BY JEFF FALK

ANNVILLE – Sure it woiuld’ve been nice to have the full complement of competitors from the start. And yeah, they’ve won some big games short-handed, along the way.

But the gang’s all back now, and in plenty of time to see exactly what they can accomplish together.

No regrets!

On Monday night, for one of the first times this season, the Northern Lebanon boys’ basketball team had its best athletes on the floor together, during a 55-42 road triumph at Annville-Cleona. Though there were times of struggle against the gutsy Little Dutchmen, the Vikings flashed signs of what they can be during a decisive portion of the final period.

The Vikings’ victory lifted them to 12-4 overall and 8-1 in Section Three of the Lancaster-Lebanon League, and kept them a game behind front-running Lancaster Catholic in the circuit. In the last District Three Class AAAA power rankings, Northern Lebanon was seated fifth.

The Little Dutchmen aren’t in as good of shape in Section Three, but they can still qualify for the District Three Class AAA tournament. Now 7-9 on the year and 3-6 in the section, Annville-Cleona is currently situated ninth in the District Three Class AAA power rankings.

Back on December 15th in Fredericksburg, the Vikings beat the Little Dutchmen 63-59.

“Our injuries have been really tough. We’ve had a number of kids out,” said Northern Lebanon head coach Chris George. “This was our first tough game where we’ve had everybody. What you see is our defense is better, but our offense is going to take some time. We’ve got six games left in the regular season, and now we’ve got to start figuring out our offense. We have to share more minutes, and some of those guys haven’t played together yet.

“Michigan’s (Daub) just rusty,” continued George. “He needs a little conditioning. He’s trying to get that burst back that makes him a special athlete. We’re pointing towards a playoff run, and Michigan is just going to get better and better. He’s given us things right away. He’s given us defense, and the other stuff will come. We just hope he keeps improving.”

Following a back-and-forth three quarters of play, Northern Lebanon used its defense to assert itself early in the fourth.

The Vikings held Annville-Cleona without a point for a key 5:30 span, during which they rattled off 16 straight points to turn a one-point deficit into a 53-38 advantage. Cameron Gensler tallied ten of those Northern Lebanon points, while running mates Alex Yeager and Caleb Light netted the rest.

“I thought we made a nice run in the second quarter, and then the same thing in the fourth,” said George. “Both were started by our defense. I thought (Christian) Trader and (Thomas) Folmer  were really big sparks off the bench. Our three main scoring horses (Light, Yeager and Gensler) came up big too. They got it going.

“Maybe that’s our seniors saying, ‘Hey, let’s go make some plays’,” George continued. “We didn’t always do it consistently. It’s almost guaranteed any more. It’s maturity. They don’t force it quite as much. They let it come to them, and they play together.”

With Yeager canning back-to-back trifectas, the Vikings extended a four-point halftime lead to 29-21 early in the third stanza. But on six points by Noah Myers, four points from Donald Friday and a hoop by Andrew Long, Annville-Cleona spilled over a 12-0 run into the final period to assume a 38-37 edge.

“We challenged our guys,” said George. “We have a lot at stake this week. We’ve got the league playoffs on the line. If we play well, we can get there.

“I’m a guy who tries not to look too far into the future,” added George. “But I like to give these guys a reminder of what’s at stake. I wish we would’ve played a little better tonight, but it’s a tough gym to play in. Give Annville-Cleona credit. Their zone (defense) bothered us. A lot of our points came out of turnovers and defense.”

The Vikings’ ‘Big Three’ accounted for all but six of their team’s points. Light popped for 21 points, Yeager registered 15 points and Gensler recorded 13.

Annville-Cleona was led by Ryan Matthews’ 11 points and Myers’ ten. Northern Lebanon outscored the Little Dutchmen 18-6 from ‘downtown’.

“Myers is really tough,” said George. “He was a big focal point for our defense. For a big guy, he’s so talented. You can lose him inside and you can lose him outside. He’s the kind of kid who can take us out of our normal defense. We challenged our guys tonight.”

It was all Annville-Cleona early.

On a pair of buckets from Friday, a couple of baskets by Matthews and a steal and lay-in from Dashaun Archer, the Little Dutchmen tallied ten of the first 12 points. Over the game’s first 6:04, Annville-Cleona limited Northern Lebanon to a Yeager pull-up.

“For coaches, it feels like a grind,” said George. “We’re playing seven games in nine days. To have the kids where we want them it’s difficult. But let’s be real. These kids are here to play basketball. For them, I’m sure it’s tough. The bus ride is tough. The long days can be a little tough.”

Northern Lebanon got it going late in the opening quarter, with a Josh Bowers hoop. It sparked a Northern Lebanon 8-0 run that culminated in a short jumper by Yeager and a ten-all tie, early in the second.

Later in the second quarter, the Vikings ran off 13 straight points – which featured nine points by Light and back-to-back buckets by Trader – to grab a 23-15 margin.

 

 

 

 

 

 To purchase images in this article email jkfalk2005@yahoo.com, or to view more go to https://lebanonsportsbuzz.com/photo-gallery/.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 2017-18 Northern Lebanon Boys’ Basketball Results

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lancaster-Lebanon League

 Section Three Standings

	League			Overall
	W	L	PCT	W	L	PCT	PF	PA
Lancaster Catholic	9	0	100.00	15	2	88.24	1034	775
Northern Lebanon	8	1	88.89	12	4	75.00	979	815
Lancaster Mennonite	6	2	75.00	11	5	68.75	974	821
Elco	4	5	44.44	7	9	43.75	903	874
Annville-Cleona	3	6	33.33	7	9	43.75	900	896
Columbia	2	5	28.57	6	8	42.86	838	754
Pequea Valley	2	6	25.00	3	12	20.00	675	975
Lebanon Catholic	0	9	0.00	2	9	18.18	422	739