Early predictions for Mid Penn Colonial Div. boys
It's technically only one game into the season, but it's already shaping up to be a competitive boys basketball season in the Mid Penn Colonial Division.
After three division teams kicked off with the Franklin County Tip-Off Tournament, the true start took place Tuesday, when all but one local team had a league matchup.
Top dog Shippensburg was given a run for its money against Northern York; Waynesboro pulled out its second win of the season against James Buchanan; and Big Spring scored an upset over Boiling Springs.
Here are a few early observations and predictions of what to expect from the Colonial Division.
Ship needs time: Although Shippensburg earned a 44-35 win over Northern York, it looked a little shaky along the way.
After winning the division two years straight, the Greyhounds have a target on their back, and the Polar Bears used their height and aggressive rebounding to take an early lead on Ship.
Ship returning starters Carter Van Scyoc (19 points) and Cody Gustafson (13) carried most of the offensive load, and moving forward, if the Hounds hope to defend their title, they'll need to get some of the younger players involved.
"Cody and I are the leaders on the team," Van Scyoc said. "When we drive, we're drawing a lot of attention, and I feel like if (the others) are able to spot up, catch and shoot the ball, I think we'll be successful because most of the guys on our team can shoot the lights out."
Here comes Waynesboro: In its first division game of the year, Waynesboro proved its season opening win versus JB wasn't a fluke. The Indians pulled off another big victory and once again used a nice scoring spread to do so.
Nine different Indians got on the scoreboard, with Evan Hine posting his third double-digit performance of the season. He scored 16, while Mitch Neterer and Cameron Keck each added nine.
"After one weekend, I don't think it's really too clear yet as far as how things will play out," 'Boro coach Tom Hoffman said. "We certainly like to think we have the potential to be competitive in every game we play."
Rebuilding Rockets: With only one returning starter and the majority of its scoring graduated, James Buchanan knew it was going to be an uphill battle this season.
Although the Rockets earned a win this week against West Perry, it remains winless against Colonial Division teams.
"We're trying to find our identity," JB coach Larry Strawoet said at the tip-off tourney.
That will likely be the case for awhile.
Don't count anyone out: After losing eight straight games to Boiling Springs, Big Spring pulled out a 52-44 win on Tuesday night. Northern will have a size advantage over much of the division, and Greencastle still hasn't played an official league game yet.
"Shippensburg and Greencastle will be formidable opponents," Hoffman said. "Boiling Springs has a great coach and a great history; Big Spring has a couple real talented kids; and Northern may surprise some people, too."