Mid-Penn Keystone Boys Weekly Recap: Feb 4th edition via David Bray Jr
Written by: Dell Jackson on February 5, 2024
Mid-Penn Keystone Boys Weekly Recap
by David Bray Jr
After another week filled with upsets and the decision of the title race for the Keystone Division which was determined this week, we take a look back at every team within the Keystone Division and their performance as we move into the final week of the regular season.
Mechanicsburg – 16-4 Overall, 12-2 Division
First of all I would like to congratulate the Wildcats on being co-champions of the Keystone Division after posting a 12-2 divisional record. Mechanicsburg finished the week with a 2-1 record after losing in an upset to Mifflin County by 5 in a 60-55 loss at home. Mechanicsburg proceeded to beat both Lower Dauphin and Palmyra by 20-plus points, winning 66-36 against Lower Dauphin and 64-42 against Palmyra. Against Mifflin County, Josh Smith was the key player for Mechanicsburg, posting 26 points, however being the only 10-plus point scorer on the team, it was difficult to keep up with Mifflin County. Justin Bardo contributed 9 points and Chance Yanoski had 5 points. Against Lower Dauphin, the high octane offense and the stifling defense were on display for Mechanicsburg. With only allowing 33 points and Josh Smith producing 21 points, it was easy for Mechanicsburg to run away with the lead. Chance Yanoski got back into a rhythm and had 16 points followed by Liam Owens who had 10 points. A lot of forced turnovers by the Wildcats led them towards their victory. Against Palmyra, it was a close game in the first half, with Palmyra having a lead at the end of the first quarter, but after the starters began knocking down shots, the lead grew. Josh Smith led the team in points again with 17 points, followed by Chance Yanoski with 12, Liam Owens with 11 points, and Justin Bardo who also had 11 points. Andrew Simpkins played well off the bench with 7 points. Smith had a few steals for layups on the other end and that complimented the passing the Wildcats utilized to create space for easier shots. Mechanicsburg will take on York Suburban at home on Monday followed by a road visit to Northern on Wednesday.
Hershey – 17-2 Overall, 12-2 Division
I would also like to congratulate the Trojans on being the co-champions of the Keystone Division with their 12-2 record. Hershey finished the week with 3 wins, first against Red Land by 3 in a 48-45 win, against Cedar Cliff by 4 in a 66-62 win, and against Mifflin County by 31 in a 82-51 win. Against Red Land, Hershey was down significantly in the third quarter, trailing by as much as 11. With 3 scorers leading the game with 11 points, being Logan Richards, Isaiah Danner, and off the bench, Alex Murray, Hershey was able to climb back and take the game on the road. Richards had the most important 3 points of the game with a corner three as time expired to take the Trojans to victory. Against Cedar Cliff, it was another tight game with the 2 teams battling back and forth across all four quarters. Alex Murray led in scoring with 14 points off the bench for Hershey followed by Isaiah Danner with 11 points and Cameron Sweeney with 10 points. With taking a 2 point lead in the final minute of the game, they had a key defensive stop on a Sam Grube drive by Cedar Cliff and sank both free throws to seal the game as time expired. On their senior night, Hershey put an exclamation point on their win against Mifflin County after starting the game fast and effectively. Isaiah Danner led scoring for Hershey with 22 points followed by Logan Richards with 15 points, leading Hershey to cut down the net after securing their first place in the division at home. Hershey will take on East Pennsboro on the road on Tuesday and Governor Mifflin on the road on Thursday.
Red Land – 14-6 Overall, 9-4 Division
Despite the loss to Hershey, Red Land had a strong week, finishing 2-1 on the week with a loss to Hershey by 3 in a 48-45 loss, beating Elizabethtown by 32 in a 55-23 win, and beating Cedar Cliff by 5 in a 55-50 win. Against Hershey, Red Land played a good game overall with Tyler Kerlin leading scoring with 16 points, who had back-to-back threes at a point in the game, boosting momentum. Elijah Espinosa finished with 13 points on the night followed by Colton Rose with 9 points. Empty trips from the free throw line and a 6-19 shooting night from the line made the lead shrink as Hershey caught back up and the last second shot sealed the deal. Against Elizabethtown, Red Land did not take their foot off the gas pedal as they went up early and did not stop. Elijah Espinosa led scoring with 14 points, followed by Anderson French with 11 points and Colton Rose with 8 points. Red Land put in their younger players off the bench in the end of the third and through the fourth quarter since their electric offense provided no chance for Elizabethtown to catch up. Against their rival, Cedar Cliff, their big men inside led the team with Anderson French having 15 points and Elijah Espinosa having 11 points. Colton Rose had 12 points on the evening and Tyler Kerlin had 10 points leading the Patriots to victory against their school district rival for the second time this year. Red Land will take on Northern at home on Tuesday and face Palmyra for their final divisional game on Friday on the road.
Lower Dauphin – 10-8 Overall, 8-6 Division
Lower Dauphin has provided some of the most electric games this year and it didn’t stop this week with a 2-1 record, beating Palmyra by 11 in a 59-48 win, losing to Mechanicsburg by 30 in a 66-36 loss, and beating Milton Hershey by 2 in a 61-59 victory. Against Palmyra, the Falcons were led by Nick Fry, who had 18 points on the night and Brady Hofsass who contributed 17 points. Nico DeFrank had 13 points of his own including a couple of threes. Lower Dauphin shot out of the gates early with a 16-0 lead at the end of the first quarter. With Palmyra beginning to crawl back, Lower Dauphin stayed consistent and ended the game with a double-digit win. Against Mechanicsburg, a cold performance and a strong defense kept Lower Dauphin from remaining competitive in this game with Brady Hofsass leading scoring with 12 points. Landon Miller had 10 points and Nick Fry had 7 points. Against Milton Hershey, Lower Dauphin was down early by as much as a double digit point differential between the two sides. But when they needed him most, Brady Hofsass exploded in the second half with 15 points alongside Nico DeFrank who had 15 points of his own. Nick Fry and Landon Miller both had 9 points and Wesley Heagy had 7 points. The Falcons’ ability to control the tempo and stay cool under pressure helped lead them to their victory. Lower Dauphin will face Central Dauphin East at home on Tuesday, Middletown on the road on Thursday, and Lebanon on the road on Friday.
Cedar Cliff – 8-11 Overall, 6-7 Division
Cedar Cliff had a solid week with their 1-2 record this week being short of being 3-0 by 5 or less points in both losses. The Colts beat Milton Hershey by 12 in a 58-46 win, lost to Hershey by 4 in a 56-52 loss, and lost to Red Land by 5 in a 55-50 loss. Against Milton Hershey, Cedar Cliff kept it close the majority of the game until they pulled away at the end of the game. Led by Sam Grube with 16 points, the Colts were able to grab another Keystone victory. Mo Ahmed (12 points) and Luke Rogers (11 points) provided major contributions for the team in their victory on the road. Against Hershey, Cedar Cliff kept them within striking distance the whole game. Whenever Hershey took a large lead, Cedar Cliff was right there with them, led by Sam Grube with 27 points with some key shots throughout the game. Cedar Cliff had the ball on the half with 5 seconds to go, but a tough layup that missed by Grube was what decided the game. Against Red Land, Sam Grube led the team with 22 points and helped the Colts have a 10 point lead at the half. When Red Land started crawling back and led by 3, Grube’s shoulder separated with 2 minutes to go. After checking back into the game, with the shoulder repositioned back into place, the Colts couldn’t find him for an open look to tie the game. Cedar Cliff all season has been a shot or two away from victory in almost every loss since their loss to Red Lion by 1 and their record could be 12-7 if a few shots either went down or a possession went their way. Cedar Cliff will take on Exeter Township on the road on Monday, Greencastle-Antrim on Wednesday at home, and Milton Hershey on the road on Friday.
Mifflin County – 8-12 Overall, 3-10 Division
Mifflin County provided one of the biggest upsets in the division this year with their 5 point, 60-55 victory over Mechanicsburg this week. Mifflin County did lose their second matchup of the week with a 31 point, 82-51 loss against Hershey. Mifflin County was a little slow to start, but once Jaylen Bowersox came off the bench for the Huskies, he was electric and provided the perfect spark to ignite the offense. Bowersox had 22 points off the bench for Mifflin County and complemented Jayden Bilger who had 19 points. With Mechanicsburg being a smaller team, and with Bowersox spacing the floor with his shooting, Bilger got many scoring opportunities on the inside and pushed towards their victory. Against Hershey, Mifflin County couldn’t get into a rhythm early and was stuck with a 22 point deficit at halftime. Now as a starter, Bowersox led the team with 14 points on the night, followed by Bilger with 12 points. The Huskies were unable to find scoring opportunities on the inside as much as they would’ve liked and with Bowersox and Bilger finding foul trouble, it was difficult to regain ground. Mifflin County will take on Milton Hershey at home on Monday for their final league game of the year and Midd-West on Tuesday at home.
Palmyra – 4-15 Overall, 2-10 Division
Palmyra went 0-2 this week as they lost to Lower Dauphin by 11 in a 59-48 loss and to Mechanicsburg by 22 in a 64-42 loss. Against Lower Dauphin, Palmyra didn’t get off to a strong start as they gave up a 16-0 run in the first quarter. However, Palmyra began to outscore Lower Dauphin and narrowed the lead down little by little. Hank Roesch led the team with 15 points followed by Seth Loser with 10 points and Braydon Bown with 9 points. With foul trouble limiting Seth Loser and Tyler Burgess for the majority of the game, it was tough to keep up with Lower Dauphin as they ran out of time. Against Mechanicsburg, Palmyra was the inverse of their game against Lower Dauphin as they started strong and kept Mechanicsburg to 9 points at the end of the first and within striking distance at the end of the half. However, the game was flipped when Mechanicsburg’s offense started heating up and Palmyra couldn’t contain it. Seth Loser led Palmyra with his season high, 14 points on the night followed by Hank Roesch with 9 points. Palmyra will play their final two league games this week, starting with Milton Hershey at home on Tuesday.
Milton Hershey – 2-16 Overall, 0-11 Division
Milton Hershey finally broke their 14 game losing streak and beat Lebanon by 19 in a 64-45 victory. Milton Hershey went 1-3 this week but all the games were within reach, losing to Cedar Cliff by 12 in a 58-46 loss, losing to Central Dauphin East by 4 in a 61-57 loss, and losing to Lower Dauphin by 3 in a 62-59 loss. Against Cedar Cliff, Milton Hershey stayed within reach of a win throughout the game, with Khalif Turner leading scoring with 16 points. However there wasn’t enough time as Cedar Cliff pulled away with free throws on attempts to get the ball back. Dylan Crawford and Abdou Diene both had 8 points and Mohamed Koroma had 7 points. Against Central Dauphin East, Milton Hershey started off slow, leading to a 18 point CD East lead in the first half. This game showed the talent that Milton Hershey has as they climbed all the way back to a 4 point game after some missed free throws from CD East gave them a chance but unfortunately they ran out of time before completing the immaculate comeback. Abdou Diene shined with 24 points followed by Khalif Turner with 19 points, but he couldn’t continue after he fouled out with a few minutes to go in the fourth. Against Lower Dauphin, Milton Hershey fell behind, but were brought back by 12 points straight from Khalif Turner. Turner finished with 19 points followed by Jason Burney with 12 points and Abdou Diene with 10 points. Lower Dauphin got hot at the right time and unfortunately, Milton Hershey couldn’t seal the deal after they went down in the fourth. Against Lebanon, Milton Hershey had a more balanced scoring effort with Abdou Diene leading with 13 points, Jason Burney having 12 points, Khalif Turner contributing 11 points, and Jaden Stemn having 10 points. Milton Hershey established a big lead in the first half and didn’t look back as they claimed victory. Milton Hershey will face Mifflin County on Monday on the road, Palmyra on the road on Tuesday, and Cedar Cliff at home on Friday.
Games of the Week:
York Suburban @ Mechanicsburg 2-5
Hershey @ East Pennsboro 2-6
Greencastle-Antrim @ Cedar Cliff 2-7
Lower Dauphin @ Middletown 2-8
Cedar Cliff @ Milton Hershey 2-9
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