'Expect the unexpected:' YAIAA basketball is loaded and gearing up for a season to remember

It probably wasn’t the score most observers would’ve predicted.

Dallastown 60, York Suburban 52 on Saturday night at the Hoops for Harmony showcase at York County Tech. A solid but banged up Wildcats team upset one of the hottest and dynamic squads in the YAIAA.

A few local coaches admitted afterward they were surprised by that result. But maybe that’s the point.

“This year around high school basketball is expect the unexpected,” Dallastown coach Mike Grassel said. “High school basketball is (wacky). When you’re dealing with teenagers anything can happen.”

We’re past the halfway point of the high school basketball season. At this point, enough games have been played to give a good sense of what should happen most nights. We know who the best teams and best players are.

But as this past weekend showed, there’s still a reason they play the games.

It remains to be seen if any YAIAA teams can recapture that same magic in the postseason against the best teams in District 3. For the first time since 2019, no YAIAA team won a district title last season – with local squads going 0-4 in title games.

It would be surprising if that happened again this year. Nine York-Adams schools are currently ranked in the top three of their respective classifications. Three girls’ basketball teams are still undefeated against PIAA teams. Central York might be the first YAIAA boys’ team to win a district title in the biggest classification since York High in 2015.

Some of the usual contenders across the rest of the region's surrounding counties aren't quite as strong this winter.

Don’t be surprised if more upsets shake up the status quo before we get to that point. Monday night’s snow storm postponed some highly-anticipated rivalry games, but the next month through the YAIAA championships should be very entertaining.

Just don’t be too surprised by the surprises.

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Red Lion’s players and coaches didn’t say much on the topic, but they didn’t need to.

Are you excited to play Central York again?

“Absolutely,” head coach Steve Schmehl said after a win over Spring Grove this past Friday.

“For sure,” senior Joe Sedora said. Fellow senior Chris Williams simply nodded in agreement.

The rematch between the top two teams in YAIAA was scheduled for this Monday but postponed to Feb. 8 due to snow. But it’s clear the underdog Lions won’t be scared of a juggernaut they lost to by just 10 points earlier this season while Sedora was out with an injury.

That has been the mantra from most YAIAA teams this season: We aren’t backing down against Central.

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But even with a target on their backs, the Panthers haven't wavered. They beat Dallastown, 73-43, on Wednesday. And they have goals beyond repeating as division and league champs.

Central York is 12-2 and ranked No. 2 in District 3 Class 6A. The Panthers lost to Philadelphia’s Father Judge with multiple starters out due to injury and to Berks County power Wilson over holiday break on a night they looked sluggish and out of sorts.

They’ve also beaten traditional (but young) state powerhouse Reading and gutted out wins over strong eastern Pennsylvania teams Coatesville and Downingtown West.

The Panthers have reasons to look ahead of their local matchups. They’ve got upcoming games against Central Dauphin and Cumberland Valley, both ranked top five in District 3 Class 6A. Wins over those opponents will solidify Central York as the team to beat in the postseason – something that is almost never said about a York County team in the biggest classification.

But getting complacent prior to those games will only hurt the Panthers in the long run. Beating a healthy Red Lion team (9-4) won’t be easy.

And taking down an improving York High team (6-5) at home this Friday won’t be, either.

Central York should be happy its local rivals don’t want to just concede things to them.

Outside of the biggest classification, there’s still plenty up the air. York Suburban (11-3, 5-1) is a game up on West York (7-6, 4-2) in YAIAA Division II with Eastern York (10-5, 3-3) and New Oxford (9-6, 3-3) lurking as spoilers. York Catholic gets another chance to upset Littlestown for a share on the Division III title on Jan. 30.

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As expected, all three divisions are tight on the girls’ side. But that could change in the next week.

Dallastown started to put some distance between themselves and the rest of Division I on Wednesday night by doubling up Central York 44-22 to remain undefeated. The loss dropped the Panthers two games behind the Wildcats in the division.

The top two teams in Divisions II and III meet next week.

Delone Catholic, which lost for the first time on Saturday, plays at York Catholic on Tuesday with the Division III lead at stake. The Squirettes topped the Irish by more than 20 the first time they met.

Unbeaten Northeastern travels to York Suburban on Jan. 26 in a Division II clash. The Bobcats won the first meeting by five without leading scorer Mikayla Coleman.

The division leaders aren't surprising. Many of the players who made them successful last year are doing the same thing this year.

But things could change when the divisions are won and play moves to the league tournament. Last year, three of the league semifinalists were from Division I.

With Delone Catholic and York Suburban sitting atop District 3 Class 4A and 5A power rankings, respectively, and Northeastern hanging at No. 2 behind Dallastown in Class 6A, there's a good chance a team outside Division I could win the league title.

Matt Allibone and Shelly Stallsmith cover York-Adams high school sports for GameTimePA and the USAToday Network. Connect with them by email at mallibone@ydr.com and mstallsmith@ydr.com or on X, formerly Twitter, @bad2theallibone and @ShelStallsmith. 

This article originally appeared on York Daily Record: YAIAA basketball teams gearing up for a 2023-24 season to remember