More stats than you can shake a stick at

Not that you'd ever want to shake a stick at stats. Well, you could if you really wanted to I suppose. Let's just move on.

Here are the final points per game average for the E-town boys and girls basketball teams and the current records of the E-town wrestlers as they head into sectionals next Saturday. Note, doing the boys and girls points per game was tough because there was no way for me to tell how many games some of the reserve players appeared in. So, in the interest of accuracy, I'm just going to give you the players I know played every game. Forgive me, please.

Boys Basketball:
Kyle McNeil, 12.3 ppg.
Chad Styer, 11.8.
Quinn Cozzens, 11.5.
Jeremi Jones, 11.2.
Andrew Placeres, 8.5.
Bradley Garber, 5.4.

Girls Basketball:
Sarah Fairbanks, 13.5 ppg.
Becca Bigler, 9.5.
Brianna Kuhn, 7.9.
Jamie Ahern, 4.2.
Emily Carter, 1.6.
Jenna Rosenberry, 1.5.

Wrestling:
Adam Zellman, 31-6, 16 pins.
Matt Hoover, 30-3, 19 pins.
Shane Rosenberry, 29-5, 22 pins.
Jeremy Rivera, 28-5, 10 pins.
Alex Kirchner, 24-7, 11 pins.
Owen Bradley, 22-13, 3 pins.
Calvin Anderton, 21-10, 5 pins.
Jared Danneker, 21-14, 4 pins.
Justin Lewis, 17-12, 14 pins.
Antonio Rodriguez, 14-17, 3 pins.
David Kennedy, 13-13, 6 pins.
Troy Ernest, 11-5, 2 pins.
Tyler Lakota, 10-12, 5 pins.
Sean Heming, 6-20, 3 pins.
Zach Myers, 4-9, 2 pins.
Tyler Geyer, 2-0, 1 pin.
Andrew Smith, 1-0.
Kyle Morrow, 1-11.
Joey Alleman, 0-4.
James Sliker, 0-1.
Zach Brandt, 0-1.

Lady Bears come up just short

What a late season run it was for the EAHS girls basketball team. After a loss to Cedar Crest back on Jan. 20, the Bears found themselves sitting at 6-11 overall and 3-8 in league play, needing to win out to have a shot at a postseason berth.

And they darn near made it.

E-town reeled off four straight wins after the Cedar Crest loss, beating Conestoga Valley, Garden Spot and Section Two front runners Ephrata and Solanco, setting up a one-game, win or go home scenario last night against Lebanon. Had the Bears won, they would have made the District Three playoffs. Unfortunately, E-town came up a little short, falling to the Cedars 49-40 to end their season.

But in terms of growth for the future, E-town shot up 7 inches this year. The Bears were 2-22 overall last year and 0-16 in league play. This year, with virtually the same team (minus senior Jen Dunkelberger and plus outstanding freshman Sara Fairbanks), E-town went 10-12 overall and 7-9 in league play and were right in the Section Two race in the last week of the season. What a great job by this young team. I know head coach Mike Pericci and his staff are extremely proud of them, and they should be proud of themselves.

Next year, E-town will return nearly its entire team again. They will lose Becca Bigler, though, who has been the leader of this group all year. Fifteen players saw varsity time this year for E-town, one was a senior (Bigler), 3 were juniors, 3 were freshmen and 8 were sophomores. These Bears will be tough next year, write it down.

Also, if anyone is interested in checking out any of the L-L League girls playoffs, Jeff Reinhart has the skinny on those brackets. You can read all about that by clicking here.

Girls basketball playoff scenarios (UPDATED)

Hey gang, it looks as if the Lady Bears likely don't have a shot at league playoffs after all. Something I didn't know that the second tiebreaker for leagues is record against section opponents (my mistake). If E-town wins tonight and Solanco loses, both teams will be 8-8 in league play and tied for second place in Section Two. Now, the first tiebreaker is head-to-head, and the Bears and Mules split their season series this year 1-1.

The second tiebreaker is record vs. section opponents, and even if Solanco loses tonight, they would only have two section losses, which is one more than the Bears have right now. But that doesn't mean E-town's game tonight against Lebanon doesn't mean anything. After all, the Lady Bears are still playing for a district playoff spot, which they will earn with a win tonight.

Big win for Lady Bears

Huge, huge win at home tonight for the E-town girls basketball team. E-town got 25 points from Sarah Fairbanks, 11 from Brianna Kuhn and 10 from senior Becca Bigler (likely playing in her final game in Daubert Gymnasium) and beat Solanco 58-53, their fourth straight win this year.

Before we get into the game a little, here's what the win means:
• E-town is still mathematically alive for the league playoffs. Solanco had been a perfect 8-0 against Section Two teams this season entering play tonight. But now, they find themselves at 8-7, one game behind 9-6 Ephrata for first place. E-town is now 7-8 in league play and one game behind Solanco for second place in Section Two with one game left. For E-town to make the league playoffs, it needs to win at Lebanon on Wednesday and for Solanco to lost at home to Garden Spot, who is just 3-12 in league play so far. The Spartans lost to Solanco by 30 the last time they played. So the Bears need to win and get an upset in order to get into leagues. But if Solanco loses and E-town wins, the Bears would get into the league playoffs based on tiebreakers.

• With a win on Wednesday night, the Bears will qualify for the District Three playoffs. They need no other help to make districts. They just need to win at Lebanon Wednesday. E-town beat Lebanon 39-37 in their only other meeting back on Jan. 9. Should be a great game.

Now, onto the game:
E-town got off to a quick start, scoring 14 points in the first and second quarters and led by 7 at the half. Solanco fought back in the third quarter, using a nice full court press to force some turnovers and sneak back into the game. Solanco went on a 10-0 run midway through the quarter to get within one, but E-town led 40-38 after three.

In the fourth, Solanco took its first lead of the night with 6:32 to play, but the Bears refused to go away, making plays when they needed to and going 12-17 from the free throw line in the fourth quarter. E-town trailed 50-49 with 2:00 to play, but ended the game on a 9-3 run to get the win.

I haven't transcribed interviews yet (I talked to head coach Mike Pericci and Fairbanks, Bigler and Kuhn after the game), but I can tell you that the Bears are a confident bunch and they're having an absolute blast right now. You can't say enough about this bunch. I mean, this is a team that won only 2 games last year and went 0-16 in league play. And now they are one win away from going to districts just one year later. What a fantastic turnaround. They're such a resilient bunch that it's insane. Pericci and his coaching staff have done a phenomenal job with this group, and the players have responded.

The atmosphere tonight was great too, with a loud, boisterous crowd. Now excuse me while I step up on my soapbox. There are times when adult fans go too far. I won't say who those fans were tonight, but if you were there, I'm sure you saw/heard this group (hint, they were sitting right behind me at the scorer's table.) I understand rooting for your team and maybe giving the refs a hard time every now and then (the officiating was questionable on BOTH sides tonight), but screaming at them repeatedly even when the call was correct is awful. If I had a dollar for every time I heard someone yell "WALK" when there clearly was no traveling violation, let's just say, I'd have a condo in the Bahamas. And, one more thing, it is absolutely REPREHENSIBLE for an adult to heckle high school players. Opposing student sections? Sure, as long as it doesn't go too far. But grown men and women have absolutely no business trying to get in the head of a 15, 16 or 17 year old kid. Wanting your kid's team to win is one thing, crossing a line and embarrassing players from your own team is another. OK, rant over.

But the actions of a few shouldn't take away from a fantastic game between two section rivals and from an overall fantastic crowd. Great job by the Lady Bears coming away with a win tonight.

Much more on this game in the print edition of this week's Chronicle, and also I'll check in for a preview of the Lebanon game and a recap of that one on Wednesday night as well.

District Three Power Rankings

Here are the latest District Three power rankings for both girls and boys basketball.

The E-town boys have already locked up a spot in districts, and are playing now for seeding.

The girls are still alive. The Lady Bears have reeled off three straight wins and need to win their final two games to clinch a district spot. That starts tonight with a tough, tough game against Solanco at home. I'll be over at Daubert Gym tonight to cover that one. Fantastic late season run by the Bears. We'll see if they can continue it tonight.

All rankings are courtesy of The Patriot-News

Class AAAA District Three rankings – boys
(E-town's two losses this year are to No. 2 Hempfield and No. 5 CD East)
1. York, 21-0 overall, 8.62.
2. Hempfield, 18-1, 8.53.
3. Elizabethtown, 18-2, 8.30.
4. Harrisburg, 16-2, 8.11.
5. CD East, 17-3, 8.05.
6. Reading, 17-3, 8.00.
7. Penn Manor, 15-4, 7.95.
8. Wilson, 16-4, 7.80.
9. Red Lion, 17-4, 7.71.
10. Conestoga Valley, 12-7, 6.95.
11. Cedar Cliff, 13-7, 6.90.
12. Daniel Boone, 14-6, 6.80.
13. Governor Mifflin, 13-8, 6.71.
14. Solanco, 11-9, 6.70.
15. Red Land, 12-7, 6.68.
16. Gettysburg, 13-6, 6.68.
17. J.P. McCaskey, 10-9, 6.63.
18. Cocalico, 14-6, 6.55.
19. Manheim Township, 10-9, 6.47.
20. Chambersburg, 10-8, 6.33.
21. Central York, 11-10, 6.33.
22. Waynesboro, 11-9, 5.95.
23. Mechanicsburg, 11-10, 5.86.
24. Dallastown, 10-11, 5.95.
25. Warwick, 8-12, 5.90.

Class AAAA District Three power rankings – Girls
1. Central Dauphin, 18-1, 8.83.
2. Lower Dauphin, 19-1, 8.45.
3. Manheim Township, 15-2, 8.35.
4. Reading, 17-1, 8.33.
5. Cedar Crest, 15-5, 7.70.
6. Red Lion, 15-4, 7.68.
7. Wilson, 15-4, 7.68.
8. Mechanicsburg, 17-4, 7.52.
9. Cumberland Valley, 15-5, 7.50.
10. CD East, 14-6, 7.21.
11. Hershey, 14-6, 7.05.
12. Spring Grove, 15-6, 7.00.
13. Hempfield, 12-8, 6.74.
14. New Oxford, 13-7, 6.70.
15. Carlisle, 12-8, 6.68.
16. Harrisburg, 10-9, 6.61.
17. Ephrata, 11-9, 6.50.
18. Solanco, 11-9, 6.45.
19. Penn Manor, 10-10, 6.20.
20. Waynesboro, 10-10, 5.75.
21. Dallastown, 10-11, 6.00.
22. Warwick, 9-11, 5.95.
23. Governor Mifflin, 9-11, 5.90.
24. Elizabethtown, 9-11, 5.85.
25. Central York, 8-12, 5.70.

Girls Basketball update

The players on the EAHS girls basketball team are probably sick of hearing it. Yes, they had a tough year last year. Yes, they were young then and are still a young group now. There are very few teams with as much bulletin board material written about them as this E-town group. And they play like they have something to prove, and that is dangerous for other teams.

So far, it's working out for them very well. They started off very hot, coming out of the games 3-1, but have slowed a bit recently, dropping four of their past five games leaving them at 4-5 overall and 1-2 in Section Two heading into tonight's game at Garden Spot (1-7 overall, 0-4 section). Right now E-town is in second place in Section Two, just one game behind Ephrata. And they should win tonight. (By the way, I'll be covering the E-town/Ephrata game on Monday night, which could be for first place.) But the Bears have already doubled last year's win total and are certainly primed to make some noise this season.

Their top two scorers have been Sarah Fairbanks (14.1 points per game) and Becca Bigler (10.5 ppg), but they also get contributions from Bri Kuhn, Jamie Ahern, Jenna Rosenberry and Emily and Katie Carter. I really like the way E-town defends. I'm really interested to see them play on Monday. The only time I've seen them live so far this year was in a blowout of Mount Calvary. So I'll get more of a grasp on them come Monday.

But definitely a good start for the Lady Bears.

EAHS girls basketball preview

Head Coach: Mike Pericci, fourth season.

2007-2008 record: 2-22 overall, 0-16 section.

Key returners: Becca Bigler, senior, G; Bri Kuhn, sophomore, G; Jenna Rosenberry, sophomore, G; Emily Carter, sophomore, G.
The most experienced position for the young Bears will be guard, where they return their top two scorers from last year, Bigler and Kuhn.

Bigler is the lone senior on the team and will be the team’s leader game in and game out. She is, however, switching to guard this season after playing mainly forward last year. She is an aggressive player who isn’t afraid to take the ball strong to the basket and dive for loose balls.

Kuhn had a good freshman year on varsity and returns with a year of experience under her belt. She is also the Bears’ best outside shooter, so look for her to launch 3-Pointers when E-town needs them. Pericci said he expects Kuhn and Bigler to be the team’s biggest offensive weapons.

Rosenberry and Carter are, like most of E-town’s players, tough, resilient and aggressive.

“Jenna is our best defensive player, but she has worked very hard on developing her game on the offensive side of the court,” he said. “Emily is an aggressive, scrappy player who isn’t afraid of mixing it up with the other girls.”

Both will see a lot of time on the court and bring tenacity on defense and excellent speed.

Key Newcomers: Jamie Ahern, junior, G; Dani Altomonte, junior, G/F; Nellie Marsh, sophomore, F; Katie Carter, sophomore, F; Sarah Fairbanks, freshman, F.
E-town gets even deeper at the guard position with Ahern and Altomonte. Pericci said that both will see significant time at the varsity level.

A trio of new forwards – Marsh, Carter and Fairbanks – give the Bears skill and depth in the paint. Both Marsh and Carter are good post players and will battle inside for rebounds, especially on the offensive end, and should give E-town a chance to keep possessions alive that way. They also play physical defense.

Fairbanks could develop into one of the best all around players on the team. The 6-1 freshman is a threat from anywhere on the court and gives the Bears height on defense, something they lacked last season.

“Sarah gives us an inside-out threat, as she can play in the post and on the perimeter,” said Pericci.

Key Losses: Jen Dunkelberger (graduation), Amanda Blecher (injury).
Dunkelberger was the lone senior on last year’s team, and gave them a tremendous amount of experience and leadership. She passes the torch to Bigler, who is the only senior this season.

Blecher, who played a lot last year, will miss the year with a knee injury.

“She has been one of our most dedicated players throughout the season, so we will be relying on Amanda to provide encouragement and motivation to the other girls this season,” said Pericci.

Strengths: Work ethic, team speed, aggressiveness, athleticism.
The Bears are coming off a season where, while the win-loss record was not where they want it to be, they gained extremely valuable experience and learned about playing and winning at the varsity level. Those lessons have translated into outstanding work ethic and aggressiveness, which will pay dividends in the second halves of games.

“The girls on this team work harder than any team I have ever seen,” Pericci said. “Their sole motivation is to get better, both individually and as a team.”

Also, many of the girls play other sports are highly athletic. There will be very few teams that out-hustle the Bears this year, and that willingness to dive for loose balls and fight for rebounds could be a major reason why the Bears surprise some teams this season.

They also have a stable of fast players. Pericci said he will use the team’s overall speed to its advantage on both ends of the court.

“Expect to see a more up-tempo style of play, with us running the floor and pushing the ball up the court,” he said. “We have worked extremely hard on the defensive side of the ball, and we have several lock-down defenders who will give other teams fits.”

Weaknesses: Youth, confidence.
E-town was an extremely young team last year, and they return another group of young players. Once again, the Bears have only one senior on the team (there are 17 players on the roster), but they do have a year of experience under their belts. That said, E-town will still being going against more-experienced teams nearly every game and those with little to no varsity experience will need to get adjusted in a hurry for the Bears to be successful.

“Many of the younger girls are going to be asked to contribute on both ends of the floor this season. How quickly the girls get adjusted to the varsity game will have a direct impact on how well we do,” Pericci said.

For any team coming off of a two-win season, confidence is a tough thing to have. But the E-town players have to put last year behind them and work hard on improving. A few early season wins will be crucial to this group in terms of believing they can win at this level.

“The girls have to believe in themselves and in their ability to compete with some of the best teams in the L-L League.

Outlook: Instead of viewing last season in a negative light, Pericci and the Bears are using it as a learning experience and as motivation. The Bears are hungry and ready to get the program back where it was when Janelle Garber and company stormed into the state playoffs. This E-town team doesn’t have that many weapons, but it certainly has enough talent and, believe it or not, experience to be competitive in the section.

Pericci isn’t lowering his expectations because of last year’s growing pains. He expects the Bears to play hard and to get better.

“We have very high expectations for this year’s team,” he said. “The girls have worked hard in the offseason and so far in the regular season. We constantly talk about getting better every day, and the girls have gotten better, both individually and as a team.

“The coaching staff and players have set high goals for this season, which include competing for the section championship. We are using last year’s season as motivation to prove people wrong this year.”

Expect a ton of defense from the Bears this season and for that to propel them to plenty of wins. Bigler is the lone senior and the team leader, and Pericci and the underclassmen couldn’t ask for a better one. She will lead by example, and is one of the toughest players on the court at all times. Her play elevates that of her teammates and brings out the best in them, which is what leaders do.

Kuhn could blossom into one of the best outside shooters in the section and will need to make some big shots if the Bears are to be competitive.

And Rosenberry and Carter will also be important to the team, as they will need to get the young, inexperience forwards involved and run the offense smoothly.

With three new post players expected to see significant time, it could take a little while for the offense to jell, but the Bears should get those kinks ironed out in preseason scrimmages. But once these young players get adjusted to the physical play in the paint at the varsity level, look out. Fairbanks could very well be the second or third leading scorer on the team before it’s all said and done.

This is a deep team that will use nearly every player on the roster nearly every game, which will pay dividends in the next couple of years.

E-town might be a year or so away from taking the section by storm, but that doesn’t mean the Bears won’t be a force to be reckoned with this season.

“While we are still young, the girls are ready and willing to step up this season,” said Pericci. “We are relishing the underdog role, and we are excited about what lies ahead.”

Which could be a lot of wins for one of the league’s youngest teams.

Becca Bigler committs to Hofstra

Becca Bigler is taking her game to Hofstra. E-town's senior star shortstop officially declared her intentions to attend Hofstra University today, putting on a gray Hofstra sweatshirt and signing a letter of intent at a ceremony at Elizabethtown Area High School at around 3:30 p.m.

Bigler has been a standout in all three sports she participates in – girls basketball, field hockey and softball – but will be playing softball for the Division I Pride.

I'll have plenty more on Becca as the week continues, including quotes from today's press conference, but I just wanted to drop in quickly and post her decision. I also wanted to say that I have covered Becca arguably more than any other athlete during my time at the Chronicle. She is a three-sport athlete and has been playing most or all of them at the varsity level since her freshman year. So needless to say, I've seen her in action a ton of times. And she deserves the chance to play at such a high level. She is as hard working of an athlete as you will find and is an incredibly great teammate, which goes a long way in making players around her better. And that's what the truly great athletes do. Congratulations to Becca, and be sure to check back later this week for more. We had some technical issues earlier in the week, but they have been ironed out, so expect some news on youth lacrosse, E-town football, E-town College, and, of course, E-town's newest Division I athlete, Becca Bigler.

Lady Bears end with a win

Before I head out for the weekend, I wanted to post a few things for you to chew on as you begin your two days of freedom.

• Congratulations to the E-town girls basketball team for ending their season with a win last night. The Bears set a season-high by scoring 60 points and beat Steelton-Highspire 60-55. Their previous high point total was 59, which came in their only other win of the season back in late December. E-town was led by its team captains – Becca Bigler and senior Jen Dunkelberger (both pictured above). Bigler had a great night, scoring 12 points in the third quarter en route to a team-high 19. Dunkelberger went out with a bang in the last game of her high school career. She poured in 15 points, including a 3-pointer in the second quarter.
This is a great boost for the Bears, who will lose only Dunkelberger off of this year's team. It gives them a nice memory of the season and should add to their confidence heading into next year.

• So I read that Arlen Specter wants to investigate the NFL and the New England Patriots for destroying the infamous "SpyGate" tapes from earlier in the season when the Pats were fined and had a first round pick taken away for videotaping the NY Jets defensive signals during the game. While I want to see the Pats punished as much as the next guy, taking it to Washington is RIDICULOUS and an absolute waste of taxpayer dollars. I don't know much about politics and I don't claim to, but isn't there more important things that Specter could focus on? He needs to leave this issue alone, because nobody cares. NOBODY. What a joke.

• How do you Phillie fans feel about the Mets potentially landing Johan Santana? Better hope Charlie Manuel decides to give Ryan Howard the day off when the Fightin's are facing Johan, or he could be staring at the Golden Sombrero (that's 0-for-5 with five strikeouts for you non-seamheads).

• My pick for the big game this Sunday? NY 31 - NE 28. Probably wrong, but just a hunch.

• Also, check back either Sunday or Monday for a preview of the EAHS boys basketball first round L-L game. If the Bears are playing Columbia (The Tide are playing Catholic tomorrow at 1 p.m. at Penn Manor for the right to see who plays E-town), Barry Ford (who edits our sister paper in Columbia) and I will be joining forces to give you a preview du juor (I probably spelled that wrong. It's Friday, cut me some slack.) for you. If E-town gets Catholic, you still get a preview. See that? Either way you're a winner.

Until then, stay classy Elizabethtown. And enjoy the weekend.

Cheers.

Girls basketball/wrestling schedule changes

The EAHS girls basketball team wraps up its season tonight at 8 p.m. against Steelton-Highspire. The girls were originally suppose to close with a game against Lower Dauphin on Feb. 5, but that game has been dropped. My guess is that LD made the playoffs and would not be able to play E-town because they would have played too many games then. And Steel High was available, just not on Feb. 5, so the game was moved to tonight.

It's been a season of learning for the Baby Bears. They've won just one game so far, and that game back in December. But this is an extremely young team and they'll do nothing but get better. If you've seen them play, you've seen how much energy and passion they play with even when things aren't going their way. They're getting their feet wet and learning the varsity game and when they do, look out, because they'll never stop playing hard.

Also, just a reminder, the wrestling match originally scheduled for tonight at Carlisle has been moved to Tuesday night, Feb. 5, at Carlisle at 7 p.m. Also, the Feb. 2 match against Lancaster Catholic was moved to Feb. 8. The JV will start at 6:30, the varsity at 7:30 p.m.

Playing catch up

Happy New Year to everyone! I hope you all had a safe, enjoyable New Year's Eve and that you are still sticking by your New Year's resolutions (my resolution of eating healthier begins AFTER the NFL playoffs. Sorry, but I just can't enjoy watching my Redskins while munching on carrot sticks. I need some hot wings or chili or something like that. And lots of it).

Now that the holidays are beyond us and everything is running on a much more regulated schedule, especially here in Newspaper Land, let me catch up with how the E-town teams in action over the holiday break fared at their respective holiday tournaments.

WRESTLING

The Bears were in the Donegal Holiday Tournament on Friday and Saturday and looked good, sending eight kids to the finals, winning three individual titles, and winning the team standings.

Shane Rosenberry, above (awesome photo by Chris Bradley), was an absolute monster in this thing. He had five matches total and earned five pins in a TOTAL time of 2:59. I still think he was robbed of OW in the tourney (although Middletown's Chris Kochinsky is a beast), but great effort by Shane at 189 pounds, especially in the finals, where he picked up a pin in less than 30 seconds. Blake Rosenberger wrestled a great match against Aaron Yohn (who is pretty darn good) in the finals and picked up a decision to win the 145 title. And Travis Leber, who is brutally strong and rocks a devastating arm bar, continued his great season by winning the 171 class. Combined, Leber, Roseberry and Rosenberger have a 39-4 combined record. Wow.

Definite props should go to Sean McMullen and Alex Kirchner as well. McMullen was second at 215 and Kirchner was second at 285 despite both obviously giving up tons of weight. I don't know their exact weights, but if either of these kids weigh more than 200 pounds, I'd be amazed. What they are doing this year while wrestling kids much, much heavier than they are is astounding.

While I'm in the mood to give out props, great tournaments by Oliver Thayer, Matty Hoover, Zac Distasio and Kyle Morrow as well. Morrow came out of nowhere to make it to the finals at 125 as a six seed. Great job by him, good for you Kyle.

BOYS BASKETBALL

Break 'em up! Chad Styer, above (photo by Randy Dininni), and the Bears are riding a two game winning streak after beating Garden Spot last night. E-town lost its first game in the West Shore tournament over the break, but rebounded to beat Penn Manor in the consolation game on Friday night and beat Garden Spot by 13 last night, thanks to 12 points from Quinn Cozzens and 11 each from Styer and Jordan Hallman.
E-town is now 4-7 overall and 1-5 in league play, but I'm not giving up on them yet. I really think this is one of the better teams in Section Two and that they can make a late season run at a playoff spot. It's too soon to say if the hole they are in is too big to dig out of, but I know they'll give it one heck of a shot.
We'll know much more about their position this time next week. E-town's next two games (tomorrow and Monday) are against Ephrata and Solanco, both Section Two teams. Two wins there are the Bears are back in this thing.

GIRLS BASKETBALL

Becca Bigler, above (photo by Randy DininnI), went beserk on Friday night in the Hershey Holiday Classic and led E-town to its first win of the season. Bigs had 19 points and 20 boards and the Bears whooped Greencastle-Antrim 59-31 in the consolation game of the tournament.
E-town was held to just a point in the second half last night, though, against Garden Spot and lost to the Spartans 28-16. Puzzling.
The Baby Bears are extremely young, so it'll be another year or so before they are in the mix, but the experience they are getting this season is going to be very, very, very valuable.

That's all for now, E-town. I'll be at the wrestling match tonight, the girls basketball game tomorrow night, and the boys basketball game on Monday, so feel free to come over and say hi.

Stay classy Elizabethtown.

Cheers.

Garber doing well at West Chester

Janelle Garber, the former EAHS standout girls basketball player and 1,000 point scorer at E-town, is enjoying success in her sophomore season at West Chester University. She's helped the team to a 5-1 start and has started all six games. She is the team's second-leading scorer, averaging 13.3 points per game. She is also the team's leading rebounder (8.7 per game), and leads the team in blocked shots (6) and is tied for the team lead with 14 steals.

She was recently named PSAC Eastern Division Player of the Week for averaging 12.5 points and 10.5 rebounds for the Golden Rams last week.

EAHS girls basketball preview

Head Coach: Mike Pericci, third year.

2006-2007 Record: 8-15 overall, 5-11 league.

Key Returners: Jen Dunkelberger, senior, G; Becca Bigler, junior, F.
Dunkelberger and Bigler are the only two returning varsity letter-winners from last year’s team. While the team didn’t play particularly well last year, they did two years ago – when the Bears made the state tournament. That means that E-town’s two captains know what it’s like to win at the varsity level, and that experience could go a long way when it comes to mentoring E-town’s roster full of underclassmen.
Dunkelberger is a steady guard, who gives E-town a perimeter shooting threat and is capable of scoring in double digits on any given night. Her senior leadership will be invaluable to Pericci’s team this year.
Bigler is probably the team’s most complete player. She can handle running point, as well as score in the low post. She plays extremely physically, which not only will set a great example for the younger players, but will help her get to more loose balls and get to the free throw line a ton.

Key Newcomers: The rest of the roster.
Out of the team’s 16 players, 14 are new this year and 10 of them are freshman – an extraordinary amount for any varsity team to have. Pericci said he didn’t want to single out any particular player as a key newcomer because he is expecting good things out of all of them.
“All of the girls have shown signs of greatness,” he said. The girls are hungry to prove they can play at the varsity level, but it’s going to take time for them to adjust to the speed and tempo of the game.”
That will be no small feat for the younger girls, and it will take them some time to get there. Hopefully for the Bears, they can figure it out before the midway point of the season.

Key Losses: Liz Bard, graduation; Megan Neidig, graduation; Jamie Ahern, injury.
For the second straight year, the Bears will feel the sting of graduation. The biggest loss the team will feel is that of Bard, their starting point guard, leading scorer and overall team leader. She was the heart and soul of the team last year and will be nearly impossible to replace.
“(Bard) was our best player last season and arguably the best player in Section Two,” Pericci said. “We will miss her in so many ways this season. She was a great scorer, but more importantly, she was a great example for the younger girls to follow.”
Neidig was the team’s second leading scorer and their best player inside. Her rebounding and inside scoring ability will be missed.
According to Pericci, Ahern was competing for the starting point guard position, but is lost for the season with a foot injury.

How they’ve fared so far this year: 0-3
The Bears have gotten out to a slow start out of the gate, but have showed signs of improvement. After dropping two games at the Columbia Tip Off Tournament to open the season, E-town had a lead at halftime against Donegal on Tuesday night. The Indians were too much in the second half, though, outlasting the Bears thanks to a 19-point fourth quarter.

What they do well: Work hard, run the court.
The Bears are young, extremely young, but they will work hard and run up and down quickly for all four quarters. Pericci said he will have the team play a little more of an uptempo style this season because of the athleticism on the roster. Most of the players on the team play other sports, so they are naturally gifted athletically.
But what will help the Bears most throughout the season is their willingness to learn and their work ethic. To be able to compete with the teams on their schedule – most of which are filled with experienced varsity players – they need to work harder than anyone and also constantly soak in the knowledge of what it takes to win at this level.
“These girls are like sponges,” Pericci said. “All they want to do is learn and get better. They make my job as a coach a pleasurable one. Knowing how willing they are to learn makes me want to be a better coach and it makes me work that much harder for them.”

What they need to work on: Playing above their heads, adjusting to the varsity game.
Playing above their heads means dealing with the team’s lack of height. The Bears’ tallest player is 5’8” and the rest of them are 5’5” or smaller. Since they lack height, it’s even more important for them to get to as many loose balls as possible.
But inexperience will be the biggest bump in the road for E-town this season. With only one senior and two juniors, the success of the Bears this year will hinge on how quickly the 13 underclassmen adjust to the speed of the varsity game. While most of the section will be looking at E-town as having a rebuilding year, Pericci will have none of that.
“We just might be the youngest team in America,” he said. “We are an extremely young team, but I don’t want the girls to use that as a crutch. I believe in this team, but I need to convince the girls to believe in themselves.”

Outlook:
It’s easy to say that this will be a rebuilding season for the Bears. With just two experienced players returning, writing them off is something that their head coach won’t do. Pericci is an excellent motivator and he will have this team playing with a lot of energy. Teams like E-town, who play as if they have nothing to lose night in and night out are extremely dangerous – regardless of their level of experience.
“The so-called experts have deemed this a rebuilding year, so I want the girls to use that lack of respect as motivation,” said Pericci. “We are going to be the underdogs in virtually every game, but that’s exactly the way I want it. The pressure isn’t going to be on us, so the girls are going to be able to play loose.”
In basketball, perhaps as much or more than most other sports, playing relaxed and not being afraid to make a mistake is a blessing in disguise. Sure, E-town will be handed a few losses this year and likely won’t be playing in the postseason. But this year will be an immensely important building block for the years to come for the program. The Bears aren’t making excuses, though, for their lack of experience and they still expect to be a competitive team.
“I have high expectations for this year’s team. As is the case with every team, I expect these girls to work hard each day, both individually and as a team,” Pericci said. “I firmly believe these girls are going to surprise a lot of people.”