Keystone Playoff Preview – #10 Lower Dauphin vs #15 New Oxford
Written by: David Bray on February 21, 2025
Despite their losses in the first round, both these teams are still alive and fighting to win the next three games to gain the last spot in the state tournament. After losses to two Keystone Division teams, Lower Dauphin and New Oxford hope to bounce back and regain some hope going into the first game of the consolation bracket. Let’s take a look at both of these teams and their chances heading into tonight’s 5A matchup.
Starting with New Oxford, the Colonials came into the tournament 12-10, locking themselves into the 15 seed. This team has a few key wins, with victories over East Pennsboro and Northern York boosting this team up in the rankings with their 55% opponent win percentage. New Oxford did lose some key games, including Boiling Springs, Delone Catholic, West York, and York Suburban, with the Boiling Springs and Delone Catholic games being teams that are in the 4A and 2A respectively. The Colonials are led by junior guard Brody Holmes, averaging around 21 points per game and leading the Colonials in scoring. Holmes is a playmaker when he gets the ball in his hands and is very hard to stop on the drive without fouling. Junior guard Brayden Billman is the second option for the Colonials, scoring around ten points per game. In their playoff matchup against Hershey, Holmes was stopped significantly, scoring only ten points from the floor and was 6-7 from the charity stripe, posting 16 points on the night. Billman had himself a game that was near his average points, scoring ten points. The team had trouble from outside the arc, making only two three-pointers, and was shut out by Hershey’s defense. The Colonials are a team that can compete, and with their shots falling and Holmes playing the best of his ability, there’s a chance for another Cinderella run by the York-Adams Conference squad.
Lower Dauphin got put in a very bad draw, facing Milton Hershey in the first round. This team is very good, despite their 11-10 regular season record, with key wins over Palmyra twice, Lebanon, and Northern York. The Falcons have had the most one-possession games I’ve seen all year, losing to East Pennsboro, Lampeter-Strasburg, Ephrata, and Milton Hershey by three or fewer points. The team is led by senior forward Nico DeFrank who’s had his best season in his years as a varsity Falcon, posting around 14 points and eight rebounds a game and has a collection of chase-down blocks in the regular season. Senior guard Brady Hofsass has been a beacon of scoring for the Falcons, posting around 13 points a game and raining threes when he gets hot from beyond the arc. Evan Deibler has had sneaky success this season, adding a third option to this Lower Dauphin offense, and Wes Heagy has been dominant on the defense end along with being a great floor general for the team. Landon Miller has been quiet through some games this season, but on Tuesday, he played well against a larger Milton Hershey squad. Against Milton Hershey, DeFrank had a great game, putting together 17 points, seven rebounds, and four blocks. Hofsass struggled with shooting, but found a lot of ways to contribute, posting nine points, six assists, and three rebounds on two-for-three shooting from three-pointers. Lower Dauphin can get their season back on track and with #1 Manheim Central on the opposite side of the bracket, they’ve got a clear path to the final, they just have to finish games on the right side of the score.
If you want to watch the game live, Lower Dauphin’s YouTube channel FBC Lower Dauphin Athletics has the livestream for fans to view for free.
Photo Credits: Sean Simmers (PennLive) and Dan Rainville (York Daily Record)
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