When the dust settled in the Mid-Penn Colonial race last winter, Big Spring and Gettysburg posted 10-2 conference marks, fending off Boiling Springs down the stretch.
And this is shaping up to be quite a race this time around, with plenty of big names back in the fold in the Colonial.
We’ll start with all-state pick and Bloomsburg recruit Cami Boehner, who makes Gettysburg go. She begins her senior season with 882 career points, as the Warriors will be seeking a return trip to the District 3 semifinals and PIAA playoffs.
Boehner also has running mate and all-star Madelyn Weikert back at her side to help Gettysburg’s cause.
Big Spring lost some firepower, but all-star Danielle Kepner returns to help steer the Bulldogs.
And Greencastle-Antrim returns three all-star picks, fronted by soph point guard Hannah Crist, who makes the Blue Devils tick. Keep an eye on G-A.
This should be a fun race to track — a race that includes two new coaches on Colonial benches: Say hello to Jenny Lauthers at James Buchanan and John Hubert at Shippensburg.
Here’s a look at the Colonial in predicted order of finish:
Gettysburg Warriors
District 3-AAA
Coach: Casey Thurston (7th season).
Last season: 10-2 Mid-Penn; 22-7 overall (lost to eventual champ Palmyra 44-29 in District 3-AAA semifinals; beat West York 44-34 in District 3-AAA third-place game; lost to Prep Charter 77-49 in second round of PIAA-AAA playoffs).
Goodbye: G Ellen Bair (PennLive second-team Big 15; PennLive first-team Colonial all-star), F Arianna Camel.
Hello: G Cami Boehner (PennLive first-team Big 15; PennLive first-team Colonial all-star; AP third-team all-state), F Madelyn Weikert (PennLive third-team Big 15; PennLive first-team Colonial all-star).
Putbacks: Bair, the Warriors’ floor general and all-star pick last winter, grabbed the starting point guard duties at Lebanon Valley College as a freshman, so her career is working out just fine. Gettysburg will miss her, but Thurston has a pair of all-stars back in the saddle in Boehner and Weikert, which spells good news for the Warriors, who would love another deep run after going to the district semifinals and winning a PIAA playoff game last winter. … Boehner has signed on to play for Bloomsburg University after averaging 20.7 points and drilling 73 3-pointers last season for the Warriors. Boehner needs 118 points for 1,000.
Opener: Dec. 6 vs. Colonial pal Shippensburg in the first round of New Oxford’s tip-off tournament. Often wonder why teams play division foes in tournament openers. Oh well.
Big Spring Bulldogs
District 3-AAA
Coach: Randy Jones (3rd season).
Last season: 10-2 Mid-Penn; 16-10 overall (lost to Gettysburg 48-39 in District 3-AAA quarterfinals; lost to Eastern York 47-35 in District 3-AAA consolation round).
Goodbye: F Blair Bitner, G Lindsay Bower (PennLive honorable mention Colonial all-star), F Dalida Camdzic (PennLive second-team Big 15; PennLive first-team Colonial all-star), G Caity Stevens.
Hello: F Nickole Burkett, F Jordyn Donnelly, G Kayla Dupert, G Danielle Kepner (PennLive honorable mention Big 15; PennLive honorable mention Colonial all-star), G Nicole Thuemmel, G Allie Wilson.
Putbacks: Two all-stars moved on — Bower from the backcourt and winger/baseliner Camdzic — but a pair of reliable scorers — Dupert and Kepner — are back for the Bulldogs. … Kepner is ultra dangerous from the arc; she hit 49 treys and averaged 9.2 points last season, and those numbers should go up. … Dupert chipped in with 6.6 points, and she and Kepner should be a reliable 1-2 punch backcourt for Jones. … Bulldogs tied with Gettysburg for best record in the Colonial last winter, and then were bounced by the Warriors in the district quarters. Should make for some interesting games between those rivals this time around, eh?
Opener: Dec. 6 vs. East Pennsboro in the first round of Big Spring’s tip-off tournament. Bulldogs will host their own holiday tournament, too, so some nice home cooking for Big Spring pre-January.
Greencastle-Antrim Blue Devils
District 3-AAA
Coach: Mike Rhine (3rd season).
Last season: 7-5 Mid-Penn; 11-11 overall.
Goodbye: No players listed.
Hello: G Hannah Crist (PennLive honorable mention Colonial all-star), F Katie Gelsinger (PennLive second-team Colonial all-star), G Jane Herman, G Meghan Hirneisen, F Chloe Hoover (PennLive second-team Colonial all-star).
Putbacks: Any time a coach doesn’t list any names under the key-players-lost question on the preseason form, that’s usually a pretty good thing. And Rhine, now firmly entrenched in his third season on the Blue Devils’ bench, left that one blank. … Plenty of vets to go around here, with just one senior among the returnees: Hoover, an all-star pick last winter. She’ll be joined in the frontcourt by Gelsinger, another all-star pick last season. … Crist, yet another all-star pick, runs the point, and she’ll have plenty of folks to get the ball to. She’ll be flanked in the backcourt by Herman and Hirneisen. … Plenty to like here; thinking the Blue Devils will get their due, challenge in the Colonial and go postseason dancing this time around. Weapons are definitely here to improve on last season’s .500 mark.
Opener: Dec. 6 vs. Chambersburg in the first round of the Blue Devils’ Franklin County tip-off tournament.
Boiling Springs Bubblers
District 3-AAA
Coach: Kyle Watkins (2nd season).
Last season: 8-4 Mid-Penn; 13-9 overall (lost to East Pennsboro 41-34 in a District 3-AAA play-in game).
Goodbye: G-F Cecile Crowley (PennLive honorable mention Big 15; PennLive first-team Colonial all-star), F Taylor Malinish, F Mikayla Snyder (PennLive honorable mention Colonial all-star).
Hello: G-F Megan Bobb, G Casie Hostetter, G Shannon Piccolo.
Putbacks: Pretty solid season in Watkins’ first year on the Bubblers’ bench last season, with a solo third-place finish in the Colonial and a trip to Districts, where Boiling Springs was tripped up by Mid-Penn neighbor East Pennsboro in the always popular play-in round. … Loss of all-stars Crowley and Snyder will sting early on, but Piccolo, the point guard, returns, and if there’s one spot where you’d like to have experience, it’s up top at the point. So the Bubblers are in good hands there. Now, can they challenge Big Spring and Gettysburg for top honors?
Opener: Dec. 6 vs. three-time reigning L-L League Section 1 champ and PIAA qualifier Manheim Township in the first round of Red Lion’s tip-off tournament.
Shippensburg Greyhounds
District 3-AAA
Coach: John Hubert (1st season).
Last season: 5-7 Mid-Penn; 9-13 overall.
Goodbye: G Alysia Clawson (PennLive honorable mention Colonial all-star), G Alicia Johnson (PennLive second-team Colonial all-star), G Shayla Keller, G Brooke Porter.
Hello: G Denice Lovett, G Drew Lovett, G Sarah Lyman, F Kylee Miller.
Putbacks: Several changes in Shippensburg’s camp, starting at the top, where Hubert is settling in for his first season calling the shots on the Greyhounds’ bench. He's been coaching basketball in the Greyhounds' program for 30-plus years, and is retired from teaching. This is his varsity debut. ... Ship took a hit when all-stars Clawson and Johnson moved on, plus two more backcourt contributors in Keller and Porter. So Hubert has some work to do early on. … Good news is that four letter-winners return and just one — Miller — is a senior. So there is room to grow here. … Keep an eye on the Lovetts — Denice and Drew — plus newbies G-F Nicole Baker, G Jasmine Chambers and F Kayleen Sydnor.
Opener: Dec. 6 vs. Colonial playmate Gettysburg in the first round of New Oxford’s tip-off tournament.
James Buchanan Rockets
District 3-AAA
Coach: Jenny Lauthers (1st season).
Last season: 2-10 Mid-Penn; 6-16 overall.
Goodbye: G Rochelle Timmons.
Hello: G Tristen Amsley, F Cheyenne Carbaugh (PennLive second-team Colonial all-star), F Jenna Carbaugh, G Erica Eberly, F Taylor Gorman, G Susan Mackling, F Madison Martin, G-F Charity Miller, F Jess Moquin, G Jennae Piper, G-F Nina Shatzer, G Bailey Wagner.
Putbacks: Welcome aboard Lauthers, the Rockets’ new head coach. First duty: replacing Timmons at the point. Second duty: mixing and matching between a dozen or so candidates for her rotation. … With Big Spring, Gettysburg and Greencastle-Antrim returning so much firepower, it could be tough for James Buchanan to break into the lead pack. But sometimes it’s OK to be the spoiler; teams tend to overlook spoilers.
Opener: Dec. 6 vs. Colonial neighbor Waynesboro in the first round of Greencastle-Antrim’s Franklin County tip-off tournament.
Waynesboro Indians
District 3-AAAA
Coach: Doug Stuart (12th season).
Last season: 0-12 Mid-Penn; 1-21 last season.
Goodbye: F Dori Kozain (PennLive honorable mention Big 15; PennLive second-team Colonial all-star), G Hunter Mowen, G Samantha Nichols.
Hello: G Mallory Patterson, F Lauren Wagamen.
Putbacks: Only way to go for the Indians is up, coming off a 1-win season while taking a 0-for in Mid-Penn play. … Stuart and his crew got some bad news before camp even opened, when Nichols went down with an ACL knee injury during soccer season. … Patterson and Wagamen, both seniors, are your team leaders.
Opener: Dec. 6 vs. Colonial foe James Buchanan in the first round of Greencastle-Antrim’s Franklin County tip-off tournament.