MYERSTOWN – The Elco boys’ basketball team may or may not realize its preseason goals.
The Raiders may or may not capture the District Three Class AAAA championship.
Elco may or may not have become the best version of itself that it could have.
But a couple of things are certain. The Raiders have enjoyed an incredibly successful season, no matter how things play out.
They have undobutedly done the best they could. And perhaps most importantly, everything the Raiders have done – or will do – has been together.
That unity, that cohesion, that team spirit comes from the top. Or in Elco’s case, the hard-to-guard backcourt of senior Bryce Coletti and junior Braden Bohannon.
While each are talented individual players, Bohannon and Coletti are better together. Add a handful more pieces, and the Raiders’ whole is greater than the sum of their parts.
“I don’t think we’re worried about hardware,” said Coletti. “We’re just worried about not taking anything for granted. I don’t think any hardware defines us a team.”
“We work together,” said Bohannon of Coletti. “We play off each other. We both have three levels to our game – the ability to get to the hole, the mid-range and shooting the ‘three’. But it’s not just us. We all seem to be able to pick each other up.”
Following a marvelous regular season, the 18-5 Raiders earned the number-three seed for the District Three Class AAAA playoffs and the right to host Eastern York in the quarterfinal round, on Thursday, February 20th at 7 p.m. Elco is guaranteed at least two games in the district tournament.
Back on December 30th in Wrightsville, Elco handled Eastern York by a 75-51 count.
“Any team that makes it this far is going to have winning the district championship and getting to states as its goal,” said Bohannon. “If you don’t have that goal, something’s wrong. But I’m not going to say if we don’t win the district championship that our season wasn’t a success. You’ve got to win that first one. If you look ahead, you’ll slip up and fall.”
“Before the season, coach gave us a sheet and told us to write down our goals,” said Coletti. “Two of them were to make it to leagues (Lancaster-Lebanon playoffs) and districts. Another one of our goals was to make it to Giant Center and states. We play Eastern York next Thursday and we’re familiar with them. I think we have a good shot of competing with them.”
On the court, Coletti and Bohannon make the Raiders flow.
Bohannon leads Elco in scoring with an 18.7 points-per-game average, while Coletti checks in with a 13.1 points-per-game clip. Both are very good free-throw shooters, ball handlers and three-point specialists.
But their effectiveness as a duo seems to come from knowing when to defer to each other and when to be assertive.
“I think we all make each other go,” said Coletti. “Everyone on this team can step up and score. He’s obviously a great player. We’ve been working together since the fourth grade.
“We’re both team players,” continued Coletti. “All we care about at the end of the day is whether we win or not. He’s more of a strength guy. I’m quicker. But we work hand-in-hand, together. We’re a good one-two combo.”
“He’s a great player,” said Bohannon of Coletti. “I’ve really enjoyed playing with him. It seems like we feed off each other. We’ve been doing that most of our lives.
“Shooting is very important,” added Bohannon. “It’s become a big part of the game of basketball. If you can’t shoot the ‘three’, teams can just sit in a zone. We all work hard with our shots. It’s played a big role in our success.”
When opponents put together a game plan for Elco, their first objective is to neutralize Bohannon and Coletti, or at least contain them. That’s a tough task for defenses, because both are so skilled and unselfish, and the Raiders possess multiple weapons who can do damage.
‘When teams do scouting reports on us, we have so many people to defend, so many people who can score,” said Coletti. “We have a lot of good players you have to match up against.
“I’m just a leader on the floor,” added Coletti. “I try to make everyone around me better. I get after it as much as I can, on offense and defense.”
“We all kind of have the same role,” said Bohannon. “We play together. I can shoot the ball a little. My goal on the court is to play as hard as I can, play defene and get everyone involved.”
The fact that Bohannon and Coletti have been playing together for the last seven years or so has enhanced their familiarity and postively affected their chemistry. But that chemistry is also enhanced by their friendship off the floor.
“He’s a fun kid,” said Bohannon of Coletti. “Everyone on the team is good friends. We’re all close friends. We all hang out. Every time we’re together, it’s fun. Everyone’s fun to be around.”
“He’s a good kid,” said Coletti of Bohannon. “We are friends off the court. Most of the kids on the team are friends off the court. We go out together. We do a lot of stuff together.
“Offensivley, we have enough chemistry to know where the other one’s at,” Coletti continued. “But it goes for everyone on the team. Obvioulsy, communication is a big factor in everything.”
While they have certainly attained their goal for getting better everyday, throughout the season, the Raiders have dropped their last two outings – to Lancaster Catholic in their regular-season finale and to Elizabethtown in the play-in round of the Lancaster-Lebanon League playoffs. It would seem that Elco must recapture that regular-season form, or play at an even higher level, if it’s to make a run in districts.
“I would say they definitely weren’t our best games,” said Bohannon. “But it goes to the level of our opponents. They’re (Lancaster Catholic, Elizabethtown) both great teams. It was just two games that happened to be back-to-back. If we play together, we’ll continue to be successful. Of course we have to play better. We have to get better no matter what. We’ve said that all year. In any season, in any sport, you’ve got to get better.
“Returning all of our guys, we expected to have a good season,” Bohannon added. “If we wouldn’t have, it would’ve been a let down. We grew up playing together. We knew if we had fun, we’d have a successful season.”
“I don’t think we came out with the energy we needed in those two games,” said Coletti. “I think the break has been good for us. It gave us a chance to regroup. I don’t think we’ve been on the same page.
“Most of us are seniors and we had a lot of expectations,” continued Coletti. “I think things are definitely going well, but we’re not satisfied. We’re pleased but not satisfied. It’s been a successful season so far, regardless of what happened in the last two games. Right now, we’re focused on going to practice, getting better and taking it one game at a time.”
So there are still some things out there for Elco to achieve. The Raiders want to control the things they can, but they also understand that there are certain things beyond their control.
“We’ve got to get better each day,” said Bohannon. “You just have to come in the gym and get better, and if you do, things will take care of themselves. You have to remember the past and learn from your mistakes. But it’s all about getting better right now. You can’t over think it. It’s all about the moment.
“We can look back and say we’ve had a successful season, one of Elco’s best seasons,” added Bohannon. “We enjoyed our time together. It’s not all about championships, about banners, about hardware. It’s about the relationships. We enjoy our time together. You can’t say a season was a failure because of one game or one loss.”
“I don’t want to pass by days,” said Coletti. “I know my end in this program is coming. I want to focus on today so I don’t miss anything, and I don’t want to take anything for granted.
“I’m pretty content with what has happened in my career so far,” Coletti added. “The only thing I regret is that I didn’t play with more confidence two years ago.”
Family!
| Date | Opponents | Outcomes | |
| 12/06 7:30 pm | Elco Lebanon at Lebanon | 57 53 | Nonleague |
| 12/07 7:30 pm | Elco Cedar Crest at Lebanon | 55 59 | Nonleague |
| 12/10 7:30 pm | Annville-Cleona at Elco | 49 70 | Nonleague |
| 12/13 7:30 pm | Cocalico at Elco | 41 60 | League |
| 12/16 7:30 pm | Elco at Manheim Central | 73 71 | League |
| 12/18 7:30 pm | Solanco at Elco | 47 62 | League |
| 12/20 7:30 pm | Elco at Lampeter-Strasburg | 50 54 | League |
| 12/28 7:30 pm | Elco Spring Grove at Eastern York | 76 52 | Nonleague |
| 12/30 7:30 pm | Elco Eastern York at Eastern York | 75 51 | Nonleague |
| 1/03 7:30 pm | Octorara at Elco | 42 49 | League |
| 1/04 1:30 pm | Oley Valley at Elco | 48 62 | Nonleague |
| 1/08 7:30 pm | Camp Hill at Elco | 60 72 | Nonleague |
| 1/09 7:30 pm | Elco at Donegal | 87 55 | League |
| 1/10 7:30 pm | Northern Lebanon at Elco | 34 81 | League |
| 1/15 7:30 pm | Wyomissing at Elco | 44 49 | Nonleague |
| 1/17 7:30 pm | Lancaster Catholic at Elco | 69 55 | League |
| 1/21 7:30 pm | Elco at Octorara | 59 48 | League |
| 1/24 7:30 pm | Donegal at Elco | 34 58 | League |
| 1/28 7:30 pm | Elco at Northern Lebanon | 73 39 | League |
| 1/29 7:30 pm | Conrad Weiser at Elco | 58 81 | Nonleague |
| 1/31 7:30 pm | Garden Spot at Elco | 44 72 | League |
| 2/04 7:30 pm | Elco at Lancaster Catholic | 50 65 | League |
| 2/07 5:30 pm | Elco Elizabethtown at Warwick | 49 50 | Playoff |
| 2/20 7:00 pm | Eastern York at Elco | Playoff |
| AAAA | School | W | L | T | Rating | TWP | OWP | TWPW | OWPW | TWPL | OWPL |
| 1*** | Lancaster Catholic | 19- | 2- | 0 | 0.762191 | 0.923596 | 0.564920 | 20.6 | 259.8 | 1.7 | 200.1 |
| 2*** | Bishop McDevitt | 17- | 2- | 0 | 0.750486 | 0.916870 | 0.547128 | 18.8 | 222.9 | 1.7 | 184.5 |
| 3*** | Eastern Lebanon County | 18- | 4- | 0 | 0.711677 | 0.848485 | 0.544467 | 19.6 | 260.5 | 3.5 | 218.0 |
| 4*** | Susquehanna Township | 14- | 7- | 0 | 0.661975 | 0.714607 | 0.597646 | 15.9 | 269.2 | 6.4 | 181.2 |
| 5*** | Littlestown | 18- | 4- | 0 | 0.643487 | 0.823256 | 0.423771 | 17.7 | 197.4 | 3.8 | 268.4 |
| 6*** | Eastern York | 14- | 8- | 0 | 0.628721 | 0.686364 | 0.558268 | 15.1 | 263.0 | 6.9 | 208.1 |
| 7*** | Wyomissing | 16- | 6- | 0 | 0.621187 | 0.765766 | 0.444480 | 17.0 | 209.4 | 5.2 | 261.7 |
| 8*** | Susquehannock | 12- | 10- | 0 | 0.601390 | 0.595349 | 0.608773 | 12.8 | 289.4 | 8.7 | 186.0 |
| 9*** | Octorara Area | 14- | 8- | 0 | 0.601272 | 0.681223 | 0.503555 | 15.6 | 233.8 | 7.3 | 230.5 |
| 10*** | Berks Catholic School | 12- | 8- | 0 | 0.586473 | 0.612745 | 0.554362 | 12.5 | 237.4 | 7.9 | 190.8 |
| 11 | James Buchanan | 11- | 11- | 0 | 0.529826 | 0.549065 | 0.506311 | 11.8 | 228.7 | 9.7 | 223.0 |
| 12 | East Pennsboro Area | 9- | 13- | 0 | 0.497015 | 0.432127 | 0.576322 | 9.6 | 267.5 | 12.6 | 196.7 |
| 13 | Schuylkill Valley | 10- | 11- | 0 | 0.493401 | 0.479616 | 0.510250 | 10.0 | 226.5 | 10.9 | 217.4 |
| 14 | Boiling Springs | 8- | 13- | 0 | 0.486786 | 0.428212 | 0.558378 | 8.5 | 250.6 | 11.4 | 198.2 |
| 15 | Middletown Area | 7- | 14- | 0 | 0.480847 | 0.354217 | 0.635617 | 7.4 | 286.3 | 13.4 | 164.1 |
| 16 | Northern Lebanon | 7- | 15- | 0 | 0.440695 | 0.350917 | 0.550423 | 7.7 | 260.4 | 14.2 | 212.7 |
| 17 | Kennard Dale | 6- | 16- | 0 | 0.429874 | 0.301887 | 0.586302 | 6.4 | 276.5 | 14.8 | 195.1 |
| 18 | Fleetwood | 7- | 14- | 0 | 0.392123 | 0.368675 | 0.420781 | 7.7 | 187.5 | 13.1 | 258.1 |
| 19 | Bermudian Springs | 7- | 14- | 0 | 0.387194 | 0.333333 | 0.453023 | 6.9 | 201.6 | 13.7 | 243.4 |
| 20 | Hamburg Area | 6- | 16- | 0 | 0.382099 | 0.283784 | 0.502262 | 6.3 | 233.1 | 15.9 | 231.0 |
| 21 | West Perry | 6- | 16- | 0 | 0.379765 | 0.278539 | 0.503485 | 6.1 | 231.2 | 15.8 | 228.0 |
Loading ...