Mid-Penn Keystone Boys Weekly Recap: Dec. 31
Written by: Dell Jackson on December 31, 2023
Mid-Penn Keystone Boys Weekly Recap
By: David Bray Jr (@KeystoneBBall)
Happy holidays to everyone! It’s holiday tournament season and six of the eight Keystone teams participated either in their own or other’s holiday tournaments as we await more division game action in the coming week. The teams were able to showcase their abilities against tough competition this week and I will go into detail about each one.
Quick Disclaimer: Lower Dauphin and Milton Hershey will be excluded from analysis in this edition of my weekly recap due to both teams not having any games this week. Lower Dauphin’s future outlook will be included since they have games this coming week, however, Milton Hershey does not.
Mechanicsburg – 8-2 Overall, 4-0 Division
Mechanicsburg hosted their own tournament this week, named the Sauve Brothers’ Tournament. This tournament featured the powerhouse teams of Cumberland Valley, Waynesboro, and Selinsgrove. Mechanicsburg this week went even, beating Selinsgrove by 10 in a 55-45 win, however, losing in the championship game versus Cumberland Valley by 9 with the score being 55-46. Against Selinsgrove, Chance Yanoski provided a hot start that was needed to kick off the game, scoring 9 points in the first quarter. Josh Smith was slow to score early, however, that didn’t stop him from finishing with 19 points on the night, with Yanoski following close behind with 17 points. Justin Bardo produced a double digit scoring night with 11 points. Smith produced many chances on both sides of the ball including steals for fast break points on the other end and many assists with a few to Calvin Cavada. Against Cumberland Valley, the Wildcats had a slow start, however Chance Yanoski kept them afloat scoring their first few of the game and ending up with 18 on the night. Josh Smith followed with 13 points and Justin Bardo with 10 points, however it wasn’t enough to contain Cumberland Valley who came away with a slim victory after it was very back and forth the entire game. Josh Smith and Chance Yanoski gained All-Tournament team honors after their great performances over the two games. Looking ahead, Mechanicsburg will face Hershey at home on Wednesday to resume their divisional matchups and then head on the road to Mifflin County to take on the Huskies on Friday.
Red Land – 8-3 Overall, 4-1 Division
Red Land was invited to compete in the West York Holiday Tournament this week and the competition did not disappoint. Along with Red Land and West York, the two other teams that were invited were also the teams Red Land played, in Chambersburg and Governor Mifflin. Red Land lost their first game versus Chambersburg by 7, with it being a high score contest having a final of 76-69. Red Land did win their consolation matchup versus Governor Mifflin by 22, with a score of 59-37. The Red Land versus Chambersburg was a lot of great offense on both teams, with 4 players from the Patriots being in double digit points, led by Colton Rose with 20 points. Tyler Kerlin produced 17 points, Anderson French contributed 13 points, and Elijah Espinosa had 10 points, however this wasn’t enough to stop the offensive onslaught of Chambersburg. Red Land played a very impressive game versus Governor Mifflin, as their offense caught fire in the first half, with Kerlin (14 points), French (11 points), and Rose (10 points) having double digit scoring. After a large lead entering the 3rd quarter, most of Red Land’s bench made an appearance and had pretty efficient scoring just like the starters, including 7 points from Roman Jensen. Red Land will take on Hershey on the road on Friday as it will be their only game in the coming week.
Hershey – 6-1 Overall, 3-1 Division
What a week for the Trojans as they became the Boiling Springs Holiday Tournament champions. Hershey went 2-0 this week as they took down Carlisle by 5 in a 51-46 win and Manheim Township by 19 in a 62-43 win. In an extremely tense battle between Hershey and Carlisle, Hershey overcame the struggle for the lead that took place throughout the game with a lot of back and forth scoring. Cameron Sweeney finished the game with 14 points with Isaiah Danner having 10 points pointing Hershey en route towards the championship. With Aidan Miller off the bench having 8 points and Logan Richards producing 8 points, Hershey was well equipped with scorers across the floor. In the championship game versus Manheim Township, Cameron Sweeney produced 17 for the Trojans with James Campbell having 15 points off the bench. Logan Richards added 12 points into the production which created a large gap that their opponent couldn’t close. Sweeney gained MVP honors in the tournament with Derek Guzman being selected onto the tournament team. Hershey has the best of the division playing them this week with them heading on the road to face Mechanicsburg on Wednesday and heading back home to face Red Land. Hershey will play in the Rhodes Classic on Saturday versus Governor Mifflin at Lebanon Valley College.
Mifflin County – 6-4 Overall, 2-2 Division
Mifflin County competed in their own holiday tournament this week, being named the Justin Henry Scholarship Trust Tournament. Mifflin County won their semi-final matchup versus Central Mountain by 13, with the score being 64-51, however, they lost their finals game versus Manheim Central by 9 in an extremely close 59-50 loss. The Huskies may have lost in the finals, but there are many positives to be looked at from both of these games. Jayden Bilger shined in the Central Mountain win, scoring a double-double with 28 points and 14 rebounds along with 4 blocks. Aidan Attivo accounted for 14 points and Jack Curry produced 7 points making the Huskies championship bound. Against Manheim Central, Bilger had yet another double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds. Curry had a productive evening having 12 points and Zach Keller had 10 points off the bench for Mifflin County. In an extremely close back and forth battle, Mifflin County was unable to catch up to the lead and lost a game that was just out of reach. Mifflin County proved that they have what it takes to be one of the best and once they all click, the scoring from the perimeter and within the paint seems effortless. Mifflin County heads on a road trip to Lower Dauphin to take them on on Wednesday and then take the show home versus Mechanicsburg on Friday.
Cedar Cliff – 4-5 Overall, 2-2 Division
Thanks to Coach Rutherford for helping me gather the statistics for these games!
Cedar Cliff’s record does not give the Colts justice, as they were well on their way to being 5-4 without their heartbreaking loss to Red Lion on a last second three-pointer to give Cedar Cliff a 1 point loss 53-52. Cedar Cliff did win their semi-final matchup versus Northeastern by 3 in a narrow 47-44 win. Cedar Cliff hosted the Cedar Cliff Holiday Tournament at their home court and did not disappoint with those games. Cedar Cliff was led by Sam Grube in two fantastic scoring games by him. Against Northeastern, Grube produced 23 points while Luke Rogers had 10 points and Moe Ahmed added 9 points in the victory. In the championship, it was a very back and forth matchup between the two, with it being mostly one score throughout the game. Red Lion started forming a gap between the two teams, however Grube caught fire and splashed 4 threes in the third with a total of 14 points in the quarter to give Cedar Cliff the spark they needed to create a lead. Red Lion came back and forced an overtime which showed neither side letting off the gas as it came down to the final minute with the game tied. Grube found a basket putting them up 2 with seconds remaining until Red Lion hit a game winning three as time expired, spoiling Cedar Cliff’s magical comeback. The statistics don’t lie when it comes to star players though with Sam Grube posting 29 points in the loss and cemented himself as one of the top players in the division. Cedar Cliff will take on Palmyra at home on Wednesday as their only divisional game this week.
Lower Dauphin – 3-5 Overall, 1-3 Division
No games for them this past week, however, the Falcons will face Mifflin County at home on Wednesday, Palmyra on the road on Friday, and participate in the Rhodes Classic against Lebanon on Saturday at Lebanon Valley College.
Palmyra – 2-6 Overall, 0-3 Division
A huge roller coaster of a game highlighted the week for Palmyra as they played in the Cedar Crest Holiday Tournament this week. Palmyra lost their semi-final match-up versus the hosts of Cedar Crest by 31, with a score of 65-34, yet they won a thriller of a consolation match versus Lebanon winning by 2 in double overtime with a score of 54-52. Against Cedar Crest, with no Hank Roesch, Hunter Mayer was the standout in the game with 12 points, followed by Landon Weldon, the newly elevated starter with 8 points. The Palmyra faithful were able to see a large rotation of players in that game where the depth of the team was shown in full force. In the consolation matchup, Palmyra was deadlocked in a very close game from the opening tip-off, with Mayer highlighting the Cougars scoring with 18 points. Tyler Burgess followed behind with 9 points while Braydon Bown and Weldon produced 8 points apiece. As the minutes closed in the second overtime, we saw Palmyra get a lead of two points. After two free throws were missed by Palmyra, Lebanon took the ball down the court with no timeouts to find an open look, however Palmyra’s defense was too tough for Lebanon as they were shut down. Palmyra will head on the road to take on Cedar Cliff on Wednesday and bring Lower Dauphin to their house for their matchup on Friday. Palmyra will compete in the Rhodes Classic where they will rematch Cedar Crest at Lebanon Valley College.
Games of the Week:
Mechanicsburg vs Hershey – 1/3
Mifflin County vs Mechanicsburg – 1/5
Lower Dauphin vs Lebanon – 1/6
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