The Manheim Central boys' basketball team honored four seniors during Senior Night on Feb. 8 at Doe Run Elementary and then the Barons took the court and jumped out to a 15-0 lead and held a 17-6 advantage after one quarter and never looked back in a 56-46 victory over Cocalico.

Central was up 17 points with about 4:50 to play before the Eagles went on a run and cut the deficit to seven. But the Barons battled when they needed to, Central coach Charlie Fisher said.

"We moved the ball well and didn't settle for anything," Fisher said about the key to his team's early success. "We were getting good shots. Your shooting percentage is based on taking great shots and just getting inside and getting to the rim."

Fisher said his starting five all scored during the first quarter run. Trey Grube led the charge with 17 points and Judd Novak added 16.

Against Solanco on Feb. 5 the Barons were raining threes, knocking down 11 first-half 3-pointers, finishing 11-for-17 from behind the arc in the first half. They drained 14 treys for the game and cruised to a 71-40 triumph.

"It was one of those games," said Fisher, who beat the Golden Mules for the third time this season. "If they are going in, shoot it up. If not, pass it the open guy."

With his 3-point basket in the third quarter, Grube, a junior, hit a major milestone, reaching 1,000 points for his career. He and Collin Thompson (20 points) each nailed six treys in the contest. Grube finished with a season-high 32 points. He is the seventh Manheim boys' player to reach is achievement.

"Trey's biggest thing is he wants to win," Fisher said about Grube's accomplishment. "He battles and wants to win. He is more than capable of putting the ball in the hoop. He is doing better with moving without the ball to get open and getting to the foul line. He battles and wants to get the ball. He knows his strength is scoring and he goes out and does it."

GIRLS' BASKETBALL

Manheim clinched a section championship with its 55-27 victory over Cocalico on Feb. 8.

"The kids have grown so much through their careers and this moment will help the program in so many ways," Barons' coach Tyson Hayes said. "Right now, we're executing our game plan on defense and offense. The kids are focused on the doing the little things that lead to winning. The team is getting healthy and continuing to come together at the right time. I am proud of this group in so many ways."

Maddie Knier had a game-high 23 points. Abbie Reed netted 13 and Rachel Nolt chipped in with three 3-pointers.

Three days earlier, the Lady Barons cruised to a 45-25 triumph over Solanco. Manheim led by six at halftime, but the Barons defense clamped down and held Solanco to just 14 points in the second half.

Knier and Reed finished with 14 and 12 points, respectively.

RIFLE

The Barons were near perfect on Feb. 3, shooting a 499, one point less than a perfect score. They shot a 498 earlier this season.

Anna Haldeman, Ellie McCabe, Trevor Frey and Genna Eberly all shot 100's. Nathan Sauder had a 99.

Central out-shot Manheim Township on Feb. 8, 491-488. Haldeman and Kyria Martin posted 99s. Frey and Eberly each had 98 and Kyler Groff added a 97.

Manheim (12-2) finished the season in second place.

BOWLING

Manheim had two straight 7-0 victories last week, beating Elco and Garden Spot.

Jesse Hurst had the top score of 516 against Elco at Berks Lanes. Landen Statts had a match-best 658 at Dutch Lanes against Garden Spot.

"They key to Elco was to make sure that they hit averages," Barons' coach Alan Sides said. "Elco has a young team and is having no trouble keeping their team together. But our team didn't take them lightly and played their game."

Against Elco, Aaron Vogel had a 490 and Ethan Howard a 494.

"Against Garden Spot our bowlers all had a great night overall," Sides said. "Landon rolled a high 600 series and Statts rolled a 500-plus."

Holly Hunt had a three-game 517 against the Spartans. Howard a 555 and Hurst had a 581.

Despite a remarkable 11-1 record, Barons might have to settle for second place because of the complicated rationale used to determine overall final point totals.

WRESTLING

Several Mannheim grapplers earned hardware on Feb. 5 in the Elizabethtown Optimist Tournament for junior high wrestlers.

Noah Templin, an eighth grader, was crowned the 190-pound champion and finished with a 20-4 record in his first year of wrestling. Other Manheim medal winners included Cody Hess (3rd), Landen Sauder (4th), Jason Dougherty (5th) and Logan Hess (5th).