Just a little postseason basketball info to warm up yet another cold winter’s night…
Specifically, the Lancaster-Lebanon League boys’ and girls’ basketball playoff brackets, which could end up including a total of seven Lebanon County teams when the tourneys get underway next week.
Still a lot to be decided, and thanks to Mother Nature a questionable time frame in which to decide it. But for now, let’s stick with what we do know, which is as follows:
Boys’ bracket (Games played Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday, finals 1 p.m. Saturday at Manheim Township)
Top
Section One champ (Hempfield, Cedar Crest or McCaskey) vs. Section Three runner-up (Lampeter-Strasburg or Northern Lebanon)
Section Four champ (Lancaster Mennonite, Lancaster Catholic or Columbia) vs. Section Two runner-up (Lebanon, Ephrata or Cocalico)
Bottom
Section Two champ (Lebanon or Ephrata) vs. Section Four runner-up (Lancaster Mennonite, Lancaster Catholic or Columbia)
Section Three champ (Manheim Central) vs. Section One runner-up (Hempfield, Cedar Crest or McCaskey).
Notes: Obviously, a lot to be settled here, but county-wise, Lebanon has clinched a playoff spot and can sew up the Section Two title with over Elizabethtown tomorrow night. Cedar Crest, meanwhile, needs to beat McCaskey tomorrow night in Lancaster to keep its section title and L-L playoff hopes alive. A loss and the Falcons are in big trouble. Also, the possibility remains for a headache-inducing three-way tie for first. Good times. As for Northern Lebanon, it’s headed for a winner-takes-the-playoff-spot battle with Lampeter-Strasburg on Wednesday, which should be a doozy.
Girls (Games played Monday, Wednesday, Friday. Finals Friday, 7 p.m. at Manheim Township.
Top
Section One champ (Manheim Township) vs. Section Three runner-up (Lampeter-Strasburg, Elco or Donegal)
Section Four champ (Lancaster Catholic) vs. Section Two runner-up (Cocalico or Ephrata)
Bottom
Section Two champ (Lebanon) vs. Section Four runner-up (Annville-Cleona or Columbia)
Section Three champ (Lampeter-Strasburg, Elco or Donegal) vs. Section One runner-up (Hempfield or Cedar Crest)
Notes: A little more settled than the boys’ side, but still a lot to be settled.
Especially in Section Three, where L-S, Elco and Donegal are in a battle royale for the section and its two league playoff spots. If Elco emerges with the section crown, it could be part of an all-Lebanon County bottom half of the bracket.
Lebanon is set as Section Two champ, and Cedar Crest is good to go as the runner-up in Section One if it wins out and Manheim Township takes care of Hempfield in that upcoming meeting. In addition, Annville-Cleona is on the brink of locking up Section Four’s runner-up spot, although Columbia is still in the mix and meets A-C on Wednesday. But Columbia still has to face powerful Lancaster Catholic, which is good news for A-C.
Even better for county fans, a Lebanon-Cedar Crest semifinal is a distinct possibility. Now that would be fun.
Stay tuned. Still a lot to be decided, and some potential one-game playoffs for section titles if Mother Nature doesn’t screw things up with more snow and postponements.
Hope that answered more questions than it raised. If not, you can find me on Twitter @phuggsports and I’ll do my best to clarify. Now, let’s do a no-snow dance for the rest of the week.