Matt AlliboneYork Daily Record
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The brackets for the 2024 YAIAA boys' basketball tournament are set, but it's possible the most interesting regular season contest of the season has yet to be played.
Division I champion Central York hosts second-place Red Lion Thursday night. It was postponed from its original date on Jan. 15 due to snow. The Panthers beat the Lions by 10 points back in December, but Lions star Joe Sedora was still recovering from an off-season ankle injury and out of the lineup.
It's possible Thursday's matchup could be a preview of next Friday's championship game.
Regardless, Central York is the clear favorite to at least make it back to the finals after winning gold last season. The Panthers have beaten opponents by an average of 16 points per game this year with most of their close games coming outside the league. Only Red Lion and York High have lost to Central by 10 or less points.
Watch Thursday's game live here: Red Lion vs. Central York boys' basketball
Here's a refresher on how the matchup pairings work for both boys and girls:
- Division I first-place finisher vs. Division II or Division III third-place finisher with higher district ranking.
- Division IIIfirst-place finishervs. Division II second-place finisher
- Division II first-place finisher vs. Division I third-place finisher
- Division I second-place finisher vs. Division III second-place finisher
The quarterfinals will be played Saturday at West York and Dover. The semifinals will be next Wednesday at Red Lion and the finals will be Friday at Red Lion.
Here's a breakdown of the quarterfinals.
At Dover
Central York (18-2) vs. Eastern York (15-7), 6 p.m. Saturday
A rematch of last year's semifinal. The Panthers have not lost to a York County opponent all season, but the Golden Knights were one of the few teams that entered the season looking like they could match up with them. Eastern York has plenty of size with 6-foot-6 Carter Wamsley (14.8 ppg) and 6-foot-5 Justin Strausbaugh (15.6 ppg) set to go up against Central York's duo of 6-foot-8 Ben Rill (14.6) and 6-foot-7 Greg Guidinger (19.1). The third-place team from Division II, Eastern is entering the tournament on a three-game winning streak — including a 69-68 overtime win over an excellent Suburban team — but the Knights have not played well outside of Wrightsville this season. All seven of Eastern's losses have come on the road or at a neutral site. The Knights will need shooters like Brady Seitz (44 3-pointers) to knock down some outside shots to give them a chance. Central York is averaging a league-best 74.3 points per game. The Panthers have only scored under 70 four times. If Rill isn't beating teams in the post, Guidinger and junior guard Ben Natal (14.8 ppg) can make shots from anywhere. Central is the top-ranked team in District 3 Class 6A and is hoping this tournament is a precursor to bigger goals.
Littlestown (17-5) vs. West York (14-7), 7:30 p.m. Saturday
These two teams met in early January and West York prevailed, 51-44, on the road. However, that was Littlestown's third straight loss and the Bolts haven't lost since. The Bolts enter the tournament on an 11-game winning streak and coming off their sixth Division III title in the past seven seasons. On paper, they're as balanced as any team in the YAIAA. They led the league in 3-pointers (175) and gave up just 49 points per game on defense. They have two 1,000-point scorers in the lineup with sharpshooting guard Zyan Herr (14.1 ppg) and 6-foot-8 Frostburg State commit Christopher Meakin (22.2 ppg). Guards Cole Riley and Brandon Clabaugh (both 8.5 ppg) give them shooting and depth. But will that matter against a West York team that seems to know how to win this time of year? The Bulldogs split the YAIAA Division II title with York Suburban despite starting 0-4 and not featuring any standout scorers in their lineup. They had a chance to win the division outright for the third straight season until a surprising 22-point loss to New Oxford last Friday. West York has solid size (6-foot-3 Jake Knisley and 6-foot-5 Kevin Rill), lots of shooting (third in the YAIA with 144 3-pointers) and plenty of depth (six players averaging between six and 10 points per game). They gave up a division-best 47.6 points per game on defense. The Bulldogs upset Dallastown and nearly knocked off York High in last year's tournament by keeping the games low scoring. That plan certainly worked against Littlestown a month ago — they held Meakin to just 14 points — but the Bulldogs will need someone to hit big shots. It could be Mark Walker (9.7 ppg) or twins Luke and Grady Hoffman (9.4 and 9.2 ppg) who need to step up. West York split its matchups with Eastern York this season but neither of these teams have faced Central York.
More on West York: How does this York County hoops team keep reloading? This senior's journey gives a glimpse
At West York
Red Lion (15-6) vs. Delone Catholic (17-5), 6 p.m. Saturday
A battle between two of the best defenses in the league. Red Lion had the top unit in Division I — holding opponents to 47.1 points per game. Delone had the second-best defense in YAIAA Division III at 44.5 points per game. But while the Lions have the ability to slow the game down, they might not want to against the Squires. They will have the advantage in both shooting and ability to play above the rim. The one common opponent between the two teams is South Western. Delone beat the Mustangs 57-49 in December but Red Lion beat them 61-46 and 84-45 over two matchups in January. Those comparisons only mean so much, but the Lions project to be a tough out in the District 3 Class 6A bracket for a reason. 6-foot-2 senior Chris Williams (16.8 ppg) can drive through someone or dunk over them. Freshman guard Isaiah Ogurcak (14 ppg, 40 3-pointers) has been a revelation and 6-foot-5 Joe Sedora (20.6 ppg) has been outstanding since returning midseason from a broken ankle. The Squires will need big performances from senior 1,000-point scorer Cam Keller (11.9 ppg) and 6-foot-5 sophom*ore Luke Rebert if they want to pull off the upset.
He had a health scare: But here's why Dallastown's Mike Grassel keeps coming back to coach
Dallastown (13-8) vs. York Suburban (17-5), 7:30 p.m. Saturday
Will the sequel match the original? The first game between these two teams at the Hoops for Harmony showcase was excellent — with an under-manned Dallastown team pulling the upset, 60-52, over a hot Trojans team. It's hard to say which team is the favorite this time. York Suburban might be the league's most dynamic team outside of Central York. The Trojans split the Division II title (and won the coin toss tiebreaker) with West York despite having just one senior in the starting lineup. Freshman point guard Nasir Barnes (19 ppg) was the league's breakout star this year — dropping 40 points in a game against Eastern York. Barnes and 6-foot-3 junior Kai Stryhn (13.6 ppg) led an offense that finished third in the league in scoring (63.1 ppg) and second in 3-pointers (156). Suburban also has size from 6-foot-5 senior Luke Andricos. Still, the Wildcats have found a way to make things interesting more often than not. Dallastown was hovering around .500 a few weeks ago until it went on a five-game winning streak. The Wildcats have made it back to the league tournament for the third straight season despite their top athlete, Michael Scott, out of the lineup with a wrist injury. They've done it with strong defense (51.7 points allowed per game), streaky shooting (120 3-pointers), good depth (five players averaging over 6.0 points) and the stunning emergence of senior Kobe McNealy (17.2 points per game). Dallastown finished tied with York High for third in Division I after Tuesday's 56-54 loss to Bearcats, but the Wildcats owned the tiebreaker due to their upset win over second-place Red Lion last month. It won't be easy for them to beat Suburban a second time, but don't be shocked if they end up being a tough out in next week's semifinal.
Matt Allibone is a sports reporter for GameTimePA. He can be reached at 717-881-8221, [email protected] or on X at @bad2theallibone.
