Keystone Wrap Up – Week 2 (12/09 – 12/14)
Written by: David Bray on December 16, 2024
The Keystone Division games have started and teams are starting to form gaps between each other, but there are a lot of games left as we are only in the middle of December. Let’s take a look back at the week to see the past performances and where the teams are headed in the upcoming week.
1. Hershey (4-0. 2-0)
Hershey had a big week, to say the least. The Trojans finished the week 2-0 with a win away against their rivals in Lower Dauphin by 15 and beat Mechanicsburg by 11 at home. Hershey was in a close battle against Lower Dauphin for most of the game, however, a few steals followed by good defense pushed them ahead to take their first Keystone victory on the road. Cameron Sweeney catalyzed this win with a huge game for himself, putting 28 points on the board with 9 rebounds and 4 assists. Sweeney also shot 3/3 from 3-point range and helped put together a nice win for the Trojans. James Campbell and Aidan Miller both put up 10 points each and Jack Zakovitch off the bench added 8 points and 5 rebounds for Hershey. Against Mechanicsburg, it was a very eventful game, with the game once again being the tight-knit battle that we expected. Sweeney put together another solid performance with 22 points, 6 rebounds, and 6 assists to give Hershey the win against Mechanicsburg. Campbell followed suit with 13 points and 7 rebounds of his own. Hershey has a lot of momentum behind them going into the next couple of weeks and with a few big games in division play and through the holiday tournament at Boiling Springs, we will see what happens. Hershey will face Mifflin County on the road on Tuesday followed by a home game on Friday versus Red Land.
2. Milton Hershey (4-0, 2-0)
Milton Hershey has already surpassed their win total from last season both overall and in division play, and it isn’t surprising to me. Milton Hershey put together 3 solid wins this week, with a 2-point victory against Bishop McDevitt, a 4-point victory against Mifflin County, and a 12-point win against Palmyra. The McDevitt game was an instant classic, with Milton Hershey being up 10 in the first quarter, McDevitt coming back and leading by 8, and finally, Kingston George making the stop of the season, denying McDevitt a shot in the final seconds to secure the victory. Khalif Turner led scoring in this game with 13 points, however, the performance of the night was Abdou Diene with an 11-point, 21-rebound double-double. Dylan Crawford put together a 12-point performance with 4 rebounds of his own. Milton Hershey took this momentum up to Lewistown where they edged out the Huskies in overtime to secure their first Keystone win of the season. Josh Sessoms, who came off the bench, scored 19 points for the Spartans, leading the charge in their win. Abdou Diene had a near-double-double with an 18-point, 9-rebound performance and Khalif Turner had 16 points to add on. For their first Keystone home game, Khalif Turner had the game of the season so far with a 30-point performance on 5 for 6 shooting from 3. Diene finished the game with 10 points and 8 rebounds and Steven Dao off the bench contributed 6 points. Milton Hershey’s future looks bright and with the next stretch of games before they are off for a few weeks, we will see where their outlook lies ahead of them. Milton Hershey will face Red Land on the road on Tuesday and will face Lower Dauphin at home on Wednesday.
3. Mechanicsburg (4-1, 1-1)
Mechanicsburg, despite their loss on Friday to Hershey, is still carried by a lot of momentum and is a strong team. The playoffs aren’t won in week 2 and we aren’t even close to March where the Wildcats can prove themselves potentially at the GIANT Center. Mechanicsburg split this week with a 31-point win against Red Land and an 11-point loss against Hershey. Against Red Land, Mechanicsburg looked like they were shot out of a cannon and went up to a significant lead early. Chance Yanoski led Mechanicsburg with 19 points on the night, followed by Justin Bardo with 15 points and Josh Smith with 14 points. Smith also finished the night with 8 assists and 6 rebounds on the night, finishing a solid performance. Against Hershey, it was a very tight game through all 4 quarters, despite the 11-point finish at the end of the game which came through free throws in desperation to get possession again. Josh Smith finished the night with a double-double with 30 points and 10 rebounds. Chance Yanoski followed behind with 14 points and Justin Bardo finished the night with 8 points. Liam Owens did not play in the game and was seen not dressed for the game, so he was not a factor in the game against Hershey. Mechanicsburg, now in 6A, won’t have to face Hershey in the district playoffs which doesn’t give them a possible third chance to face them in the playoffs, but, Mechanicsburg has the chance to get their revenge at home later in the season. Mechanicsburg will face Cedar Cliff at home on Tuesday and then go on the road to face Palmyra on Friday.
4. Lower Dauphin (2-2, 1-1)
The Falcons don’t get the credit they deserve with their record this season, moving to .500 on the year with a loss against Hershey by 15 and a win against Cedar Cliff by 13 points. In the rivalry game against Hershey, Lower Dauphin was neck-and-neck with their rivals through 3 quarters, however, a few turnovers and desperation for possession with free throws extended the tight gap that the lead was. Evan Deibler put together a 14-point performance, followed by Brady Hofsass with 12 points, Nico DeFrank with 11 points, and Landon Miller with 10 points. Against Cedar Cliff, Lower Dauphin pulled together a solid win, with the starters being pulled in the final minutes of the game. DeFrank came off the bench and put together a 14-point, 13-rebound double-double to push the Falcons to victory. Evan Deibler tacked on another 13 points and Brady Hofsass added 11 points into the win. Lower Dauphin when all the right buttons are being pushed is a very lethal team, and once all of the team is running at full speed, be prepared to see the Falcons in the future looking for a playoff spot. Lower Dauphin faces Palmyra at home on Monday and will go on the road to face Milton Hershey on Wednesday.
5. Palmyra (2-2, 1-1)
Once again, despite the struggles from the preseason, the Cougars are putting together a solid season so far, going 1 and 1 through Keystone play so far. Palmyra beat Cedar Cliff by 9 in their home opener and was handed a loss by Milton Hershey by 12. Against Cedar Cliff, Palmyra held a large lead moving into the fourth quarter, however, Cedar Cliff began battling back in the late game. Palmyra held strong and got their first win in Keystone play. Alex Dorta held the reigns of the offense, putting together 17 points and 7 assists. Off the bench, Braydon Bown finished the game with 12 points on 4 three-pointers. Against Milton Hershey, it was a very tight game through the first half, and there were a few points where the Cougars were up significantly, however, it wasn’t enough as Palmyra was handed their first loss in divisional play. With Alex Dorta being out for personal reasons, Bown stepped up and put together 15 points, followed by Micah Warner with 11 points and 9 rebounds, and Brady Kyper with 11 points. Palmyra has the chance to bounce back with divisional play with a game away against Lower Dauphin on Monday night followed by a game against Mechanicsburg at home. Palmyra gets Dorta back for the week and plays a team that is very similar to them in rankings. We will see how the Cougars look going forward.
6. Red Land (2-4, 1-1)
Red Land got themselves back on the right track after a 4-game losing streak and picked up their first win in Keystone divisional play. Red Land lost to Mechanicsburg by 31 and beat Mifflin County by 17. Red Land changed up their lineup a little for the matchup against Mechanicsburg, however, they couldn’t keep up as the lead seemed to grow and grow. Colton Rose put together a solid performance with 16 points, followed by Noah May with 12 points of his own. Micah Clarke off the bench put together 7 points on the night, however it wasn’t enough to win on the road. Red Land was able to beat Mifflin County at home with Rose leading the charge with 14 points for himself. Red Land finally got themselves back to winning and the momentum is hoping to carry into the next round of division games for the week. Red Land will face Milton Hershey at home on Tuesday followed by a road game against Hershey on Friday. For anyone who would like to help, if there is a way that I can access Red Land basketball when I cannot make it out to games through live streams, please DM me on my X, @KeystoneBBall.
7. Mifflin County (3-3, 0-2)
Mifflin County unfortunately went from 3-0 to 3-3 in a week. The Huskies lost the contest against Milton Hershey by 4, against Red Land by 17, and against Lewisburg by 19. Against Milton Hershey, they played a very good game, hitting almost every shot from deep to begin the game. Aidan Attivo and Zach Keller both finished the game with 13 points each. Landon Haigh, a new starter for Jack Curry who did not play this week, finished the game with 11 points. Josh Hartzler had a solid performance with 7 points and 9 rebounds against a very tall team like Milton Hershey. Against Red Land, Mifflin County was beaten by 17 points, led by Luke Bender with 8 points. For the non-conference game against Lewisburg, 3 out of the 5 usual starters were out with injuries, however, Attivo stepped up with a 17-point performance. Bender followed up with 8 points of his own and Nathan Parks had 6 points and 7 rebounds. Mifflin County’s number 2 scorer, Jack Curry was seen with a boot on his left foot in the Lewisburg game and I will be finding out more about the injury. Evan Strohecker and Zach Keller did not play in the Lewisburg contest either. Mifflin County will face Hershey at home on Tuesday and will go on the road to face Cedar Cliff on Friday.
8. Cedar Cliff (0-5, 0-2)
Cedar Cliff is searching for some footing as they drop 2 games in this week’s contest, with a 9-point loss to Palmyra and a 13-point loss to Lower Dauphin. Against Palmyra, they were down significantly going into the fourth, however, they did find some footing for a little bit of a comeback, but, it wasn’t enough. Trey Seilhamer led the scoring for the Colts with 14 points on the night, followed by Troy Joray with 7 points and Mo Ahmed with 6 points. Against Lower Dauphin, Cedar Cliff did well with keeping pace the entire game, however, Lower Dauphin took control in the second quarter and didn’t look back. Jayvion Walker finished the game with 10 points, followed by Levi Lehman with 9 points and Ahmed with 8 points. With only averaging 46.6 points per game as a team, Cedar Cliff needs to find their spark with their offense, and with the hot starts that Walker and Seilhamer can have, I don’t see why they won’t be a threat in the upcoming weeks. Cedar Cliff will face Mechanicsburg on the road on Tuesday, will play Mifflin County at home on Friday, and will finish off the week with a road non-divisional game against Dover.
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