Boys Hoops: Four questions for local teams
With the holiday season in full swing, local basketball teams are enjoying a few days off before holiday tournament play kicks off next week. It’s still early, but we’re starting to get a good sense of each team’s strengths and weaknesses. Still, let’s take a look at some questions that are lingering right now.
Can Gettysburg consistently beat good teams?
The Warriors might be the best team in Adams County, and they’ve put their talent on display against some other local teams. Not only is Gettysburg 7-2, but it has won five of its contests by double-digit points. Four of those wins however, have come against teams with losing records. Following a 47-41 loss to West York last Friday, coach Jeff Bair said the Warriors were affected by nerves and that “they won’t win many games against good teams” if they don’t learn to overcome those. While the Warriors did start the season with wins against competitive teams in Shippensburg and Cedar Cliff, it’ll be interesting to see how they play against some of York County’s top squads.
Games to watch: The Warriors have rematches against the two teams that have beaten them — Eastern York (52-44) and West York (47-41) — in January. They play the Golden Knights on Jan 8. and the Bulldogs on Jan. 22. Both games are on the road.
Is Delone Catholic back on track?
Delone Catholic didn’t get off to a good start, losing four of its first six, much to the displeasure of coach Lawrence Williams. But with wins in their last two contests getting them back to .500, the Squires might be turning a corner. Or, maybe they just took advantage of playing struggling Biglerville and Littlestown teams back-to-back. Either way, they’re about to get tested again with a game against Gettysburg on Dec. 28. Although they have a number of talented pieces including Bryce Mondorff, Tavian Dorsey and Logan Alexander, the Squires have yet to show consistency against teams that can match them in athleticism. We’ll see how much they’ve improved in that area against the Warriors.
Games to watch: After Gettysburg, the game to look forward to will be Delone Catholic’s rematch against rival Hanover on Jan. 20. The Squires lost to the Nighthawks, 41-37, at home on Dec. 15.
Can anyone other than Kyle Krout consistently score for Hanover?
The Nighthawks are 7-1, largely because of the efforts of Krout, who has scored in double-digit points every game this season. While Hanover has a plethora of reliable role players, it remains to be seen if any of them are capable of handling the scoring burden if Krout has an off night. Senior Will McQueen and junior Hunter Martz have shown the ability to do so recently, each scoring in double digits in the Nighthawks' last two wins. But it’ll be interesting to see how Hanover reacts if an opponent ever manages to shut Krout down and forces his teammates to take control.
Games to watch: Aside from the Delone game, Hanover will be tested by York Catholic on Jan. 5 and maybe even by New Oxford on Jan. 9. New Oxford is still winless partially because of tough competition in Division I, but the Colonials have talented forwards who could be a matchup problem for the Nighthawks.
Can anyone else turn their season around?
New Oxford, Littlestown, Bermudian Springs, South Western and Biglerville all have losing records and are a combined 8-35 so far. It’s going to be an uphill battle for any of these teams to finish with a winning record, as they’re simply over-matched on most nights. But maybe a few of them can surprise some people.
Games to watch: The aforementioned contest between New Oxford and Hanover could be a fun game. In terms of rematches, Bermudian Springs plays Littlestown at home Jan. 8. The Eagles will be eager to get even with the Thunderbolts after losing to them, 35-34, on a late free throw on Dec. 12.