Penn Manor 64 McCaskey 35: Wrap
Written by: Dell Jackson on December 15, 2023
Balanced effort leads Penn Manor to impressive victory in section opener
If there was any doubt about Penn Manor’s place among the top tier teams in Section 1 of the Lancaster-Lebanon League, the Comets put that notion to rest Friday night with a 64-35 victory against McCaskey.
“We shot the ball well. All year we have played fast, we have taken a lot of quick shots, thankfully they have fallen and tonight was another situation where we were able to score the ball,” said Penn Manor head coach Larry Bellew.
The Comets (6-0 overall, 1-0 L-L League) scored the game’s first ten points before the Red Tornado (1-4 overall, 0-1 L-L League) responded with a 19-5 run that stretched into the second quarter and gave McCaskey a brief lead.
From there Penn Manor senior forward Ethan Benne took over.
Benne scored a couple of buckets in succession to push the Comets back in front 29-21 and force a McCaskey timeout. Penn Manor never looked back.
“It’s really cool tonight being able to see that balance from us,” said Benne, who scored 17 points and controlled the game on both ends of the floor. “Really showing how many options we truly have.”
Behind Benne and his teammates, Penn Manor extended its halftime lead by outscoring McCaskey, 17-1, in the third quarter.
“Penn Manor is a really good basketball team,” said McCaskey head coach Freddy Ramos. “One thing they showed there is their three-point shooting got better as the game went on…they made themselves really difficult to defend. It exposed some of our inexperience that we have with this group.”
The Comets had three players score in double figures with Benne and Devin Figueroa pouring in 17 points apiece while Michael Lower chipped in 14 points.
“I love it. The more guys you have that can score, the harder you become to guard,” said Bellew.
Benne added: “It’s beautiful and you can really tell the energy, it gets brought a little bit more when everyone is involved so it’s really cool to see that.”
McCaskey was led in scoring by Jared Kuhmah, who registered 10 points on the night. The Red Tornado have now lost three in a row and it’s a quick turnaround with a non-league contest at city rival Lancaster Catholic Saturday night.
“For us, the best thing we have right now, especially after a loss like this, is playing right away,” said Ramos. “We’ll get back at it (Saturday).”
As for the Comets, they have solidified themselves a contender in Section 1 and are deserving of being talked about as one of the top teams in all of the L-L League.
“We’re a really smart team, we’re a really experienced team,” said Benne.
Bellew added: “They play with confidence and they enjoy each other’s company.”
Penn Manor is back in action next Wednesday (Dec. 20) when the Comets travel to Cedar Crest for a matchup between two of the top contenders in Section 1.
~TJ Eck
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