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4-Point Play: Trojans rebound in 2nd half


Over the last two weeks, Chambersburg's boys basketball team has pulled off a couple of upsets to rebound well in the second-half of its Mid Penn Commonwealth Division schedule.

The first time around, the Trojans suffered a 58-49 loss to Carlisle before being edged by Central Dauphin, 45-42.

But not this time.

Chambersburg started its way back up the division standings with an upset of the Thundering Herd. Then one week later, the Trojans took Central Dauphin to overtime and captured a 59-54 victory.

"I think we made some good adjustments to how we guarded certain situations," Trojan coach Shawn Shreffler said. "Looking back at the first two games, there were certain things that Carlisle was able to do against us that we really wanted to try to take away. Then in the Central Dauphin game, their two guards were really solid, so I thought the guys did a nice job on them."

One of the biggest factors in the Trojans' recent success is Cade Whitfield, who has put up six straight double-digit performances.

But what Shreffler mostly appreciates about the Trojans is their team-first mindset.

"What I really like is there isn't that one person that we have to rely upon," Shreffler said. "One game, Cade Brindle hit a huge three. Jacob Brouse has been playing much better, both offensively and defensively. We're getting more contributions out of all our guys, and we get a lot better when that happens."

High flyers: There's one number Greencastle-Antrim always circles before a game, and that's 60.

For good reason, too.

The Blue Devils are now 13-0 when they've scored 60 points or more. That theory held true in G-A's Mid Penn Colonial Division-clinching victory against Waynesboro, during which the Blue Devils pulled away in the fourth quarter to earn a 62-44 victory.

"We just kept saying we have to get to 60 points," Greencastle coach Rick Lewis said.

The Blue Devils will play in a semifinal game of the Mid Penn Conference Tournament on Tuesday, Feb. 14 at 7:30 p.m. vs. Keystone champion Mechanicsburg. The G-A girls will take on Keystone champ Bishop McDevitt in the opener at 6 p.m., also in an MPC semifinal.

Mercersburg to host MAPL tourney: For the first time ever, Mercersburg Academy is playing host to the Mid-Atlantic Prep League tournament.

All six teams appear in the tournament, with the top two seeds earning a bye. The tournament begins Friday.

For his senior project, Ben Doyka, a student at Mercersburg, has set up a Twitter handle, @2017MAPLBBALL, to keep fans updated on the goings on. Follow him for highlights on players, post-game interviews with coaches and a live updated bracket.

District rankings: With the District 3 playoffs just around the corner, more and more teams are starting to look at the unofficial power rankings.

Fans around Franklin County will be happy with what they see, as four of the five boys squads are likely to advance to the postseason.

With Chambersburg's recent victories, the Trojans are sitting at 12th in Class 6A with the top 12 teams making it.

As of Monday, all three local Class 3A teams were a shoo-in for districts. G-A (15-6) leads the way in seventh, while Shippensburg (15-5) is ninth. Waynesboro currently sits at 12th with a 14-7 record, and the top 16 teams advance.