Cross Court Vision: LL Section 1 Mid-Season Observations
Written by: Sterling Cross on January 13, 2025
Ordinarily I’ll use this space to post quick observations from the latest game I’ve seen, along with some game film that is expanded from our quick social media edits. But to start, let’s get up to speed on what I’ve seen so far, through the first 12-15 games of the season. Please note that these views are my own and do not represent the collective thoughts or opinions of LLHoops.com. This is the first of 4 posts and covers Section 1:
Overall Section 1 has been “as-advertised”, with a lot of top talent graduating in 2024, the door was wide open for any team to lay claim the top spot when the season tipped. But as we approach the half way point of league play, a clear favorite still has not emerged. Four teams are currently tied with 3-2 records in the section, McCaskey sits at 2-3 and Hempfield is 1-4. At this point in the season I like Manheim Township to win the section and Cedar Crest to be the second team from Section 1 to make the playoffs, mostly because I think their defense will carry them in close games down the stretch. That feels like a hot take, but any prediction for section 1 right now is going to be controversial: Penn Manor is the most consistent team in the section and will be waiting if either team slips up and drops a game they shouldn’t, McCaskey is the scariest team in the entire league if they decide to put as much effort into defending as they do scoring, and for all we know things may have “clicked” this past Friday for a young Black Knights team that is still very much alive in the post season race. I haven’t seen the Cedars in person yet this year and will reserve any specific comments until I see them tonight against McCaskey.
Section 1 Team by Team Observations:
Cedar Crest: The Falcons are an elite defensive team, with RJ Young’s size and hustle in the paint making it hard for teams to score or get second opportunities from offensive rebounds. On offense, Danny Speaks can consistently create shots for himself at a high level. Smart teams center their defensive effort around stopping him, and Crest has yet to prove that they can regularly find scoring alternatives in their half court sets. Crest ranks 11th out of 25 LL teams in point differential per game (+/-) at +2.3ppg (17th in the LL in Offensive PPG (OPPG), 5th in Defensive PPG (DPPG)). That’s good enough for 3rd in section 1.
Penn Manor: The Comets have a deep team, with 11 guys having played in 10 or more games of their 13 games so far this season. On any given night you can expect Lower to score, Salim to make plays, and one or a combination of other guys to step up and provide additional scoring. With so many arrows in Coach Bellew’s quiver, he has usually been able to find the hot hand. The difficulty for Manor has been size. They are small at every position 1-5. Matching up against bigger players and rebounding to close out possessions has been a struggle for them on the defensive end. Penn Manor ranks 10th in the league in (+/-) at +2.8ppg (6th in the league in OPPG, 19th in DPPG) and 2nd in section 1.
Mannheim Township: The Blue Streaks look like a combination of Penn Manor and Cedar Crest in all the right ways. They’ve got high level scorers and playmakers with Ty Gray and Jordan Pettigrew, size and athleticism with Ellis Vorhis Witmer and Jaden Reed-Jones, and an 8 man rotation that includes 4 other guys who can both defend and knock down open looks. So why are things all tied up in section 1? Township is shooting free throws at a sub 60% clip on over 200 attempts. That cost them at least one game against Penn Manor and will only be more important as the season continues and games become more competitive. Township ranks 7th in the league in (+/-) at +5.8ppg (7th in OPPG, 12th in DPPG). That’s the best in section 1
JP McCaskey: The Red Tornadoes are the most talented team I’ve seen this season, at least on offense. They have two guys in DeAndre Jones and JaLoney Porter who can literally go and get you 40 by themselves. McCaskey is also the most athletic team I’ve seen, in addition to Jones, Avery Stauffer can also play above the rim. So why then, with that combination of skill and athleticism, is McCaskey near the bottom of the section? The simple answer is that they don’t play defense. They have the size and talent to be a top tier defensive team if they want to, but for now they’re giving up an average of 70 points per game. To put that in context, the number one offensive team in the league (Octorara) scores at a pace of ~67 points per game. McCaskey ranks 23rd in the league in (+/-) at -9.5ppg (4th in OPPG, 25th in DPPG). That’s the worst in section 1
Hempfield: The Black Knights best player is Junior forward Spencer Troyer who averages close to 11 a game – but he’s the only player averaging double figures so far this season, with Ashton Lewis falling just short at 9 and then the next closest Knight at just 6.5ppg. Danny Walck has a good program at Hempfield and the team this year reflects that, but there isn’t any immediate remedy for youth and inexperience. The Knights have only one senior on the roster after the graduation of last years class that included 1,000 point scorer Ben Troyer. Young teams improve in-season much faster than older ones and the Black Knights scored 73 in their first league win of the season on Friday against McCaskey. Hempfield ranks 22rd in the league in (+/-) at -9.3ppg (23rd in OPPG, 15th in DPPG). That’s the 5th of 6 in section 1
Lebanon: I haven’t seen the Cedar’s in person yet this year even though they have played the most games out of any team in the league so far at 15. I’m headed out close that gap in coverage tonight when Lebanon plays McCaskey. I’ll know more then. Lebanon ranks 18th in the league in (+/-) at -6.3ppg (20th in OPPG, 17th in DPPG), which puts them 4th in section 1
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