City of Basketball Love

Ty Daubert (@TyDaubert) 
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For the first time in site history, City of Basketball Love has ranked the Division III women’s college basketball teams in the area, and — to this point in the 2021-2022 season — a pair of one-loss programs in Gettysburg and York have separated themselves from the rest of the pack.

Over a month into play, the teams considered have all played at least seven games with a number playing over 10 contests. The rankings were based on the results of play thus far.

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Others to Watch: Cairn (6-5, 4-2 CSAC), Dickinson (4-3, 3-2 Centennial), Gwynedd Mercy (6-5, 0-0 Atlantic East), Lancaster Bible (5-5, 2-0 United East), Lebanon Valley (6-5, 2-2 MAC Commonwealth), Neumann (5-5, 0-0 Atlantic East), Penn State-Harrisburg (5-4, 1-1 United East).

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10. Immaculata (7-2, 0-0 Atlantic East)
Aside from a six-point win against Ursinus in their opener and two close losses to Swarthmore and Washington College (Md.), the Mighty Macs have handled business easily for a large portion of the season, winning their other six games by an average of 30.3 points. Junior guard Jordan Rook has scored a team-high 14.8 points per game for Immaculata, which doesn’t take the floor again until Jan. 5 against Marywood.

This week’s games: None.

9. Haverford (7-4, 4-3 Centennial)
Haverford has beaten two solid area teams in Dickinson (59-47) and Neumann (57-48) to earn a spot in the rankings, but the program hasn’t been able to pick up a win against any of the area’s top-10 squads to move higher up on the list. Led by sophomore guard Ally Landau’s 14.0 ppg and junior forward Kayla Robinson’s 9.3 ppg with 11.3 rebounds per game, the Fords will take the floor for their next game on Jan. 8 against Johns Hopkins.

This week’s games: None.

Gabby Boggs (above) and Albright check in at No. 8 on our inaugural CoBL Division III women's basketball rankings. (Photo courtesy Albright athletics)

8. Albright (7-3, 2-1 MAC Commonwealth)
Similarly to Haverford, Albright has two quality area victories against Neumann (63-49) and Gwynedd Mercy (78-62), yet lacks a big win to push it toward the top of the rankings. Senior forward Gabby Boggs (15.9 ppg) and the rest of her Lions teammates will make their next on-court appearance later this month at the D3 Naples Shootout in Florida. They’ll take on Baldwin Wallace (Ohio) on Dec. 29 and Colby College (Maine) on Dec. 30.

This week’s games: None.

7. DeSales (6-3, 4-0 MAC Freedom)
After losing three of four to begin the season, DeSales has bounced back — and has done so emphatically. The Bulldogs have beaten opponents by an average of 34 points in their six wins, including a 100-63 trouncing of Gwynedd Mercy for their first of the year. DeSales’ losses have been quality defeats — if there is such a thing — as well, falling by six to Scranton, then ranked 12th in the nation, four to Muhlenberg and two to Messiah. Senior forward Averi Jordan has averaged a team-high 16.8 points and 6.9 rebounds for the Bulldogs.

This week’s games: Monday vs. Cabrini.

6. Elizabethtown (6-2, 1-0 Landmark)
Elizabethtown recorded the strongest bullet point on its resume early in the season as it defeated top-10 area opponent Haverford on a neutral court in the Terry Greene Tip-Off Classic at Franklin & Marshall on Nov. 13. The Blue Jays also gave York, one of the two best teams in the area, a serious run for its money on its home floor on Nov. 29 before losing by four in overtime. Elizabethtown’s only other loss came again in overtime to a 6-4 King’s College team on Dec. 14. The Jays are scheduled to play next in the Susan Dunagan Holiday Classic on Dec. 29-30 in Virginia, where they’ll take on Roanoke and Lynchburg.

This week’s games: None.

Widener senior and Downingtown East product Erin Phelan (20)
has seven double-figure outings this season to lead the Pride in scoring.
(Photo courtesy Widener athletics)

5. Widener (7-4, 2-2 MAC Commonwealth)
The Pride opened up this season right away with a top-five area win, downing Swarthmore by six on Nov. 9. Two weeks later, Widener added a three-point victory over solid area opponent Neumann in overtime. The team also competed well with York on Dec. 15, losing 60-54 at home. Senior forward Erin Phelan (12.2 ppg) leads Widener in scoring as it prepares for its next matchup against Moravian on Jan. 2 in the Steel Club Classic.

This week’s games: None.

4. Swarthmore (5-2, 3-1 Centennial)
Despite having played the fewest number of games of any team on this list, Swarthmore has posted two wins over teams on the rankings. The Garnet beat Immaculata and Haverford in consecutive games on Nov. 22 and Nov. 30. Their losses came against area opponents in Widener and Dickinson. Junior guard Dana Bandurick has been the leading scorer (17.4 ppg) and rebounder (9.4 rpg) for Swarthmore, which faces Ramapo (N.J.) on the road on Dec. 29.

This week’s games: None.

3. Messiah (8-2, 3-1 MAC Commonwealth)
Sitting a tier well above the previously listed teams, yet not quite at the level of the top two, Messiah is etched into the third spot in the rankings. The Falcons have two wins over top-10 area teams in victories against DeSales (69-67) and Albright (58-42) to go along with an impressive 54-45 win against 9-1 DePauw (Ind.) on Sunday in Florida. They also beat other solid area opponents in Gwynedd Mercy and Lebanon Valley. Messiah’s two losses came against one-loss squads Gettysberg and York. The Falcons still have more action scheduled in Florida, facing Bridgewater State (Mass.) on Monday.

This week’s games: Monday vs. Bridgewater State.

2. York (10-1, 4-0 MAC Commonwealth)
It was a two-horse race for the top of the rankings, and someone had to finish as the runner-up. This time it was York, but that’s certainly not due to an underwhelming body of work. After dropping the first game of the season to Johns Hopkins, the Spartans have ripped off 10 consecutive wins, including three against teams on this list (Elizabethtown, Messiah and Widener). They also picked up wins against Lebanon Valley and Lancaster Bible. Graduate guard Kayla Ferris (13.8 ppg, 8.4 rpg) has been the main option for York so far this season. The team will face Loras (Iowa) at Eckerd College in Florida on Monday.
This week’s games: Monday vs. Loras.

1. Gettysburg (7-1, 5-0 Centennial)
Gettysburg, like York, has been absolutely rolling since losing its first game of the season. With wins over both teams on this list they’ve played against by ways of a 10-point win over Messiah and a 24-point blowout of Haverford, the Bullets have had the same kind of success in the area as York, albeit in less volume. What really makes the difference between Gettysburg and the Spartans is each team’s moment of failure. While York lost its opener to a very good Johns Hopkins team, Gettysburg dropped its first game to Christopher Newport, then the No. 20 team in the nation and now No. 6. The Bullets then later went on to defeat Johns Hopkins. The disparity in the losses, as well as the difference in success against a common opponent, is what gave Gettysburg the nod over York. Senior guard Carly Rice (11.0 ppg) and freshman guard Mackenzie Szlosek (10.5 ppg) are both averaging double digits this season for Gettysburg. The Bullets play their next game on Dec. 29 in the Stevens Tournament against Catholic.

This week’s games: None.