slice it, whether you consider that the circumstances regarding the considerable shrinkage of the PIAA basketball bracket last March in lieu of the COVID-19 pandemic to be a necessary move or not, there most figured to be winners and losers because of such a decision. The good news? Well, the fact […]

For all the many rivalries housed within the Lancaster-Lebanon League, there are simply some that rise above all others. You know, those special few series’ that are truly generational? Well, try as they might in terms of splitting both Columbia and Lancaster Catholic up from another over the last couple of years by putting the […]

Admittedly, prior to Lancaster Country Day coming into the Lancaster-Lebanon League, not many fans who associate themselves with the L-L basketball landscape likely had paid much if any attention whatsoever to the goings on taking place with the 1A classification system. Okay, while that may be true, since the small private school that is situated […]

It’s a hard ask in a lot of ways. You know, having a championship game live up to all its anticipated billing and then some. Fair enough, but if there were two Lancaster-Lebanon League squads that figured to put on the best show of all in this year’s boys’ basketball title fight, it was presumed […]

You know, for all the excitement that comes with teams making Cinderella-type runs throughout postseason tournaments, sometimes there’s simply nothing that can match the prospect of two heavyweight giants meeting up and trading body blows against one another, especially once the stakes get ratcheted up to an entirely different level that is altogether different. Well, […]

For as good as the Lancaster-Lebanon League tournament is –and selfishly we truthfully believe it is the best of any local conference around – there are certain unalienable qualities about it that make it so intrinsically special and unique. Sure, while it’s fun to see the matchups of teams that don’t meet eye-to-eye in the […]

To some, it was a mere date in history that likely got lost somewhere in time. October 20, 2016. To others though, it was a landmark day. For those with a strong rooting interest in the Octorara Braves however, that quiet Thursday some nearly seven years ago now was rather unprecedented. For it was on […]

Without question, the high school basketball season can quite often be a long and sometimes very winding road. Sure, while there are some fortunate squads that will still have another month of their season yet to unfold from this particular juncture onward, those who are found staring down the barrel of the end of their […]

Back in the early part of December inside this very same space, I wrote that almost every year for the Manheim Township Blue Streaks seems to eerily play out in almost the exact same format. In some ways in fact, you can nearly set your clocks to it. And wouldn’t you know it, while those […]

Before this past Friday night, the news coming out of Lancaster Catholic’s camp so far this season was admittedly rather quiet all things being considered. After all, while most everyone knew and understood the Crusaders would certainly look much different as comparted to the team that they suited up and brought with them onto the […]

At the beginning of this season, the prevailing thought across all the Lancaster-Lebanon League was that Section Two largely figured to be the most bonkers division out of the five that the conference had to offer. Sure enough, with E-Town, Lebanon, and Warwick currently seen fighting it out to determine section supremacy, along with a […]

At this time a year ago, much of the discussion around the Lancaster Catholic Crusaders’ program was centered around how high the ceiling could possibly be for arguably one of the Lancaster-Lebanon League’s most successful and well-known brands. Well, sure enough, that proverbial ceiling proved to be quite high for Lancaster Catholic last season considering […]

For as long and winding as the high school basketball season can be, it’s almost a given that not every game will be created equal. No, sometimes the energy and enthusiasm within the gym simply won’t be there for your players to feed off of to in turn thrive upon. Case in point, Thursday night’s […]

Sometimes, tangible progress isn’t something that can always be demonstrated in a straight line. No, in some instances, definitive improvement isn’t a topic of conversation that can succinctly be defined by your win/loss record alone. Just take the Ephrata Mounts for example. Sure, while the Mountaineers’ 4-8 overall record and 0-5 league likely won’t blow […]

If we can, let’s go back to last year just for a moment. I know, I know. As much as I myself would rather not revisit a year ago any more than you likely would either — probably because you may not have even been allowed to see a game in-person last year at all […]