BY JEFF FALK

SOUTH LEBANON – The Cedar Crest boys’ basketball team scored the first 19 points, and the Falcons won by 15.

There were a lot of stuff that went on in-between – some good for the Falcons and some not as good. But those were the two most important things that happened for Cedar Crest last evening, by far.

On Wednesday night at ‘The Cage’, Cedar Crest rode an overwhelming start to its 15th win of the season, a 59-44 manhandling of Conestoga Valley. By racing out to a 19-0 lead in the opening 11:16, the Falcons were afforded an even greater opportunity to showcase their now trademark depth.

The triumph lifted Cedar Crest, currently seeded third in the District Three Class AAAA rankings, to 15-2 overall and 10-1 in Section One of the Lancaster-Lebanon League. The loss left Conestoga Valley 1-15 on the year and 1-10 in Section Two of the L-L.

“The start of the game was very important for the outcome,” said Cedar Crest head coach Tom Smith. “We started 17-0 and they (the Buckskins) played us even for three quarters. That’s not good enough for us. I thought we played in spurts from then on. We can’t play in spurts. We’ve got to play a full game. I think that’s something we need to look at and something we need to fix.

“I’m sure it’s difficult for them (his players to keep up their intensity),” Smith continued, “but I’m not going to make excuses for them. Once we get to that level, we’re going to be a darn good basketball team. But we’re going to keep pushing them.”

A passive full court pressure defense that created tempo more than turnovers figured into Cedar Crest’s crucial start, as did its deep depth. The Falcons played eleven players in the first quarter alone, as Evan Horn, Andrew Eudy, Josh Bucher, Dominic Garolff, Soren Frost and Ryan Gonzales all contributed points during the 19-0 opening salvo.

The Buckskins didn’t get on the scoreboard until 4:44 remained in the second quarter. And thanks to a couple of late free throws from Frost, Cedar Crest took a 29-12 margin to the intermission.

“I thought we played with a lot of energy,” said Smith of his side’s start. “We executed on offense, and defensively Andrew (Eudy) had a couple of blocked shots. We got a couple of buckets and we were able to set up our defense. And when we do that we’re a pretty tough team.”

With Smith substituting early and often, some Falcon reserves saw more playing time than regulars. Eudy tallied 11 points for Cedar Crest, which was without the other Andrew, Eberbart, due to injury, while Bucher registered ten.

Of the 14 Falcons who played, 12 scored. Conestoga Valley went just five-for-13 at the free throw line.

“It was very liberal,” said Smith of his substituting. “I feel comfortable with (players) one through 16. We had a lead at times, and had back-to-back games with Manheim Township (on Thursday). We tried to get some different kids some minutes. We feel our depth is our biggest asset.

“We need to play a full game,” Smith continued. “That was my main message after the game. For us to get where we want to go, we have to put teams away. We’re trying to develop a killer instinct. We took our foot off the gas pedal at times.”

With Bucher netting seven points, Eudy adding three and Seth Daubert converting a pair of free throws, Cedar Crest hit the Buckskins with a 12-0 spurt right after halftime to jack its lead to 41-14. The Falcons also enjoyed leads of 44-15 and 46-17, courtesy of a three-pointer from Dom Garloff and a lay-in by Eudy.

It was at that point, in the middle of the third quarter, that the Falcons sent their starters to the bench for good.

“They (the Bucks) were a three-pointer away from making it really interesting,” said Smith. “On defense is where we left off the gas. That’s where we didn’t compete. That was my biggest frustration.”

Conestoga Valley outscored Cedar Crest 21-13 in the fourth quarter. And over the final 11 minutes of action, the Buckskins got the better of the points to the tune of 27-13.

“It’s our goal,” said Smtih of the L-L Section One crown. “If we didn’t win it, it doesn’t look like our season is going to be over. It’s not the end of the world. We’ve set a few goals, but that’s the first one we’ve got the opportunity to get. I know these kids would like to hang a banner. We have a five-game season coming up. But we’ve had a pretty good season to this point.”

Lancaster-Lebanon League

Section One Standings

District Three

Class AAAA Power Rankings

RANK SCHOOL NAME POWER RATING

1 Wilson (15-1) 0.825986 0.964286 (18.9-0.7) 0.656954 (198.4-103.6)
2 Central York (13-2) 0.811654 0.909605 (16.1-1.6) 0.691936 (243.7-108.5)
3 Cedar Crest (14-2) 0.803524 0.927835 (18-1.4) 0.651589 (213.2-114)
4 Harrisburg (13-3) 0.771123 0.878613 (15.2-2.1) 0.639747 (171.9-96.8)
5 Hempfield (12-3) 0.770954 0.880000 (15.4-2.1) 0.637677 (198.7-112.9)
6 Cumberland Valley (13-3) 0.767949 0.887097 (16.5-2.1) 0.622323 (191.8-116.4)
7 Red Lion Area (15-2) 0.759451 0.918782 (18.1-1.6) 0.564713 (185-142.6)
8 Lower Dauphin (11-4) 0.740228 0.793939 (13.1-3.4) 0.674581 (213.1-102.8)
9 Mechanicsburg Area (10-4) 0.736231 0.800000 (12-3) 0.658291 (196.5-102)
10 Reading (10-6) 0.734882 0.785276 (12.8-3.5) 0.673288 (189.8-92.1)
11 William Penn (10-5) 0.705610 0.761290 (11.8-3.7) 0.637556 (199.3-113.3)
12 Lebanon (11-4) 0.701028 0.832335 (13.9-2.8) 0.540541 (166-141.1)
13 Waynesboro Area (12-3) 0.697680 0.825175 (11.8-2.5) 0.541853 (157.3-133)
14 Exeter Township (9-5) 0.697072 0.760274 (11.1-3.5) 0.619824 (197.6-121.2)
15 Central Dauphin East (9-6) 0.696378 0.732484 (11.5-4.2) 0.652248 (191.5-102.1)
16 J P McCaskey (9-6) 0.693297 0.732484 (11.5-4.2) 0.645402 (190.2-104.5)
17 Carlisle (8-6) 0.689752 0.712329 (10.4-4.2) 0.662158 (205.6-104.9)
18 Central Dauphin (10-7) 0.688451 0.692771 (11.5-5.1) 0.683172 (211.1-97.9)
19 Lampeter Strasburg (11-4) 0.675607 0.760479 (12.7-4) 0.571874 (183.4-137.3)
20 Hershey (9-6) 0.674681 0.691275 (10.3-4.6) 0.654400 (204.5-108)
21 Daniel Boone (9-7) 0.673801 0.668750 (10.7-5.3) 0.679973 (204.4-96.2)
22 Dallastown Area (9-6) 0.662275 0.686275 (10.5-4.8) 0.632941 (215.2-124.8)
23 Shippensburg Area (11-5) 0.656705 0.753012 (12.5-4.1) 0.538996 (170.7-146)
24 Cedar Cliff (9-7) 0.642114 0.640244 (10.5-5.9) 0.644400 (193.9-107)
25 Manheim Township (7-8) 0.632970 0.644928 (8.9-4.9) 0.618354 (182.6-112.7)
26 Warwick (6-8) 0.602823 0.558824 (7.6-6) 0.656600 (210.9-110.3)
27 Cocalico (6-8) 0.586105 0.575758 (7.6-5.6) 0.598752 (191.9-128.6)
28 Penn Manor (6-10) 0.575645 0.506667 (7.6-7.4) 0.659952 (219.5-113.1)
29 Ephrata Area (6-9) 0.547235 0.532374 (7.4-6.5) 0.565398 (176.8-135.9)
30 Spring Grove Area (5-10) 0.531015 0.426573 (6.1-8.2) 0.658665 (225-116.6)
31 Solanco (5-9) 0.514226 0.500000 (6.3-6.3) 0.531613 (164.8-145.2)
32 Governor Mifflin (4-11) 0.511582 0.360902 (4.8-8.5) 0.695747 (224.1-98)
33 South Western (4-10) 0.510664 0.363636 (4.8-8.4) 0.690363 (218.5-98)
34 Red Land (3-11) 0.482846 0.296610 (3.5-8.3) 0.710468 (223.3-91)
35 Muhlenberg (4-12) 0.478411 0.333333 (4.6-9.2) 0.655727 (207.8-109.1)
36 Northern York (5-12) 0.443194 0.337580 (5.3-10.4) 0.572277 (173.4-129.6)
37 Garden Spot (4-10) 0.438228 0.307692 (4-9) 0.597771 (187.7-126.3)
38 New Oxford (3-12) 0.437159 0.271318 (3.5-9.4) 0.639855 (211.6-119.1)
39 York County School Of Technology (6-10) 0.368247 0.294118 (4-9.6) 0.458850 (122.1-144)
40 Chambersburg Area (1-14) 0.359756 0.103774 (1.1-9.5) 0.672623 (199.5-97.1)
41 Elizabethtown Area (1-14) 0.342221 0.095652 (1.1-10.4) 0.643583 (209.1-115.8)
42 Conestoga Valley (1-14) 0.338647 0.107438 (1.3-10.8) 0.621236 (200.1-122)