Inside Lehigh Valley Girls Hoops Week 9

MONDAY 1/22

• For the first time in her career, sophomore Shamiyah Roberts led all scorers for the Vikettes. She hit double digits with 10 points in Central Catholic’s 53-28 win over Whitehall. The Vikettes hit 17 of their 21 free throws and won decisively, despite missing Molly Driscoll and Milly Wolf once again.
• Cici Hernandez scored 20 and Akasha Santos poured n 18 as Bethlehem Catholic defeated Liberty 52-45. Ruby Miller matched their efforts with 18 of her own in a back-and-forth affair. Jordan Thompson scored eight pointsi n the fourth quarter, but the Lady Hawks held on.
• Catasauqua snapped a three game losing streak with a 44-31 win at Southern Lehigh. Sophia Becker led all scorers with 19, sinking eight field goals along the way. The Rough Riders went 13/27 from the charity stripe, but maintained their double digit lead throughout the entire second half. Tessa Seagreaves had 13 in the loss.
• Ayla Hashway(Jr) had a breakout game for East Stroudsburg North. Hashway hit six triples and led all scorers with 18 in a 42-30 victory over Pleasant Valley. Three of those deep shots came in the third quarter to help the Timberwolves gain separation after a 15-15 first half.
• Three Panthers went into double figures as Pocono Mountain West beat East Stroudsburg South 48-18. The victory marked the sixth in a row for PM West. Anai’sah Malone led the way with 15 points, hitting three times from beyond the arc. Ashley Hunter-Ali added 12, draining five field goals. Mia Bowden also hit five field goals, reaching 10 points. The Cavaliers were held to five points in the second half.
• Evalyse Cole and Mallory Elias each scored 19 in Easton’s 77-19 rout of Dieruff. Mallory hit five of her team’s ten treys, while Megan Elias knocked down three more. The Red Rovers held the Huskies to no points in the fourth quarter.
• Gabby DeVita got out to another hot start against Northampton, finishing the night with 14 points. Off the bench, Sylvia Sokolofski added 12, as the Green Hornets used a 29-15 second half to pull away from Northampton 50-39. Emmaus went to the free throw line 26 times, converting 15 chances. Anne Beenders led the Konkrete Kids and all scorers with 15. For more on this game, visit EmmausSports.com
• Nazareth blew by Freedom 54-21, building a 31-7 halftime lead. Peyton Long scored 14 and Renee Wells added 12, as the two combined for 11 made shots from the field. The win was the fourth in five outtings for the Blue Eagles.
• Northern Lehigh continued to turn up the heat on opponents, blowing out Wilson 72-36. Aubrey Pollard banged home 28 points and Katelynn Barthold totalled 23. The Bulldogs continued their hot shooting, sinking 29 field goals and doubling up Wilson by halftime.
• Palmerton picked up a key non-conference victory over the Mount Carmel Red Tornadoes, 53-33. Hannah Barry led all scorers with 17, hitting three times from downtown. A three point halftime lead quickly increased, as the Blue Bombers held Mount Carmel to five points in the third, while scoring 17. Depth was key, as seven different Bombers scored in the second half, while only four Red Tornadoes scored in the game.
• The Trojans scored ten times from range in a 68-40 win over William Allen. East Stroudsburg commit Madi Siggins poured n 19, becoming the second Trojan to reach the 1,000 point milestone this season. Talia Zurinskas added 10. In defeat, Layla Sweatte reached the 20 point mark.
• Stroudsburg secured a commanding 67-34 win over Pocono Mountain. McKayla Strunk led the scoring with a game high 18 points. Stroudsburg had a number of strong performances including a career high 13 points from Emily Bozena and a career high 11 points from Ella Henritzy.

TUESDAY 1/23

Emmaus 56, Whitehall 27

Pressure, pressure, and more pressure was the key for Emmaus Tuesday night. The press produced 19 first half turnovers and Emmaus took full advantage, rocketing out to a 16-2 lead. “Our focus has always been defense. We firmly believe our offense looks best when we are making them uncomfortable and push the ball in transition. We’re at our best when we apply that pressure,” said Hornets coach Kelsey Gallagher. The offense was in full force, too. Gabby DeVita notched a new career high with 23 points, aided by four steals in the first half and three shots from downtown. “She’s actually started the last three games on fire…it gives us that really good momentum coming into a game knowing we’re getting those guaranteed points early on.” Mya Cooper also reached double figures with 13 and overall, eight different Hornets scored on the night. The Hornets’ goals remain the same moving forward: “Work hard, play together as a team, let’s get some wins and get back to the EPC tournament and go into districts from there.”

Other notes from Tuesday

• Avery Nelson scored 24 of her team’s points in a 41-29 win over Moravian. Moravian starters were held to two points in the third quarter as Bangor pulled away late. Luna Lopez led Moravian with 10 points.
• Freedom gradually pulled away from Southern Lehigh 54-46. Tessa Seagreaves scored 17 but it would not be enough as the Patrios held her to just two points in the second half. Jordan Macilroy was consistent throughout, finishing with 14 points on the night.
• Northern Lehigh notched its ninth consecutive double digit victory, blasting Salisbury 62-26. The Bulldogs quickly built a 42-7 halftime lead, led by Katelynn Barthold’s 22 points and 18 from Aubrey Pollard. Teegan Simms added 12. This time out, Northern Lehigh hit 25 field goals and continued to roll through its Colonial league opponents in January.
• The Schweitzer sisters had a strong first half on the road at Northwestern Lehigh, leading Notre Dame Green Pond to a 48-36 statement win. Olivia tallied 18 and Ella scored her seven in the first half. The Crusaders hit five of their fix fourth quarter free throws, maintaining the double digit lead they had established by halftime.
• Wilson Area pulled out a 35-30 victory over Palisades, behind 16 from Mikaila Brooks and 13 from Aby Colon. The victory could have been by a much wider margin, but Wilson only hit five of 25 free throws. Palisades hit five of their 12 free throws and a late surge by Ella Young and company would come up short.
• Macy Kotulka and Ellie Wallbillich each hit a trio of triples in Pen Argyl’s 45-15 dominating win over Saucon Valley. This marked the Green Knights’ ninth consecutive win dating back to December. Wallbillich finished the night with 16 points.  

WEDNESDAY 1/24

Liberty 34, Parkland 61

Points in transition were overwhelmingly in the favor of the Trojans from the get-go in this game. Liberty didn’t turn the ball over much, but Parkland had the edge in speed to streak down the court for numerous open buckets. Sweet passes into the lane led to more easy jumpers and layups. In addition to Talia Zurinskas and Madi Siggins combining for 31 points, Aneri McGalla has been coming on strong. She tallied seven first half points and nine on the night. The Trojans’ defense was also catalyzed by their speed, holding Ruby Miller to two first half points and Ava Kopetskie to just three in the game.  

Other notes from Wednesday:

• Bethlehem Catholic went on the road in another tough non-conference contest at Imhotep Charter of Philadelphia. The Hawks came away with a 45-42 overtime victory. It was a physical game, with Bethlehem Catholic taking a 24-13 halftime lead. However, Imhotep came back with a 15-6 third quarter and held Cici Hernandez to just three points. Imhotep forced overtime, but poor foul shooting would be their demise, hitting just 12 of 33. Both Hernandez and Santos ultimately fouled out of the game, but the team pulled ahead on two Santos buckets and two Bincarosky free throws in overtime.
• Eleven Red Rovers scored in Easton’s 77-15 drubbing of East Stroudsburg North. A 34-0 first quarter quickly turned into a 62-4 halftime lead. Easton sank 34 field goals on the evening, as Mallory Elias’ 22 points led the way. Evalyse Cole scored 16 and both Olivia Keckler and Kourin Carew totalled 10.
• Lincoln Leadership was held to just one first quarter point in William Allen’s 55-34 win. Layla Sweatte went off for 21 points, scoring eight times from the field. She was supported by Kim Arias and Ella-Jewel McPhearson, who each added 12.

THURSDAY 1/25

Pen Argyl 60, Northern Lehigh 55

Pen Argyl head coach Todd Oesnick stated in the pregame that he expected a high scoring, up-and-down pace, with two teams evenly matched and playing similar styles. He nailed it. From the outset, the pace was a breakneck one and by the first quarter buzzer, the teams were tied at 16. Pen Argyl jumped out to an 8-3 lead, but Northern Lehigh quickly rallied on a 9-0 run. However, the Green Knights continued to pour it on in the second quarter, amassing another 18 points on three shots by Ellie Wallbillich and five from Julia Vargo. By halftime, Pen Argyl was up 34-24 and Dekota Barthold and Teegan Simms had been held scoreless. The Green Knights would extend their lead to as many as 14, but Northern Lehigh rallied hard in the final quarter. Teegan Simms hit a big 3-pointer and Aubrey Pollard scored 10 points. They would cut the lead to seven. Ellie Wallbillich, though, put her team on her back and ran up her point total to a career high 30. She hit all eight of her second half free throws and converted a four point play. “It was huge being that it was on the road. Now we’ve got a ten game winning streak and secures us a good spot in the Colonial League,” commented Wallbillich on the importance of the victory. “I was pretty confident. I feel like when I step up to that line I just have to focus on me and the basket and I did my part at the line,” she added, speaking to her strong finish. On the ten game win streak, she stated, “from back in the beginning of the season to now, it’s a huge change. We’re working as a team and we’re willing to put in the work; we’re ready to come out and play.”

This game was heard on the Eastern PA Sports Network. To listen back to the archive, click here.

Other notes from Thursday

•  The Crusaders got off to a hot start against Bangor on their way to a 46-18 road win. Notre Dame Green Pond won the first quarter 10-2 and did not allow a double digit scorer, limiting Avery Nelson to nine points. Olivia Schweitzer knocked down thee treys in the first half and finished the game with 17 points.
• Nazareth held Pocono Mountain West to a season low output in a 41-32 victory. A strong fourth quarter for the Blue Eagles helped them pull away from what had been a two point game. Renee Wells led Nazareth with 13 points, while Alyssa Ford racked up 18 for the Panthers. Most notably, the Blue Eagles held Panthers’ standout Anai’sah Malone scoreless for the night.
• Strong second half performances from Armani Brickhouse, Milly Wolf, and Abbey Kofroth helped the Vikettes squeak by Freedom 44-42. Brickhouse scored ten of her twelve in the second half, while Wolf added six of her nine and Kofroth scored five in the fourth quarter. Freedom was led by Alexus McNeil, who tallied 22 and knocked down five shots from beyond the arc.
• Catasauqua took care of business in a 48-20 win over Salisbury. By halftime, the score was 32-8 and Delaney Troxell had all of her 11 points. Hailey Jenkins led all scorers with 13.
• Emmaus continued its winning ways, picking up their fourth in a row with a 61-21 mercy rule victory over Southern Lehigh. Nine Green Hornets scored and Mya Cooper, Gabby DeVita, and Cassie Doemling all hit double figures.
• Western Wayne snapped a five game win streak for the Lady Raptors. A 15-6 fourth quarter propelled Western Wayne to the win in what had been a close game to that point. Emily Romanowski was a force to be reckoned with, scoring 26. Khloe Mistishin added 14.
• Luna Lopez exploded for a 25 point effort in Moravian Academy’s 41-36 victory over Palisades, snapping a five game skid. She banged home six of her team’s eight triples. Amelia Smith scored 18 for Palisades and hit four treys of her own in the loss.
• Palmerton came away with an enormous road conference victory, upending Northwestern Lehigh 46-31. One of coach Jeremy Coleman’s goals in this one was to hold down the powerful Tigers offense that had not been held under 50 points in seven of their last eight games. The Blue Bombers responded, holding Cara Thomas to 14 points and getting their own offense going early. Courtney Connell had another outstanding game, scoring six in the first quarter and finishing as the team’s leading scorer with 13, followed by 12 from Sydney Frants.

FRIDAY 1/26

• The Vikettes, sans Molly Driscoll, found themselves in another close game with an unlikely opponent. However, they pulled it out against a valiant Northampton effort, 40-31. Like other recent contests, Central Catholic got big contributions from Milly Wolf(14), Sammy Roth(13), and Armani Brickhouse(8). While the Vikettes only made three field goals in the entire second half, they were able to close this one out at the charity stripe, shooting 10/12. Anne Beenders once again led the Konkrete Kids in scoring with 12, but was held to four in the second half.
• Coming off an overtime victory in Philadelphia just two nights earlier, it would be reasonable to expect that Bethlehem Catholic might have an off-game or be a bit worn out. That was certainly not the case as they defeated another star-studded opponent in Nazareth, 51-44.  Ella Bincarosky sank five 3-pointers and Cici Hernandez added two more. Bincarosky finished with a game leading 17 points. In the loss, Sam Baker and Renee Wells combined for 26.
• Northern Lehigh raced out to a 16 point halftime lead against the Rough Riders and hung on for a 64-56 victory. Behind the 25 point effort of Hailey Jenkins and 16 from Delaney Troxell, Catty cut the deficit to seven with about five minutes left in the game. However, the Bulldogs would not be stopped, as Aubrey Pollard went for 25 points and 16 rebounds for her 14^th double-double. Freshman Teegan Simms had another career night, dropping in 15 and Katelynn Barthold added 14 as Northern Lehigh continues to pique at the right time.
• Pocono Mountain West took out its frustrations from the Nazareth game on East Stroudsburg North, routing them 62-18. After being held scoreless her last time out, Anai’sah Malone dropped 18 on the Timberwolves, while Alyssa Ford added 11 and Ashley Hunter-Ali netted 10.
• Stroudsburg defeated East Stroudsburg South 51-23. McKayla Strunk led the way with a career-high 21 points, 8 rebounds and 5 assists. Zoe Brown contributed 9 points with 7 rebounds. Teagan Strunk scored 13 points and grabbed 7 rebounds. The win advances Stroudsburg’s season record to 9-7, while East Stroudsburg South fell to 3-14.
• Easton notched another no-doubter, defeating Freedom 55-26. The Patriots led 10-9 after one, but the Red Rovers outscored Freedom 38-11 over the middle two stanzas. Evalyse Cole led the way with 20 points and was 8/8 on her free throws. Mallory Elias sank five 3-pointers for her 15. Alexus McNeil was held to five points on the night.
• Emmaus continued its hot streak with another offensively charged effort, blasting William Allen 66-43. Sofie Laird was the only Hornet to reach double figures at 10, as 12 players found their way into the scoring column. Gabby DeVita stayed consistent, contributing eight points and senior Julia Adams added another eight off the bench. It was a happy Senior Night for Emmaus as the starters and bench both racked up 33 points. In the loss, Layla Sweatte scored 21. For more on this game, visit EmmausSports.com
• On the eve of a monster matchup between Parkland and Easton, the Troians showed no signs of let-up in a 66-19 rout of Whitehall. Aneri McGalla notched a new career high 18, while it was business as usual for Madi Siggins(11) and Talia Zurinskas(10). McGalla hit four from range and Addi Fritizinger added three of her own. Whitehall was held scoreless in the second quarter.
• The Dieruff Huskies had a tough night in Bethlehem, falling to Liberty 54-29. Julia Medaska and Abby Thompson each had 10 point outputs and Emma Pukszyn scored her six in the first half. Marisa Price did lead all scorers with 12, but the rest of her teammates were stymied. 
• Farrah Shaheen, outstanding junior for Pocono Mountain East, scored 29 in their 55-21 rout of Pleasant Valley. Shaheen hit eight times from the field in the second half, while the defense held the Bears to two points in the fourth quarter.
• Executive Education had no trouble with Lehigh Valley Academy Charter, pummeling them 62-14. Melody Robinson led the Raptors with 16 and Tiana Carey added 15.

SATURDAY 1/27

Easton 63, Parkland 58 (OT)

Originally slated for last week, snow pushed the long anticipated battle of two juggernauts back just a bit longer. It was well worth the wait. In a game that featured 23 combined 3-pointers, a 1,000^th point, and overtime between the top two teams in DXI class 6A, what more could you ask for? Aneri McGalla, Talia Zurinskas, and Delaney Chilcote all hit early triples, matched by Eva Cole and Megan Elias. Megan would go on to knock down seven shots from range on the afternoon in a 23 point effort. “Megan shot lights out today—she stepped up today when we needed her,” Nat Amato said of her teammate.

 Madi Siggins had a strong second quarter, finishing in the lane three times off of a few late Red Rovers turnovers. Parkland went into the half leading 28-25.

Easton’s defense held strong in the third quarter, holding Parkland scoreless for the first five minutes. Meanwhile, the Rovers continued to rain threes from Megan Elias, Olivia Keckler, and Karin Carew. Zurinskas broke the cold snap for the Trojans and Chilcote hit from beyond the arc with 1:33 left in the quarter.

With 7:08 left in regulation, Eva Cole stole the ball in the back court and laid it in to surpass the 1,000 point mark. “I wans’t really that nervous. Getting the breakaway steal—I knew that would seal the deal. My parents were very happy for me; they told me to finish the game.

Sophomore Nat Amato hit one of two free throws with 1:35 to go in regulation. Delaney Chilcote then hit two triples down the stretch. The first was with 1:16 to go, and the second was from the corner with just :50 left, giving Parkland their first lead of the second half at 54-52. Nat Amato was then fouled going to the basket and hit both to tie the game. Easton would then foul three straight times to take time off the clock for Parkland’s final possession of the quarter. Parkland turned it over and with seconds left, Megan Elias drove the lane but had her shot blocked, forcing overtime.

In the extra session, Kourin Carew hit from two with 2:05 left. A minute later, Nat Amato came up big with a corner 3 to give Easton a five point lead, 63-58. Amato would then hit four of six free throws in crunch time to seal the game. A Parkland long shot with seconds remaining could have tied the game, but rimmed out. Amato on her 3-pointer in overtime: “I was confident. It was a good pass and as soon as I let go I knew it was good.”

Other notes from Saturday

• Tiana Carey led all scorers for the Lady Raptors with 10, as Executive Education made it two wins in two days, crushing Dobbins Vo-Tech 58-17. The victory clinched a district berth for Executive Education and was the seventh in eight outings.
• Dieruff came away with a 43-31 victory over East Stroudsburg South, taking one step closer to clinching their first district playoff berth in 23 years. Jayla Rosario led all scorers with 13, while Marisa Price knocked down 10, all on second half free throws.
• Stroudsburg defeated Notre Dame of East Stroudsburg 55-8 Saturday morning. McKayla Strunk made seven three-pointers on ten attempts to finish with a career high 23 points and a game high 7 rebounds. Seven three pointers was one off of the school record. Teagan Strunk added 6 rebounds and 6 assists.

NEXT WEEK’S BIG GAMES:

1/29: Bangor @ Palmerton

1/30: Emmaus @ Central Catholic

1/30: Nazareth @ Dieruff

2/2: Easton @ Nazareth

2/2: Emmaus @ Parkland

2/2: Northern Lehigh @ Northwestern Lehigh

2/3: Pen Argyl @ Notre Dame Green Pond

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 last week’s players of the week:

Colonial League: Avery Nelson

EPC: Layla Sweatte

EPC Standngs

East	Conference	Overall
Bethlehem Catholic	12-0	15-3
Easton	12-1	18-1
Nazareth	9-4	13-6
Liberty	8-4	9-9
Dieruff	5-8	10-8
Freedom	3-9	5-13
North
Pocono Mountain West	9-4	12-7
Stroudsburg	7-5	10-7
East Stroudsburg South	3-10	3-15
Pocono Mountain East	2-9	3-13
Pleasant Valley	2-12	2-16
East Stroudsburg North	1-12	1-17
West
Parkland	13-1	17-2
Allentown Central Catholic	9-4	13-6
Emmaus	7-5	10-8
Whitehall	5-8	6-12
William Allen	3-9	7-10
Northampton	3-9	4-14

Colonial Standings

East	Conference	Overall
Notre Dame Green Pond	13-1	15-3
Pen Argyl	11-3	14-4
Bangor	9-5	12-6
Moravian Academy	5-10	5-11
Wilson Area	4-11	6-12
Palisades	3-8	4-11
Saucon Valley	1-12	2-14
West
Palmerton	12-0	16-1
Northwestern Lehigh	9-4	14-4
Northern Lehigh	10-5	13-7
Catasauqua	8-6	10-7
Southern Lehigh	3-10	4-14
Salisbury	1-12	3-14

* – All standings current through 1/28/24