District 3 releases final (unofficial) boys' basketball rankings
Here are some highlights and stream-of-conscious thoughts on District 3's unofficial final boys' basketball power rankings, which were released Wednesday night.
Note: While these are unofficial, I wouldn't expect them to change much, if at all, when the rankings are finalized (hopefully Thursday). I'll post links to brackets as soon as they're released. Play-in games are scheduled for next Friday, while the tournament gets going in earnest two weeks from now.
The unofficial final girls' rankings are set to come out to tomorrow, and I'll put up a similar post then.
View the full rankings below:
Some highlights/reactions...
-- A couple all-YAIAA matchups to look forward to in the first round of the Class AAA tournament. As of right now, No. 6 seed York Suburban would match up with No. 11 West York, while No. 7 Northeastern would host No. 10 Bermudian Springs. The Trojans and Bulldogs played earlier this season, with Suburban winning, 67-62, on Jan. 7.
Meanwhile, No. 16 Red Lion is set to host No. 17 Central York in the play-in round of the Class AAAA playoffs. The teams split their two meetings this season, with the Lions winning the most recent, 57-56.
-- New Oxford (12-10) just missed a Class AAAA playoff berth, finishing one spot outside of the Top 20. The Colonials had held that 20th seed coming into the night, but were leapfrogged by Garden Spot after it knocked off once-beaten Donegal on Wednesday.
-- William Penn, the defending Class AAAA champion, secured a No. 4 seed in the tournament. There's a chance it could face a familiar foe in the first round; if No. 13 Dallastown beats No. 20 Garden Spot in its play-in game, the two Division I rivals would meet in the first round. The Wildcats handed the Bearcats their last loss on Jan. 6, although William Penn won the teams' most recent meeting.
-- Also among the Class AAAA field: No. 6 seed South Western and No. 10 Dover. The Eagles get a tough matchup, in the form of Manheim Township. The Mustangs will host Elizabethtown.
-- The York Catholic boys' were rewarded for their torrid finish to the regular season with a No. 1 seed in the Class AA field. The Fighting Irish even made an appearance in the latest Patriot News Class AA state rankings as a "team to watch" in Class AA. The program last won a district title in 2007.
The Irish will be chased closely by rival Delone Catholic, which checked in at No. 3. Defending champions Hanover settled for a No. 7 seed, and will have to play in a preliminary round game against Newport.
-- Don't sleep on New Hope Academy, who will head into the Class A tournament as a No. 2 seed. Greenwood is a perennially solid program ranked No. 9 in the state by the Patriot-News, but the Mighty Ants have as good a chance as any to knock them off.
-- Over at Pennlive.com, the Patriot-News' Mike Bullock has an early version of the unofficial District 3 boys' brackets.