The high school boys hoops season is heating up in the chilly United Kingdom, with Lakenheath and Menwith Hill posting winning records going into last weekend’s action.

Meanwhile, Alconbury is hoping to improve on its 4-8 mark to bolster its seeding when the Department of Defense Dependents Schools-Europe Division IV tournament starts next month.

Lakenheath’s Division I varsity squad has posted a 6-3 record after they beat Kaiserslautern with a freethrow by freshman center Paul Federinko after time expired and they lost to Ramstein 60-33 last weekend. The Lancer’s other losses came against St. Johns of Brussels and the American School of London, both non-DODDS teams.

"Ramstein is loaded," Lancer coach Alan Campbell said. "[But] I feel like we are playing good team ball. We are coming together as a unit, our defense is improving.

"I didn’t have three starters with me — two of them had medical issues and one was on a model United Nations trip. I think we know what is out there now. Last year, we didn’t have a chance to see the big schools other than ISB (the International School of Brussels) before the tournament."

Campbell credited his team’s performance to the improvement of guards Mark DeLaCruz, Trevor Snapp and Eric Douglas. All have stepped up their defense, Campbell said.

Snapp said this is the best team Lakenheath has had in the past three years. He attributed the team’s quality to experience.

"We need to keep our team chemistry going," Snapp said.

Campbell, however, lamented the loss of two of his standouts from last year — shooting guard Taiyo Robertson and Tyler Kelbert, who is now at Sigonella.

Division IV Menwith Hill also entered last weekend with a winning record, 4-3, including a last-second 45-44 win over Brussels on Dec. 12. Sophomore Josh Willis scored the game-winner. But the Mustangs dropped two games over the weekend to Rota, including a 44-34 overtime contest.

"It’s going to be an uphill battle," Menwith Hill Athletic Director Pete Resnick said. "We are still optimistic."

The players were not hitting their shots, Resnick added.

The Mustangs have also beaten Hillingdon, an American Community School in London, twice. Their losses included defeats to The American School in Switzerland, which is based in London, and splitting with DODDS foe AFNORTH.

Resnick said his biggest concern is injuries and when his team gets into foul trouble because of their short bench.

"After our front five, we are really shallow … it is a small school," Resnick said. "We are finding our strengths and weaknesses as a team. We are strong on defense.

"Scottie [Setzer] is a strong player for us at the three-position and Chris Jackson can handle the point, and he has a nice touch. Brandon [Hamilton] can help you inside and outside for shooting."

"The season is going pretty well," Setzer said. "We knew we had a strong group of players. Playing the bigger schools will prepare us for the rest of the season."

The Mustangs, a tourney semifinalist last year, learned more about their tournament opposition over the weekend, when they joined Rota and Brussels at Alconbury. All are D-IV teams.

Alconbury coach Ron Behr said his team needs to improve by working on getting the ball in the basket. They went 1-3 last weekend with the sole victory being a 51-48 win over Rota.

"For some reason, in the second half of games our defense does well, we just aren’t able to convert on the easy buckets," Behr said. "We are trying to get the guys to see the floor better. It is just a lack of experience.

"That last win against Rota gave us some confidence. Saturday we were missing some starters because of SATs."

Forward Yul McGrath and point guard Devin Pryor have played well, and guard Jimmy Luong is challenging McGrath for the team lead in points, Behr said.

"Our defense is good. We have to work on our rebounding," Pryor said. "We have Jimmy Luong and he has definitely been saving us. He has made almost half of his three-point shots in every game."

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