Final YAIAA girls' basketball power rankings
With the season now over, it's time for our final set of girls' basketball rankings for the 2013-14 season. Below you will find a description of the top five, plus a lookahead to teams on the rise for next season and a way-too-early preseason top five.
Who do you think will be the teams to watch? What will you remember most from this season? Let us know in the comments section below.
1. Dover (26-4): What else can be said? This was the greatest two-year run in the program's history, and it included the school's first two appearances in the PIAA girls' tournament. Both times, Dover advanced to the state quarterfinals behind the school's all-time leading scorer Alayah Hall. Their run concluded this season with a rematch against Cumberland Valley, a team coach Troy Lokhaiser's Eagles beat in the District 3 Class AAAA semifinals. They also won a YAIAA title.
2. Susquehannock (23-6): A district final loss seemed to carry over into a PIAA first-round setback vs. Palmyra. This program will miss a handful of seniors, including Shannon Druck, Katie Wagner and Makenzie Fancher. Druck is bound for Holy Cross, while Wagner will play at York College.
3. York Catholic (24-5): The Irish might deserve a No. 2 ranking considering they beat Susquehannock to reach a league tournament final vs. Dover. Of the top-ranked teams, York Catholic will have the most back for another Class AA run next season with point guard Anne Lehr and center Hannah Laslo entering their senior seasons.
4. Delone Catholic (21-6): Like York Catholic, Delone should be in a strong position next season with leading scorer Maddie Comly as a senior. Ally Shipley and Jill Novak also will be back to provide an interior presence.
5. West York (17-10): Two years in Division I produced two division titles for Jon Shultz's Bulldogs. They move back to Division II next season when the league realigns to three divisions. Considering the backcourt of Kari Lankford and Emily Wood are set to return for their senior years, West York should be a handful.
Rounding out the top 10: 6. Red Lion (17-10), 7. Dallastown (16-7), 8. Eastern York (14-9), 9. New Oxford (14-10), 10. Central York (10-12).
Early top five for next season: 1. West York, 2. Dallastown, 3. York Catholic, 4. New Oxford, 5. Red Lion.
On the rise: Bermudian Springs, Hanover, Northeastern.