ILVGH Week 4: Holiday Hoops, Part 1

The week leading up to the Christmas holiday was full of games early on, but quickly gave way to winter weather and loads of postponements. We had hoped to see some big games like Tamaqua versus Catasauqua or Executive Education against a then unbeaten Mahanoy Area, but we still got big games like Northwestern Lehigh taking on Palmerton.

Monday, 12/22:

• Despite a 14-point second half burst from Teagan Strunk and 11 in the latter quarters from Adrianna Borzio, Stroudsburg came up short to Bangor 43-40 on Monday night, marking the first win of the year for the Slaters. Grace Hartzell went scoreless in the first half for the Slaters, but added eight in the second half, joined by Kaylynn Figurski and her 14 point performance. The game could have gone either way on free throws, as Bangor went 7/13 and the Mounties only 6/14. Kayla Cole also added nine points for Bangor, hitting twice from range. At the halfway point of their season, the Mounties are now 5-6 and on the outside of the 6A playoff field as things stand today.
• It’s been rare that a team takes Bethlehem Catholic to the wire, but Northampton pushed the Golden Hawks into the fourth quarter before Beca pulled away 52-39. The Konkrete Kids trailed 21-20 at the half and 35-34 after three quarters, but a fourth quarter spurt from Brooklyn Lewis and Avaughna Gordan helped propel Beca to a 17-5 final quarter. Lewis scored 14, Gordan 13, and Leah Ault poured in ten more to help notch the victory. The Hawks are 8-0 and will next be in action at the Jefferson University showcase, following a postponement of an end of year contest against Imhotep Charter. Northampton fell to 4-5 but remains in the district playoff race.
• Ava Kopetskie was not stalled by the talents of Cardinal O’Hara, as she threw down 31 more points for her career. But it would not be enough to overcome the Lions in a 69-43 defeat. By halftime, Kopetskie had 15 of her team’s 18 points, but the Hurricanes trailed 39-18. Meg Rullo and Olivia Craft both finished with 13 points for the Lions. Liberty is 5-4 and next faces Parkland in Parkland’s holiday tournament on Monday.
• Dieruff unloaded on Pocono Mountain East 52-9. Nine Huskeis found the scoring column, led by 14 from Aniya Holder and 13 from Jayla Rosario. Dieruff is now 7-3 and the current fourth seed in the 6A district playoffs.
• Five games in seven days finally caught up to the Blue Bombers, as Northwestern Lehigh handed Palmerton its second loss of the year, 49-27. The sisters Conner, Natalie and Mallory, combined for 28 points and all six Tigers triples on the game. Courtney Connell suffered what appeared to be a serious lower body injury in the second half for the Bombers. Cate Morgan led Palmerton with eight points. The Tigers moved to 8-1 before taking on Pottsville at Martz Hall. Palmerton got some much needed rest before heading to Pocono Mountain West for a holiday tournament.
• Freshman Rowan Adams had a breakout game for the Southern Lehigh Spartans, scoring 20 points in a 50-22 win over Pleasant Valley. All of her points came in the first half, as Solehi built a 35-11 halftime lead. Sophomore Samantha Fontanez tacked on 12, including two shots from beyond the arc.
• Wilson Area saw three players reach double digits in a 61-18 rout of Palisades. Juliana Bonham scored 17 of her 21 points in the first half, while Kiera Hartzell-Ham added 11 and ten more came from Carlyna Stackhouse. The Warriors currently sit in the 8th and final playoff spot of District XI’s 4A field.

Tuesday, 12/23:

• Northwestern Lehigh head coach Chris Deutsch picked up his 400th win at historic Martz Hall in Pottsville when his Tigers defeated the Crimson Tide 54-35. The Tigers scored the final 18 points of the second quarter to build a 33-11 lead at the break and the first 17 of the third quarter. Natalie Conner powered her way to a 29-point night. Northwestern hit 12 times from behind the 3-point line in the dominant performance.

Friday, 12/26:

• On the neutral court at Lehighton, Northern Lehigh’s Tegan Simms scored 22 points as the Bulldogs beat East Stroudsburg South 53-32. Ariana Williams threw down ten of her 14 points in the first half. The Bulldogs are now 5-5 and will face Lehighton Monday night.

Saturday, 12/27:

• Tamaqua handed Mahanoy Area its first loss of the year, 40-32. Lauren Ligenza scored eight points, pulled down 16 boards and had six assists in the win. Millie Black led Tamaqua with 14 points, while Kendle Miller added 11. Despite trailing at the half, the Blue Raiders put together a 14-6 final frame to pull off the win. The Raiders enter their holiday break at 8-3 and will next be in action on January 6th against Panther Valley. Felicia Bro paced Mahanoy with 11 points and Ella Connolly added ten. The Golden Bears currently remain the top seed in the DXI 3A field, narrowly edging out Executive Education
• Pen Argyl raced out to a 21-5 first quarter lead over Pocono Mountain East on their way to a 50-37 Green Knights victory. The win came despite a rough shooting night from the charity stripe(11 for 27). Gianna Martini led the Knights with 19 points and Leah Apostol contributed 13. Nylah Stewart scored all ten of her points in the second half to lead the Cardinals. Pen Argyl is 6-1 entering a Monday game against Stroudsburg.
• Keira Dougherty was the star in Crestwood’s 67-13 rout of Pleasant Valley. She banged home five treys and hit ten shots from the field overall. Jackie Gallagher tacked on 14 points.