YAIAA girls' basketball power rankings, Dec. 21
Just in time for tonight's slate of games, it's our latest girls' power rankings.
Last week's girls' rankings here.
This week's boys' rankings here.
1. Red Lion (1) -- No surprise, especially after the Lions' 69-24 demolition of Kennard-Dale on Monday. We could talk ad nauseum about Red Lion's trademark, attacking defense, but I've been most impressed by the team's offense so far. The Lions have four starters that can score in double figures any night, and a pass-first point guard, Janay Truiett, who sets it all in motion. No wonder Red Lion is averaging a YAIAA-best 60.6 points through its first five games.
2. York Catholic (3) -- The Irish have survived a couple close calls this season -- a three-point, opening-weekend win against Trinity and an even more narrow, 47-46 win against Eastern York on Monday. Still, at 5-0, they are one of just three unbeaten girls' teams left in the YAIAA. Morgan Klunk is averaging a team-best 12.8 points per game so far, while Rachel Forjan and Karli McFatridge each check in at 11 points per game.
3. Dover (4) -- The Eagles' strong start to the season continued with a victory against Central York on Monday. This time, senior Erin Wetzel supplied many of the key buckets, draining four 3-pointers en route to a 19-point performance. We talk plenty about sisters Alayah and Ayanna Hall, but Dover (5-0) has a handful of capable scorers. Another interesting test tonight, when the Eagles host a talented West York side.
4. Delone Catholic (2) -- A couple disturbing stats for the Squirettes (3-2), who sustained a pair of losses this week to Eastern York and Gettysburg. First, Delone made 1-of-7 free throws against the Warriors, miscues which no doubt came into play during a 48-46 defeat. Second, the Squirettes' star Sierra Moore received little help from her supporting cast. The senior scored a total of 58 points in the two defeats; her teammates scored a combined 42 points. I didn't see either game, so I can't tell you the reasoning for that disparity. All I know is Delone will need to find a little bit of balance -- or, at least, a reliable secondary scoring option -- to win at a high level.
5. Kennard-Dale (5) -- The score looked ugly Monday, when the Rams got bulldozed by Red Lion. Standout Sara Tarbert was held to a season-low six points, as KD's offense was unable to sustain the Lions relentless press. Still, Red Lion has a tendency to make teams look bad. And at 4-1, Kennard-Dale still has plenty to feel good about. We'll find out a lot more about the Rams tonight, when they face defending Division II champion Spring Grove.
Of note: We have to give some props to Eastern York, which pulled the upset of the week when it toppled Delone. Don't let the 3-3 record fool you ... this Golden Knights team is talented, led by the frontcourt pairing of Morgan DeRemer and Liz Myers. Eastern also played York Catholic close, falling by a single point, 47-46.
In the hunt (alphabetical order): Bermudian Springs (3-1), Eastern York (3-3), Spring Grove, (2-3), Susquehannock (5-1), West York (3-2)
Other stream-of-conscious thoughts...
- Congrats to Delone's Moore, who became the 15th player (boys' or girls') in York and Adams counties to reach 2,000 career points. Moore is now averaging 27.6 points through her team's first five games, and is on pace to crush Autumn Lau's YAIAA girls' scoring record of 2,304 points.
- One team knocking on the door of these rankings? Susquehannock. At 5-1, the Warriors are averaging an impressive 58.5 points per game -- second most in the league. The real test, however, will come when the Warriors play some of the other big names in Divisions III and IV. So far, Susky has won three divisional games against Fairfield, Hanover and Biglerville.
- Still not much clarity in Division II, even though we have two teams from that group (Dover and KD) in our top five. But you cannot count out Spring Grove, and I liked the potential I saw in West York. The Bulldogs start one freshman -- Kari Lankford -- and play another off the bench. Junior Sarah Shearer and senior Olivia Manges are also capable of carrying the scoring on a given night.