Central York boys' basketball rolls to second straight York-Adams League title
The Panthers took down York Suburban, 63-45, to go back-to-back as league champions.
RED LION — While Billy Joel didn't sing his hit song “Pressure” with the Central York boys’ basketball team in mind, his lyrics — “You have to learn to pace yourself ... you're just like everybody else” — are somewhat on the mark.
After entering the 2023-24 season with as much hype as any York-Adams League boys' squad in years, the pressure has continued to build up on the Panthers throughout the year.
Despite lofty expectations both internally and externally, the Central York boys have handled the pressure as well as anyone could have expected. After cruising to an unbeaten record in Division I play, the Panthers had a chance to cement themselves Friday evening at Red Lion High School as league champions for a second year in a row.
Taking on a young but scrappy York Suburban side, the Panthers weathered some ruts as well as a spirited, 29-point performance by Trojan freshman standout Nasir Barnes. After a close first quarter, the Panthers led by double digits for the entire second half and cruised past the Suburban boys, 63-45, to repeat as Y-A champions.
“No one understands that type of pressure that these guys are under,” Central York coach Jeff Hoke said. “The pressure that they are under is just astronomical. They’re a bunch of 15, 16, 17-year-old kids that everybody expects to win.”
Senior Greg Guidinger matched Barnes' scoring throughout the night and led Central York with 26. The Panthers (22-2) also received 10 points from Ben Rill, as well as nine apiece from Ben Natal and Ryan Brown.
That talent and depth on Hoke's roster is not only unmatched in the area but equaled by few squads in the state. Hoke has constantly mentioned how tough his Nos. 6-13 players are in practice competing against the starting five.
“That’s why we’re here,” Hoke said. “I think that they could play for any team in the county, and that’s no offense to any other team in the county. We’ve got a lot of talent and a lot of depth.”
The Panthers also have Guidinger, a versatile 6-foot-7 forward who's likely to repeat as Division I Player of the Year. Dubbed "The King" by his teammates after the Panthers cut down the nets Friday, Guidinger — the lone senior in Central's rotation — was a bit emotional about this year’s squad, as well as the outlook for the future.
“It’s kind of bittersweet,” Guidinger said. “I’ve spent the better part of two years with these guys just battling — blood, sweat, tears — and it’s going to suck to leave and move on, but I can’t wait to be a fan of these guys.”
Those days will have to wait, as Guidinger and his teammates have bigger goals to accomplish. As the No. 1 seed in the upcoming District 3 Class 6A tournament, the Panthers will host the quarterfinal and potentially the semifinal round, needing two wins to earn a spot in the March 1 district final at Hershey's Giant Center.
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Performances like Friday, in which the Panthers didn’t play their absolute best yet led pretty much wire-to-wire, bode well. So does the relative balance that the lineup and rotational players provide day in and day out.
Guidinger, who is still smarting from the disappointment of falling in the district quarterfinals at Hempfield a season ago, is eager to make one more run at the program's first-ever district title.
“I want it more than anything,” Guidinger said. “More than anything, but we’ve got to take it one game at a time, and that will lead us to a district championship.”
The Trojans (19-6), meanwhile, fully expect to make a run to Hershey in the District 3-5A bracket. Seeded third, the Suburban boys know they likely won’t see another team like Central until the later rounds of the PIAA tournament, should they get there.
“I think we played really well defensively in the first half,” Suburban coach Mitch Kemp said. “Our shots weren’t falling, and I think we were 2-of-13 from 3 in the half. Shots weren’t falling, but I’m proud of them to stick with (Central).”
Central had the upper hand from the onset against the Trojans, quickly getting out to an 8-3 advantage after Barnes' triple opened the scoring. Suburban rallied to get within 12-10 in the final minute of the first quarter. The Panthers responded with a 9-0 run to extend the lead into double digits. After the Trojans cut the deficit to six, Central scored the final four points of the half to take a 27-17 lead into the break.
The Division I champs stretched the lead to 39-22 midway through the third, but Barnes and company ran off six straight points to cut the advantage down to 11 in just over a minute. The Panthers, however, stretched the lead to 20 by the end of the period while eliminating any drama in the final stanza.
