York-Adams League basketball roundup: Northeastern girls pull away for win, get help from West York

Moe Coleman knew his Northeastern girls’ basketball team had potential when the season began, but those around the league weren’t sure what to expect. They’ve all learned these Bobcats aren’t to be messed with.

Northeastern pulled away from York Suburban in the second half for a 57-39 win Friday night, and the Bobcats then clinched a share of the York-Adams Division II title with West York’s 42-40 overtime win over Eastern York later in the evening.

It was a back-and-forth game early in Manchester, as Northeastern (16-3, 9-1) took a 25-21 lead into halftime. But the host Bobcats hit the gas pedal in the third quarter, quickly opening up a double-digit lead over the Trojans (12-5, 7-3) and entering the final frame with a 47-32 advantage. The margin stretched as high as 20 points in the fourth.

Four Bobcats finished in double figures — Lauralye Kennedy had 15, Colleen Finnegan 14, Aleyah Starkes 12 and Mikayla Coleman 10. That’s been a constant and central theme for Northeastern, as those four players entered Friday all averaging between eight and 10 points.

“We work on sharing the ball and looking for each other,” Coleman said, “We have a saying — you shoot to score, you don’t shoot just to shoot. But I feel like with the ball moving, defenses can’t just sag and stop one person, because we all have the capability of putting the ball in the net.”

Alyssa Dougherty scored 16, Janay Rissmiller had nine and Lydia Powers added eight for the Trojans, who would have tied Northeastern atop the table with a win. Instead, the Bobcats completed a season sweep, with this home victory joining a 39-36 escape on the road Jan. 6.

To clinch the share of the division, though, they needed help from West York.

The Bulldogs trailed 30-21 through three quarters against defending D-II champion Eastern York — after scoring one point in the third — but rallied to force overtime at 36-all thanks to Faith Walker’s 3-pointer with seven seconds remaining. Walker added another triple at the start of the extra frame, giving her a game-high 18 points, and West York held on down the stretch to earn the home win.

Reagan Doll notched 16 points, pairing with Walker to carry the Bulldogs (10-8, 7-4). Arianna Seitz, the league’s leading scorer, finished with 17 for the Golden Knights (13-5, 6-3). Kendall Felix added eight for the visitors.

Northeastern, which already has a share of its first York-Adams League division title since 2009, can clinch the outright crown at Susquehannock on Tuesday. The top three teams in Division II earn spots in the league tournament, which starts Feb. 11, and Tuesday’s matchup between York Suburban and Eastern York will play a big role in the final story.

MORE GIRLS’ BASKETBALL

Division I

Central York 54, South Western 24: The host Panthers became the first York-Adams League team to clinch an outright division title in 2022-23. They’re 10-1 in D-I and 18-1 overall, putting them narrowly atop the District 3 Class 6A power rankings. The Mustangs fell to 7-12 (0-9).

Dallastown 50, Spring Grove 26: It was a 20-15 game at the half before the visiting Wildcats outscored the Rockets 19-5 in the third quarter and cruised to the finish. Dallastown improved to 12-7 (7-3) while Spring Grove dropped to 5-14 (3-7).

Red Lion 49, New Oxford 41: The visiting Lions were tested but ultimately kept pace with Dallastown in the race for second place. Red Lion is now 12-7 overall and 7-3 in D-I, while the Colonials fell to 6-13 (3-7).

Division II

Susquehannock 59, Dover 24: The Warriors may have slipped to the back of the five-horse race in this talented division, but they got back to .500 with the home win. After leading 26-16 at halftime, Susquehannock (11-8, 5-5) outscored the Eagles 22-4 in the third quarter. Lindsey Sweitzer hit four triples and finished with 12 points, tied with Georgie Snyder to lead the hosts. Hannah Hayes led Dover (4-15, 0-10) with eight points.

Division III

Delone Catholic 60, Fairfield 24: The visiting Squirettes brought their win streak to 16 games and improved to 17-1 (9-0) with no drama. They led 16-5 after the first quarter, went into the break ahead 31-17 and outscored the Green Knights 20-5 in the third period. Brielle Baughman and Kaitlin Schwarz notched 12 points apiece for Delone, with Megan Jacoby adding 11 and Reece Meckley scoring nine. Breana Valentine led Fairfield (6-11, 1-10) with six.

York Catholic 54, Biglerville 30: The host Irish (15-4, 9-1) broke away in the second quarter, outscoring the Canners 20-2 to take a 28-10 lead into halftime. Meredith Smith scored 10 of her game-high 16 points in that period, while Mariah Shue had eight in the quarter and finished with 15. Brylee Rogers tallied 14 points for Biglerville (8-12, 3-7).

Bermudian Springs 49, Hanover 37: In a battle of teams fighting for third place, the host Eagles handled business and improved to 7-3 in the division (11-8 overall). The Nighthawks fell back to 5-5 in D-III and 8-11 on the season.

Non-league

York Tech 54, Littlestown 41: Amelia Bernard scored 16 points, Rhlyn Rouse added 14 and the Spartans improved to 7-11 overall and 3-4 against D-III competition. A 17-5 third quarter gave the hosts a 47-25 advantage. Littlestown (2-18) closed the gap in the fourth thanks to Celi Portillo, who finished with a game-high 29 points.

BOYS’ BASKETBALL

Division I

Central York 82, South Western 53: Led by a season-high 38 points from 6-foot-8 sophomore Ben Rill, the Panthers (15-5, 10-1) secured at least a share of the division crown with the road blowout. York High, which is 7-2 in D-I, would need three wins and a Central home loss to Northeastern next Friday to split the title. South Western fell to 4-15 (1-8).

Red Lion 54, Northeastern 47: Led by 21 points from Joe Sedora and 15 from Ryan Ehrhart, the Lions got back to 5-5 in division play (9-11 overall) with the home victory. Red Lion led 34-21 at intermission and never trailed in the second half, although the Bobcats (7-12, 4-6) did provide a push. Sam Walker scored 11 points for the visitors.

Dallastown 60, Spring Grove 42: The host Wildcats (10-7, 5-4) opened up the gap in the second quarter and took a 33-16 lead into the break. DJ Smith finished with 16, Michael Scott tallied 15 and Conner Barto added 14 for Dallastown. Kayleb Allen had a game-high 20 points for the Rockets (7-11, 2-8), while Avin Myers added 10.

Division II

West York 47, Eastern York 45: In perhaps the marquee matchup of the weekend, the visiting Bulldogs closed the game on a 12-0 run, clinched a share of the D-II title and handed the Golden Knights their fourth consecutive loss in a seven-day span. 

David McGladrie led West York (13-6, 10-1) with 18 points, while Braedyn Detz notched eight and Jovan DeShields added seven. Austin Bausman had 15 points, Simon Lipsius scored 10 and Carter Wamsley finished with nine for Eastern (13-5, 7-2).

New Oxford 65, York Suburban 57: Brennan Holmes dropped 26 points as the Colonials (8-11, 4-6) maintained their advantage over the host Trojans (6-12, 3-7). New Oxford also got 14 points from Brady Holmes and 10 from Jake Lawrence. Kai Stryn led York Suburban with 20 points.

Susquehannock 56, Dover 33: The host Warriors led just 28-23 at the half, but opened up a 45-28 gap through three periods and padded the margin in the fourth. Susquehannock (13-5, 6-4) is now a full game clear of Kennard-Dale for third place in the division. The Eagles fell to 1-18 (0-10).

Division III

Bermudian Springs 52, Hanover 51: Dylan Hubbard hit a twisting layup with two seconds remaining to lift the visiting Eagles (8-12, 6-6) past the Nighthawks, who had erased a 49-42 deficit and taken the lead on Ethan Killinger’s layup with 12 seconds on the clock. Hubbard led all scorers with 21 points, while Lane Hubbard scored 14 and Tyson Carpenter had 13 for Bermudian Springs. Killinger led Hanover (7-12, 3-9) with 19 points and Justus Feeser had 11. Chase Roberts had nine and drilled a tying 3-pointer with 50 seconds left.

York Catholic 55, Biglerville 34: The Irish started slow, trailing 20-18 at halftime, but flipped that margin to 43-27 after the third quarter. Jake Dallas led York Catholic (13-5, 10-1) with 18 points, while reigning D-III Player of the Year Luke Forjan had 13 in his first action since Dec. 9. LeVan McFadden notched 11 for the Irish, while Cameron Tyson paced the Canners (4-14, 2-8) with nine.

Littlestown 75, York Tech 47: The host Thunderbolts took command early, leading 26-9 after the first quarter and 40-18 at the half. Jake Bosley tallied 20 points and eight rebounds, Christopher Meakin added 19 and 13 and Zyan Herr chipped in 15 points for Littlestown (17-3, 12-0). Anthony Torres scored 13, Michael Gladney 11 and Tyson Smith 10 for the Spartans (5-13, 4-7).

Delone Catholic 77, Fairfield 23: The Squires led 47-17 at the half and ultimately improved to 13-4 overall and 8-4 in D-III with the home victory; their only losses all season have come against Littlestown and York Catholic. Gage Zimmerman led the way with 16 points, with Cam Keller and James Payne adding 11 and 10, respectively. The Green Knights fell to 2-14 (0-12).

SATURDAY GAMES

Follow along:York-Adams League weekend scoreboard

Boys

York Tech at Biglerville, 12:30 p.m. (Division III game)Solanco at Susquehannock, 1:30 p.m.York High at Milton Hershey, 2 p.m.Wyomissing at West York, 3:30 p.m.York Catholic at Berks Catholic, 4:30 p.m.Delone Catholic at New Oxford, 7:30 p.m.Fairfield at Southern Huntington, 7:30 p.m.

Girls

Susquehannock at Solanco, 1:30 p.m.York High at Wilson, 2:30 p.m.York Catholic at Berks Catholic, 3 p.m.Line Mountain at York Tech, 5:30 p.m.Delone Catholic at New Oxford, 6 p.m.