If you follow Lancaster-Lebanon League girls' basketball, you know Section 2 teams have historically struggled against Section 1 teams in crossover play.

And struggled is putting it quite mildly.

Just two games into league play this season that has changed — in a big way.

Solanco, the preseason pick to wear the Section 2 crown, grabbed everyone's attention with a 59-51 win at Hempfield in the league opener last Friday night.

Monday night in Quarryville, Solanco made everyone in the league stand up — way up.

Sophomore guard Emily Allport pumped in a career-high 20 points, freshman forward Gillian Glackin scored 14 points, sophomore guard Mackenzie Keys added 12 points and senior guard Taylor Kreider chipped in with 10 points in the Golden Mares' head-turning 65-56 win over Cedar Crest in Quarryville.

Solanco has now picked off Section 1 heavyweights Hempfield and Cedar Crest in back-to-back games, and the Mares are 2-0 in league play — atop the Section 2 heap — and 4-1 overall.

And here are two other mighty interesting scores from Monday night — Lebanon 48, Hempfield 45 and Elizabethtown 34, McCaskey 33.

So the Black Knights, picked to finish second in Section 1, find themselves two games out — and 0-2 against Section 2 foes.

And the Bears' win snapped the Red Tornado's two-game winning streak.

Manheim Township, Warwick and Penn Manor sit atop the Section 1 race.

This, quite simply, just hasn't happened since the L-L League started crossover play in the 2004-05 season. The times, they might be a changing. And the frontline is in Quarryville, where Solanco obviously means business.

"Kind of a fairytale start, eh?" Mares' coach Tom McDonald said, smiling. "It's all about the team. This is a team thing here. We have a nice little ride going and we'd like to keep it going."

So far so good for Solanco, which has won four games in a row after an opening-night 13-point loss to District 1 power Great Valley.

Solanco took no prisoners against Cedar Crest, sprinting to a 19-4 lead after the first quarter before the Falcons could figure out what hit them.

One bright spot for Cedar Crest — senior guard Meghan Phillips stole a pass and swooped in for a layup with 3:50 to go in the first half, giving her 1,000 career points.

Phillips finished with a game-high 26 points, giving her 1,022 points in her career — eighth-most in the history of Cedar Crest's girls' program.

Phillips scored all four of the Falcons' first-quarter points, and she drilled a pair of second-quarter 3-pointers to get Cedar Crest moving.

The Falcons outscored the Mares 16-15 in the second quarter, but Solanco still led 34-20 at the break.

"We're pumped about how we're playing and we've been picking each other up," said Allport, who hit a pair of 3-pointers in the first half, then scored 6 points — and hit two game-icing free throws — in the fourth quarter.

"I thought playing a lot together in the summer league brought us together and now we know each other's strengths," she said. "We're feeling pretty good right now … it's good to be optimistic."

Kreider said she had an inkling early on that Solanco could do some things.

But beating a pair of Section 1 titans back-to-back this early?

"I think we're all starting to realize that we're a pretty good team — and that we can be an even better team," Kreider said. "Honestly, I thought we could be a good team from the beginning, and I expected everyone here to believe that we could be a good team from the beginning.

"We're all really close, and that has a lot to do with things. And we're not afraid to talk to each other and tell each other what to do … and to push each other to keep working harder."

McDonald's take?

"Our girls listen and they have the ability to make adjustments during the game," he offered. "I asked them at the beginning of this season if they were tired of being someone's doormat. It's been a while here … let's get this thing turned around. They believe in what we're telling them and they're believing in the system, and with them, there's no 'I' in team.

"We can't be overconfident. We need to keep making adjustments and keep playing team basketball. Honestly, we'd rather fly under the radar a little more. But we hope the program is heading in the right direction."

With four underclassmen in the starting lineup — Glackin is a freshman, Keys, Allport and Claudia Buzzard are sophs and Kreider, who runs the point, is the lone senior — the future sure looks bright in Quarryville.

The present, too.

In Monday's other Section 1-2 crossover games …

Manheim Township 59, Conestoga Valley 33
Cleveland State recruit Kiersten Green pumped in a season-high 20 points to lead a balanced attack, and the Blue Streaks opened the game with a 33-10 run and routed the host Buckskins.

Jess Martin scored 17 points and Janelle Frey hit three 3-pointers and chipped in with 13 points for CV.

Elizabethtown 34, McCaskey 33
Sarah Fairbanks scored 13 points and the host Bears edged the Tornado.

Josie Soto scored a career-high 12 points for McCaskey, which was locked in a 25-all tie with E-town before the Bears outscored the Tornado 9-8 in the fourth quarter.

Warwick 55, Garden Spot 46
The Warriors won their fourth game in a row behind a balanced effort, paced by Macaulay Soto (13 points), Whitney Reddig (11 points) and Emily Osborne (career-high 11 points).

Lauren Taylor scored 14 points for the host Spartans, who led 34-33 heading into the final quarter, before the Warriors closed the game on a 22-12 blitz and won going away.

Lebanon 48, Hempfield 45
Liz Rios scored 15 points, Jess Rivera drilled three 3-pointers, and the host Cedars used an 11-2 third-quarter run to open up some breathing room and knock off the Black Knights, who suffered their second crossover loss in a row.

Kendra Beittel scored 13 points for Hempfield, which dropped to 0-2 in league games — and kept coach Lenny Groft stuck on 298 career victories.

Penn Manor 45, Ephrata 37
The Comets remained undefeated behind Bianca Ygarza, who pumped in 17 points, and Julie Falk, who hit three 3-pointers and scored 11 points for Penn Manor, which improved to 5-0.

Mel Andrew scored 13 points for the host Mountaineers, who slipped to 0-6.

In Monday's Section 3-4 crossover games …

Lancaster Catholic 73, Northern Lebanon 33
Jen Roehm poured in a career-high 25 points and Reina Hill chipped in with 19 points for the host Crusaders, who bolted to a 35-19 lead at the half and then outscored the Vikings 38-14 after the break.

It was Lancaster Catholic's second win in a row after a 0-2 start.

Elco 53, Annville-Cleona 25
Kala Yoders scored a season-high 24 points — and inched closer to 1,000-career points — and the Raiders broke the game open with a 14-1 third-quarter spree.

Donegal 44, Columbia 33
Olivia Leaman scored 13 points to pace a balanced attack, and the Indians raced out to a 24-12 lead at the break and handed the host Crimson Tide its fifth loss in a row to open the season.

Jenna Plastino hit three 3-pointers and scored 13 points for Columbia.

Lancaster Mennonite 58, Cocalico 29
Jess Rheinheimer (13 points), Erin LaVenice (12 points) and Steph Rheinheimer (10 points) paced the host Blazers, who opened the game on a rip-roaring 17-2 run, led 31-17 at the half and sailed past the Eagles.

Lebanon Catholic 76, Lampeter-Strasburg 46
St. Francis recruit Hailey Carangelo poured in 23 points and Taylor Ford added 10 points for the host Beavers, who led 43-22 at the half and cruised past the Pioneers.

Kelsey Souders scored 17 points for L-S.

Manheim Central 47, Pequea Valley 25
Carly Leitzel scored 15 points and Rachelle Wiegand added 12 points for the Barons, who held the host Braves scoreless in the second quarter and then closed the game on a 16-6 run.

Amber Stoltzfus scored 10 points Pequea Valley.

Sports writer Jeffrey Reinhart can be reached at jreinhart@LNPnews.com or 291-8777.