MYERSTOWN – Playoff seedings?
Constant improvement?
Legacies?
Shoot! If they’re hanging a basket ten feet off the floor, donning uniforms and keeping score, then the Elco boys want to win basketball games.
On Wednesday night at Elco High School, the competitive Raiders prevailed in their final home game of the season, 71-45 over Susquehanna Township, to capture the third-place trophy of the District Three Class AAAA playoff tournament. Playing with a ton of energy, the Raiders fed off a good start and never relented.
Coming into the contest, the Raiders had dropped three of their last four outings. Third-seeded Elco, now 20-6, will meet the runner-up from District 12 on Friday, March 6th, at a site and time to be determined, in the first round of the PIAA Class AAAA playoffs.
Susquehanna Township, the fourth seed, fell to 15-9 on the year.
“It’s almost March and they’re still playing,” said Elco head coach Brad Conners of his troops. “It’s a unique situation. Our seniors got one last chance to play on our home floor. They love the game. They make it fun. I thought they played with heart tonight.
“It’s a really tight-knit group,” continued Conners. “They are friends off the court and I think that helps them on the court. Asher (Kemble) was really vocal tonight and encouraging everyone. They just like to play. One of the reasons is that they’re good at it, and another is they enjoy each other’s company. We don’t have any drama.”
Hustling and beating the Indians to loose balls, Elco never trailed after assuming a 4-0 lead on drives from Bryce Coletti and Kemble. Then a 9-2 run accentuated by a Kemble steal and jam put the Raiders up 15-4.
“I thought we set the tone very early,” said Conners. “It might have been our first or second possession. I really liked our defensive effort. I thought we did a good job of defending the lane. After the first quarter, we settled in on the glass. The seniors wanted to win the last game on their home floor, and Braden (Bohannon) wanted it for them.
“I think that’s (a hot start) a sign of a good team,” added Conners. “We controlled the tempo. For us to set the tone on the defensive end, it was a good way to start the game.”
With Susquehanna Township on its heels, Coletti converted a reverse lay-in and Evan Huey drained a three-pointer in the middle of the second quarter to increase the Raiders’ lead to 30-18. Elco also tallied the final two buckets of the first half, on Bohannon lay-ups, to carry a 34-23 advantage to the intermission.
“The elation of qualifying for states happened after the Eastern York game,” said Conners. “After the Bishop McDevitt game (in the District semifinal on Tuesday), there was no joy. The next day at school I saw Braden (Bohannon) and Ben (Horst) early, and their heads were down. It seemed like at practice, they turned the page and their spirits were lifted.
“We knew which district we were playing if we won tonight,” Conners continued. “But we didn’t worry about that. The big picture was our kids needed a win.”
Elco shot the ball very well all evening long, as Bohannon registered a game-high 25 points, Kemble recorded 15 points and Coletti struck for 14. The Raiders outscored the Indians 42-20 on two-point field goals and out rebounded them 34-31.
“The last few games it felt like we have one of the best teams in the district,” said Conners. “I think we can compete with just about anybody. We’ve held some really good teams in check and our defense has given us a chance.”
The Raiders removed any doubt about the outcome in the third stanza.
A three-point play from Horst, a Coletti drive and a Bohannon three-pointer to open the second half pushed the Raider advantage to 42-23. Later in the quarter, eight more Bohannon points, another Kemble jam and a lay-up by Evan Huey added up to 12 straight Elco points and a 56-27 bulge.
Then Bohannon opened the final quarter with a three-pointer that put Elco ahead 59-30.
“It’s good for our program,” said Conners. “Historically, Susquehanna Township is a powerhouse. For us to come out here and win like we did bodes well for this year and future years. Home games are so important.
“The goal now becomes win a state title,” continued Conners. “I told our guys, ‘Don’t let anyone tell you what you can’t do.’ Just because it’s never been done before doesn’t mean it can’t happen. We want to win a championship.”
| 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 | 54 59 | Playoff |
| 2/24 7:00 pm | Elco at Bishop McDevitt | 49 53 | Playoff |
| 2/26 7:00 pm | Susquehanna Township 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 | 0.751060 | 0.916870 | 0.548403 | 18.8 | 224.1 | 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 | 0.587544 | 0.612745 | 0.556743 | 12.5 | 239.7 | 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 | 0.497445 | 0.432127 | 0.577279 | 9.6 | 268.6 | 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 | 0.379199 | 0.278539 | 0.502227 | 6.1 | 231.2 | 15.8 | 229.1 |
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