Monday, 1/28:
- Hailey Jenkins needed every single one of her 28 points, as Catasauqua survived quite a scare from Salisbury, 40-38. Salisbury rocketed to a 33-22 halftime lead. Roxana Cardenas hit three triples in the half and five different Falcons scored. However, the Rough Riders shut it down from there, giving up just five points the rest of the way, including only one field goal from Kendra Morgan. Meanwhile, Jenkins scored 16 of her team’s 18 second half points for the victory, securing a district playoff berth for the Rough Riders.
- Eighteen second half points by Tegan Simms gave her 26 for the night, as Northern Lehigh blew by Palisades 60-17. Simms hit four times from beyond the arc. Katelynn Barthold scored 19 on the night. The Bulldogs continue to battle for a top 4 seed in the Colonial and district tournament, currently residing in 5th place in each.
- Easton continued its dominant streak, winning eight in a row by beating East Stroudsburg North 56-23. The Rovers built a 42-3 halftime lead. Nat Amato scored 11, as did new face Sam Pastore, showing that Easton has plenty more talent coming up. Kourin Carew added ten points.
- North Schuylkill dealt Blue Mountain a temporary blow to their playoff hopes via a 45-33 win. Sophomore Gianna Capone had herself a stellar first quarter, scoring all eight of her points. Junior Mya Conti scored 22 on the night on 11 2-point field goals. The win keeps the Spartans unbeaten in Schuylkill League play and in the #2 spot in District XI 4A behind only Northwestern Lehigh. Blue Mountain, despite a 7-12 record, needs just one win over Pine Grove or one-win Minersville, to qualify for the district playoffs.
- Tamaqua had no trouble with aforementioned Minersville, winning 47-19. Lauren Ligenza continued her usual impressive output, scoring 14 points. Kendle Miller contributed 11. The Raiders are locked in a tight battle, currently sitting as the #4 seed in the 4A playoffs, looking to maintain a first round home game.
- Four players scored in double figures for the Hurricanes, as Schuylkill Haven toppled Panther Valley 65-28. Alea Porter led all scorers with 14, followed up by Anna Schaeffer with 13, 12 for McKenna Runkle and 11 by Audrey Hutchinson.
Tuesday, 1/28:
Emmaus 64, Dieruff 42(Broadcast)
Coming off their first win over Central Catholic in 40 years, head coach Cathy Piston and her Dieruff Huskies were on the road once again for Senior Night at Emmaus. The Hornets, with a quick start and big performances by Gabby DeVita, Kayla Snyder and Cassie Doemling, had little trouble on their way to a big home victory to stay unbeaten in the EPC.
Emmaus was acutely aware they would need a fast start to quell any thoughts of a Dieruff upset. The speedy Hornets forced nine first quarter turnovers and took advantage, outscoring the Huskies early 14-6. Kayla Snyder got things going with a 3-ball with 5:35 to play in the opening quarter. She had seven points in the quarter and Cassie Doemling added five.
The Hornets continued to sting Dieruff midway through the second. Olive Whitney converted a four-point play, getting foueld as she shot her signature long ball. Snyder added one of her own and Doemling found her way under the basket twice more. Despite five points from Aniya Holder, Dieruff continued to turn the ball over, racking up 15 by halftime. Emmaus fell to the same troubles over the last four minutes. But Emmaus held a 31-18 halftime lead that it would not relinquish.
Gabby DeVita, after two points in the first half, exploded for 20, banging home four 3-pointers along the way. Sylvia Sokolofski added eight points and finished her night with ten.
When the dust settled, Dieruff had turned the ball over 26 times on the night, costing them numerous offensive opportunities. Add in 12 Emmaus offensive boards, and the possession disparity becomes that much larger. The Hornets shot 10% better than the Huskies, going 25/55 from the field. Gabby DeVita capped her night with 22 points. Cassie Doemling scored 14 and both Sokolofski and Snyder contributed ten, showing a well-balanced attack that head coach Avon Mack has come to expect. Emmaus will look to cap an unbeaten conference season Monday night against a struggling Whitehall squad.
Aniya Holder led the Huskies with 14 and was aided by 13 from Justyce McChristian. The Huskies showed glimmers of what makes them great at times, but were ultimately unable to recover from the numerous turnovers and handful of missed layups which have characterized them at times.
“it was a struggle the first couple minutes to get settled in. I thought we did a phenomenal job on the boards.” Head coach Avon Mack Jr. spoke after the game about his seniors. “You can’t say enough about Kayla, Gabby, Cassie, Sylvia, Sofia, Emma, they just play. They give their hearts and as a coach that’s all I can ask for is give you best effort and we’ll live with the results, and they did that today.”
“[Gabby] is tough, and she’s unselfish. She’s the heartbeat of this program and she shows up everyday. When you have those type of kids, you can do some special things. I told her in the first half ‘stay with it, your game is going to come to you, it’s hard to keep you down.’”
“Sylvia is a workhorse. She’ll battle you on the boards, scrappy, get on the floor, a Swiss army knife.”
Cassie Doemling shared her thoughts on the win and senior night: “It was a really great win. I’m really glad we were able to pull through for the seniors. It’s really special for everyone. I’ve known the seniors since elementary school and been playing with them, so our chemistry is really great.”
Other notes from Tuesday:
- Bethlehem Catholic had no trouble with Freedom, holding the Patriots to three points over the middle quarters in a 53-19 win. A dominant 21-1 third quarter helped the Hawks roll. Mikaila Brooks led her squad with 13 points, followed by Palin Coleman with 8. Nine different players scored for Beca, who is on the verge of clinching the top spot in DXI 5A. They currently sit as the 7th seed for the EPC tournament.
- The Stroudsburg Lady Mounties capped off Senior Night in style, defeating East Stroudsburg North 60-36. Seniors led the way, with McKayla Strunk scoring 15 points, followed by Emily Bozena with 14, and Kamrin Hock adding 9. Maya Baptiste scored 11 points for North. Stroudsburg currently is the 5th seed in the EPC tournament and 6th in districts and will be favored in their final four games as they look to improve those seeds.
- Easton used an 18-5 fourth quarter rally to get by Liberty 48-43. Melina Cole hit two triples and Nat Amato added one as part of the comeback. It was another complete team effort by the Rovers, led by Elena Brunetti’s 14 points and 10 each from Melina Cole and Kourin Carew. Amato finished with 11. Easton survived nine 3-pointers made by Liberty.including four by Anijah Davis. The narrow win preserved a nine game winning streak and keeps the Rovers just behind Emmaus in the district standings. They also kept pace with Liberty and Parkland, all tied at 12-2 in conference ahead of the EPC tournament. In defeat, Ava Kopetskie scored 12 and the Hurricanes were led by 16 from Davis. Check out the photo gallery from this game.
- Nazareth had no issues with Northampton, blasting by the Konkrete Kids 41-14. Seven different Blue Eagles scored, led by Renee Wells and her 12. Alexa Davis and Karly Leszcynski both hit twice from beyond the arc and Peyton Long added seven points. Anee Beenders was held to five points in the loss.
- After a low-scoring first quarter, in which Parkland trailed 8-5, the Trojans went on to lead the rest of the way en rout to a 42-33 win over Central Catholic. Parkland nailed eight treys on the evening, led by Sarah Car’s 12 points. Aneri McGalla put down three triples and two more came from Isabella Hallal. Delaney Chilcote was held to three points through three quarters, but finished with nine, scoring all six fourth quarter points for her team. The loss puts the Vikettes in danger of missing the EPC tournament. Parkland remains locked in a battle with Nazareth for a home district playoff berth. In the loss, Morgan Seagreaves led all scorers with 15 points and Milly Wolf added 8.
Wednesday, 1/29:
Wilson 46, Pen Argyl 32(Photo Gallery)
Just two weeks ago at Pen Argyl, the Green Knights eked out a 40-39 victory over the Warriors. This time, head coach Meagan Eripret’s message to her team was to maintain focus get out to a faster start. Strong performances by Juliana Bonham, Tess Fredericks, and Kiera Hartzell-Ham propelled Wilson to a dominant home win.
It wasn’t just Juliana Bonham’s night, but she got off to a very hot start to put her team ahead. Her triple with 5:49 left in the first put WIlson ahead, and she ended the quarter with 10. Tessa Fredericks hit from the deep corner, extending an early Warriors lead to 8-4 just past the midpoint of the opening quarter. Tessa Bonham hit from just inside the arc, making it 13-9. For the Green Knights, Bella Whitman scored nine of her team’s eleven of the quarter, hitting four times from the field.
Dominant play on the offensive glass and a hustling defense that turned Pen Argyl over ten times in the first half were paramount as the lead increased. Juliana Bonham showed her ability to shoot from anywhere, hitting the deep ball from the right side and making it 18-13 Wilson with six minutes to go in the half.
The second quarter featured more tough defense by the Warriors, holding Pen Argyl to one Julia Vargo field goal in the quarter and keeping Whitman scoreless. Emma Dalpe hit the deep shot from the corner just prior to the second quarter running out. Wilson led 27-16.
Kiera Hartzell-Ham brought the lead to 16, as Wilson scored the first five of the second half. Juliana Bonham converted on an and-one opportunity as well. Hartzell-Ham moved the lead ot its largest of the night at 17 when she hit on an and-one chance of her own. Grace Weaver and Julia Vargo hit triples, but the lead remained 11 after three.
Wilson forced 20 turnovers and pulled down 10 offensive rebounds. holding Pen Argyl to six points in the fourth quarter to close out the victory.
Juliana Bonham finished her night with 16 points, one of three Warriors in double figures. Tessa Fredericks contributed 13 and Hartzell-Ham had 10.
“I think we came out a little slow at Pen Argyl, but today our whole message was getting ready to fight from the first whistle and I think we did a much better job of that and showing what we are capable of,” Warriors head coach Meagan Eripret said, “When we play our best basketball, this team is incredible.”
Eripret continued, talking about contributions from Juliana and Tessa Bonham”She’s an awesome basketball player and that alone can change the culture of a program. Those two kids have a really solid skill set and really solid IQ, so they do a good job of elevating everybody around them. They challenge people at practice and get people to challenge them.”
“This group as a whole is really special. They get each other in a way that only a few teams can. It doesn’t matter if you’re a senior or freshman or starter or last one off the bench, they are clicking and really care about each other and each other’s success.”
“We’ve got some tough challenges and if you think about where we started two years ago–we’re just pumped to be in the playoffs and show people what we’re made of and I’m hoping people are a little scared to play us.”
Other notes from Wednesday:
- The playoff run came to an end for Southern Lehigh, as Salisbury pulled off the 45-34 victory at home. Sophia Gunning and Roxana Cardenas played a big role in an 18 point first quarter. The two combined to hit three times from range and a total of 11 early points. Kendra Morgan added seven more on her way to a 21 point evening. She would score 12 of her team’s 16 second half points to help close out the win. No Spartans reached double figures.
- Brenna Hammertsone’s three early treys helped Notre Dame Green Pond bury Moravian 55-7. Ten Crusaders scored at least two points as Josh Kopp’s team won for its seventh time in eight tries. Emily Lessig and Chloee Dahl each scored eight. NDGP remains in first place atop the District XI 3A field, which could be comprised of as many as 11 teams.
- Northwestern Lehigh kept doing Northwestern Lehigh things, rolling over Jim Thorpe 74-21. The Tigers made more 3-pointers than 2-point field goals(11 to 9), led by three triples from Brook Balliet. Paige Bissel, Hannah Gober and Natalie Conner all had two. Cara Thomas led her team with 15 points, followed by Balliet with 13. Conner contributed 12 and Bissel had 10.
- Stroudsburg claimed a 72-59 non-conference win over Lincoln Leadership Academy behind a balanced offensive effort. Emily Bozena led the way with 22 points, while Teagan Strunk added 18 and McKayla Strunk chipped in 16. Lincoln Leadership was powered by strong performances from Arielle Taylor and Bria Keinge, who each scored a game high 23 points. With the win, Stroudsburg is now 15-4 and with the loss, Lincoln Leadership Academy is now 11-5.
Thursday, 1/30:
Easton 40, Nazareth 36(OT)
A mix of youth and experience was Easton’s key to overcoming some first half turnover woes and grinding out an overtime victory.
Nazareth came out playing some very hot defense. Easton was forced to work very hard for anything and everything they got for much of the first half. Renee Wells got the first points of the night after picking off a Lianna Cole pass and finishing on the other end. Kourin Carew would reply a minute later to tie the game, but she was held to just two more points in the first half on a pair of free throws. Midway through the opening stanza, Gabby Wismer picked off a pass and laid it in for a 4-2 Rovers lead.
Gabby Wismer kept her team on top, hitting a corner trey with 2:00 to go. Alexa Davis matched the long shot. Peyton Long closed out scoring in the first on a great pass inside from Alexa Davis. After a quarter, the Eagles led 9-7.
Melina Cole, freshman starter for Easton, became a catalyst for momentum in the second. Easton battled through eight first half turnovers to stay close with Nazareth. Cole hit two triples in the quarter, including a game-shifting left-wing shot with :50 left that pulled her team from down six to within 18-15 at halftime. Nazareth only turned the ball over twice in the first half, but struggled to rebound at times, giving Easton second chances.
Off of one of those offensive boards, Easton’s Natalie Amato scored her first and only points of the night early in the third quarter. She banged home a corner 3-ball to tie the game up. Melina Cole came up huge, hitting her third long ball of the night with 2:15 to go, moving Easton ahead 23-20. Meanwhile, the Rovers defense clamped down on the Eagles, holding them to two Davis free throws until she answered a Carew 3-pointer with :30 left in the quarter. With three quarters in the books, Easton was now dictating via their defense and leading 27-23.
Peyton Long, who had three fouls, scored Nazareth’s first points of the fourth, taking a pass from Davis and getting the layup. The Blue Eagles capped an 8-2 run when Davis drained a deep triple from the top of the key, moving her team ahead 30-27 with 3:20 to play in regulation.
Trailing 31-29 with under a minute left, Easton got the ball into the hands of their play-making senior. Kourin Carew sank a corner 3-pointer with 40 seconds remaining. Easton led 32-31. On the other end, Easton committed a foul and Alexa Davis made her first free throw to tie it up at 32. Her second shot rolled around and off the rim. Easton could not score, and we were headed to overtime.
The Red Rovers got a hot start to overtime when Melina Cole crushed a right-corner long shot, her fourth of the night, to put Easton up 35-32.
As time wound down, Easton fouled Renee Wells with 12 ticks left. She hit both. With a quick foul, Kourin Carew was put on the line with five seconds remaining. She closed out the game by nailing both shots.
Over the final 20 minutes of the game, Nazareth was limited to three made field goals. Peyton Long and Alexa Davis led the Blue Eagles with 12 points a piece.
In the win, Kourin Carew led all scorers with 18. Melina Cole added 13. Easton hit eight times from beyond the arc. Carew was a perfect six-of-six from the charity stripe.
Melina Cole was asked about her four huge triples on the game: “I feel like as a freshman, my teammates really brought confidecne into my shooting, I air-balled one there, but they really brought confidence.” She continued, “I feel like we just stick together as a team and really brought it back working together and confidence was good for everyone.”
Other notes from Thursday:
- Milly Wolf and Morgan Seagreaves were again the key for Central Catholic in a 42-35 win over Whitehall. The Vikettes picked up the key victory that keeps them alive for the EPC tournament, with Seagreaves scoring 14 and Wolf 13. ACC got 36 chances from the free throw line and converted 20 of them. Whitehall had a strong start, getting four 3-pointers in the first quarter. After that, though, they were held to five field goals for the remainder of the contest.
- Bethlehem Catholic ended Northampton’s postseason hopes via a 53-32 score. Seven first half triples went in for the Hawks, courtesy of three from Tess Tryanski and DJ Jones each. Beca led 21-5 after a quarter and cruised from there. Jones led her team with 12 points. Nine points came from both Tryanski and Palin Coleman. In the loss, Anne Beenders scored 14 for the Konkrete Kids.
- Pine Grove picked up a 53-37 victory over Blue Mountain. The Cardinals built a 30-16 halftime lead on a well-balanced scoring effort. Callee Leffler poured in 11; Meadow Umbenhauer added 7. Hannah Leininger scored nine of her eleven points in the second half, while Ayla Schneck-Haines scored seven of her ten in the first half. Hollyn Sampson also added eight points. Despite the loss, Blue Mountain will only need to defeat a one-win Minersville squad to make the district playoffs, securing a .500 record in the Schuylkill League.
- Kayla Snyder put her team on her back in the second half, scoring 14 of her 18 game-leading points in a comeback 53-49 win over Parkland. The Trojans led 27-21 at the half and had forced Emmaus into some turnover troubles. Parkland retained a 33-32 lead going to the fourth quarter, but 11 points from Snyder and five from Olive Whitney carried Emmaus to the win. Down the stretch, the Hornets made 10 of their last 14 free throws and were 17of 21 for the game. Isabella Hallal scored 17 for Parkland and Aneri McGalla added 16. Delaney Chilcote had 13. Emmaus can complete an undefeated league season by beating Whitehall on Monday night. You can read more about this game on EmmausSports.com
- Ava Kopetskie put up another crooked number for her Hurricanes, scoring 30 points in a 60-38 win over rivals Freedom. Liberty exploded out to a 27-12 first quarter lead and cruised from there. The team knocked down 12 shots from range; six of those came from Kopetskie and Kendall Medina added three.
- Stroudsburg cruised to a 73-24 victory over Pleasant Valley in EPC Monroe division action. The Lady Mounties were led by McKayla Strunk’s 21 points, followed by Teagan Strunk with 20 and Adriana Borzio with 16. Annaya Fuentes scored 17 points for Pleasant Valley. With the win, Stroudsburg improves to 16-4 overall, 12-3 EPC, 9-0 Monroe Division.
- Tamaqua won its fourth in five games, routing Panther Valley 56-24. Millie Black led all scorers with 19 points and Lauren Ligenza added 12. Kendle Miller hit three triples as part of her 11 points.
- East Stroudsburg South defeated rival North 42-36. It was a tale of two teams with very different strategies. The Cavaliers did not record a 3-point attempt on the evening, while the Timberwolves were 1/11 from range. South took an 18-5 first quarter lead and maintained the margin into the fourth. There, they got just enough production to hang on for the victory.
- Kaylin Stewart, just a freshman, went off for 26 points as part of Catasauqua’s 62-25 win over Notre Dame East Stroudsburg. Hailey Jenkins was near her average, racking up 20 points. The Rough Riders built a 30 point halftime lead, playing the second half with a running clock in the mercy rule. In an 11-team district playoff race, Catty is locked in a battle for the 8th seed with Mast Community Charter. They will close their regular season at Notre Dame Green Pond on Monday and home against Southern Lehigh on Tuesday. The Roughs could still climb as high as fifth for the upcoming Colonial tournament.
Friday, 1/31:
- Northern Lehigh had no trouble with Jim Thorpe, rolling to a 60-32 victory. Tegan Simms had another stellar outing, scoring 25 points and hitting five times from distance. Katelynn Barthold scored 21 on nine 2-pointers and three of four free throw tries. The Bulldogs outscored the Olympians 38-14 in the second half, breaking open what had been a close game. Northern Lehigh will take on Palmerton Tuesday, as they look to hold on to a home seed in districts and the Colonial tournament.
- Riley Boyle helped break open Notre Dame Green Pond’s 44-24 win over Pen Argyl by scoring all of her ten points in the third quarter. The Crusaders kept the Green Knights at eight points in the second half, only allowing two free throws in the third and six points from Gianna Martini the rest of the way. NDGP will now face Catasauqua and Wilson, looking to retain the top seed in DXI 3A play.
- Salisbury closed out its season with a 49-29 win over Palisades. The Falcons finished strong, winning five of their final six games and building a foundation for 2025-2026. Kendra Morgan, who will enter her senior season, scored 22. Roxana Cardenas hit three triples and added 11. Head coach Jason Laky will only lose one senior to graduation, which will allow the Falcons to grow and improve together over the offseason.
- Southern Lehigh trailed 25-20 at the half to Saucon Valley, but held the Panthers to six points in the second half and cruised to a 57-31 final score. Taylor McDonald finished with 15 points, while the young talent in Eliana Marques and Samantha Fontanez combined for 34. Marques hit all three of her team’s 3-pointers.
- Central Catholic survived a scare from the Raptors of Executive Education, 39-33. Executive took a 21-12 halftime lead, holding the Vikettes scoreless in the second quarter. Nia Brown scored seven of her 12 points in the first half, while Markia Hargraph tacked on eight of her ten. Milly Wolf then took control. After just two points in the first half, she went on a run of four consecutive 3-pointers and finished the game with 15 points. Free throws were trouble for the Raptors, going 9/21 from the charity stripe.
- Pine Grove defeated Panther Valley 57-46, looking to improve their seed in the upcoming 3A playoffs. Callee Leffler paced her squad with 16 points, hitting twice from range. Freshman Hollynn Sampson contributed 12. Both Ayla Shneck-Haines and Addison Zimmerman added nine.
Saturday, 2/1:
Dieruff 55, William Allen 23
With seven first half layups, Aniya Holder helped her team to a big day and win over the rival Canaries. Holder ended up with 20 points in a dominant performance. Justyce McChristian scored the first four points of the contest and the Huskies ended up forcing 25 Allen turnovers on the afternoon. Marisa Price added 11 points and Jayla Rosario poured in eight more. Dieruff will host Parkland to end their regular season and seek to defeat the Trojans after letting a 20-point third quarter lead get away the last time the two met. Check out some of the highlights from the afternoon:
Other notes from Saturday:
- Stroudsburg powered past Bangor with a convincing 56-40 victory in non-conference action girls basketball. McKayla Strunk led the Mounties with a game-high 21 points, knocking down five shots from beyond the arc. Teagan Strunk added 16 points, and Emily Bozena contributed 14 to round out the offensive effort. Bangor was paced by Avery Nelson, who finished with 20 points. With the win, Stroudsburg has a 10 game win streak, improving to 17-4 on the season, while Bangor drops to 12-9.
- In a non-conference road contest, Blue Mountain fell to Governor Mifflin 57-28. Bella Super lived up to her name, scoring 22 and sinking four triples. Mia Vasquez also dropped in 22, 14 of which came in the first half. Ruby Henninger led the Eagles with 11 points, hitting three of her team’s five 3-pointers. Despite losing four in a row and seven of nine, Blue Mountain can make the district playoffs by defeating one-win Minersville on Monday night.
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