Boys hoops: Spring Grove tumbles, Gettysburg rises in latest rankings
The second PIAA District 3 boys’ basketball power rankings were released over the weekend, so it’s time to take a look at which Hanover-Adams area teams are in, on the bubble or on the outside looking in.
Biggest fall this week: Spring Grove (eight spots)
Biggest jump: Gettysburg (three spots)
The rankings are broken down by classification.
Class AAAA -- Top 20 qualify for postseason
On the bubble: Spring Grove (6-4, 4-2, 20th out of 42, .670 rating)
The Rockets dropped eight spots in one week and are suddenly on the bubble. A 77-63 win over Dallastown was impressive and extended their winning streak to four games, but they followed that with road losses to Central York (70-45) and Carlisle (48-46). Those are two highly-ranked teams, so don't hang your heads, Spring Grove.
Starting on Wednesday, the Rockets will have four games in six days, including a road game against rival South Western, a rematch against William Penn (4th in Class AAAA), and a makeup game against Lower Dauphin (19th in Class AAAA).
Work left to do: South Western (3-8, 1-5, 36th out of 42, .495 rating) and New Oxford (3-10, 0-6, 39th out of 42, .412 rating)
Both of these teams slipped as well in the latest rankings. The Mustangs had a brief two-game winning streak going before losses to Central and York High. Those are the top two teams in the division right now, and the Mustangs play the third-place team (Spring Grove) this week. After that, they get New Oxford and a road game against undefeated Northeastern.
New Oxford got blown out by Red Lion early in the week, but bounced back with a 48-45 win over Delone Catholic after trailing at the half. That makes two wins in three games. That's progress. Games against William Penn, South Western and Hanover await this week.
Class AAA -- Top 18 teams qualify for postseason
On the bubble: Gettysburg (7-5, 3-4, 17th out of 36, .585 rating)
Check out the red-hot Warriors. Four wins in a row since Christmas and a three-spot bump in the rankings this week to move into a playoff slot. What is even more impressive is that three of those four wins were by double-digit margins, Marquise Camel led the Warriors in scoring in the last three games, and the Warriors are outscoring opponents by 12 points per game now.
Gettysburg hosts Kennard-Dale and West York this week, before making a 108-mile trip to play at Hollidaysburg.
Work left to do: Bermudian Springs (5-6, 4-2, 28th out of 36, .452 rating) and Littlestown (0-14, 0-7, 35th out of 36, .237 rating)
The Eagles fell off the bubble with a four-spot drop since last week. Their only action was a 46-36 loss at Delone Catholic. Bermudian has the second-lowest opponents' winning percentage out of 36 teams in AAA. That doesn't help. Neither does five road games in a row right now. To get back in the playoff hunt, the Eagles need to pick up a few wins here in January. Next up: at Fairfield (11th in Class AA), at York Tech (42nd Class AAAA), at Big Spring (32nd Class AAA). Bermudian could be the favorite in all three of those games.
The Bolts stayed put in 35th and their rating actually went up after close losses to York Tech and Big Spring. Avery Eyler now leads the team in scoring (7.4 points).
Class AA -- Top 10 teams qualify for the postseason
In: Hanover (11-1, 6-0, 3rd out of 17, .668 rating)
The Nighthawks moved percentage points up, but still trail Lancaster Mennonite and Camp Hill in the district. The good news for Hanover: Its one tally in the loss column is the best in AA. The bad news: Its .354 opponents winning percentage is second-worst in AA.
Coach Nathan Myers' squad gets a chance to beat rival Delone Catholic for a second time this season on Wednesday. Some games to circle on the calendar: Jan. 23 vs. York Catholic, Feb. 2 vs. Camp Hill.
On the bubble: Delone Catholic (6-7, 5-2, 9th out of 17, .475 rating), Fairfield (5-7, 3-4, 11th out of 17, .403 rating)
The Squires remain in a playoff spot after winning two of three games last week. What was most impressive about last week was the Squires' defense. It had been a concern early in the season when they were giving up more than 60 points per game. But over the last three games, the Squires held opponents to 46.5 points. And don't think first-year head coach Lawrence Williams isn't keeping an eye on the postseason.
"Our goal right now is to move up the ladder so we're not in ninth come February," Williams said after Delone's Jan. 9 win over Bermudian. "I'm hoping we get things to click so when we get into districts, people say, 'We don't want to see Delone.'"
William's squad gets a rematch against Hanover this week.
The Green Knights moved up a spot and now sit just one place behind the final playoff spot. The five wins match last season's total for Fairfield, so anything more this season is progress, right? A playoff appearance would be huge for the program, and the Green Knights are certainly within reach. The knock on Fairfield is that there isn't a win over a team with a winning record on their resume yet this season. Next up: vs. Bermudian, vs. Big Spring, at York Catholic.
Work left to do: Biglerville (5-9, 1-6, 14th out of 17, .336 rating)
The Canners had a tough week. They played on the road against the top two teams in Division III (Hanover, York Catholic) and lost by a combined 66 points. Biglerville has lost nine out of the last 10 games. There is a light at the end of the tunnel though: They still sit just four spots out of the playoffs and five of their last six games are at home.