All time scorers

Mike Wisler (1990), 2,827
Michael Poole (1986), 1,792
Chip Beaston (1965), 1,520
Adam Pittman (2008), 1,454
Eddie Neal (1994), 1,439
Andy Swingler (1997), 1,407
Mike Seibert (2008), 1,399
Will Patton (1990), 1,389
Ryan Strickler (2000), 1,204
Brian Smith (1987), 1,111
Luke Gilbert (2003), 1,052
Danny Monk (1960), 1,050
Jermome Ellis (1966), 1,025
Charlie Detz (1991), 1,014

All-State list

Here is a list of Columbia boys' basketball players who made all-state, from Steve Wisler's book, Columbia Hoops.

2008: Mike Seibert, third team, Class AA.
1994: Eddie Neal, second team, Small School.
1989: Will Patton, honorable mention, Small School.
Mike Wisler, first team, Small School.
1988: Mike Wisler, first team, Small School and honorable mention, Big School.
1986: Michael Poole, honorable mention, Small School.
1969: Dale Schlief, honorable mention, Small School.
1967: Albert Ellis Sr. and Cliff Edmond, honorable mention, Small School.
1966: Jerome Ellis, third team, Small School and honorable mention, Large School.
1965: Chip Beaston, first team, Small School and honorable mention, Large School.
1963: Lynn Smoker, honorable mention, Small School.
1962: Jack Lynch, honorable mention, Small and Large School.
1960: Dan Monk, first team, Small and Large School.
1958: Pete Weimer, honorable mention, Small School.
1958: Hi Fitzgerald, first team, Small School and honorable mention, Large School.
1957: Steve Wialer, honorable mention, Small School.
1956: Jerry Raifsnyder, first team, Small School.
1956: John Betrone and Albert Stanton, honorable mention, Small School.
1955: Ted Carey, honorable mention, Small School.

Third team

Columbia's Mike Seibert has been named to the third team Class AA All-State team according to the Associated Press.

Seibert, who averaged 21 points a game and was the Tide's best all around player, finished his career with 1,399 points, was one of three District 3 players named to the third team.

Others were Trinity's Eric Kindler and Chris Hartman from Delone Catholic.

He is Columbia's first all-state player in boys' basketball since Eddie Neal was honored following the 1994 season.

Jeanette's Terrelle Pryor was named the Class AA Player of the Year.

York Catholic's Jacob Iati was named to the first team, despite his team not making the state playoffs. He was the leading career scorer in the York-Adams Area.

Other notes from the all-state team, there were several players honored from teams that played Columbia this year.

They include:

• Lamar Patterson from McCaskey, second team, Class AAAA.

• Tony Fannack from Milton, first team, Class AAA.

• Dwayne Davis from Strawberry Mansion, first team, Class AA.

Like a home game

The Lancaster-Lebanon League Basketball Coaches' Association held its annual all-star game at Hempfield last night.

It was a team of players from Sections 1-2 vs. a team of players from Sections 3-4.
1-2 won the game, but it was like a home game of sorts for the Tide.

I'd say about half of the crowd were Columbia fans to get a final look at the four players wearing the Crimson and Gold in the game -- Adam Pittman, Mike Seibert, Ben Guiles and Coly Tuell. All four represented the team well.

There was a huge number of college coaches in attedance last night -- York College, Millersville, although coach Fred Thompson got there late, Lock Haven (nice to see former MU assistant John Wilson for the first time in a few years), Elizabethtown, DeSales, Catholic University, Lebanon Valley, Albright and Juniata were amog the group. Was talking with the Juniata assistant coach for most of the second half. He was there to look at Hempfield's Jordan Stewart. He knew about Columbia's top players, but didn't seem interested.

Also talked with Hempfield hoops coach Warren Goodling and Hempfield legend "Chis" Reinhart about a story I read in the Philly Daily News on Friday about the Freire Charter coach Roger Threadgill, who said he went to Hempfield. Goodling's been at Hempfield 25 years and had no idea, but said he'd check it out and Reinhart's been a "Hempfield lifer," and didn't recall the name.

All-Star game

Tonight at 7 at Hempfield, the annual L-L League Boys' All-Star game will be played.

It's your last chance to see Mike Seibert, Ben Guiles, Adam Pittman and Colby Tuell play.

All-Stars

Columbia basketball fans not wanting to see the season end will have one more chance to see their favorite Tide players play one more time.

Seniors Adam Pittman, Mike Seibert, Ben Guiles and Colby Tuell will participate in the annual Lancaster-Lebanon League All-Star game Wednesday, March 19 at Hempfield High School.

Game time is 7:30 p.m.

The four will compete on an all-star team with other players in Section 3 and 4. Tide coach Mark Wisler will coach the all-star team

Where does this team rank?

It’s something that already the talk of the town, but just how does the 2007-08 Crimson Tide boys’ basketball team that won 26 of its 31 games compare to some of the other great teams in school history?

That’s where you the reader and basketball fan come into play. We want to hear the thoughts of the basketball fans and others, who have followed the program for decades. Is this team as good as the best team ever to play at Columbia? As good as the team that won the state title back in 1987? As good as the team that won a district title in 1994? Or, as good as the team that lost to Wampum in 1958?

This year’s team won the school’s first section basketball title in 14 years; made it to the semi-finals of the L-L League playoffs; won 20 straight games and also qualified for the district and state playoffs.

We also want to hear your thoughts on the season. Any special moments the fans might have.

Was it the night that Adam Pittman and Mike Seibert both went over the 1,000 point mark in the same game? Was it beating Lancaster Catholic for the section title?
We will be seeking your input on these two questions for the next three weeks and publish your answers in the March 27 edition of the Columbia Ledger.

There are a few ways to make this happen.

One is my email, by sending your thoughts to columbialedger@embarqmail.com; by letter, sending the information to 262 Locust St., or via the Tide Talk blog, which can be reached at www.chronicleledgernewsgroup.com.

Let’s see what develops.

The cheer

As our basketball crazy town of Columbia gets ready for tonight's big game at the Giant Center, I was just wondering when a certain cheer will be brought out of retirement?

Tonight, when the Tide wins, would be a good time.

And by the way, it won't be the cheerleaders bringing the cheer out of retirement either!

The people want to know!

The Elizabethtown story

Here is the Elizabethtown story, written by Chris McCarthy, managing editor of the Elizabethtown Chronicle. His blog on E-town sports can be accessed through our web site, www.chronicleledgernewsgroup.com.

On Tuesday night, Section Two runner-up Elizabethtown will take on
Section Four champion Columbia in the first round of the
Lancaster-Lebanon League playoffs at 7 p.m. at Conestoga Valley.

Here’s a look at how the Bears got there and what to expect from their starters and top reserves.

The Road to the Playoffs:
Playoffs weren’t a certainty for the Bears for the majority of the
season, thanks to a slow start. E-town started 2-1 before getting to
Section One crossover games. In its fourth game of the year, the Bears dropped a close game to J.P. McCaskey, which began a six-game losing streak for E-town. During that streak, the Bears lost games by 6, 2, 3, and 1. Certainly all games they could have won. After the losing skid, they dropped to 2-7 overall and just 1-5 in league play.
But then E-town figured out how to win the close games.
E-town won 12 of its next 14 games, including ending the season with eight straight wins and along the way went from a team that couldn’t play from behind in the fourth quarter, to a squad that believed it had the ability to come back from any deficit at any time. Of those 12 wins to end the season, E-town needed every single one of them in order to make it to the postseason.
And now they enter the L-L playoffs with 14 wins – 10 more than they had last season with this same roster – and arguably one of the hottest teams in the league.
E-town’s Starters
PG – Jordan Hallman, senior, 6’0”
Hallman has gotten better with every game E-town has played this
season and has worked his way into the starting five. He sees the floor well and doesn’t make a lot of mistakes, which is exactly what you want from your point guard. Hallman has the quickness to beat a defender off the dribble and take the ball hard to the basket, getting to the free throw line. He also does a good job of finding open teammates when he drives. He’s an above average deep shooting threat and will sink treys if you leave him open.



On defense, Hallman’s quick feet and even quicker hands make him a
menace to opponents. If the ball hits the ground, not many players will get to it before Hallman. His ability to create turnovers and efficient run that fast breaks off of them are a major reason for E-town’s current success.
LIKELY MATCHUP: G Colby Tuell.

SG – Chad Styer, junior, 6’2”
Styer might be the best shooter on this Elizabethtown team. He hits
his free throws at about 80 percent from the line and can be deadly
from behind the arc when he is on (his 17 three’s this year are among the best in the section). He also has a knack for coming up big when E-town needs him the most. If the Bears need a big basket, or a big 3-Pointer, don’t be surprised to see them go to Styer. He can score from anywhere on the floor and has the size to get some points in the paint as well. If the Bears are going to score with Columbia, Styer will need to have a good night.
LIKELY MATCHUP: G Adam Pittman.


SF – Quinn Cozzens, junior, 6’2”
Cozzens and Styer play a lot like each other. Both can hit the three
(Cozzens has 15 this year) and both are smart scorers. Cozzens can do it all – grab rebounds, dish out assists, come up with steals, and
score. He is probably the best all around player on the team and they
usually go as he goes. If he goes off and plays well in all facets,
E-town will be right in the game. If his scoring is off, Cozzens will
find other ways to contribute, whether it be crashing the boards hard or setting up his teammates for open looks.
LIKELY MATCHUP: G Mike Seibert.


PF – Kyle McNeil, junior, 6’2”
The first thing I noticed about McNeil is that he plays much bigger
than 6’2”. He can jump with anyone and has the strength to bang bodies with bigger players in the paint. McNeil is a solid scorer, very
capable of putting up double-digit points but he brings a scrappiness
to the low post that makes E-town a very good rebounding team,
especially when it comes to hitting the offensive glass.
LIKELY MATCHUP: F Yahya McIntyre.


C – Nate Koach, senior, 6’4”
Koach is, along with Cozzens, the top scorer on the team. He’s
averaging around 13 points per game and gives the Bears a formidable low post presence. Koach is an excellent free throw shooter, which has been a key for E-town because he gets to the line a lot. And late in the fourth quarter, teams won’t just hack the Center and put him on the line. But if they do, Koach will make them pay by sinking free throws. He can score with either hand and takes the ball up hard everytime he gets it.
On defense, he is one of E-town’s best shot blockers and will clean up a lot of missed shots. But what Koach and McNeil’s biggest strength might be is their ability to set screens inside for the outside shooters. These two do an excellent job of running the offense and giving Styer, Cozzens and Hallman open looks from behind the arc. And when those three are open, they are going to make shots.
Combine that outside threat with the inside scoring ability of Koach
and McNeil and you see why the Bears have won eight in a row.
LIKELY MATCHUP: F Ryan Hess.

Key Reserves:
G – Mike O’Shea, senior, 5’11”; G – Nate McCurdy, senior, 5’10”’; F –
Brad Garber, sophomore, 6’1”.
These are E-town’s top three players off of the bench. O’Shea will
give Hallman a break at the point when needed and does a great job
running the offense. Having two skilled point guards that know the
offense inside and out is a luxury for E-town.
McCurdy is a solid player who gives the Bears another scorer. He’s
capable of giving the Bears good minutes from the bench.
Garber is a quick, scrappy inside post player who won’t be
intimitdated by the playoff atmosphere.

What E-town needs to do to win:
First things first, the Bears need to find a way to lock down
Columbia’s dynamic duo of guards Adam Pittman and Mike Seibert, who are the Tide’s top scorers. That task will fall to Hallman, Styer and Cozzens. Inside, E-town needs to capitalize on its height advantage. McNeil and Koach have the advantage inside on Ryan Hess (6’2”) and Yahya McIntyre (6’1”), but they’ve got to keep attacking them.

But probably the most important part of the game falls squarely on the shoulders of the guards. One of Columbia’s biggest strengths is its defense. It’s the defense that sets up the transition game and that’s why Columbia averages more than 70 points per game. Hallman, Styer and Cozzens and O’Shea and McCurdy when they are in the game, will need to take care of the basketball, and be smart. The Bears can run with the Tide, though, which is more than you can say for most teams in the L-L League.
If you ask each and every E-town player what they need to do to win,
they will all say the same thing. “Run the offense.” That’s it. Run the
plays, stay focused and don’t try and do to much. Let the offense run
itself. It won’t be easy by any stretch. Columbia is definitely one of
the better teams the Bears have played alll season and they’ll give
E-town all it can handle. The Bears can’t afford to have one single bad quarter, or they will lose. They need to play basketball at a playoff level beginning right now if they want to move on in the league playoffs.

Columbia side of things

This is a preview of the Columbia boys' basketball team, who opens the L-L League playoffs tomorrow night against E-town.

For the first time since 1991, the Columbia boys’ basketball team enters the Lancaster-Lebanon League playoffs as a section champion.

As a result of their big 78-60 trashing of Lancaster Catholic on Saturday afternoon at Penn Manor High School, the Tide will now play Elizabethtown, the runner-up in Section Two Tuesday night at Conestoga Valley.
The Tide was last in the L-L League playoffs in 2005, when they were eliminated in the first round by Manheim Township.
The winner of Tuesday’s quarter-final game will play the winner of the McCaskey-Manheim Central game in the semi-finals on Thursday.

The Crimson Tide started the year off losing to Academy Park, a Class AAAA school from District One in the Oxford Tournament by two points. The Tide, coached by Mark Wisler, then won its next 20 games before losing last Monday night to rival Lancaster Catholic, 73-65.
The loss forced the Tide and Crusaders into a one-game playoff for the Section 4 title.
Columbia won nine of its 22 games this season by the mercy rule. They swept Section 3 competition in crossover games, beating both L-L League playoff qualifiers, Lebanon, 72-58 and Manheim Central, 63-51, on the road, during its 20 game winning streak.

Columbia’s game plan is pretty simple. On defense, they like to pressure teams all over the court. On offense, they like to get the ball up the court as quickly as possible, relying on an athletic transition game.

Here is the Columbia starters:

Point Guard: Colby Tuell, lighting quick guard, who dishes the ball off well and has handled most of the presses thrown at the Tide this year. He penetrates well and can give the team a basket or two when needed.
Shooting Guard: Mike Seibert. He will be a factor on both ends of the floor. He’s been a consistent offensive threat all season and scored his 1,000th career point earlier in the season. Defensively, he might be the Tide’s top defender.
Shooting Guard: Adam Pittman. He’s one of the top three-point shooters in the L-L League and like Seibert also scored his 1,00th career point earlier in the season, in the same game as Seibert, against Northern Lebanon.
Forward: Ryan Hess. He’ll jump center and can leap and rebound with the best of them. Has a nice high arching jumper and scores a majority of his points off feeds from the guards.
Forward: Yahya McIntyre. Probably the Tide’s most improved player over the season. Has a nice short range jumper and does well on the boards. He plays the other team’s big man and makes that player work.

Key reserves: Senior Ben Guiles and junior Derrick Smith.
Guiles, a former starter, has grown comfortable in his role off the bench this season. Likes to drive to the basket and is close to averaging in double figures.
Smith is a smart defensive player with a good shot. Had a big basket in Saturday’s win over Lancaster Catholic.
Seniors Donny Thompson, a strong inside rebounder and defender and guard Corey Halterman might be called on for some minutes.

What the Tide needs to do to win: Start fast, not have any hangover from its win on Saturday over Lancaster Catholic.
They need to continue to pressure teams the entire length of the court and not let up.
Since they have adopted the motto of “one game at a time” all season, they won’t be looking ahead to the league semi-finals.

Hats off to the fans

You never know how special a game is until you walk into a gym.

Saturday was one of those games. I didn't have the opportunity to wait in line with the fans and went in the back door down at Penn Manor on Saturday with the team, so I wasn't aware of what was waiting for the Tide inside the confines of Penn Manor's new gym.

By the way, how many CHS basketball fans can remember the old days of the program having to wait in line at Penn Manor to get into games? I remember as a youngster going down to Penn Manor early standing in line waiting to see Wally Walker play. There were probably a lot of memories for the old time fans yesterday.

Enough from the memory bank.

It was about 50 minutes or so before game time when the Tide arrived at Penn Manor. I was kind of wondering what happened to the line because there was none outside. While someone not understanding what type of game this was would think that was kind of odd, but the first time you peaked your heads out into the gym, you could easily see this was going to be a special afternoon.

The Tide side of the gym was almost packed. The student section was over flowing and the crowd was still coming into the gym. That was the first sign it was going to be a special afternoon. The second time was when members of the Tide's junior varsity team and traveling party walked into the gym; there was a loud ovation. This doesn't happen at every game.

It just took off from there. The old timers in the stands were loud, but not as loud and together as the CHS students were. I told a couple of them at halftime, they weren't loud enough. As the Tide extended it lead and Catholic make a couple of runs, the gym just got louder and louder. As the Tide started to pull away toward the end, you could easily feel the championship atmosphere in the gym.

For those who weren't sitting on the Columbia side of the gym, it made a few people tear up when the CHS student body, took off their Crimson-colored shirts, to display white t-shirts with the words SECTION CHAMPS spelled out.

At that point, you knew one of the goals that the players and coaches had worked for years had become a fact.

Now, we move into the second season -- the playoffs. The fans need to continue to pack gyms across Lancaster County and District 3 and hopefully the state. The students need to continue to be out in force and loud and proud.

The energy that the fans gave our team on Saturday just helped them bring home the trophy.

Let's keep it going!

SECTION CHAMPS

It has a nice ring to it, Section 4 champions, Lancaster-Lebanon League.

That's what the Columbia boys' basketball team was crowned Saturday afternoon around 2:30 at packed house at Penn Manor High School.

The Crimson Tide won its first Section 4 title with a dramatic 78-60 win over Lancaster Catholic in a one-game playoff to decide the Section 4 title.

The game happened because Catholic, with their backs to the wall, was able to stop the Tide's 20-game winning streak on Monday night.

Mike "Ice Man" Seibert was a cool 12-for-12 from the foul line, including 10-for-10 in the fourth quarter when the game went from a close game to a one-sided affair.

Adam Pittman, or Puttman, as said by the PA Announcer at Penn Manor, added 17 big points.
Another factor on offense, the boards and rebounding was Yahya McIntyre, who scored 10 points and hounded Catholic's big man Simon O'Leary. O'Leary led the Crusaders with 20 points, but had to take 25 shots to get those 20 points.

The "Super 7," the Tide's top seven players all had big roles in the game. Colby Tuell, despite fouling out, managed the point well. Ryan Hess took some nice passes from Tuell and Pittman, for eight points. Off the bench, Derrick Smith hit his only bucket at the end of the third quarter, which was huge and Ben Guiles added nine.

The section title, the first for Columbia in boys' basketball since 1991, was well deserved because of the hard work the players and coaches have put in this season.

Next up, the opening round of the L-L League playoffs on Tuesday night at CV against E-town. Check back tomorrow for a preview of that game from Chris McCarthy, the editor of the Elizabethtown Chronicle, who will report on how the Bears got to the playoffs.

50 years ago

While this looks like it quite possibly could be an historic season for the Columbia boys' basketball team, I was just at a luncheon and when I was reminded that this season is the 50th anniversary of Columbia's first team ever to play in a state championship game.

The 1957-58 team ended its season with a 25-3 record, winning its section in the old Lancaster County League, the county league with a 58-51 over Warwick and won the Class B District Three championship by beating Camp Hill, 56-48.

The team ended up losing in the state finals to Wampum that year 82-64.

The other losses were to Harrisburg/William Penn and Penn Manor. Oh by the way, that one league loss was to Penn Manor early in the season. The second time around, the Tide beat the Comets to force a playoff, which they won.

Sound a little familar?

Oh by the way, the season opener that year was against Lancaster Catholic.

Elmer Kreiser coached that team. "Skip" Marcello was the assistant coach.

Hi Fitzgerald was the captain. Other team members were Hal Smoker, Danny Monk, Eugene Makle, Hal Murry, Cy Young, Barry Fry, Ernie Gerfin, John Mountz and Pete Weimer.

Saturday at PM

Playoff game is Satuday at 1 p.m. at Penn Manor. More details later.

Oh what a night

The Columbia boys' basketball team showed no ill affects of its loss Monday night to Lancaster Catholic as they plastered Annville-Cleona, 75-37 last night.

Since Catholic won, not that easily over Pequea Valley, a one game played to decide the Section 4 title, is being scheduled. Check back shortly for a time and site.

A-C scored the first 2 points of the game and the Tide ran off 20 of the next 22 points and led 20-4 after one quarter. Even 4 TO's by A-C coach Mike Gaffey in the first 10 minutes of the game didn't help.

It was Senior Night on the hill. Eight seniors played their final game -- Eric, Corey, Donny, Adam, Mike, Ryan, Ben and Colby Tuell. All have contributed in their own ways to the success of the team this season. Thanks guys.

There's still plenty of basketball left and more memories for the "Elite 8" to be made.

Final game

The Columbia boys' basketball team will play their final home game of the regular season tonight against Annville-Cleona.

I hope the gym is packed to salute this team for a great season, that still has a lot more basketball left in it. The fans need to be loud tonight.

It will be a night of scoreboard watching, like, baseball teams do in September.

There will be a lot of interest in the happenings in Kinzers where Pequea Valley and Lancaster Catholic play. Coach Schatzman's Braves played Catholic tough just two weeks ago at Catholic. Can I get a "Go Pequea!"

It will be interesting to watch both teams to see if there is any hangovers from Monday's game. Neither team can afford that.

Colleague Jeff Reinhart tells me that the L-L League meeting to set the basketball playoffs will be tomorrow morning at Cedar Crest. Hopefully, we'll be able to post something (Jeff will be posting on his blog as well) before I head off to the Oyster Pie Dinner. It would have been nice for the L-L League to have that meeting today, so announcements can be made at the games tonight. But, that sounds too easy.

Keep the wagon full

Maybe it wasn’t the appropriate headline, but, I needed to get a point across, that despite Monday’s loss to Lancaster Catholic, there is still plenty of basketball left for the Crimson Tide boys.
There’s the playoff game with Lancaster Catholic, either tomorrow night or Saturday; the L-L League playoffs next week; the District 3 playoffs the week after and then the state playoffs.
So those of you who joined the bandwagon during the streak, my advice is stay on it.
In the past, I’ve seen the bandwagon fill up and overflow, only to see the wagon become baron after a few losses.
These kids and their coaches have worked hard to get into the position they are in. I’ve enjoyed the season as have many others. Although I didn’t hear anything Monday, I’m sure the doubters were questioning what happened.
So be it.
Here are some other observations:
• One of my concerns is always the officiating.
As I’ve said previously, there are a number of good officials in the L-L League. I don’t want to say that was a factor Monday, but one of the officials I can’t remember the last time he did a Columbia game.
My concern is that if you haven’t seen a team play much, you don’t know the style they play. But, the Tide needs to get use to it because they will start seeing different stripes next week.
• Enjoyed the energy inside the “hot” gym.
Didn’t hear too much out of the ordinary, but I don’t think administrators should be sitting in the middle of student sections leading the cheers.
They are there to administer the game and not help create problems. But then at the other end, sometimes administrators go overboard in not letting the kids have fun as well.
• I felt bad for the girls’ teams between Columbia and Lancaster Catholic.
That one should have been played on an off night to give everyone a chance to attend both games.

Streak ends

The 20-game win streak for the Columbia boys' basketball team is history.
I will post a story later tonight or in the morning, updating the boys' basketball game with Lancaster Catholic.

It was a tough night for the locals at a hot Lancaster Catholic gym.

Tide must win against Annville-Cleona on Wednesday to force a one-game playoff for the section title.

Boys reach 20

It's finally here -- the big game for the Section 4 title on Monday
night between Columbia and Lancaster Catholic. It's Monday night on the
purple and gold's home floor.

Don't forget, the JV game starts at 6 and the "big show" at 7:30 p.m.

Last night, the Tide tuned up for Monday's championship battle with a 20-point win over Lancaster Mennonite.

Adam Pittman scored 16 in the first quarter and ended up with 30 for the game.

Mennonite pulled within nine a few times, but never got any closer.

Thought the top seven players had another stellar game. Yahya McIntyre fought off sickness and played "above" the rim grabbing rebounds.

Nice to see the gym packed for the game. Also nice to see Tide assistant
coach David Farley at the game. He's been through a lot the last few
weeks.

19 straight

On the way into work today, I got to thinking with the Tide boys'
streak now at 19, about some of the famous athletes who wore the number
19. The only two that came to mind were Johnny Unitas and Greg Luzinski.

Back to the game, last night at Lebanon Catholic, which I think is a tough place to play, because the gym/auditorium is so old and poorly lit, the Tide led 15-12 after one quarter and 31-24 at the half.

Columbia dominated the second half in a 73-47 win for their 19th straight win.
They are 13-0 in Section 4. By the way, the most famous number 13 -- Wilt Chamberlain.

This just in

Just got this from Coach Wisler:

Tomorrow's boys' basketball game at Pequea Valley has a 6 p.m, junior varsity start, followed by 7:30 varsity. Junior High games are split between high school and middle school.

remember, the big game against Catholic starts the same time.

Let's not get ahead of ourselves: It's one game at a time.

Facts and numbers

Here we go with some facts about the Tide after 18 games, 17 of them have been wins.
• High point totals were 90 vs. No. Lebanon; 83 vs. ELCO and 81 vs. Northeastern.
• Low point total: 54 in a 56-54 loss to Academy Park.
• 7 of 18 games have been won by the mercy rule.
• Of the 18 games the Tide has played, 7 have been against teams with winning records.
• The Tide is 1-0 against teams from District One and 1-0 against teams from District 4.
• They are 0-1 against independent teams.
• They are 2-0 against teams from York County and 5-0 against teams from Lebanon County and 1-0 against teams from Berks County.
• The Tide has trailed after the first quarter in just three games -- Academy Park< Ephrata and Annville-Cleona.
• The Tide has been tied after the first quarter just once -- Lancaster Catholic.
• Columbia has trailed at the half in two games -- Academy Park and Lancaster Mennonite.
• The Tide has outscored opponents 319-202 in the first quarter and 323-177 in the second quarter. In 10 of their 18 games, opponents have been held to single digits in scoring in the second quarter.
• Overall, the Tide has scored 1,244 points to the oppositions 848.
• All 12 of the Tide's players have been to the foul line this season.
• All 7 of the Tide's top players have scored in double figures.
• Six players have hit three-point baskets.
• The J.V. team, which has only seven players is 11-2.
• No Tide varsity player has appeared in less than 10 games this season.

The Tide returned home last night after there road games to play Lampeter-Strasburg in the final crossover game of the season.

Wasn't sure quite what to expect. Three road games, a possible letdown, etc.
Coach Wis' team took care of any concerns early. They scored the first 13 points of the game in a 78-35 win.
They also scored the first 15 points of the second half.
The top seven players all were on the scoreboard in the first half.
Solid game by all in all phases. Corey Halterman, the 8th/9th man on the team scored a career-high 11 off the bench, performing solidly with the first group.

It
was also a double win -- I won the 50-50 last night. Not gonna reveal
the secrets of how to win. I learned the secret last week at Lebanon.

Good crowd -- we might have the most loyal following of grads and older fans.

Let it snow

Did everyone see the 15-minute blizzard we had.
No, Locust Street wasn't blocked by those big trucks. Just was having trouble seeing across the street.

Time to start putting the basketball face on. The Tide closes crossover play with a home game against L-S. Saw L-S play the other week against Donegal, who is a much improved team. Coach Ryan Butt's team won in overtime for their first win in two years. All signs are pointing toward Monday, Jan. 28's big contest with Lancaster Catholic.
I'll be anxious to see the home crowd tonight. The bandwagon is fillin up.
As the coaches and players have been saying, "take it one game at a time."
Probably the Tide's two toughest games the rest of the way, other than Catholic might be Mennonite and Pequea Valley. Both were wins the first time around, but teams are starting to get up to play the Tide.