Inside Lehigh Valley Girls Hoops Week 6

TUESDAY 1/2

Marian Catholic 64, Lincoln Leadership Academy 35

The Fillies, fresh off a victory over Allentown Central Catholic, continued their winning ways at Lincoln Leadership Academy. Marian got up and down the court, outpacing and outrebounding the Lions most of the night. A 39-28 halftime lead quickly ballooned to a mercy rule situation in the second half, behind double figure efforts from Carly Minchoff(17), Frankie Martinelli(14), and Deanna Pugh(14). Alaina Ortiz led the Lions with 11 in the loss.

This game was broadcast on Eastern PA Sports Network and the archive can be found here.

WEDNESDAY 1/3

Stroudsburg 37, Emmaus 46

Kelsey Gallagher’s Green Hornets opened the year in a must-win situation against a game Mountaineers squad also battling to stay in the EPC tournament and District XI race. Emmaus also found itself in need of more offense, as Kayla Snyder played, but did not start, due to illness. Nine players ended up scoring for the Hornets, led by Gabby DeVita and Olive Whitney with nine a piece. Olive came off the bench in the second quarter when Emmaus needed a spark and quickly delivered with back to back 3-pointers, lifting Emmaus to a 25-19 halftime lead. Stroudsburg turned the ball over 15 times on the night and trailed by double digits before cutting their deficit to four in the second half. However, Emmaus rained seven triples on the Mounties and dominated the glass, coming up with 15 offensive rebounds. McKayla Strunk led Stroudsburg with 11 and nine of those came in the second half.

This game was broadcast on the Eastern PA Sports Network and the archive can be found here.

For a full writeup on this game, visit www.EmmausSports.com

Other notes from Wednesday:

• Parkland fell in overtime to Wilson West Lawn 46-41, suffering its first loss of the season. Madi Siggins scored all of her team’s 10 second half points and 15 of the Trojans’ final 18. Laila Jones and her 23 points led all scorers for Wilson, with 10 of those coming in the overtime session.
• Easton cruised past Liberty 56-14. Evalyse Cole notched a career high 30 points on 13 made field goals. Mallory Elias added 11. The Red Rovers suffocated the Hurricanes, holding them scoreless in the first quarter and building a 38-3 halftime lead.
• Central Catholic blew past Pleasant Valley 60-18. In the absence of Molly Driscoll, Milly Wolf led all scorers with 12, followed closely by Abbey Kofroth and her 10 points.
• Northern Lehigh dominated Notre Dame East Stroudsburg 71-17. Teegan Simms led all scorers with 18, sinking four shots from beyond the arc. Aubrey Pollard poured in 14, with 10 of those coming in the first half.

THURSDAY 1/4

• The Dieruff Huskies, behind a very balanced scoring effort, defeated Nazareth 58-53 for their first win over the Blue Eagles in the 24 year coaching tenure of Cathy Piston. All five of Dieruff’s starters went into double figures on the night: Aniyah Holder(13), Briana McKelvey(13), Marisa Price(11), Jayla Rosario(11), and Jayda Santiago-Lopez(10), provided the full team effort that it would take to hand Nazareth just its third loss on the year and snap a four game win streak. The Huskies built a 32-23 halftime lead and survived a furious comeback attempt late by Nazareth to pull off one of the biggest upsets of the season to date. Nazareth cut their deficit to one early in the fourth quarter, but an 8-0 Huskies run would help seal the stunning win.
• The Slaters survived a stiff test and strong second half by Wilson to eke out a 38-32 victory. The long range shot was the difference, as Avery Nelson hit two of her three 3’s in the third quarter to keep Bangor ahead. She finished the night with 16. Wilson shot 6/15 from the free throw line in the loss. Freshman Mikaila Brooks led Wilson with 11, all of those coming in the second half.
• Bethlehem Catholic got out to another hot start, this time against Freedom. An 18-4 first quarter would propel the Hawks to a 50-29 victory, behind four first quarter triples. Cici Hernandez scored 8 of her 12 in that first quarter, while Daviana Jones contributed five. Leah Ault dropped in 11 and Akasha Santos scored 10. The Hawks finished with seven 3-pointers on the night, while the Patriots did not score from beyond the arc.
• The Rough Riders made it a rough day for Southern Lehigh, with a 51-26 win over the Spartans. Catasauqua dominated the first half, holding Southern Lehigh to just five points, while scoring 24. Hailey Jenkins scored 12 of her 20 in the first quarter, and the Rough Riders sank eight free throws in the first half to build the lead. Tessa Seagreaves remained consistent for the Spartans, scoring 10.
• Canary Nation celebrated a home victory against East Stroudsburg North, scoring their second most points of the season in the 60-40 victory. Layla Sweatte dropped in 20 and both Ashly Cruz and Masielys Hiciano both had 12. Allen made 25 field goals on the day and overcame going just 6/20 from the charity stripe. Nine players scored for William Allen on the night, providing a balanced attack.
• East Stroudsburg South will be without Layla Hernandez for the rest of the season due to injury. Against Parkland, her loss was felt in a big way. The Cavaliers fell to Parkland 43-7 and all seven points came at the free throw line. Talia Zurinaksas scored her 19 all in the first half. Madi Siggins had 16.
•  Notre Dame Green Pond’s 21-6 third quarter helped the Crusaders pull away from a game Moravian squad for good, winning 51-26. Olivia Schweitzer tallied 13 of her 16 in that stanza, capping a night where she led all scorers. Carly Campbell also poured in 10 in the winning effort.
• A very strong first half of shooting allowed the Panthers to hold on over the Konkrete Kids 52-47. Northampton’s defense held PM West to no fourth quarter field goals and just four in the second haf. However, Alyssa Ford went 4/4 from the charity stripe in the final quarter to help West keep Northampton at bay. Anai’sah Malone hit double figures once again, going for 14. Ford finished then ight with 13 and Ashley Hunter-Ali added 11. In the loss, Dalani Petties and Isabella Pecuch each notched 12.
• Northern Lehigh cruised by Salisbury by a final count of 68-19. Aubrey Pollard continued her excellent senior season, leading all scorers with 21. Katelyn Barthold dropped in 20 and Dakota Barthold added 14. Desiree Nales had 13 of Salisbury’s 19.
• Northwestern Lehigh dominated Saucon Valley 58-14. The tigers rained nine triples down on the Panthers; four of those came from Emma Freeman and two more were sunk by Brook Balliet. Freeman led all scorers with 12 and Balliet had 11. Both Cara Thomas and Olivia Reinhart added 10.

FRIDAY 1/5

• Northern Lehigh notched a signature conference victory by defeating Bangor 55-43. Freshman Teegan Simms was a standout, dropping in 16 points and sinking three treys. Katelyn Barthold led all scorers with 17 and Aubrey Pollard contributed 13. A 15-2 third quarter effort cemented the victory for the Bulldogs. Avery Nelson scored 15 and Julia Pinter had 14 in the defeat.
• Pen Argyl snapped Northwestern Lehigh’s eight game winning streak with a key 61-54 upset victory. The Green Knights caught a break, as Brooke Balliet was absent from the game, but Cara Thomas nearly willed her team to victory with a 29 spot. Pen Argyl built a double digit lead at the half, but had to survive a second half onslaught by the Tigers, including a 24 point third quarter. Ellie Wallbillich went off for 21, while Macy Kotulka added 16 and Julia Vargo contributed 13. Kotulka dropped in five of her team’s ten triples on the night.
• Bethelehem Catholic suffered a 58-37 defeat on the road at Lancaster Catholic. The Crusaders stormed out to a 24-10 first quarter lead and never looked back. Four Crusaders ended up in double figures. Cici Hernandez(14) and Akasha Santos(10) led the Hawks, but Beca could not keep pace with the 8-1 squad from Lancaster.
• Moravian picked up a 44-40 victory over Southern Lehigh behind a 14 point effort from sophomore Chloee Dahl and 13 from freshman Luna Lopez. The Spartans fell behind 29-11 at the half, but put up a valiant comeback try in the later minutes, with Tessa Seagreaves again pacing Southern Lehigh with 16 points on the night.
• Emily Lessig and Olivia Schweitzer scored 14 and 13 respectively in Notre Dame Green Pond’s 60-19 victory over Sailsbury.
• Palmerton pulled away from Wilson 52-24 in a game that was 4-4 after the first quarter. Hannah Barry sank four from long range and totaled 16 on the night.

SATURDAY 1/6

William Allen 43, Dieruff 57

After defeating Nazareth on the road for the first time in decades, a let down was certainly possible coming off the emotional statement victory for the Huskies. However, the breakneck pace played by Dieruff proved that no such letdown would materialize. The Huskies scored 22 first quarter points and overcame an Allen third quarter rally attempt to secure the 14 point win. The two teams sped up and down the court, combining for 125 attempted shots. Dieruff shot 22/61 and secured nine offensive rebounds, while turning the Canaries over 23 times with a smothering defensive effort. Much like the game against the Blue Eagles, Dieruff had well-balanced scoring, as four starters got into double figures. Aniya Holder led the Huskies with 15; eight of those came in the first quarter. Brianna McKelvey tallied two triples and was a perfect 4/4 from the free throw line. Jayla Rosario(14) and Marisa Price(11) each made five buckets. Dieruff had to contend with the threat of William Allen standout senior Layla Sweatte, and for the first half, she was held to just two points. However, she went for 15 in the second half, helping the Canaries trim a 15 point deficit to just eight after three quarters. But the comeback would not be, due in part to the continued defensive pressure by Dieruff that held Allen to 0/13 from long range. William Allen was also 5/16 from the free throw line, while the Huskies went 9/15.  

Other notes from the weekend:

• Pocono Mountain West amassed 50 first half points on the road at ES North en route to a 59-32 win. Alyssa Ford led all scorers with 17 and Mia Bowden added 14. Anai-sah Malone tallied 12.
• Gwynedd Mercy Academy defeated Notre Dame Green Pond 50-26. The same GMA defense that held Central Catholic to a season low 31 did similarly to the Crusaders, keeping them to just one point after the first quarter. Olivia Schweitzer was held scoreless. Emily Lessig led the Crusaders with 11.
• Bethlehem Catholic competed in the Blue Star Invitational at Jefferson University on Sunday morning, drawing West Catholic out of District 12. The 10:30 start was no issue for the Hawks, as they flew by the Burrs 62-36.  Cici Hernandez notched a double-double, with 11 points and 10 assists. Aliyah Brame led the Hawks with 13 and Akasha Santos dropped in 12. Daviana Jones also got to double figures, scoring 10.

NEXT WEEK’S BIG GAMES:

1/8: Nazareth @ Easton, 7:00

1/8: Parkland @ Emmaus, 7:00

1/8: Dieruff @ Bethlehem Catholic, 7:00

1/9: Bangor @ Northwestern Lehigh, 6:15

1/10: Liberty @ Allentown Central Catholic, 7:00 (This game will be broadcast on EasternPASportsNetwork.com)

1/12: Easton @ Bethlehem Catholic, 7:00

1/12: Nazareth @ Liberty, 7:00

1/12: Allentown Central Catholic @ Pocono Mountain West, 7:00

1/13: Notre Dame Green Pond @ Catasauqua, 12:45

1/13: Governor Mifflin @ Nazareth, 2:30

Catch the weekly SCBL HS Hoops Podcast every week on EasternPASportsNetwork.com, featuring Ed Jennings and Scott Johnston on a boys edition, as well as Cody Brady and Scott on a girls edition. Each week, they review the best games, look forward to the week ahead, break down top teams and players, and name a player of the week!

Congratulations to Kayla Snyder(Fr) and Olivia Schweitzer(Sr), our Miller’s Ale House Players of the Week! Kayla scored 25 points in the Easton Rotary Tournament. Olivia scored 16 for Notre Dame Green Pond in the Allentown Central Catholic Christmas tournament.

EPC Standngs

East	Conference	Overall
Easton	8-0	11-0
Bethlehem Catholic	7-0	9-3
Nazareth	5-2	8-3
Liberty	5-2	6-5
Dieruff	4-4	7-4
Freedom	3-5	4-7
North
Stroudsburg	4-3	6-5
Pocono Mountain West	4-3	7-6
Pleasant Valley	2-6	2-9
East Stroudsburg South	1-7	1-10
Pocono Mountain East	0-7	1-10
East Stroudsburg North	0-7	0-11
West
Parkland	7-0	11-1
Allentown Central Catholic	6-2	8-4
Emmaus	4-3	5-6
Whitehall	4-4	4-7
William Allen	2-6	4-6
Northampton	1-6	2-9

Colonial Standings

East	Conference	Overall
Notre Dame Green Pond	8-0	10-2
Bangor	5-3	7-4
Pen Argyl	5-3	7-4
Moravian Academy	4-5	4-6
Palisades	3-4	3-5
Saucon Valley	1-6	2-8
Wilson Area	1-8	2-9
West
Palmerton	7-0	10-1
Northwestern Lehigh	5-2	9-2
Catasauqua	5-2	7-3
Northern Lehigh	3-4	6-6
Southern Lehigh	2-5	3-6
Salisbury	0-7	2-8

* – All standings current through 1/7/24