There are varying levels of 'hot' when talking about winning streaks in the sports world. How those levels are described is up for debate, what is not is that the Manheim Central girls' basketball team would be perched decently high on that list of levels. After all, the Lady Barons have claimed eight straight and 14 of their last 15 games after opening the season 0-2. Add it all up and you get a scorching hot team that is 14-3 overall and 8-0 in Section Two action.

The two most recent games of that winning streak were over Elizabethtown and Conestoga Valley by a combined 69 points. The 56-23 dismantling of E-town happened on January 20th in Elizabethtown and despite the host Lady Bears holding a 12-9 lead after the opening quarter. Central flipped the game around with a 10-2 run through the second before using a 20-5 third quarter to extend their lead to 20 points. A 17-4 romp through the final eight minutes closed out the win on a high note.

Maddie Knier outscored E-town on her own, finishing with 28 points. Kaylie Kroll added 12 and Abbie Reed 11 with Payton Snyder cleaning up the final five points.

The good times continued on the 24th with a 62-26 win over Conestoga Valley. This time there was no hole to climb out of, Central took control early with a 22-4 opening spurt. The lead ballooned to 28 at the break and 30 heading into the final frame before settling at 36 points.

Knier nearly outpaced CV on her own with a 22-point effort. Kroll added 18 points while Reed chipped in 13 points.

BOWLING

The bowling team posted a much needed win over Northern Lebanon on January 24th, using a 657 series from Landen Statts to cruise to a 7-0 victory. Asher Harris and Ethan Howard posted the same 203 high score but Harris closed with a 561 series and Howard a 547 series. Hailey Kowalski (477) and Aston Fritz (451) completed the scoring five.

The win was needed because the Barons had dropped their previous three matches. That included matching 5-2 setbacks to Conestoga Valley on the 18th and Warwick on the 20th. In between was a 7-0 loss to Cocalico with the Eagles winning all three games with a 2824-2569 pin edge.

RIFLE

Over on the rifle range, Central split their last two matches, putting them at 7-2 on the season and dropping the Barons into a first-place tie with Township.

The win came on January 19th by a 590-589 final over Governor Mifflin. Aubrey Myers and Nate Sauder led the way with 100s. Natalia Winkler posted the lone 99 while Andrew Waddington, Gabby Fittery and Alexa Hoffman secured the victory with a triple 97.

Manheim Central was tripped up on the 24th with Elizabethtown taking the match, 498-493. Kyria Martin and Kyler Groff joined Sauder atop the team leader board with all three registering a 99. Genna Eberly and Caleb Creviston rounded out the top five with matching 97s.

BOYS' BASKETBALL

"That one hurt," was the simple description that Charlie Fisher, head coach for the boys' basketball team, used when asked about his team's 69-63 overtime loss to Elizabethtown on January 20th. The pain Fisher referenced came from battling back from a 20-6 first quarter deficit to force overtime only to fall flat in the extra frame and lose by six points.

"It all boils down the first eight minutes, the rest of the game shook out sort of what we were expecting it to do but when you spot a team 14...," said Fisher. "Physically and emotionally we were spent and they weren't, and that's basically what it came down to."

Central used an eight point edge in the second and a five point edge in the third to set the stage for a fourth quarter comeback. That comeback was completed with a 19-18 advantage only to have the Bears take the extra frame 9-3 and the game 69-63.

The silver lining in the loss came with Trey Grube's game high 22-points. The senior drilled five three-pointers, pushing his career total to 275 and past Cocalico's Tucker Lescoe for the top spot in L-L history. Fisher summed up the accomplishment, saying, "Well deserved, well earned, awesome to say he has made more threes than anyone in L-L history."

The Barons rebounded from that setback on the 21st, topping Middletown by a 59-54 final in the night cap of the Mid-Penn - Lancaster-Lebanon League showdown. Central saw their halftime cushion evaporate in the third thanks to an 18-8 Middletown run but managed to get back on track to secure the five-point victory. Grube posted another 22-point game, this one with three from long range. Aaron Enterline added 12 points in the win.

Manheim Central played another close one on the 24th, slipping by Conestoga Valley 60-55. Central used strong first and third quarters to build a 32-24 lead which was able to withstand the Buckskins 31-28 edge in the second and fourth quarters. Enterline topped the scoring chart with 18 points while Grube checked in with 13 points. Sam Witmer added 11.

WRESTLING

The wrestling team kept their spot atop the Section Two standings with wins over Cocalico and Donegal pushing their mark to 15-6 overall.

Central slipped by Cocalico on the 20th, by a slim 32-30 final. Rocco Daugherty (189) and Brett Barbush (160) posted pinfall wins while Blake Fasnacht (106) earned his six team points via forfeit. Braxton Keiffer settled for a tech fall win at 114 while Noah Templin (215), Barrett Keiffer (127) and Cody Hess (133) rounded things out with decisions.

Central picked up the 45-18 win over Donegal on the 25th, capping a 7-0 run through Section Two. Fasnacht (106), Leo Bonanno (113) and Barrett Keiffer (126) picked up forfeit wins for a quick 18 points. Rocco Daugherty (189) and Templin (215) added pinfall wins while Braxton Keiffer (120) and Hess (132) went the distance for their decisions. Barbush added a tech fall win at 160 while Brodie Daugherty finished things off with a major decision at 172.