Mid Penn Keystone Boys Weekly Recap via David Bray Jr.
Written by: Dell Jackson on December 17, 2023
Ed note: David Bray joins LLhoops giving us a recap of the week that was in the Keystone Division of the Mid Penn Conference. Enjoy!
Keystone Beat – Recap of the Week of December 11th
By: David Bray Jr (@KeystoneBBall))
As we have seen the beginning of the divisional match-ups between each of the teams in the Keystone division, we start to see them separate from each other in terms of record and talent, however it still is early and anything can happen. Here is your presentation of the weekly breakdown of each team in the division and the outlook to the week ahead as well as the presentation of featured games in the coming week. The teams are presented as the divisional rankings by record are as of December 17th. Check out my X page for daily posts on the division (@KeystoneBBall)!
Hershey – 3-0 Overall, 2-0 Division
Hershey has not only jumped out to an explosive start to their divisional campaign, but their entire season so far. Hershey had 2 games this week and won both by 20+ points, beating Palmyra by 21 and Milton Hershey by 33. By utilizing their half-court press, the pressure and trapping they put on the other players overwhelms them and forces many turnovers. In the Milton Hershey game, this press may have accounted for double digit turnovers and led to breakaway steals for layups. Led by Logan Richards, the Trojans have found that explosive spark on offense they have almost every year from three. Richards led the team in scoring this past week, posting 13.5 ppg with a 16 point performance vs Milton Hershey which included 4 three-pointers. Hershey also has some youth on their team with junior James Campbell and their starting sophomore point guard, Cameron Sweeney. Campbell gave the team a 15 point performance vs Palmyra and boosted that team to a big win away. Cameron Sweeney averaged 8.5 ppg this week and stifles defenses with his speed. Hershey goes to Cedar Cliff to take on the Colts on Wednesday and battle their rival Lower Dauphin at home on Friday.
Mechanicsburg – 5-1 Overall, 2-0 Division
Mechanicsburg continues to express the dominance of what this program has become in recent years with wins against Milton Hershey by 6 and Cedar Cliff by 24, both at their respective high schools. The Milton Hershey game was very close throughout the entire game, and with Josh Smith battling the flu and Chance Yanoski fouling out, the Wildcats turned to Justin Bardo who provided 18 points and led the team towards victory. You cannot factor out how Josh Smith, although sitting most of the game with his illness, came into the game in the 4th to produce 9 points and push the scale in Mechanicsburg’s favor. That being said, Mechanicsburg is led by their junior back-court duo in Josh Smith and Chance Yanoski, who back each other up and give Mechanicsburg the ability to be lethal as teams find it difficult to contain both. Smith led the team in scoring this week, averaging 14 ppg, while Yanoski was right behind him averaging 12.5 ppg. Smith was able to put together a 17 point performance at Cedar Cliff where they took home a very large win. The Wildcats go to Lower Dauphin to take on the Falcons at their home on Tuesday and have their first divisional home game vs Red Land on Friday.
Red Land -5-1 Overall, 2-0 Divison
Red Land is a very confident team who limits turnovers and moves the ball around very well, and they should be rightfully confident as they find themselves to a 5-1 start on the year. Red Land poses a paint presence that no other team has in the division, as they have their 2 big men, 6 ‘5 Virginia Tech baseball commit Anderson French and 6’ 9 Elijah Espinosa covering the middle. The Patriots won all 3 games this week, beating James Buchanan by 41, Mifflin County by 8, and Lower Dauphin by 12. With the away game vs James Buchanan on Monday, there are no other words to describe the performance other than dominant, as Red Land went on a 26-0 run in the first half and didn’t look back. In their first 2 divisional games, their scoring was very spread out among their starting 5, however their frontcourt of Bryce Zeiders, Anderson French, and Elijah Espinosa provided the majority of it. Both French and Espinosa averaged 10.5 ppg this week in divisional games while Zeiders averaged 12.5 ppg with a 15 point performance vs Lower Dauphin. Espinosa has a shot-blocking presence that is very well known, which is shown as in the Mifflin County game, players would drive to the basket and pass out before challenging Espinosa. Red Land has some youth upcoming for them as well, with the rise of Colton Rose unfolding for them as he posted a 13 point game vs Lower Dauphin and averaged 9.5 ppg in divisional games. The Patriots face Palmyra at home on Tuesday, Milton Hershey at home on Wednesday, and go out to Mechanicsburg to take on them on Friday.
Miffline County -4-2 Overall, 1-1 Division
Mifflin County has developed themselves into a team that can now compete for the playoffs in this division. After last season not going as planned with only 2 wins, the Huskies have turned it over and produced a 3-0 start to begin their season. Mifflin County went even in their divisional games this week, beating Palmyra by 20 and losing to Red Land by 8. Mifflin County has developed their big man, Jayden Bilger into posing an inside threat that is very difficult to guard for teams without size. Bilger had a dominant game vs Palmyra with a 17 point game and averaging 11.5 ppg this week. If Bilger is being heavily contested, Mifflin County has proven shooters around the perimeter at all times. With their top scorer this week, Jack Curry averaging 13.5, Mifflin County has been able to space the floor as he had a dominant 19 point performance vs Palmyra. Look for players like sophomore Evan Strohecker to pose a threat this year as he was part of the all-tournament team for Mifflin County at the beginning of their campaign. The Huskies go to Milton Hershey to take them on Tuesday and come back home to take on Cedar Cliff on Friday.
Lower Dauphin -3-3 Overall, 1-1 Division
Lower Dauphin has a lot of talent on their team, but their start to the season has been very neutral, as they begin .500 in both their overall record and their divisional record. Coincidentally, the Falcons split even this week, beating Cedar Cliff by 21 and losing to Red Land by 12. Lower Dauphin is led by their junior point guard, Brady Hofsass who had a 21 point game vs Cedar Cliff. Hofsass reeks havoc from the perimeter shooting very well from 3 and providing a lot of passes to their junior center, Nico DeFrank. DeFrank isn’t a traditional post-centered center, as he has the vision to make passes towards easy baskets and possesses a perimeter shot. DeFrank averaged 12.5 ppg this week, including being the leading scorer in the Red Land game, despite the constant presence of French and Espinosa looming in the paint. LD has also shown flashes of Landon Miller and Nick Fry’s potentials as they both have shown to be good penetrators to the paint and a good scoring option for the Falcons as they progress through the season. Although they are down, don’t count them out for the weeks ahead. Lower Dauphin will face Mechanicsburg at home on Tuesday and fight their rival at Hershey on Friday.
Milton Hershey – 1-3 Overall, 0-2 Division
Milton Hershey was going to be the last placed team until they pulled out their first win vs Shippensburg. The Spartans are a very young lineup and have a few kinks to unravel, but have the ability to return back to the top spot of the division, just like last year. Milton Hershey went 1-2 this week, beating Shippensburg by 9, and losing to Mechanicsburg by 6 and Hershey by 33. Mechanicsburg was able to shut down the Spartans’ senior guard Jason Burney, limiting him to only 4 points, however a newcomer turned up for them in 6 ‘9 freshman Abdou Diene. Yes, I wrote that correctly, freshman. Diene posted 16 points vs Mechanicsburg shooting 80% from the field, which were mostly mid-range jumpers. Milton Hershey has a lot of depth within this lineup, with junior guard Josh Sessoms posting 10 points vs Hershey and junior guard Sam Coleman having 8 points vs Mechanicsburg. Milton Hershey has faced very tough opponents to begin the season, with Trinity as their first matchup, who is led by highly recruited guard Owen Schlager. Mechanicsburg and Hershey both highlight the top of the division as of right now, but the Spartans hope to bounce back with 2 games next week. The Spartans take on Mifflin County at home on Tuesday and head to the home of Red Land on Wednesday.
Palmyra – 1-4 Overall, 0-2 Division
Led by a new coach, Palmyra is beginning their development of becoming a strong presence in the league again. Unfortunately, this isn’t the start they wanted, however that might be the only negative. Palmyra lost both games this week, with losses to Hershey by 21 and Mifflin County by 20. The Cougars are led by their senior forward, Hank Roesch who averaged 14 ppg this week. Even if the game seems lost, Roesch seems to find a way to pull Palmyra back into the game and compete for the win, even until the end. Roesch has a very strong mid-range pull-up jumper which can be the catalyst to a large scoring run when it’s going in. Junior center Seth Loser was the secondary scorer this week, averaging 6 ppg and providing a strong paint presence vs Bilger when Palmyra took on Mifflin County, although being a smaller center. Palmyra has had a rocky start to their campaign, but they did beat Donegal to begin the season, which is a highly regarded basketball program as fellow contributor Andy Herr posted, “Power rankings aren’t a thing (yet). If they were and I did em, Donegal would be skyrocketing up those charts. Certainly at or near the top. Arguably playing the best ball of anyone right now?” (Andy Herr via X (Link)). There are still a lot of chances for Palmyra, and they need to take themselves to the next level. Palmyra goes to Red Land to take them on Tuesday as their only game next week.
Cedar Cliff – 1-4 Overall, 0-2 Division
Yes, I understand they are tied for 7th place. Cedar Cliff along with Mechanicsburg has a guard based presence in their backcourt of Sam Grube and Alex Kohr. Grube in the Lower Dauphin had 11 points, providing some needed scoring to stay competitive in that game. Grube in the past couple of weeks has shown flashes of great scoring of 24 pts vs Manheim Central to begin their year. The 6 ‘3 Mount St. Mary’s commitment for baseball has shown that he can be a prolific scorer, however the team needs to click more to unlock their true potential. Luke Rogers led the Colts vs Lower Dauphin with 13 points. With their one win being over Dover, Cedar Cliff looks to turn around the rocky stint of losses and turn it into some wins as they did last year, when they had a winning streak which brought them back into contention. Personally, I have not been able to make it to a Cedar Cliff game yet, but I will be able to get to one very soon to give more of an in-depth analysis. Cedar Cliff will take on Hershey at home on Wednesday and go to Mifflin County to take on the Huskies on Friday.
Featured Games of the Coming Week:
Mechanicsburg @ Lower Dauphin (12-19)
Milton Hershey @ Red Land (12-20)
Red Land @ Mechanicsburg (12-22)
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