Monday, 12/16:
Emmaus 59, Liberty 40
If you told Avon Mack in the pregame that Kayla Snyder would only score four points on the night, but his team would win by 19, he may have not believed it. However, numerous Hornets have shown the ability to get hot at the right time. And a tough press spurred on their defense Monday night.
The Emmaus defense was on fire in the early going, forcing two quick turnovers from the Hurricanes. Trailing 4-2, Liberty turned the ball over on an inbound pass, resulting in a Kayla Snyder jumper to quickly extend the lead. The suffocating defensive effort continued and Emmaus closed the first quarter on a 16-2 run. Along the way, Cassie Doemling found herself under the basket multiple times for a lay-in and two trips to the foul line, making three of four shots. She was also a force on defense, pulling down numerous rebounds early. The Hornets turned Liberty over nine times in the quarter.
Ava Kopetskie was held in check early, with just one point in the opening stanza. Shawna Beatty also picked up two early fouls. Emmaus built a 27-9 lead in the second quarter on two long shots from 3-point specialist Olive Whitney and Gabby DeVita. While Liberty had turnover troubles extend through the half, Emmaus turned the ball just three times over the first two quarters.
Kopetskie and Beatty would go on to combine for 25 total points in the game ,but the early up-tempo pressure from the Hornets would ultimately be too much. The balanced attack of DeVita, Laird, Doemling, Whitney, and Sokolofski kept the Hurricanes off-balance the rest of the way.
Head coach Avon Mack remarked on the 19-point victory, speaking with Scott Johnston of the Eastern PA Sports Network, “The effort these ladies showed today is what we talk about in practice. The way they came out was exceptional.” On the early press and quick tempo, he noted that this was the plan. “We typically score a lot in the first quarter. If we can hold a team to 20 in the half, that’s our goal. We know they’ll[Liberty] be back; we’re going to see them later on.”
Gabby DeVita, who finished the night with 18 points, was impressed with her team’s effort: “We knew coming into the game that it’s going to be a tough game. We knew we had to come out strong and put our mark on [the game].”
The broadcast of this game can be heard on the Eastern PA Sports Network here
Other notes from Monday:
- Milly Wolf was the hero for the Vikettes, sinking a buzzer-beating shot to lift Central Catholic to a 39-38 win over Freedom. The game was nip-and-tuck throughout, with the largest lead being five points by the Vikettes. Wolf led all scorers with 18, putting up nine in the fourth quarter. Morgan Seagreaves scored eight, but was held off the board in the second half. The Vikettes improved to 3-3, while Freedom dropped to 2-4.
- Bangor stopped a four game skid, defeating Salisbury 46-32. Avery Nelson was, by and large, unstoppable, pouring in 26 points. The Falcons did fight back from down 17-4, cutting the deficit to nine at halftime. However, Bangor made 6 of 10 free throws down the stretch to close out the win.
- Bethlehem Catholic returned from our nation’s capital and took down EPC foe Whitehall, 57-19. Palin Coleman continued her string of big-contribution efforts, putting up 11. Aliyah Brame led all scorers with 12. The Golden Hawks drew 23 foul shots and converted on 16.
- Stroudsburg defeated East Stroudsburg North 58-26. McKayla Strunk led all scorers with 19 points, hitting three three-pointers, including the 100th of her career. Emily Bozena added 11 points, while Jorai (JJ) Hunter contributed 9 points in the victory. Rianna Burgos scored a team high 12 points for East Stroudsburg North.
- Easton took their talents on the road to Allentown, facing off with a Dieruff squad that is playing some high quality basketball. Trailing 20-16 at halftime, coach Lutz and his Red Rovers pounded out a 21-4 third quarter and pulled away late with a 52-35 win. The Rovers converted on 9 of 9 third quarter free throws and 19/29 overall. Nat Amato scored 19 and Lianna Cole was in double figures with 10. Amato converted on all 11 of her charity stripe opportunities and hit three triples. Kourin Carew was held to just one field goal on the night, but still managed seven points to help her team’s cause. Jayla Rosario led the Huskies with 12; eight of those came in the second half.
- Luna Lopez returned to action after missing the majority of two games due to injury. She was surely feeling better, dropping 23 points as part of Moravian’s 37-35 squeaker over Palisades. The Lions shot 16/24 from the charity stripe as part of the win, moving to 2-4 on the early season.
- Nazareth found themselves in quite the battle with the Canaries of William Allen. Rich Bickert’s team led just 21-15 at the half, before putting on a clinic and dominating 33-4 over the final two quarters to pull away for a 54-19 victory. Renee Wells and Alexa Davis combined to hit six treys, contributing to nine made 3-balls on the night. Wells finished with 21 points overall and Davis had 12. TaShona Spurgeon led the Canaries with 10. The victory moves Nazareth to 4-3. William Allen is now 3-5, but has played one of the most difficult EPC schedules thus far.
- Parkland withstood a stiff test from Northampton, emerging victorious 37-26. With just a one point lead at the break, the Trojans put the pedal to the floor in a 13-3 third quarter to create separation. Isabella Hallal led the Trojans with 11 points and was joined closely by Delaney Chilcote with 10. While Parkland only made one long shot in the game, they did go 8/10 on their free throws, all in the second half.
- Emma Campusano led all scorers with 17 in Pocono Mountain West’s dominant 52-15 performance over Pleasant Valley. Despite the Panthers going 5/23 on their free throws, they used five triples 21 made field goals overall to get the mercy rule win.
- Julia Vargo’s 12 first quarter points provided the kickstart in Pen Argyl’s 40-19 win over Southern Lehigh. Eight other Green Knights scored, adding to Vargo’s 18 points. Pen Argyl built a 21-6 halftime lead and cruised to a 6-1 record. Taylor McDonald remains a bright spot for the Spartans, scoring 10 in the game.
Tuesday, 12/17:
- Blue Mountain evened its record at 3-3, defeating Panther Valley 64-38. Ten Eagles scored, led by Makayla Keck’s 18. Keck sank four 3-pointers and Mila Fleagle added two of her own, scoring 14 on the night. Blue Mountain turned a seven-point halftime lead into a blowout, using a 24 point third quarter to leap ahead.
- Lauren Ligenza had a double double with 23 points and 16 rebounds in Tamaqua’s 52-25 win over Pine Grove. Kolbe Robb added 7 steals. The win moves Tamaqua to 7-1.
- It was Mikayla Pengelly’s turn to lead all scorers with 17, as Palmerton gave Jim Thorpe fits in a 61-16 contest. Pengelly had 17 on the night, as Ella Baumgardt, Cate Morgan and Hailey Barry all joined her with double figure efforts.
Wednesday, 12/18:
Palmerton 47, Catasauqua 31
The Blue Bombers entered Wednesday night looking to stay unbeaten. Catasauqua’s 2-3 record was a bit misleading, as the Rough Riders had played Bangor and Northwestern Lehigh tough. The battle of two powerful Haileys in the Colonial League was also must-see midweek action, along with the steady emergence of Cate Morgan.
The opening quarter was tight. While neither side got the other into turnover trouble, aggressive defense was the early story, forcing some off-balance and difficult shots. It was clear from the beginning that Palmerton was going to live or die by the 3-pointer; they shot 3/7 from range in the first. Mikayla Pengelly, Cate Morgan and Hailey Barry all hit one, showing off Palmerton’s multi-threat offense.
Hailey Jenkins, on the other hand, was contained for most of the first half, limited to seven points and the team’s only trey of the first two quarters. The 3-point shooting continued for Palmerton in the second quarter, as Ella Baumgardt got involved, hitting one from the left wing. That shot extended the Bombers’ lead to 17-8 before Jenkins responded to make it 17-11 in the middle of the second. Unfortunately for Catty, Jenkins’ 3-ball was one of just two made field goals in the second quarter, and Palmerton extended its lead to 25-13 by halftime. Pengelly showed off some athleticism inside with a nice hookshot moving away from the basket that made the score 22-11 at the time.
At the half, 13 of the 29 shots Palmerton took were from beyond the arc, and six went down.
The third quarter saw Hailey Jenkins pick up her scoring pace and draw a few fouls, putting her on the line. Despite this, the Rough Riders were limited to just three third quarter field goals, while the long shots kept coming from Palmerton. In the third quarter, Cate Morgan was everywhere, hitting two from downtown and cleaning up a missed corner triple by Pengelly, getting herself into perfect position to clean it up.
Jenkins and the Roughs had a rally going in the fourth quarter, cutting the lead to ten, but a few timeouts from head coach Jeremy Coleman settled his squad down, pushing the lead back to the final margin of 16 by the time the final buzzer sounded. Cate Morgan notched a new career high 15 points, with Barry right behind her at 13. Mikayla Pengelly also added 9. The Bombers shot 8/23 from 3-point land. In defeat, Hailey Jenkins had 21 points with 14 of those coming in the second half.
Palmerton improved to 7-0 and has a busy pre-Christmas schedule, facing Saucon Valley, Northwestern Lehigh and Pleasant Valley on Friday, Saturday and Monday respectively. Catasauqua falls to 2-4 and takes on Notre Dame Green Pond and Wilson Area before a long layoff until the new year.
Other notes from Wednesday:
- Aubrie LaBar hit a new personal best with 18 points in Bangor’s 46-37 win over Wilson. A back-and-forth game came down to a dominant fourth quarter for the Slaters, breaking a 32-32 tie after three to pull away for the win. In a game that consisted of 37 combined foul shots, Bangor went 13/16 at the free throw line(10/12 in the fourth), while Wilson was 14/21. Avery Nelson joined LaBar with an 18 point output, and is now 21 points shy of 1,000 for her career. She will have a chance to reach the milestone before the new year when Bangor hosts Pen Argyl on Friday. Juliana Bonham led the Warriors with 17 points, 11 of which came at the charity stripe.
- Blue Mountain faced off with a tough non-conference foe in Northern Lebanon, falling 41-23. The Eagles kept it close for the first half, trailing 18-15. Ruby Henninger hit the lone triple of the night for Blue Mountain. The Vikings won the second half 23-8, behind an 18 point effort from Olivia Shutler.
- A 29-14 second half lifted Northern Lehigh past Salisbury 59-38. Katelynn Barthold had a 27 point effort, marking a new career high. Tegan Simms added 21 points. Only four Bulldogs scored in the victory, but that was more than enough to move Northern Lehigh to 3-3.
- Emily Lessig set a new career high 16 points, as Notre Dame Green Pond blew by Southern Lehigh 54-20. Ten of eleven players on coach Josh Kopp’s roster scored at least a point. The Spartans were held to six made field goals as the Crusaders improved to 6-1, dropping Southern Lehigh to 1-7.
Thursday, 12/19:
Emmaus 49, Dieruff 42(PHOTO GALLERY)
A breakneck pace was played between two of the top teams in the Valley Thursday night at Dieruff High School. Emmaus saw a big lead evaporate into a one possession game late, but did enough to hold on in crunch time.
Kayla Snyder provided a first quarter spark, amassing seven points and hitting the first triple of the night for the Hornets. Aniyah Holder hit two buckets in the opening frame, but seven Huskies turnovers put Emmaus in front 16-9. Olive Whitney’s corner 3-ball extended the second quarter lead to 21-9.
Emmaus shot 50% in the first half, while capitalizing on many of Dieruff’s 13 turnovers. Jayla Rosario hit three times in the second quarter, including twice late to keep Dieruff within ten points. However, her eight points were the only ones of the quarter.
Emmaus opened quickly in the second half, with a Sofie Laird shot from the free throw line and 3-ball. Justyce McChristian hit from range, but the Huskies would fall behind by 14 at 32-18.
The pace of the game picked up even further in the final stanza; a Dieruff team that appeared to be beaten and struggling to score suddenly found its usual balanced effort. McChristian and Rosario hit the first two buckets of the fourth, bringing the deficit to 41-33 and prompting an Emmaus timeout. The Huskies would go on a 9-2 run over three minutes, cutting the Emmaus lead to 45-42 with :58 left on the clock in regulation. The run was capped when Rosario hit from the near wing for three points.
Dieruff was forced to foul inside that final minute. Sofie Laird hit one of her two free throws with :35 left to put Emmaus back up by four. She hit one more six seconds later to up the lead to five.
Kayla Snyder commented on the pace of the contest, “I feel like the flow was really fast, a little too fast for our liking. We definitely should’ve slowed it down.”
“Sofie’s effort was amazing. She worked so hard on defense and she played really good.”
“We’re playing really good as a team. We’re moving the ball well and working for each other.”
Other notes from Thursday:
- Bethlehem Catholic took East Stroudsburg South to task at home, beating the Cavaliers 64-8. Aliyah Brame led her team’s attack with 14 points and 11 different players scored. The Hawks hit 26 field goals, including five 3-pointers. Beca now enjoys some time off before they host Imhotep Charter on the 30th. The Cavaliers remain winless on the year.
- Freedom picked up its third victory of the season, getting by East Stroudsburg North 52-32. The Patriots pulled down 32 rebounds and attempted 71 shots on the night; Maia D’Amico scored 11 points, sinking the only triple of the night for her team. Kate Assad led her team with 16 points, hitting six times from the field.
- Easton rained a torrential downpour of 3’s on Pocono Mountain East, sinking eight treys in a 62-27 win. Melina Cole hit four times from range, leading all scorers with 16 points. Easton now gears up for its Rotary Club tournament next weekend.
- The Hurricanes bounced back from their loss to Emmaus by beating up on Pocono Mountain West 63-18. Ava Kopetskie reached the 20 point mark, hitting on four long balls along the way. Kendall Medina finished her night with 14 points and Anijah Davis went for 10.
- Nazareth went off for 78 points, defeating Pleasant Valley 78-5. The Blue Eagles pitched a shutout for the final three quarters. Renee Wells scored 21 points, converting three of her team’s eight triples. Alexa Davis and Peyton Long followed up with 16 and 10 points respectively.
- The Konkrete Kids halted a two-game win streak by Stroudsburg, pulling away in the second half for a 49-36 win. Anne Beenders and Jenna Raysely lead Northampton with 14 points. McKayla Strunk had a game high 18 points for Stroudsburg.
Friday, 12/20:
- North Schuylkill improved to 5-0, getting past Blue Mountain 46-35. Gianna Capone scored seven of her 16 points in the first quarter, helping the Spartans build a 12-3 lead early. Hannah Kane bookended the effort, scoring eight of her 15 in the fourth quarter. Hailey place scored 11 for the Eagles, as Blue Mountain cut the lead to three entering the final quarter. However, North Schuylkill hit four of their final five free throws along with the effort from Kane. Conversely, Blue Mountain made just six of 16 free throws on the game.
- Palmerton showed excellent scoring balance in a 49-17 home victory against Saucon Valley. Mikayla Pengelly, Hailey Barry and Courtney Connell all reached the nine point mark, while Cate Morgan led the way with 11. Morgan was particularly instrumental in the early going, hitting three treys in the first half.
- The WIlson Warriors doubled up Southern Lehigh 62-31. Freshman Juliana Bonham continued rewriting her early career high, this time amassing 28 points. She knocked down 11 shots and converted five of six free throws, as Wilson built a 39-12 lead by half, putting the game away.
Weekend Postponements:
- Pen Argyl @ Bangor – TBD
- Catasauqua @ NDGP – TBD
- Jim Thorpe @ Lehighton – TBD
- Central Catholic @ Parkland – 12/23
- Tri-Valley @ Marian Catholic – 12/23
- Tamaqua @ Minersville – 1/6
- Salisbury @ Moravian – 1/21
- Northern Lehigh @ Palisades – 1/27
- Schuylkill Haven @ Panther Valley – 1/15
- Lourdes Regional @ Weatherly – TBD
- Stroudsburg @ Bangor – 1/21
- Williams Valley @ Nativity BVM – 1/27
- North Schuylkill @ Shamokin – 1/2
- Mount Carmel @ Schuylkill Haven – 2/1
Saturday, 12/21:
Northwestern Lehigh 43, Palmerton 41
Fourteen hours after their victory over Saucon Valley, the Palmerton Blue Bombers were tipping off on the road in New Tripoli for a showdown of two of the top teams in the Colonial League. Northwestern Lehigh used an early barrage of 3-pointers and a second half surge to knock the Bombers from the ranks of the conference unbeatens.
A fast and furious first quarter began with a Natalie Conner long shot 90 seconds in. Brook Balliet, two minutes later, hit on a wide open 3-ball off an inbounds pass. For Palmerton, Mikayla Pengelly hit three shots inside, and the quarter ended with the two teams knotted at 10.
Natalie Conner continued her big day with two triples in the second quarter. The second of those came from the top of the key with 3:10 to go in the half. The Tigers shot four-of-nine from range in the first half, while holding the Bombers to just one-of-four. However, the lead for the Tigers was a razor-thin one point margin.
Courtney Connell opened the third quarter, giving Palmerton the lead, laying one in after receiving a home run throw from the back court. Brook Balliet quickly responded with a triple from the wing. Cara Thomas ran through the lane for a score near the end of the quarter and Northwestern took a 32-26 lead into the final frame.
The Tigers built a nine point lead in the first four minutes of the final quarter. Natalie Conner continued building on her morning, hitting a step back jumper from straight on just above the free throw line. She fought her way through the lane moments later, extending the lead to 41-34 with 2:30 to play.
Down the stretch, Northwestern Lehigh had foul shooting trouble. In the fourth quarter, the Tigers were 2/10 from the charity stripe, allowing the Bombers to shoot their way back in and have a chance at the end. With :33 left, Hailey Barry made a 2-pointer from the right wing, cutting the Palmerton deficit to 42-39.
Conner would go to the line with 17.7 seconds left. Her first free throw bounced off. The second went in, but was disallowed for her crossing the line, keeping the game at a one possession margin and giving the ball to Palmerton. Palmerton dribbled across midcourt and Jeremy Coleman’s team called timeout with 4.6 to go. Rather than let Palmerton shoot the 3-ball to tie it, Chris Deutsch opted to have his team foul. Hailey Barry made the first foul shot and would need to miss the second so that her team could try and get the rebound. Instead, the ball went through the next and that all but secured the Tigers’ victory.
Natalie Conner finished her afternoon with 22 points, leading all scorers. Natalie spoke to Penn Sports Radio after the game: “I think we just came out with intensity.
The freshman added, “All my coaches always encourage me to shoot as soon as I’m open and having that confidence back me up is so important. I love a good physical game, and it surely was. Hustling through the game…is what caused us to win.”
Head coach Chris Deutsch’s thoughts: “Palmerton’s very methodical. They execute very well in the half court and we wanted to try to speed it up a little bit, but that’s how we always play. We got that nine point lead in the fourth quarter and we just didn’t do a good enough job in making foul shots. We need to make foul shots and layups when we have to.”
On Conner’s effort, he added, “She hit some big shots for us. It was back and forth in that first half; these games with Palmerton are always tight. We were fortunate to come away with the win.”
Palmerton head coach Jeremy Coleman talked about his team’s effort, as well: “We knew they were going to come out and run their press. We did a pretty good job of breaking that, but would have liked to capitalize on a few more layups. We need to do that a little better in the future. Overall, I’m proud of the girls for fighting [back]. We had a tough third quarter, but the girls fought back and made it tight in the end. These are the type of games we need for later on in the season.
Other notes from Saturday:
- Marian Catholic got past Central Catholic 49-37 at Rockne Hall. Milly Wolf and Shamiya Roberts each provided seven points in the first half, but the Vikettes fell behind by five at the break. Addie Fritz led The Fillies with 12 points, while she was joined in double figures by Olivia Serfass and Deanna Pugh at 11 each. Addy Marek was also a key contributor, hitting two of Marian’s eight triples on the night and finishing with eight points. Marian Catholic is now 7-1, second in the DXI AA standings behind undefeated Williams Valley.
- Juliana Bonham remained hot, scoring 19. pulling down 9 rebounds, and adding six assists in Wilson’s 63-32 win over Catasauqua. Both Aby Colon and Kiera Hartzell-Ham scored 11 and In the loss, Hailey Jenkins threw down 27 points, including going 12 of 18 from the free throw line.
- The Crusaders of Notre Dame Green Pond rolled up a 42-2 first half before defeating Saucon Valley 75-18. Ava Shonk and Ava Hobbie each scored 16, while Brenna Hammerstone added 10. Thirty field goals went in for NDGP, as they improved to 7-1 and prepare to face Gwynedd Mercy next Friday in the Central Catholic Christmas tournament.
LSV Sports 
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