Friday hoops roundup: Irish's Dallas, Rockets' Myers join 1,000-point club
Thomas KendzioraA parade of York-Adams League senior basketball standouts have reached the 1,000-point milestone this season, and the stars of the junior class are right behind them.
York Catholic junior Jake Dallas and Spring Grove senior Avin Myers both scored their 1,000th points Friday night, while Central York junior Ben Natal moved within four points of joining the elite club during the regular season’s final full night of Y-A divisional action.
Dallas needed a career-high 36 points to reach the milestone and hit that number exactly in the Fighting Irish’s 82-58 victory at York Tech. The York-Adams League’s leading scorer — now averaging 23.3 points per game — busted the door down with six 3-pointers, six 2-point shots and a perfect 6-of-6 clip on free throws. Dallas had 13 points in the first quarter and entered halftime with 20, so York Catholic’s staff opted to let him chase 1,000 down the stretch. The clinching bucket came on a post play in the middle of the fourth quarter.
The Irish (10-11, 9-4 Division III) led 30-12 after the opening period and 46-26 at intermission. Ten York Catholic players scored points, with Sean Devitt’s eight leading the supporting cast. Emari Williams scored 16, Jordan Overton 15, Rodney Hicks 12 and Carter Robinson 11 as the host Spartans (7-15, 5-9) bid farewell to their 2023-24 season.
Myers’ millennium moment came during Spring Grove’s 73-51 loss at Red Lion, which left the District 3 Class 5A playoffs all but out of reach. The senior wing entered Friday with 986 career points, and his and-one layup early in the fourth quarter brought him to 15 for the night. The Rockets (7-13, 3-8) have two games remaining, and Myers won’t have to worry about chasing individual history anymore.
Natal only got 15 of the 19 points he needed to join the club, but the junior guard left the floor with plenty to celebrate. Central York clinched the outright Y-A Division I title for the second straight season with its 73-52 win at Northeastern. The Panthers (18-2, 11-0) also received 16 points from senior forward Greg Guidinger — who reached 1,000 last winter and became the program’s all-time leading scorer in December — and 14 from junior center Ben Rill, who could also be in line to reach 1,000 this season if Central makes a lengthy playoff run.
The Panthers will close their regular season Thursday, Feb. 8, against second-place Red Lion, which improved to 15-5 (10-2) with Friday’s triumph over Spring Grove. Both teams will be in the field when the York-Adams League boys’ tournament begins Saturday, Feb. 10. (The girls’ tourney starts the day prior.)
Myers became the ninth current York-Adams League senior to reach 1,000 points. Guidinger and Littlestown’s Christopher Meakin reached the mark as juniors, while Delone Catholic’s Cam Keller and Littlestown’s Zyan Herr have gotten there in the last two weeks. Eastern York’s Arianna Seitz, Fairfield’s Breana Valentine, York Suburban’s Janay Rissmiller and York High’s Ciarra Gibbs have all surpassed 1,000 on the girls’ side this season.
Dallas, meanwhile, joined Eastern York’s Carter Wamsley in reaching the milestone as a junior. Wamsley, a three-year starter for the Golden Knights, hit the mark last Friday. Dallas broke out by averaging 17 points per game for York Catholic last season, leading a squad that had five seniors in its top six, before becoming the Irish’s undisputed headliner this year. York Catholic will host Hanover on Tuesday, then wait for the district playoffs to begin.
York-Adams League weekend scoreboard for Feb. 2-3
What's at stake as the York-Adams League basketball regular season winds down
MORE BOYS’ BASKETBALL
Northeastern closed the door on a 7-15 (2-10 D-I) campaign with Friday’s senior night loss to Central York. Three seniors led the Bobcats in scoring, with Anthony Williams’ 17 followed by Josh Everly’s 11 and Evan Jennings’ 10. Northeastern was 5-1 on Dec. 15 but dropped 14 of its final 16 games and finished 1-9 in contests decided by five points or fewer.
Dallastown's boys suffered a 49-46 non-league loss to Governor Mifflin on senior night, which dropped the Wildcats (12-7) to 11th in the District 3-6A power rankings (12 teams make the field).
York High’s scheduled Friday visit to South Western was pushed back to Monday; the Bearcats had non-league games scheduled for both Thursday and Saturday. York High will also host Dallastown while the Mustangs visit Spring Grove next Tuesday.
Division II: West York had a chance to clinch the outright division crown for the third consecutive winter, but the Bulldogs fell flat and suffered a 57-45 setback at New Oxford. Luke Hoffman scored 28 points for West York (13-7, 9-3), but his teammates combined for just 17. Brennan Holmes had 17 and Idriz Ahmetovic added 14 for the Colonials (11-10, 5-6), who kept their District 3-5A playoff hopes afloat.
York Suburban picked up a 64-36 win at Dover, which allowed the Trojans (15-5, 8-3) to tie West York for the D-II title with a home win Saturday evening against Susquehannock (Suburban would earn that victory in 60-51 fashion). The host Eagles fell to 2-17 (0-10) with the loss.
Eastern York, meanwhile, punched its league tournament ticket with a 46-41 home win over Kennard-Dale. Carter Wamsley scored 13 of his 14 points in the first half, while Anson Morcos put up seven in the fourth quarter to also tally 14 for the Golden Knights (14-7, 7-4). Ryan Perzanowski dropped 16 and Dylan Logue had 14 for the Rams (10-10, 4-7).
Division III: Littlestown capped off a 14-0 run through the division with a 70-47 road rout of Biglerville on Friday. The Thunderbolts (17-5 overall) will have a full week off before the league tournament begins next Saturday. It’s the program’s first unblemished division record under head coach John Forster. Biglerville fell to 3-18 (2-11).
Delone Catholic will join the Bolts in the county playoffs after handling Hanover, 68-44, at home. Gage Zimmerman scored 16, Aidan Wittmer notched 14 and Jack Goedecker had 13 for the Squires (16-5, 11-3). Ethan Killinger led the Nighthawks (7-13, 4-8) with 13.
Bermudian Springs closed its regular season with a 65-43 win at Fairfield. Tyson Carpenter scored 15, Dylan Hubbard 13 and Lane Hubbard 12 for the Eagles, who improved to 14-8 (9-5) but sit just 14th in the District 3-4A power rankings, needing help from at least four teams to make the playoffs. Gabe Williams had 17 points as the Green Knights finished their season 3-19 (0-14).
GIRLS’ BASKETBALL
Division I: South Western, which went 0-12 in a brutal division last season, is headed to the league playoffs after Friday’s dramatic 45-42 win at York High. Carly Louey scored 17 points for the Mustangs (16-5, 8-3), while Zykira McGee had 13 for the Bearcats (13-8, 7-5). York High appeared to tie the game on Azyah Kirkland’s late free throw, but a lane violation on teammate Jayda Price nullified the bucket and allowed the Mustangs to hang on at the finish.
Central York’s regular season is in the books following a 52-36 win over New Oxford. The Panthers (17-5, 9-3) will compete in the Y-A playoffs but could drop to the third seed from D-I if South Western beats Spring Grove next Tuesday.
Red Lion wrapped a fifth-place divisional campaign with a 61-54 win at Spring Grove. Grace Masser scored 26 points and Julia Sedora had 16 for the Lions (10-11, 4-8). Jozalynn Hartman tallied 22 for the host Rockets (5-15, 1-9).
Division II: Northeastern and York Suburban were in line to split the division title if both teams won out, but the Bobcats couldn’t keep up with West York on the road Friday in a 59-46 loss. Suburban moved into first place with a 63-26 home win against Dover, giving the Trojans a chance to clinch the outright D-II crown with a win Saturday at Susquehannock. (They won, 35-26, and clinched indeed.)
Faith Walker’s 23 points and Reagan Doll’s 16 powered the third-place Bulldogs (15-6, 9-3) to Friday’s victory, while Colleen Finnegan had 19 in the setback for Northeastern (19-2, 10-2). Lydia Powers led the first-place Trojans (19-1, 10-1) with 13 points. Nena Menard had nine for the Eagles (4-17, 1-10).
Eastern York’s Arianna Seitz, meanwhile, blitzed Kennard-Dale for 29 points as the Golden Knights pulled out a 39-34 road triumph. Alaina Neal’s six points and Molly Townsley’s four rounded out the scoring for Eastern (11-9, 5-6). Evelynn D’Arrigo had 11 for the Rams (6-13, 1-10).
Division III: Delone Catholic capped a sixth consecutive perfect D-III campaign with a 51-7 win at Hanover. The Squirettes (20-1, 12-0) have won 72 straight division games. Reece Meckley scored 19 points and Megan Jacoby added 12 in the victory. Hanover slipped to 3-17 (2-9).
Bermudian Springs’ girls, much like the boys, finished a 14-8 regular season Friday against Fairfield. But Todd Askins’ team, which won 49-37 at home to improve to 8-4 in D-III, appears on its way to districts — the Eagles were No. 8 in the D3-4A rankings Saturday morning, two spots clear of the cutline. Fairfield (9-13, 2-10) will make the Class 2A playoffs.
Biglerville won’t be a playoff team in 2024, but the Canners rallied past Littlestown, 41-37, on the road Friday to secure a 12-10 overall record (6-6 D-III). Kierney Weigle had 14 points and Eva Hollabaugh notched 12 in the win. Maci Losego scored 14 and Abi Stem added 11 for the Bolts, who closed their season 4-18 (2-10).
