Hoops season is already here! While we were preparing for and away at Cumberland Valley for football states, the girls basketball season got underway with some huge early performances, surprises, and a whole host of action that we need to review! Instead of going day-by-day for this edition, let’s go team-by-team with some of the early results. As always, remember we’re on X: @LSVSports and we are taking lots of video, doing interviews with coaches and players, and will have plenty of coverage all season long. So let’s get started!
EPC:
- Central Catholic – The Vikettes return many of last year’s starters and beyond. However, there is no more Milly WOlf, who has graduated and moved on to Boston College and now plays volleyball there. Coach Kathy Davidowich’s squad is looking to fill some enormous shoes and has seen a lot of bright spots, despite an early 1-4 record. The schedule is certainly a challenge early on, falling to St. Hubert’s, Phoenixville, Emmaus and Easton. Most recently, the team got its first win at home against a red-hot senior-laden Dieruff squad, 44-40. In that game, Shamiya Roberts scored a game-high 15 points. Roberts has clearly put a lot of work in during the offseason, transofmring her game into one that is quite dynamic. She can shoot the 3 as well as drive the lane for the inside buckets. Annika Spinosa and Skylir Taylor combined for 25 against St. Hubert in a game that the Vikes led by six at half and two after three quarters. Unfortunately, they fell 48-40. Against Phoenixville, ACC fell behind early, staring down a 25-14 deficit at the break before losing 43-35. Morgan Seagreaves led the Vikettes that night with 8. Thanks to the snow, the team got a night off on Wednesday the 10th, before heading to Valley View on Thursday night. Valley View doubled them up by halftime 24-12 on their way to a 49-30 win. Alyssa Hursh led the Vikettes with eight points. Roberts and Seagreaves each had seven. In a 62-24 win against Pleasant Valley, Skylir Taylor went off for 18.
- Bethlehem Catholic – Two words: Kam Gallis. This outstanding freshman debuted with a 25-point effort against Liberty in a Hawks 68-34 victory. She made eight field goals, three of which were from beyond the arc. Also in double figures were stalwarts Aliyah Brame(14) and Leah Ault(13). The same trio were all in double figures again on the road at Allen as part of a 64-22 drubbing of the Canaries. Over their first three games, the Lady Hawks are a 3-point shooting machine, banging home 23 shots from range. In a stiff test from South Bronx Prep, Gallis notched a new career high(and yes, we’ll call it that this early on in her career) of 27. The Hawks trailed by seven at half, but roared back for a 64-62 win to move to 3-0. Brame led the charge to 4-0 with 17 points in a 67-17 blasting of Pocono Mountain West. The Hawks closed out their second week with a battle against Nazareth, coming out on top 42-39. Gallis led the way with 12 points and Brame had 9. Beca remains unbeaten at 5-0 before heading to the She Got Game Showcase in Washington, D.C. on Sunday night.
- Dieruff – The Huskies have a lot of senior talent this year, propelling them to a 4-1 start. Jayla Rosario accounted for 21 points in the season opening 52-43 victory over Tamaqua. She hit seven times from the field and was 7/10 on free throws. A 28-20 second half effort got them the victory. It was another strong half in the EPIC opener against Whitehall. Aniya Holder scored 11 of her game-high 18 in that second half, while Justyce McChristian got 8 of her 14. Rosario poured in 15 in the 34-point second half for a 54-38 win. Rosario was the catalyst in the third game against Northampton, scoring 21 in a 60-24 game. Defensively, Northampton was held to four first half field goals. The Huskies went wild against East Stroudsburg North in their fourth contest, dropping 73 in a 73-31 rout. Thirty-three field goals went in for Dieruff, including a 20-point night for Rosario and 17 from Yalitz Figueroa. After taking an early 9-4 lead at Rockne Hall against the Vikettes of Central Catholic, the Huskies ultimately fell 44-40. Rosario scored 17, but the team only got two triples to fall all night and missed a few key free throws down the stretch. Rosario scored 20 in a 60-30 win over ES South. The Huskies were also a perfect 10/10 from the charity stripe. Dieruff enters next week with a 5-1 record.
- Easton – The Red Rovers lost leading scorer from a year ago Kourin Carew, but plenty of talent has returned to coach Lutz’s squad. The early returns are exceptional, as Easton has been scoring plenty of points. It was a hot start against Northampton, as a 29-10 halftime lead turned to a 59-26 victory. Melina Cole led the team with 12 and Ava Muhammed added 10. The team knocked down 10 triples. Cole and Gabby Wismer led the 61-30 charge against Central Catholic. Seven more 3-balls were knocked down. The lone defeat so far came at Central Bucks East 49-37, as Easton saw a close game slip away in the second half. Elena Brunetti scored ten in the gane. They rebounded in a big way against Stroudsburg, 73-11. They led 47-6 at halftime. Brunetti led the way with 14 points, while both Wismer and Eva Jordan added ten. The Rovers knocked down 34 field goals in the contest and moved to 4-1. Cole and Wismer combined for 30 points in Easton’s 62-35 win over Freedom, moving them to 5-1. Red Lion had the answer to slow down the Easton offense in a 38-28 victory. Red Lion attempted 20 free throws to the Rovers’ 11 and outscored them 8-2 in the third quarter to pull away. Nat Amato had a 13 point effort in defeat.
- Emmaus – Head coach Avon Mack’s “go 1-0” mantra has sunk in well with his team. After an incredible run last year, the Green Hornets had some spots to fill from big losses like Kayla Snyder, Sofie Laird, and Cassie Doemling. Two sophomores are definitely emerging to take their place: Eva Glover and Gracie Ervin join Gabby DeVita, Olive Whitney and others as the primary threats. In their opener at home, the Hornets took Wilson West Lawn to the brink, overcoming 30+ turnovers and a blown seven point lead before going to overtime. The Bulldogs won it 51-46, but Mack was excited for his team’s effort, especially defensively. A 41-21 second half lifted them to victory at Rockne Hall against Central Catholic, 69-44, where Glover and Erin combined for 27, along with 15 from DeVita, who is rapidly approaching the 1,000 career point mark. Next up was a stiff test at home against Nazareth. The Hornets were not phased, getting out to an 18-8 start and winning 55-40. Glover poured in 20 points as the only Emmaus player to reach double figures. Their record moved to 3-1 after a 72-27 victory at Allen, in which Gracie Ervin was the leading scorer with 19 points. DeVita and Glover added ten each and ten different Emmaus players scored. The Hornets buzzed by ES North 74-18, scoring 55 by halftime. DeVita led the way with 18 points, while Gracie Ervin followed with 12.
- Freedom – A year ago, the Patriots went 4-18. So far in 2025, they’ve gone 2-2 and things are looking much better for that win total. Things started with a thud against Nazareth’s high-powered offense, as Freedom fell 60-29. The Patriots saw the Eagles knock down 13 3-point baskets. Kate Assad scored 13 for her squad. Then they rebounded against Southern Lehigh, winning 62-32. Saige Carter and Sara Kokolus joined Assad in double digits. The team then was blitzed on the road at Parkland. Freedom did not score in the first quarter, quickly falling behind 14-0. The end result was a 57-28 loss, but Freedom did go 13/14 from the free throw stripe on a high note. The offense struggled again in a 62-36 loss to Easton. Payton Besecker scored 12. The team scored five times from beyond the arc, but only had four 2-point field goals. A 55-37 victory over Saucon Valley moved the Patriots to 2-3.
- Liberty – Ava Kopetskie continues to be nothing short of herself entering 2025. In her most recent effort, she scored 37 against Pleasant Valley, as part of a 71-14 victory. She also put up 18 against Bethlehem Catholic in the season opening 68-34 loss. The Hurricanes rallied from that loss with a victory over Whitehall, but also fell to Scranton Prep, putting them at 2-2 on the young season. Kopetskie went off for 20 against Whitehall and Emma Miller had 12.
- Nazareth – Renee Wells and Peyton Long have graduated, taking with them about half of last year’s point production. This year, expect heavy doses of Alexa Davis and Karly Leszcynski to lead the way. The Eagles began their season once again at the Hazleton Tip-Off tournament. They handled Lake-Lehman with little trouble, 51-28, leading 22-6 at halftime. Leszcynski had 16 and Alexa Davis added 15 more. Nazareth downed seven 3-balls and advanced to face state powerhouse Hazleton in the tournament championship. The Cougars clobbered the Blue Eagles 55-22. Alexa Davis went off for 30 points in the team’s next game against Freedom, a 60-29 win. She hit eight times from distance and Leszcynski banged home four more triples. The offense was brought into check against Emmaus in a 55-40 loss. Carly Brown notched an eight point effort, while Davis again led the team with 11. They did not hit a single three-pointer against the Hornets. The team then took its frustrations out on East Stroudsburg North, routing the Timberwolves 80-19. Twelve 3-pointers went through the hoop and Alexa Davis scored 26 points. Leszcynski added 15. Leszcynski led the Eagles in an early season battle against Bethlehem Catholic with 13, but Nazareth came up short 42-39.
- Northampton – Following the graduation of Anne Beenders and Jenna Raysely, the Konkrete Kids are looking for more offense. In the first three games, the team scored 26, 24, and 29 points against Easton, Dieruff and Bangor respectively. Fortunately, they held Bangor to 14 points for a win. Things picked up dramatically against East Stroudsburg North, a 61-19 win. Isabella Pecuch scored 18. In a 59-44 loss to the Hurricanes of Liberty, Abbie Luipersbeck scored 13 and Laila Reichl added 12. Against ES South, the Kids got out to an 11-2 lead en route to a 50-36 victory. Reichl knocked down eight field goals, totaling 18 points.
- Parkland – Ed Ohlson’s team is reloading once again, despite the loss of Delaney Chilcote to graduation. The Lady Trojans have cruised through their first few games, rolling over Allen, Freedom and Whitehall all by at least 20 points. In the 45-13 win over Dieruff, Cheryllann Cunningham led the Trojans with 11 points. Isabella Hallal had seven. In a 57-28 win over Freedom, Cunningham again led the team with 14 points, while Aneri McGalla added eight. At least ten players have scored in each game so far, showing off quite a depth of talent and players getting a lot of time early incase they are relied on more later. The offense fired on all cylinders against Whitehall, producing 27 first quarter points in a 59-39 win where no player reached double figures. They got the long range game going, also, knocking down nine triples. The Trojans then defeated PM West 60-12 Savannah Gonzales and Hallal both scored 11 and nine different players scored. Against an undermanned Wyomissing squad, that lost two stars to graduation and two more to season ending injuries, the Trojans rolled to a 52-14 victory at home.
- Pocono Mountain West – Emma Campusano(Sr), led the Panthers in wins over East Stroudsburg North and South, followed closely by Jodi Bowen(Jr). These wins were sandwiched around losses to Valley View and powerhouse Bethlehem Catholic. The team only managed 12 points in a 60-12 loss to Parkland.
- Stroudsburg – Teagan Strunk is the latest of the Strunk sisters to grace the Stroudsburg program. She scored 14 in the season opening 44-32 win over Carbondale, followed up by 13 from Adriana Borzio. In the finals of the Wallenpaupack tournament, Pack defeated the Mountaineers 52-32. Jorai Hunter notched a 10-point game and Strunk led her team with 12. All three of the aforementioned put big games together in a 49-28 win over Pocono Mountain East. Borzio and Strunk each had 16 points and Hunter added 12. The three combined for 5 triples. Free throw shooting will be a concern for the Mounties, as they were 12/30 in the game. The wheels came off on the road at Easton in a 73-11 loss. The Rovers hit 34 buckets, while the Mounties only notched four. In a tightly contested match with Whitehall, Stroudsburg fell late, being outscored 17-9 in the fourth quarter and losing 49-39. Strunk and Hunter combined for 27. Strunk scored 15 against Delaware Valley, but the effort game in a 62-26 loss.
EPC Standings
| Team | Conf | Overall |
| Bethlehem Catholic | 4-0 | 5-0 |
| Parkland | 4-0 | 5-0 |
| Easton | 4-0 | 4-2 |
| Emmaus | 4-0 | 4-1 |
| Dieruff | 4-1 | 5-1 |
| Liberty | 3-1 | 3-2 |
| PM East | 2-1 | 2-2 |
| Stroudsburg | 2-2 | 3-4 |
| Nazareth | 2-2 | 3-3 |
| PM West | 2-2 | 2-3 |
| Central Catholic | 2-2 | 2-5 |
| Northampton | 2-3 | 3-3 |
| Whitehall | 1-3 | 2-4 |
| Pleasant Valley | 1-3 | 1-4 |
| Freedom | 0-3 | 2-3 |
| ES South | 0-4 | 0-6 |
| ES North | 0-4 | 0-7 |
| William Allen | 0-4 | 0-6 |
Colonial League
- Catasauqua – Hailey Jenkins is now a senior and Kaylin Stewart a sophomore, as the Rough Riders return their top two scorers and almost their entire team from a year ago. The season opener was a 44-32 victory over Bangor. Jenkins put up 15 points and 11 came from Stewart. The two combined for 35 in a 49-24 victory over Southern Lehigh. A late charge by Jenkins accelerated the Roughs past Saucon Valley, 48-32, as she scored 13 of her 27 points in the fourth quarter. The Rough Riders took a 26-24 halftime lead over Northwestern Lehigh, but 25 from Jenkins was not enough in a 56-51 defeat.
- Lehighton – The Indians lost Emma Repsher to graduation, but return big talents in Leah Uyvari, Olivia Serfass, Ryleigh Trotman, and plenty more. The team held Notre Dame Green Pond to 15 second half points in a 42-32 season opening victory. In what was expected to be a solid early-season Colonial League matchup, Lehighton ended up taking Wilson Area to task in a 58-39 win, scoring 20 in the fourth quarter alone. Lehighton looks to be a top contender with strong, fast defense and a good transition game. Serfass and Uyvari combined for 35 against the Warriors. The Indians continued success by dominating Pen Argyl 49-22, opening up a 24-8 lead by halftime. Serfass threw down 19 and Trotman piled on 12.The Indians handed Salisbury its first loss, 41-37. Lehighton held a 25-15 halftime lead and hung on for the win. Ryleigh Trotman led the way with 15 points and Serfass scored 12.
- Notre Dame Green Pond – Head coach Josh Kopp’s squad is 1-3 out of the gate, in a bit of a surprise. However, a closer look reveals a very difficult non-league schedule. Emily Lessig and Addi Ryan have moved on to college and more will be expected now from Ella Schweitzer, Ava Shonk and Riley Boyle, especially. The Crusaders opened up against Gwynedd Mercy Academy and fell 40-33. NDGP was 6/10 from the charity stripe, while GMA went 14/23. Boyle led the way with 11 points and both Schweitzer and Shonk contributed eight. Brenna Hammerstone put up 11 points against Lehighton, but the Crusaders lost 42-32. Lansdale Catholic was the next difficult opponent, and NDGP fell 45-26. The Crusaders then entered a stretch of games where they should be favored. They kicked that off with a 51-33 win over Northern Lehigh. Hammerstone and Boyle each notched a 12-point game.
- Northwestern Lehigh – Cara Thomas and Brook Balliet are gone, but, as is typically the case at Northwestern Lehigh, the Tigers are doing just fine early on. They opened the year with a 53-18 win over Southern Columbia, as Natalie Conner, now a sophomore, dropped 21 and Emma Freeman added nine. The Tigers held the opposing Tigers to two points in the second half, advancing to face ELCO. ELCO put up 29 points in the first quarter and ended up with the 53-45 victory, despite a solid comeback attempt and 22 from Conner. She remained consistent, scoring 22 in a 58-44 win at Northern Lehigh and 18 in a 54-12 win over Bangor. Conner then put up 25 in Northwestern’s 57-30 win over Southern Lehigh. She knocked down four 3-pointers and was 5/7 on free throws. The Tigers overcame a 25-point effort from Hailey Jenkins and defeated Catasauqua 56-51. Natalie Conner had 17 and Olivia Reinhart scored 15.
- Palmerton – Jeremy Coleman and the Blue Bombers have several wins under their belt to start the year, going 4-0. Their season opener at Lehighton was postponed, allowing them to open up with a 43-32 victory against the Bulldogs of Northern Lehigh. A 15-6 fourth quarter lifted Palmerton to the win. Courtney Connell sank eight buckets and led the way with 17 points. Hailey Barry contributed 11. The two combined for 35 points in a 58-19 rout of Moravian Academy. The domination continued in a 65-16 effort against Bangor. Courtney Connell(14), Grace Schneider(13), Hailey Barry(13), and Cate Morgan(10) all reached double digit outputs, combining for ten triples along with Leah Rumfield and Emma Rex. The Bombers won 51-36 on the road at Southern Lehigh behind 17 from Courtney Connell, 14 from Cate Morgan and 12 more from Hailey Barry.
- Pen Argyl – The Green Knights are a young team now, with the graduation of Julia Vargo and Grace Weaver. However, the team moved out to a 3-0 record to start the season. The first was a 53-18 victory against Notre Dame-East Stroudsburg, in which Leah Apostol scored 15 points and Ashlyn Oessenick added nine. The second victory was nearly identical, as they defeated Moravian Academy 52-16. Gianna Martini led the team with 15 points, all scored in the first half. Next came a 50-33 defeat of Jim Thorpe. A 24-8 halftime lead allowed the Knights to put it in cruise control. Martini, Apostol and Abby Shere all reached double digits. The Knights also added a 41-33 victory over Northern Lehigh. The team attempted 29 free throws, convering on 13 of them. Apostol scored 12.
- Salisbury – The Falcons have a few dominant wins to kickoff the year. The first was a 52-26 doubling up of Lehigh Valley Academy. Kendra Morgan scored 18 and Roxana Cardenas led the way with 19. Cardenas did nearly all of her damage from beyond the arc, sinking six 3-pointers. Then came a 44-17 win over Palisades. This time, Salisbury didn’t hit any from long range, but Morgan put up 24 points, single handedly outscoring the opposition. Salisbury took its first loss to Lehighton, 41-37, after falling behind 25-15 at the break. Kendra Morgan led the Falcons with 16.
- Saucon Valley – Saucon has enjoyed some early successes and a little bit of heartbreak. Maggie Gorman piled up 21 in the season opening 46-13 win at Moravian. Moravian was held to two points in the first quarter and scoreless in the third. Similarly, Saucon beat Bangor 34-15. Sierra Skoda led the way with 12 and Grace Donahue added 11. The Panthers combined for seven triples. In their third game, it was neck-and-neck all contest long with Southern Lehigh. The Spartans emerged victorious 37-34. The teams were tied at 2-2 after the first quarter and a combined 23 from Skoda and Donahue was not enough to power the Panthers through. Saucon lost its third in a row 55-37 against Freedom on Saturday.
Colonial Standings
| Team | Conf | Overall |
| Lehighton | 4-0 | 4-0 |
| Palmerton | 4-0 | 4-0 |
| Northwestern Lehigh | 4-0 | 5-1 |
| Catasauqua | 3-1 | 3-1 |
| Pen Argyl | 3-1 | 4-1 |
| Salisbury | 2-0 | 3-0 |
| Notre Dame GP | 2-1 | 2-3 |
| Palisades | 2-1 | 2-3 |
| Saucon Valley | 2-2 | 2-3 |
| Wilson Area | 2-2 | 3-2 |
| Southern Lehigh | 1-3 | 1-5 |
| Northern Lehigh | 1-4 | 1-4 |
| Jim Thorpe | 0-4 | 0-4 |
| Bangor | 0-5 | 0-6 |
| Moravian Academy | 0-5 | 0-5 |
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