Monday, 12/23:
- Parkland eked out a 38-34 win over Central Catholic. A furious fourth quarter effort by Milly Wolf, scoring 10 of her 21, was not enough, as the Vikettes fell to 3-4. For Parkland, Delaney Chilcote led the way with 16 points and Aneri McGalla added 11.
- Ashlyn Oessenick led all scorers for Pen Argyl in their 47-19 win over Palisades. A seven point third quarter lifted her to an 11 point effort on the evening, while Julia Vargo had nine points. The Green Knights built a 24-7 halftime lead on balanced scoring from Grace Weaver and Bella Whitman as well. Ten Pen Argyl players got into the book, as the team improved to 7-1 in the ultra-competitive 3A field.
- Palmerton kept Pleasant Valley winless by way of a 46-14 victory. Hailey Barry and Courtney Connell each had nine points, while Mikayla Pengelly led the way with 13.
- Stroudsburg beat Delaware Valley 45-27 in non-conference girls basketball on Monday afternoon. McKayla Strunk scored a game high 16 points and Emily Bozena added 11 points for Stroudsburg. Ciara Newton and Amanda Aragena scored a team high 5 points for Delaware Valley.
Friday, 12/27:
Parkland 36, Wilson 33(OT)(Photo Gallery)
When teams have tough shooting nights, it becomes paramount to do two things: value each possession by not turning the ball over, and make your free throws. This one came down to both of those factors, as the Trojans got by the Bulldogs in overtime Friday afternoon.
Parkland made just two field goals in the first quarter, as Delaney Chilcote made the Trojans’ first bucket at the 4:00 mark after a couple of free throws early. It also took Wilson a while to open the bucket, as Laura Crocona and Kailani Hardy hit on back-to-back possessions after Chilcote’s score. Crocona hit a triple in the second quarter, which the Bulldogs won 4-3. With the 15-10 halftime lead, Wilson was doing a great job controlling multiple Parkland weapons in Addi Fritzinger and Isabella Hallal.
At the half, the Trojans were just 3-for-16 from the field and had turned the ball over seven times. Wilson was only shooting 25%, but had hit two timely long balls and had squandered only three possessions via the turnover.
Parkland’s fortunes changed on a dime late in the third quarter. Fritzinger tied the game at 15 on a corner trey. With about :30 left in the quarter, Aneri McGalla hit a wing three and was crashed into by Jade Lee. With the four point play converted, Parkland took its first lead of the day, 23-22 entering the final quarter.
The scoring drought returned for the Trojans for the first half of the fourth. Violet Houck, returning from injury, and Emma Williams scored two quick buckets within 35 seconds of each other to put the Bulldogs back ahead 28-23. A steal and finish by Fritzinger kept Parkland within a possession, making it 28-25 with 2:40 to play.
Coach Ed Ohlson’s team then employed the press, forcing four consecutive turnovers in the backcourt by Wilson West Lawn. Parkland got the final possession of regulation, but a top of the key three would not go and we headed to overtime knotted at 31 a piece.
After early turnover trouble in the game, Parkland lost the ball just three times in the second half and overtime. Free throw shooting was key in the extra session, as the Trojans shot four-of-five. Delaney Chilcote stepped to the charity stripe with :20.8 left in OT and sank a pair, putting her team up 36-33. This was right after Hardy had missed a pair. In the fourth quarter and overtime, Wilson went 1/6 on their free throws, while Parkland was 7/10 down the stretch. A potential tying shot went off the rim for the Bulldogs and Parkland emerged with the victory.
Delaney Chilcote talked about her big free throws in overtime: “Throughout the season I’ve been in that spot a couple times, so I’ve had some practice at it. I just tried to lock in and not realize the pressue that’s put on me and not thinking before shooting, that’s the key.”
“I think we started making better decisions and making foul shots. Our defense led to our offense, and that’s the key this year. I think we really turned around our whole season with this game. Our offense really flowed a lot better. We competed every play.”
Liberty 47, Abington Heights 56(Photo Gallery)
Despite a top-notch shooting day by Ava Kopetskie, resulting in a 22-point effort, Liberty could not overcome a powerful Abington Heights offensive run in the second quarter, ultimately falling in the semifinals of the Parkland Christmas tournament.
The Hurricanes got out to a quick start, leading 4-0 after Kopetskie kicked off the scoring. She would go on to convert a three-point play and hit a triple in the quarter, amassing eight of Liberty’s 14 first quarter points. After leading 12-8, though, the Comets responded with long shots from Maggie and Emma Coleman. Abington Heights closed the first quarter on a 7-2 run and led 15-14.
The Comets kept the pressure on, scoring the first even points of the second quarter. Maggie Coleman stole a pass and went the other way for the bucket. She would end the half with 12 points, while Emma had eight. A short jumper in the lane by Shawna Beatty would cut the score to 22-19, but Abington Heights then went on a 9-4 run to end the half, leading 31-23 at the break.
Despite some late turnover trouble for the Comets, they would go on to shoot 8/13 from the field in the second half, retaining a double-digit lead for most of the latter stages. Emma Coleman finished her day with 16 points, while Maggie added 12. Off the bench, Sarah Cantner contributed eight and Madeliene Walsh led her squad with 18 points, proving a constant threat.
Other notes from Friday:
- Milly Wolf did it again, getting a half court buzzer-beater to go for the Vikettes, pulling off the 51-49 victory over Lake-Lehman. Her 23 point day, combined with 17 from Morgan Seagreaves, would offset 19 from Ella Wilson and 13 from Kinley Purdy in a back-and-forth affair. Some late fouls resulted in a Purdy three-point play and six other trips to the foul line for the Knights, allowing them to grab the late 49-48 edge. But for the second time this season, Wolf’s desperation shot went down and the Vikettes avoided disappointment on their home court.
- The other semifinal was also a tightly-contested one at Rockne Hall, as Gwynedd Mercy squeaked by Notre Dame Green Pond 36-35. The Crusaders led 28-22 after three, but had trouble closing out the victory. The Monarchs held NDGP to just one made field goal in the final quarter, while getting scoring from six different players in the fourth to pull off the win. Chloe McCarthy led the Monarchs with 8, followed closely by Megan McDonnell’s six, and five each from Bailey Balkir and Carsy Kelly.
- Easton cruised by Freedom in the opening round of the Easton Rotary tournament, 55-15. A first quarter barrage saw the lead immediately balloon to 24-0, behind seven different Rovers scoring on the night. Melina Cole and Gabby Wismer led the way with 12 each, while Kourin Carew dropped in ten more. Easton made 22 shots from the field, advancing to their title game.
- The other semifinal was much of the same story, as Emmaus blew past Phillipsburg 53-10. The Hornets shut out the Stateliners 23-0 in the opening stanza and nine different players would mark the score sheet. Gabby Devita led them all, pouring in 19 points, followed by Olive Whitney with three triples and a free throw. The wins by Emmaus and Easton setup the matchup many were anticipating between two powerhouses in the EPC.
- Tamaqua ran its record to 8-1, zipping by Mahanoy Area 60-28. The win marked the sixth in a row for the Raiders, highlighted by a 22-point performance from Lauren Ligenza. Tamaqua sank 26 buckets in the victory, with only one being from beyond the arc. Tamaqua will host EPC foe Dieruff on Monday night.
- Northampton won its opener against tournament host Pocono Mountain West, 63-23. Anne Beenders went off for four treys in the first half, as the Konkrete Kids put up 40 by halftime. Beenders finished with 15 and Jenna Raysely knocked down six shots for 12. The Panthers were held to just six points in the second half.
- Six 3-pointers helped Nazareth join Northampton in the title game at the PM West tournament, defeating Palmerton 38-29. Alexa Davis hit three long shots, totaling 11 points on her night, while Renee Wells led all scorers with 16. Defensively, the Blue Eagles contained Hailey Barry, holding her to three points. Mikayla Pengelly led the Bombers with nine.
- Julia Vargo continued to have a special senior season. She scored a career high 30, including all 11 in the fourth quarter of Pen Argyl’s 53-49 win against Pocono Mountain East. Foul shooting was a struggle for both teams, as the Green Knights were 13/27 and the Cardinals went 10/22. Pen Argyl won without a single three-pointer, making 20 buckets from inside the arc. Zaniya Days, the Cardinals’ leading scorer, fouled out in the fourth quarter, after putting up 13 points.
- Salisbury came up just short in a 44-42 defeat at the hands of Kutztown, despite having three players hit double figures. The Falcons squandered a 25-15 halftime lead, getting outscored 19-9 in the fourth. In defeat, Kendra Morgan had 14, Isabella Gonzalez 13, and Sophia Gunning finished with 12. Salisbury knocked down eight triples, four by Gunning and three by Gonzalez. The team was 4-11 from the charity stripe.
Saturday, 12/28:
Notre Game Green Pond 42, Lake-Lehman 41
“I definitely got some gray hairs here today, but this was a good win for us coming out of Christmas. I’m really proud of our team for finding just enough plays to come through and it being a milestone for our program is just a cherry on top.”
Those were the thoughts of Crusaders head coach Josh Kopp following his 350th victory, in which his team persevered through some late struggles to emerge victorious. Similar to their 28-22 third quarter lead against Gwynedd Mercy that slipped away on Friday, Green Pond led in this game by nine points on two separate occasions before weathering late turnovers and a rally from the Knights.
“A common theme for the last couple weeks has been keeping composure and finding poise in moments when the game is on the line. We’re still kind of learning how to win in one or two possession games. These are the moments we’ve got to learn and hopefully we get more comfortable with close game situations,” Kopp added.
The Crusaders put on an 8-0 run following Kinley Purdy scoring the first points of the day for Lehman. That run was punctuated by a Sarah Zambo pass inside to Emily Lessig who got her shot to go. Riley Boyle hit a three from the wing after Lake-Lehman had knotted the game at 12.
Ella Schweitzer put the finishing touches on the first half with a three from the near corner, extending the Crusaders lead to seven.
Addi Ryan would push the lead to as many as ten in the third quarter on one of just two third quarter field goals. The Crusaders went 7/12 from the free throw line in the third, but would go just 2/6 in the final quarter. Notre Dame did not look to slow the game down at all while enjoying their large leads, opting instead to force the issue inside, but coming up short on some high percentage chances. Meanwhile, Ella Wilson led a furious rally, hitting a long ball with 52 seconds left, cutting the deficit to 41-38. Emily Lessig got fouled late and made her second foul shot to push the lead to four. Wilson hit from range as time expired, but the Knights came up a point short.
Emily Lessig went on to lead her team with ten points, but five more players scored at least five players, showing great balance. Ella Wilson netted 20 points in the loss for Lake-Lehman.
Gwynedd Mercy 42, Central Catholic 37
Another young team, the Central Catholic Vikettes, saw a nine point lead evaporate in the championship game of the ACC Christmas tournament.
Morgan Seagreaves and Aveline Bubnis provided a solid start for Central Catholic. Bubnis went to the ground to gather a loose ball and came away with it and scored. Gwynedd Mercy had some early free throw struggles, missing on four of their first six, allowing the Vikettes to enjoy an 11-9 first quarter lead.
Shamiya Roberts banked one in and Annika Spinosa had a six point second quarter. Surprisingly enough, the Monarchs were able to neutralize Milly Wolf, holding her scoreless at the half. Despite this, Central capitalized on ten Monarchs turnovers and led 23-14 at the break.
Milly Wolf was a third quarter factoring, nailing two triples, but the Vikettes missed on six of seven free throw tries, including a Wolf four-point play opportunity. Despite that, Central Catholic led 30-27 going to the fourth quarter.
It was there that Gwynedd Mercy found more scoring. Brooke Evans emerged with a seven point quarter, along with six more from Cara Lapp. Evans’ 3-pointer just 30 seconds into the quarter tied the game at 30. Roberts hit a corner triple with 2:30 left, but Central was held to just seven points in the final frame and got no further chances at the charity stripe. Megan McDonnell went on to lead all scorers with a 14 point effort.
The Vikettes(4-6) are off until Friday, when they travel to Pocono Mountain West.
Emmaus 42, Easton 23(Photo Gallery)
The long anticipated matchup between two of the top teams in the EPC and Lehigh Valley took place Saturday night at Easton Area Middle School in the championship game of the Easton Rotary tournament. The meeting between the Red Rovers and Green Hornets will be the only of the regular season and a rematch would not happen until potentially sometime in the EPC and/or District XI tournaments.
Emmaus made the most of the opportunity, eventually suffocating Easton’s offense and beating them at one of their strengths: three-point shooting.
Easton got out to a 7-5 first quarter lead, courtesy of a Natalie Amato trey and two buckets from Kourin Carew. After Cassie Doemling scored the first basket of the game, Emmaus didnt’ score again until Kayla Snyder hit from beyond the arc with 1:05 left in the quarter.
Snyder erupted for two more treys in the second quarter, extending the Hornets lead to 15-9. Meanwhile, the defense turned Easton over ten times and the Rovers were frequently kept outside the 3-point line, unable to get much going in the paint.
Emmaus opened the third quarter on an 8-2 run, sparked by long balls from Sofie Laird and Sylvia Sokolofski. Tournament MVP Gabby DeVita added one of her own. Gabby Wismer provided the only field goal of the third for Easton, hitting a three from the corner just past the midway point.
Kayla Snyder finished her night with 18 points and four 3-pointers, marking her first explosive output of the season. Head coach Avon Mack commented on her performance, “The last couple of games I was proud of her. Her stat line wasn’t crazy but what she did for me on the court was phenomenal.”
He was very happy with his team’s effort, but didn’t want to make too much of the December victory, “They accepted the challenge for me. Defense travels no matter where we go. Our goal was to hold Easton under 20 points in the first half and we almost did it for the whole game. This is nice, but this is a holiday tournament. This is not going to make or break us. We look at these games as status quo to see where we are at and it just so happens we played very well this day.”
Other notes from Saturday:
- Avery Nelson became the 5th girl in Bangor history to eclipse the 1,000 point mark. Her 25-point effort came in a 57-44 loss to Pen Argyl. The Green Knights were again led by Julia Vargo, who netted 27. Pen Argyl trailed 34-27 at the half but held Bangor to ten in the second half. Nelson would score eight of those. Vargo had 22 of her points come in the final two quarters, putting her team on her back, moving Pen Argyl to 9-1.
- Ava Kopetskie had another outstanding game in the Parkland Christmas tournament, scoring 25 against Wilson West Lawn. Unfortunately, it was the second loss of the tournament for the Hurricanes, as the Bulldogs won it 56-41. Kailani Hardy went off for 22 and Wilson hit six 3-pointers. It was just a 39-36 Bulldogs lead entering the fourth quarter, but a Kopetskie three and a couple of free throws were the only Hurricanes scoring in the final eight minutes. The road does not get easier for Liberty, now 5-5, as they will host Easton on Friday night.
- Parkland fell to Abington Heights 38-27 in the championship game. Despite a one-point halftime lead, the Trojans could not overcome a nine point second half effort from Emma Coleman along with the 11 put up by Maggie Coleman. Lily Scoblick also provided a second half spark, scoring nine of her 11. Delaney Chilcote was limited to seven points on the game. The Comets outscored Parkland 18-6 in the second half.
- Palmerton won the consolation game at the Pocono Mountain West tournament against the host Panthers 42-20. The Blue Bombers took a 24-10 halftime lead and never looked back. Hailey Barry scored 12, while Courtney Connell led all scorers with 13. Palmerton finishes the year at 10-2 and will be on a layoff until January 6th, when they travel to Notre Dame Green Pond.
- Alexa Davis set a career high with 29 points in Nazareth’s 60-34 PM West tournament title game win over Northampton. Her night included seven treys. Anne Beenders led the Konkrete Kids with 11.
- Salisbury fell to Panther Valley 53-41. Natalia Vermillion led Panther Valley with 23 points, as her team spring-boarded off a 21-10 first quarter. Kendra Morgan led the Falcons with 17, scoring nine in the fourth quarter.
LSV Sports 
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