BY JEFF FALK

LEBANON – While the mere suggestion of the concept makes coaches shudder, there are actually two kinds of ‘routine wins’.

The first involves following an unwritten blueprint, where a team is never headed and plays well throughout a singular contest. The other refers to the continuation of good play from one game to a next, as in the outcome was typical of the way that team had been performing.

On Monday night, the Lebanon boys’ basketball team registered yet another ‘routine win’, a 73-56 Lancaster-Lebanon Section One-Two crossover victory over Penn Manor that wasn’t really that close. The Cedars played well from the opening tap until the outcome was decided, they never trailed and they continued to explore more ways to get even better.

The Cedars’ third win in four outings this season left them 2-0 in Section Two of the L-L. While still very early, Lebanon is the only Section Two club to have beaten a Section One team this season.

The result evened Penn Manor’s overall mark at 2-2 and its L-L Section One record at 1-1.

“It was a crossover game and it’s tough to win against bigger schools,” said Lebanon head coach Tim Speraw. “If you can steal a couple of them, it’s important down the stretch. It’s important because we were at home. It was important because we wanted to stay on track.

“I’m happy where we’re at,” added Speraw. “We stated from Day One that we wanted to get better everyday. We had one letdown against Elco. But I think we’ve played pretty well this year.”

On the strength of scoring the game’s first seven points, Lebanon opened an 18-5 bulge on a three-pointer from junior Camryn Shaak, with 2:35 left in the opening period. By the end of the first quarter, that lead had ballooned to 25-9, on a three-pointer from Dante Vargas.

“I thought we played really well,” said Speraw. “We got out of the gates really quick. Camryn shot the ball really well. It was a shame we couldn’t get him more shots. He was feeling it. He was in a zone. I’m proud of him. He’s put in work. He deserves it.

“It was important just getting confidence, right from the start,” Speraw added. “We were sharing the ball. Everybody was doing their thing. Matty (Lopez) was distributing. (Justin) Baker was doing everything little thing possible. It was everybody. Our bench was good. They came with energy and we didn’t really lose anything when they came into the game.”

Lebanon’s first half lead reached 44-24 on a trey from Lopez a minute before the break. Earlier in the second quarter, Shaak had canned nine straight Cedar  points, while Lebanon was opening a 34-17 margin.

“I don’t know if we’re built to slow it down completely,” said Speraw, of following up his side’s fast start. “I don’t know if that’s us. I thought we had a good balance of pushing it and also running clock.”

Shaak, who drilled six three-pointers and went 10-for-12 at the foul stripe, finished with a total of 30 points that was far and away his career high. Allen Escoto backed him up with 18 points.

The Cedars finished with eight three-point field goals and 26-for-36 at the free throw line.

“I’m definitely pleased with how everything went, especially getting Camryn going early,” said Speraw. “One of the things we’re continuing to work on is coming out of halftime strong. I think we still need to do that. As a coach, you’re always looking for ways to get better.

“I thought we were good defensively,” continued Speraw. “I don’t think we were great. We gave up too many baskets inside, but we took away the ‘three’.”

Lebanon held Penn Manor to two baskets in the third quarter, and tallied the last six points of the period – five from Escoto and a charity toss from Felix Kortright – to open a 52-30 margin. The closest the Comets would come the rest of the way was 15.

“It gives us another weapon,” said Speraw of the impending return of all-county performer Shaquell Ortiz on Wednesday. “Allen and Felix have been logging big-time minutes as our ‘bigs’. He’s a match-up problem at times. He’s been practicing with us. He’s been working hard. He’s been a good teammate.”

The Cedars will crossover with Section One again on Wednesday at Warwick, and then face another round of crossovers in January, when they play Cedar Crest, McCaskey and Hempfield.

“That’s why this is important,” said Speraw. “For the past couple of years, those three teams (Cedar Crest, McCaskey and Hempfield) have been the top three teams in Section One. That’s a notoriously tough week for us.”

To purchase images in this article email jkfalk2005@yahoo.com, or to see more go to www.http://lebanonsportsbuzz.com/gallery-ten/.

 

2015-16 Lebanon Boys’ Basketball Schedule

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lancaster-Lebanon League

 Section Two Standings

 

TEAM	LEAGUE	OVERALL
Lebanon	2-0	3-1
Solanco	0-2	3-3
Garden Spot	0-2	2-3
Conestoga Valley	0-2	2-3
Elizabethtown	0-2	1-4
Ephrata	0-2	0-4

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Section One Standings

 

TEAM	LEAGUE	OVERALL
Hempfield	2-0	4-0
Cedar Crest	2-0	3-0
McCaskey	2-0	3-1
Warwick	2-0	3-2
Penn Manor	1-1	2-2
Manheim Twp.	1-1	2-3