ILVGH: Three More Reach 1,000 Points in Action-Packed Week

The first full week of play in the new year has concluded. We have coaching milestones, player milestones, and much more, so let’s break down the week that was!

Monday, 1/5:

• Wilson Area pulled what some would call the upset at Northwestern Lehigh, coming away with a 59-50 win. This was one of the most intense, scrappy, fast games we’ve seen so far this season. Both teams pick pocketed their opponent to the tune of 15 turnovers for each side; both dove on loose balls as if it was the playoffs. And at the end of it all, Wilson had a superb shooting night that was elusive to the Tigers. The Warriors were 11/17 from the field in the first half, allowing them to build a 30-23 halftime lead. Juliana Bonham had 21 points at the break, while Natalie Conner had 16. Wilson opened up a 38-23 lead in the third quarter, going on an 8-0 run to start the frame. Northwestern was able to create turnovers and cut the lead back to six. However, the Warriors’ bench came up big late, with a layup and corner 3-ball from Emma Dalpe providing the last bit of separation needed. Each team hit seven triples. The win is the fourth in a row for the Warriors, now 8-3. Northwestern Lehigh has suffered consecutive losses to drop to 9-3. Find more on this game on X: @LSVSports
• Nazareth head coach Rich Bickert picked up his 350th career victory as the Blue Eagles pummeled Northampton 58-15. The Eagles hit eight times from beyond the arc, with Karly Leszcynski making three of those as part of her 14 point night. Alexa Davis also knocked down three treys and had a 12 point night. Audrey Samsel and Carly Brown each contributed eight. Nazareth is now 8-4 and sits as the fourth team in the 6A power rankings.
• A 19-6 first quarter blitz lifted Notre Dame Green Pond over Palmerton 46-39. Riley Boyle, Brenna Hammerstone, and Ava Hobbie all hit 3-pointers in the first eight minutes. Hobbie finished with 13 points and the Crusaders were led by 14 from Ava Shonk. Palmerton continues to get solid production from Avery Barry, who had nine points. Emma Rex led the Bombers with 13 and Alisyn Green had ten. The game opened another tough stretch for Palmarton–six games in eleven days. Both teams will next be in action against WIlson and you can see how they did later in this article.
• In the upset of the season to date, Saucon Valley upended Pen Argyl 47-37. The Green Knights squandered a 13-6 first quarter lead, as the Panthers got to work. Sierra Skoda ripped off 13 of her 26 points in her team’s 15-point third quarter. Leah Apostol had 12 of her 18 in the first half, but was held to only six in the second half. The Green Knights have lost two in a row and now face a very challenging stretch against Southern Lehigh, Northwestern Lehigh, Palmerton, and Notre Dame Green Pond. The victory snapped an eight-game skid for the Panthers.
• Freshman Rowan Adams had another big game for Southern Lehigh, scoring 15 points in the Spartans’ 63-29 rout of Palisades. Solehi only led 27-21 at halftime, but Eliana Marques went off in the third quarter, putting up 11 of her 22 points. The Spartans hit ten field goals in the third to break the game open and cruise to victory. Lydia Bartlett also reached double digits with ten points. The win marked four in a row for the Spartans, who evened up their record at 5-5.
• It was a total scoring barrage for the Rough Riders, as they blasted Salisbury 58-30. Sarina Sankari notched 15 points, hitting three times from deep. Hailey Jenkins and Kaylin Stewart each bagged 16 points with a combined 13 field goals between them. Kendra Morgan paced a short-staffed Falcons squad with 15. The Falcons have now lost three in a row after starting the year 6-1. Catty continues their climb up the standings, now at 6-3.
• Kaylin Figurski was the difference for the Slaters in a tight game against Jim Thorpe. Held scoreless for the first half and to two points through three, Bangor and the Olympians were locked in a 22-22 battle entering the final eight minutes. Figurski hit three 3-pointers and a free throw for ten points in a 13-4 fourth quarter run to seal the 35-24 win.
• Lehighton became the first team to go green for districts, moving to a perfect 11-0 on the year after defeating Moravian Academy 57-23. Eleven different Indians players scored. Leah Uyvari led the way with 11. Ava Serfass and Ryleigh Trotman each had seven and Olivia Serfass four more. The Indians raced out to a 16-0 first quarter and led 37-12 at the intermission.

Tuesday, 1/6:

• Jayla Rosario became the first Dieruff girl to hit the 1,000 point mark in 25 years in a 53-13 victory over Pleasant Valley. She joins elite company as the ninth girl to do so in school history and is the first since Lindsay Myers. After throwing down 18 points easily, her last one took a little more effort, as a few open looks bounced around and out. Off a miss, Justyce McChristian passed the ball back to her for the shot and points just before halftime. Dick Schmidt Gymnasium erupted and the balloons came out for Jayla, who spent a long while on the court in the postgame getting photos with teammates and family. It was a big moment for Dieruff, as she and her teammates lead a resurgence in Huskies basketball. In the win, McChristian and Milly Matos both added ten points to Rosario’s game-high 22. Matos showed off her 3-point shooting ability in the second half. You can see more from this game, including the shot that propelled Rosario to 1,000 and more photos on IG: @LSVSports1 or X: @LSVSports.
• Central Catholic used a trip to Pocono Mountain West to take out some recent frustrations, bringing home a 50-29 win. Anika Spinosa led a trio of double-digit scorers that also included Skylar Taylor(12) and Alyssa Hursh(10). After taking a 34-23 lead to the locker room at half, the Vikettes allowed just six Panthers points in the second half. And this time, the offense poured it on–22 points in the third quarter slammed the door on any comeback hopes.
• With the injury bug biting the Golden Hawks particularly hard, Leah Ault took over for Bethlehem Catholic, scoring 25 in a 60-29 rout of the Freedom Patriots. Her three triples in the third quarter helped create separation from what had been a 29-23 game at halftime. Avaughna Gordan continued to step up, piling on 16 points of her own on six field goals. Kendall Nickischer was back on the court and Beca will be looking for contributions from her moving forward. Kate Assad let the Patriots with 13.
• Delaney Walborn’s four treys in the first half helped move Blue Mountain past Pine Grove 47-36. Callie Peel led the Eagles with 13 and scored 10 of those in the second half. Mila Fleagle scored nine of her 11 in the first half, as well, with the Blue Mountain offense hitting seven times from distance. Hollynn Sampson put up 20 for Pine Grove, accounting for nine 2-pointers. Keep reading to see how Blue Mountain performed in a Friday night tilt against Minersville before taking on 6A powerhouse Emmaus. The loss marked only the fourth for Pine Grove, who also two weekend games against Schuylkill Haven and Tulpehocken.
• Parkland took care of business as expected, blowing by East Stroudsburg South 56-6. Fourteen Lady Trojans saw game action, led by Isabella Hallal’s 15. Cheryllann Cunningham and Savannah Gonzalez each finished with eight; Gonzalez hit two 3-balls in the third quarter. Parkland will be expected to win Friday night at Pleasant Valley before facing a tough schedule next week that includes Audenreid, Cumberland Valley, Dieruff and Easton.
• In perhaps unexpected fashion, Easton dominated Liberty 72-26. Ava Kopetskie was held to just five points against the swarming Red Rovers, who had four players reach double digits. Melina Cole was good for two triples and 13 overall. Natalie Amato and Elena Brunetti each poured in 12 and Ava Muhammed mixed in ten more. Easton came out strong from the get-go, amassing a 20-5 lead after one and opened the second half in the mercy rule at 44-14. Easton has mowed down its last six opponents by an average of 35 points per game. They will be put to the test in their next two road games at Bethlehem Catholic and Emmaus.
• Emmaus hammered Stroudsburg 81-4, getting eleven players into the scoring column. Three-point sharpshooter Olive Whitney led the way with 15 points, hitting three times from deep. Her second quarter 3-pointer gave her 100 for her career. Gabby DeVita and Olivia Haberl, another of the standout sophomores on the roster, each had 12 points. Eva Glover and Gracie Ervin each had nine. All in all, sophomores accounted for 37 points on the night. If the Green Hornets win their next two against Pocono Mountain East and Blue Mountain, they will have locked up a district playoff spot before mid-January.
• Eliana Marques spearheaded Southern Lehigh’s 48-39 win at Pen Argyl. She knocked down five deep balls in the first half alone, adding a few free throws for 18 total. In the second half, she piled on ten more for a career high 28. Leah Apostol was a standout once again for the Green Knights, but 18 from her and nine from Ashlynn Oessenick was not enough to overcome Solehi. The Green Knights find themselves in a three-game skid with the toughest stretch of their schedule about to hit. Their next four opponents will be NW Lehigh, Palmerton, Wilson and Notre Dame Green Pond. Southern Lehigh has won five in a row and will be favored in several of their upcoming contests.
• Lauren Ligenza was once again a double-double machine, scoring 17 and pulling down ten rebounds as Tamaqua escaped Panther Valley 47-44. Kendle Miller added three treys and 13 points overall. Tamaqua has now won eight of its last nine, looking to keep pace for a top four spot in the 4A power rankings.
• Jim Thorpe first-year head coach Thomas Ferguson notched his first victory, as the Olympians got past Moravian Academy 39-27. Brooklyn Yuhas led the way with 16 points, Ten of those points came in the first half. Olivia Snisky and Gloria Strohl each contributed nine.

Wednesday, 1/7:

• Congratulations to Morgan Orsulak who reached the 1,000-point mark for Panther Valley in a 77-40 loss to Dieruff. The shot that did it came in the fourth quarter and she finished with 18 on the night to go with ten rebounds. Fellow 1,000-point scorer Jayla Rosario, one night after reaching the same milestone, went off again for 29 points, 27 of which came over the final three frames. A 22-7 second quarter broke the game open for the Huskies. Aniya Holder scored 17 and Justyce McChristian added 12, as the Huskies knocked down eight deep shots. The Huskies also went 15/16 from the free throw line.

Thursday, 1/8:

• Junior Tegan Simms moved within nine points of 1,000, throwing down 27 as Northern Lehigh steamrolled Moravian Academy 60-9 on Mentor Night. All of those points came in the middle two frames. Senior Jaylene Ramos scored ten. The Bulldogs hit 26 times from the field. They will take on Bangor Saturday as Simms looks for the milestone bucket.
• Lehighton took its talents on the road to Bangor for a 51-17 win, staying unbeaten and moving to 12-0. Ava Serfass scored seven in the first quarter and led the Indians with 12. Ryleigh Trotman had 10 and Olivia Serfass added 8 more. Lehighton held the Slaters scoreless in the second quarter, rolling out to a 25-5 halftime lead. Leah Uyvari also had an eight point night. Lehighton shot 7/9 from the free throw line and hit four treys. Kaylynn Figurski was limited to four points for Bangor.
• Catasauqua won its fourth in a row, demolishing Palisades 59-6. The Roughs put up 41 first half points, led by 16 from Hailey Jenkins and 12 from Kaylin Stewart. Jenkins went on to finish with 24 and Stewart with 14. Javaeh Lafond continues to be a promising freshman, totaling 11 points.
• Southern Lehigh stayed hot. Despite not having Eliana Marques available for the game, the Spartans got major production from Rowan Adams, Elena Druck, and Sam Fontanez in their 57-33 triumph over Jim Thorpe. Adams hit the only 3-pointer of the night for Solehi, totaling 21 points. Fontanez had 17 and Druck reached 11. Southern hit 20 2-point field goals and was 14/20 from the charity stripe. The win marked six in a row for coach Sydney Slone’s squad as they prepared for a Saturday showdown with Lehighton.
• Northwestern Lehigh put the brakes on a two game skid, taking Pen Argyl to task in 51-17 fashion. The sisters Conner accounted for 30 points (Natalie 20, Mallory 10), including six triples. Perhaps more impressive was the defensive effort from coach Chris Deutsch’s squad, keeping Gianna Martini to six points and only allowing five to Leah Apostol.
• In a game that was rescheduled from December when Mahanoy Area was still undefeated, the Executive Education Raptors beat them 42-31. Sophomore Nia Bush lit up the scorebook with 18 points. Ashley Hunter-Ali poured in 13. The 6-2 Raptors moved to the top of the 3A power rankings and showed little rust being off since December 30th.
• Saucon Valley gave Salisbury its fourth straight loss, 31-16. Neither team hit a 3-pointer and the two combined to go 13/35 on their free throws, making it not the cleanest or prettiest game. But Grace Donahue scored 13 and 11 more came from Siera Skoda, combining to hit nine of the Panthers’ ten field goals. Kendra Morgan led Salisbury with 11.
• Palmerton needed only one field goal in a seven point overtime to hold off WIlson Area 58-54. Cate Morgan hit four of the Bombers’ seven 3-pointers, finishing with 22 points. Emma Rex put up 14, including two triples of her own. The Bombers were able to overcome 21 points from Juliana Bonham. With the win, Palmerton snapped a two game skid.

Friday, 1/9:

• In a showdown of EPC powerhouses, Easton came out of Bethlehem Catholic victorious, 49-34. Despite a 7-0 run by the Hawks to open the second half and take a 24-20 lead, it was the Rovers who closed the game on a 29-10 run. Gabby Wismer topped the scoring column with 14 points and Melina Cole threw down 11. But the story in this one was the physical play. The teams combined for 49 free throw attempts, and the Red Rovers converted on 25 of 34 opportunities at the charity stripe. At times, it looked more like a football game played on the hardwood and Easton was able to force 25 Hawks turnovers along the way, putting on a defensive clinic on how to take charges, execute the full court press, and cause chaos in the paint. Easton has now won seven in a row and prepares for a Tuesday night showdown at Parkland. Bethlehem Catholic dropped its second game of the season and eagerly awaits the return of Kam Gallis and Aliyah Brame to the lineup. The Hawks travel to Emmaus on Monday night. See more on this game on our X: @LSVSports
• It was a balanced scoring attack that led Central Catholic over East Stroudsburg South 65-32. Morgan Seagreaves led the way with 13, while Alyssa Hursh and Skylar Taylor each had 9. Tatum Kofroth added eight. Seven different players combined for eight 3-pointers along the way.
• Blue Mountain took care of business versus Minersville, 45-16. Callie Peel hit twice from beyond the arc as part of her team leading 13. Mila Fleagle hit a trey and ended her night with nine points. The victory was the third in a row for the Eagles, moving them to 6-6, keeping them in the 8th spot in District XI’s power rankings.
• Emmaus head coach Avon Mack gave some different players starting roles in a 60-13 victory at Pocono Mountain East. Makayla McGinnis and Gabby East took advantage, scoring 13 and 8 respectively. Three-point shooting remained a constant for the Hornets, as they hit seven times. Sierra Stevens also scored 11, hitting five times from the field. Olive Whitney was good for two triples in an eight point effort.
• Nazareth’s high-flying defense took the Hurricanes by storm, with the Blue Eagles soaring to a 49-28 win on the road. Ava Kopetskie returned to form with a 16 point effort, but no other players scored more than four points for the Canes. Karly Leszcynski was a 3-point machine, banging home four of them and joining Mikaila Brooks with 14 points to lead the Eagles. By halftime, Liberty trailed 23-9. The win put Nazareth two shy of clinching a district playoff berth.
• Jayla Rosario continued accelerating right by the 1,000 point mark she hit earlier this week, dropping 26 on Pocono Mountain West in Dieruff’s 56-31 victory. The win clinched a district playoff berth for head coach Cathy Piston’s squad and was the fourth straight for the team. The Huskies drew a lot of contact, going 17/25 at the free throw stripe versus just 1/9 for the Panthers. Aniya Holder also had a nice game, scoring 13, hitting twice from downtown. This game was 27-20 at the break until Dieruff broke open a 16-4 third quarter, featuring eight points from Rosario.
• Tamaqua outlasted North Schuylkill 46-43 in overtime on the road behind big efforts from their stars. Lauren Ligenza secured yet another double double, with 20 points and 15 boards. Millie Black poured in 13 points. Tamaqua was 10/20 on their free throws, which could have swung the game much sooner, given that the Spartans only got four attempts on the night. Mya Conti had 18 for North Schuylkill.
• Natalie Conner nearly single-handedly matched Salisbury’s output in a 60-29 Tigers romp. Conner knocked down 11 field goals for 27 points, including five from deep range. Twenty of those points came in the first quarter alone! When all was said and done, Northwestern rained nine triples down on the Falcons and secured a playoff berth in the 4A field. Hannah Gober also had an 8 point first quarter in this contest and totaled 11.
• Pottsville and Panther Valley were knotted at 19 at halftime before the Crimson Tide rolled in for a 47-39 victory. Jo Barnhart hit four times from beyond the arc in a 21-point effort. A 17-9 third quarter was separation enough for the Tide. Pottsville also made eight 3-pointers. In defeat, Morgan Orsulak, who reached the 1,000-point mark earlier this week, knocked down 16.
• The Parkland Lady Troijans had no trouble dispatching of Pleasant Valley 65-13. Nine different players scored, led by ten from Isabella Hallal. Carly Spang scored nine, all in the first half. Parkland is now district playoff eligible with the victory.
• William Allen used a 26-11 first half to run past Stroudsburg 51-21. Arianna Rosario led all scorers with 20, dispersing them equally with ten in both halves.

Saturday, 1/10:

• Tegan Simms became the latest player around the valley to reach the 1,000-point milestone! She needed nine and got 25 in the Bulldogs’ 48-22 victory over Bangor. Read much more about this game in our recap! See more video from this game taken by John Fox
• Emmaus did Emmaus things on the road at Blue Mountain, as seven players combined to hit nine 3-pointers in a 61-26 rout that officially made the Green Hornets playoff eligible. Gabby DeVita hit three of those deep balls and led all scorers with 17. Sierra Stevens added 12. Emmaus grew a 28-9 halftime lead before scoring 26 in the third quarter.
• Jim Thorpe took a 10-6 lead over Catasauqua early, but ultimately fell to the Rough Riders 45-31. Hailey Jenkins put up 19 points, scoring nine in the first half. Kaylin Stewart contributed 12. After going 3-3 to start the year, Catty has now won five straight and will next be in action against Lehighton on Monday night.
• Executive Education traveled to Philadelphia to participate in the She Got Game showcase. The Raptors came out victorious 41-40 over Howard High School of Delaware. Executive got a strong first half from Nia Bush, who put up all nine of her points. Mariah Hargrove had a game-leading performance with 15 points. Executive closed it out in the fourth, allowing just one field goal by the opposition. The Raptors improved to 7-2 and lead the DXI 3A power rankings.
• Lehighton was held to a season low 37 points, but it was enough to get by Southern Lehigh 37-25. Olivia Serfass played a key role once more, scoring six of her team’s 12 in a 12-2 third quarter run. She ended her night with 16 points, while Ava Serfass added six. Leah Uyvari was good for eight points. Southern Lehigh did not hit any shots from behind the 3-point line and were led by nine from Rowan Adams. The loss snapped a six game win streak for Solehi. Lehighton remains unbeaten at 13-0.
• Nazareth unloaded on Pocono Mountain East, rolling to a 66-18 win. Alexa Davis banged home four triples; Karly Leszcynski nailed three. Davis led all scorers with 22 and Leszcynski had 14. As a team, the Eagles hit 25 times from the field. Nylah Stewart scored nine of the Cardinals’ points. Nazareth has won five in a row and is just one win shy of clinching a district playoff berth.
• Ava Shonk scored 15 of her 17 points in the first half of Notre Dame Green Pond’s 53-41 victory over WIlson Area. That performance fueled a 32-27 halftime lead in a fast-paced action-packed first two quarters. The Crusaders defense held Juliana Bonham and Emma Dalpe to one field goal each in a 12-5 third quarter to go ahead 44-30. In the loss, Bonham amassed 16 and Dalpe had ten. NDGP has gone 3-0 over the second toughest part of its schedule, defeating Northwestern Lehigh, Palmerton and Wilson Area in succession to improve to 9-4.
• Saucon Valley had little trouble dominating Palisades, getting out to a 25-11 halftime lead before cruising to a 45-26 win. Grace Donahue, despite not scoring at all in the first half, led all scorers with 13. Sierra Skoda played a large part in building the early lead, putting up six points over the first 16 minutes. Senior Marin Bowers also had six in the first half and ended up with eight on the day. Ella Young had 12 points in the loss for the Pirates.
• Palmerton didn’t need overtime in a 44-14 rout of a struggling Pen Argyl squad. Since opening the season 7-1, the Green Knights have now dropped five in a row by an average of 21 points. In this one, Hailey Barry returned to dominance, scoring 17 points, including a perfect 6/6 on free throws. Emma Rex hit four field goals and was 4/7 from the line for a 13 point morning. The Blue Bombers have now secured a district playoff berth ahead of their Monday tilt at Salisbury.
• Panther Valley had little trouble with Pleasant Valley, rolling to a 57-28 result. Morgan Orsulak went off for 28, matching the output of the Bears on her own. More impressively, all 11 field goals she made were from 2-point range. Caroline Breslin hit the Panthers’ two triples of the day and she finished with 12 points. Danika Blazosky added eight more.