ILVGH: Conference Crowns and Playoff Previews

This past week marked the end of the major conference tournaments at the PPL Center, Freedom, and Martz Hall. Let’s dive into the semifinals and then see how the champions were crowned. As always, visit our IG for highlight reels from everything this past week: LSVsports1

EPC Tournament

• In the first battle of heavyweight semifinalists, Bethlehem Catholic ousted Emmaus 63-55. The Hornets led 20-10 after a quarter, getting a balanced effort from Olive Whitney, Gabby DeVita and Gracie Ervin. The Hawks picked it up in the second frame, getting triples from Kendall Nickischer, Leah Ault, and Kam Gallis. The first half featured eight points from Brooklyn Lewis, but the Hawks trailed 35-27 at the half. The Hornets led by as many as 15, but the Hawks defense closed things down. Emmaus was held scoreless from the field for 10:03 over the second half, a silence finally broken by a DeVita bucket with 4:35 to go in the game. Becahi took full advantage during the drought, putting up an 18 point third quarter. Gallis hit a triple in that frame and Ayva Radande was a beast all night long on the glass. With 2:15 to play, Gallis knocked down a trey, moving the Hawks ahead 54-49. Down the stretch, the Golden Hawks hit six of six free throws, including four from Nickischer. Despite 22 points from DeVita, the scoreless streak in the second half doomed the Hornets and kept them from repeating as conference champions.
• Easton took a few minutes to get going on the big stage, having experienced difficulty at the PPL Center over recent years. But after going scoreless over the first 2:45 of the game, the Rovers came alive and defeated Parkland 55-50. A Gabby Wismer runner got Easton on the board and a Melina Cole 3-ball helped Easton take an 11-10 first quarter lead. Midway through the second, Savannah Gonzalez and Aneri McGalla hit from the left corner and left wing respectively, taking back a 19-15 lead. Hallal kept the lead at six on her own 3-pointer. But by halftime, Easton had pulled themselves within a point at the break. The teams continued back and forth until a superb sequence in the fourth. Cheryllanna Cunningham and Eva Jordan went back and forth, knocking down five combined 3-pointers. In the final minutes, Gabby Wismer went 4/4 from the foul stripe and Eva Jordan’s ten point fourth quarter and final free throws iced the Rovers’ victory, foreshadowing for what was to come two nights later.
• Bethlehem Catholic and Easton split their regular season meetings and there was plenty of anticipation for a third and final matchup of the season on the big stage at the PPL Center. Early on, it was all Hawks. Kendall Nickischer’s first quarter left-wing three ball made it 8-0. Easton didn’t get on the board until freshman Eva Jordan tripled to make the score 10-3. Put a pin in Jordan’s name for later. Elena Brunetti scored near the end of the first and after one, it was 10-8 Beca. Nat Amato gave Easton its first lead in the second quarter when she hit a three from the left side. By halftime, the Red Rovers had a thin 20-18 edge. Easton pushed its lead to seven early in the third, but Nickischer and Kam Gallis would not be deterred. Bethlehem Catholic went on a 7-0 run and took the lead back at 28-26 and led 30-28 after three frames. Scoring came at a severe premium in the final eight minutes. Gallis moved ahead 30-26. As time ticked down, though, the score was knotted at 30 a piece with 2:30 to play. Melina Cole threw a deep pass from three steps beyond the 3-point line to Eva Jordan down low and Jordan laid it in to put Easton ahead 32-30. Melina Cole’s free throws then made it 34-30 with :26 to play. Aliyah Brame’s layup would give the Hawks the game tying shot with six seconds left, but a miscommunication resulted in Becahi fouling and sending Eva Jordan to the free throw line with three ticks remaining. She missed the first, but the second rolled true. Brame’s last second shot from near half court bounced off the rim and Easton hung on for the razor-thin 35-34 victory. While Melina Cole led all scorers with 12, it was, once again, a full team effort by the Red Rovers that secured them their first EPC title in ten seasons.

Colonial League

• The first semifinal at Whitehall had the vibes of a title game. Lehighton and Northwestern met for a third time, as what felt like the entire town of Lehighton packed one side of the gym. The community rallied to be deafeningly loud at times as the Indians went toe-to-toe once again with the team that gave them their only two losses of the season. Lehighton emerged victorious 52-49. None of that community support mattered early on. The Tigers built an 18-6 first quarter lead on buckets only by Natalie and Mallory Conner. Lehighton countered with five straight to open the second stanza, including a Ryleigh Trotman bucket, but Nat Conner scored again and Northwestern pushed their lead to 22-13. A Leah Uyvari triple provided hope, followed by a Trotman putback. But Emma Freeman put down the rebelion one more time with a 3-ball and Northwestern led 25-18 at halftime. Northwestern shot an incredible 10/13 in from the field in the first half and Natalie Conner picked up where she left off to open the third, pushing the lead back to nine at 27-18. And then Ryleigh Trotman went off. Back-to-back 3-pointers from the left side along with a put back gave her eight straight and at long last put the Indians ahead 30-28. Lehighton proceeded to go on a 19-3 run and Uyvari capped the third quarter with her own 3-ball, moving her squad ahead 37-30. The crowd rose to a roar as both Uyvari and Trotman would later admit they couldn’t even hear their teammates at times on the court in this or the game at Freedom. Both teams scored at a furious pace in the final eight minutes. Mallory Conner drew the Tigers within 50-49 with 22 seconds to play. Two free throws with six seconds left allowed Lehighton to finally get revenge and move on to the Colonial League title game. Trotman finished with 22 points and Lehighton overcame a 27 point night by Natalie Conner.
• Notre Dame Green Pond took on Catasauqua in the other semifinal at Whitehall. The Crusaders shot 6 of 10 in the first half from beyond the arc and went on an 8-0 run over the final 90 seconds to get a 24-16 halftime lead that would eventual propel them to a 44-36 win. Brenna Hammerstone hit three of those six, while Riley Boyle nailed two and one more came from Ava Shonk. Shonk moved the third quarter lead to 28-18 on a runner in the lane. The efforts of Hailey Jenkins brought Catasauqua within five late, but there wasn’t enough time to complete the comeback try. Jenkins finished the game with 22 and Kaylin Stewart added 14. For the victorious Crusaders, Ava Shonk scored ten and Hammerstone had nine.
• Lehighton rode the momentum of defeating Northwestern Lehigh right into dominating Notre Dame Green Pond 44-26. Brielle Parliman had eight of the first ten for the Indians, while Leah Uyvari bookended her opening triple with one right before halftime that brought Lehighton’s lead to 22-16 at intermission. Notre Dame cut their deficit to 24-22 on an Ava Shonk bucket, but a 20-4 Lehighton run closed out the third and final quarters. Parliman finished with an 18 point night and Leah Uyvari had 12. The Crusaders struggled at the foul line, going one for sixteen.

Playoff Previews

Class A(Wednesday, 2/25, TBD)

• Salem Christian v Bethlehem Christian – The Panthers of Bethlehem Christian met Salem Christian twice in the regular season, winning 40-30 and 31-20. In the first meeting, Zoey Morea scored 11 points and Aubrey Merisca pulled down ten offensive boards. Paige Kreidler scored ten in the second matchup, where the Panthers used a 19-9 second half to pull away.
• Notre Dame East Stroudsburg v Weatherly – These two did not meet in the regular season. Olivia Protheroe leads NDES and is coming off a 42 point performance against East Stroudsburg North. Kelly Reiner leads Weatherly, averaging nearly 10 points per game.

Class AA(Tuesday, 2/24, TBD)

• Williams Valley v Shenandoah Valley – The last meeting between these two Schuylkill League foes was one of the shockers of the entire regular season. Shenandoah Valley snapped a Vikings nine game win streak and prevented Mallory Miller from reaching her 1,000-point milestone. It was even more surprising given Williams Valley had defeated Shenandoah by 27 back in December. Jocelyn Shagolla and Gianna Donovan will need to be on their A-game one more time to upend the top seed in 2A. In Williams Valley’s 49-22 win on December 9th, Miller scored 18, while Ireland Kasper had 14 and Ella Kobularik added ten.
• Marian Catholic v Lincoln Leadership – This is a rematch of a game that took place just last week. The Fillies upended Lincoln 52-35 behind 19 points from DeAnna Pugh and 15 more from sophomore standout Addy Marek. Freshman Haley Minzola contributed ten. The Fillies will be significant favorites in the second meeting.

Class AAA

• Lehigh Valley Academy @ Northern Lehigh, Tuesday 7:00 – this pigtail game will be played at Northern Lehigh, as the Bulldogs meet LVA for the second straight year in the postseason. Last year, Northern had no trouble in a 69-27 rout. This time, though, the Bulldogs enter the game having lost seven of their last eight and missing the Colonial League tournament. Tegan Simms leads the Bulldogs, having scored her 1,000th career point earlier this year. The Bulldogs will need to get more than just her going if Nolehi is to make a run in the postseason. The winner of this game will take on top seeded Notre Dame Green Pond Friday night, 7:30 at Executive.
• Schuylkill Haven v MaST Community Charter, Friday 6:00 at Martz Hall – MaST Community Charter joins the DXI 3A field from Philadelphia. The Panthers average 37.5ppg and give up about 34.5ppg. Junior Tierney Hamilton leads the team, scoring 17.5ppg and nearly averaging a double-double at 8rpg. The last time the Panthers traveled north to face a DXI foe was in last year’s playoffs, a 58-34 defeat at the hands of Catasauqua. Schuylkill Haven is led by Audrey Hutchinson and McKenna Runkle, who average 16 and 13ppg respectively. The Hurricanes have enjoyed twelve straight victories and are coming off a Schuylkill League championship win, 38-31 over Lourdes Regional at Martz Hall.
• Pine Grove v Catasauqua, Friday 6:00 at Executive – These two haven’t met since 2008, when Pine Grove won by 18. Catasauqua enters this one having won nine of ten to close the regular season before a Colonial League semifinal loss to Green Pond. Pine Grove will need to handle Hailey Jenkins, who averages more than 20 points per game. Kaylin Stewart is averaging nearly 15ppg as well. The Cardinals are led by Hollyn Sampson and Lainey Fidler.
• Executive Education v Mahanoy Area, Friday 7:00 at Palmerton – The Raptors and Golden Bears meet again in 2026 after Executive dealt Mahanoy Area 42-31 loss back on January 8. Nia Bush had 18 in that game and Ashley Hunter-Ali added 11. Mahanoy enters this one having won ten of their last thirteen contests, including a 44-40 victory over Tamaqua in the Schuylkill League quarters. Felicia Bro and Ella Connelly lead the charge for the Bears.

Class AAAA

• Saucon Valley at Blue Mountain, Tuesday 7:00 – These two have not met since the Panthers narrowly Sadefeated the Eagles in February of 2013. This matchup comes in a pigtail contest, where Saucon will look to get Grace Donahue and Sierra Skoda going. Blue Mountain is no stranger to scoring 50 or more points in a contest, behind the efforts of Lila Fleagle, Hailey Place, Delaney Walborn and more weapons. Saucon Valley’s journey to this point included an eight game losing streak that stretched over an entire month. That gave way, though, to winning ten of their last thirteen. Blue Mountain has won four of its last six.
• Northwestern Lehigh v Central Catholic, Saturday 1:30 at Catasauqua – this is a rematch of a DXI 4A semifinal from last year that the Vikettes won 51-41. Whatever is in the water in New Tripoli continues to flow, as the Lady Tigers won eleven straight before being upended by Lehighton in the Colonial League semifinals Natalie and Mallory Conner certainly stir the drink on both sides of the ball for Northwestern, joined by talents such as Emma Freeman and Hannah Gober. Natalie most recently put up 27 points in the loss to Lehighton. As for Central Catholic, it’s been a rocky road in the first year post-Milly Wolf. Head coach Kathy Davidowich’s team weathered losing six of their first nine games out of the gate, but things have since gelled. The Vikettes have won seven of their last ten, and gave Emmaus a stiff test along the way. Morgan Seagreaves and Shamiya Roberts have stepped up in their senior seasons, joined by Annika Spinosa. These core three do not want to see their season come to an end, and this game promises to be one of the best 7/2 matchups you’ll find across the eastern half of the state.
• Palmerton v Wilson Area, Saturday 12:00 at Catasauqua – This game pits two Colonial League quarterfinalists against each other for the second time this year. The first time, Palmerton squeaked by the Warriors 57-55 in overtime. Twenty points from Cate Morgan and 14 from Emma Rex helped the Bombers get past the speed and shooting of Juliana Bonham that gave her a 21 point night back in January. Palmerton hit eight times from range in that game. These two are some of the hottest teams in the valley; Wilson has won eight of their last ten and the Bombers have been victorious in eight of their last eleven.
• North Schuylkill v Tamaqua, Saturday 2:00 at Martz Hall – The Spartans have gotten out to two hot starts against the Blue Raiders in their previous meetings. North Schuylkill led 12-4 and 14-4 after those first quarters. In one game, Tamaqua battled back and won in overtime. In the other, North Schuylkill continued to pound away and won 51-28. Mya Conti was a significant factor in both, to say the least, scoring 27 in the Spartans’ win and 18 in the matchup that they lost. Millie Black and Lauren Ligenza combined for 33 points in Tamaqua’s OT thriller, while they hit just 20 together in the double-digit loss. One thing is for sure–if Tamaqua wants to win this one, they will need to get off to a better start, while North Schuylkill will look to dominate early and finish strong.

Class AAAAA, Wednesday 2/25

• Bethlehem Catholic v Bangor – On paper, this one is a similar mismatch to last year’s 61-16 rout, created by DXI 5A having only seven teams in it. The top two will go to states and host first round games. The Slaters’ eight victories all come against teams with losing records. Kaylynn Figurski and others will need to have huge games to keep up with the likes of Leah Ault, Aliyah Brame, Kam Gallis, Ayva Radande, and Kendall Nickischer. Bethlehem Catholic’s goal here is to keep their eyes on the prize of a state playoff run and not allow Bangor to hang around in this one.
• Southern Lehigh v Pottsville – it has been eight years since the Spartans and Crimson Tide last met. Back then, Southern Lehigh was making deep state playoff runs and mowing down local competition. Now, Southern Lehigh continues to rebuild and is looking to take next steps in a not so crowded 5A field. The Spartans are looking to get Sam Fontanzes and Elena Marques scoring big numbers to overcome Pottsville’s trio of standout juniors in Jo Barnhart, Myla Fegley and Lauren Brennan.

Class AAAAAA

• Easton v Pocono Mountain West, Friday 7:30 at Northampton – This quarterfinal looks to be a sure win for the top seed and EPC champions. The last meeting between the Rovers and Panthers was a 63-7 rout for Easton in January of 2025. Emma Campusano was held scoreless in that contest. These Panthers will look to get on track early and try to hang around as long as possible. Nat Amato, Elena Brunetti, the Cole sisters, and Eva Jordan have their sights set on a deep district run and will want to try and get this one to the mercy rule as soon as possible.
• Parkland v Freedom, Friday 7:30 at Catasauqua – The Trojans were a few quarters away from being blown out by Nazareth just over a week ago, but coach Ed Ohlson’s squad rallied from down 22 to make the semis and took a good shot at Easton. The Freedom Patriots will have been off for 17 days by the time this one tips off on Friday night and can ill afford a slow start against Bella Hallal, Aneri McGalla, Cheryllana Cunningham and plenty of other weapons. When these teams faced off in early December, Parkland cruised to a 14-0 early lead, burying the Pates early. Seniors Sara Kokolus and Kate Assad, alogn with junior Payton Besecker, will need to score early and often to keep pace with the high-powered Parkland attack.
• Emmaus v Liberty, Friday 6:00 at Catasauqua – When these two last played, the Green Hornets rolled past Ava Kopetskie’s Hurricanes 72-40. Like they have done much of the year, Emmaus has used their 3-point shooting to get by. Against Liberty, Emmaus hit ten triples, spurred on by sharp-shooters like Olive Whitney and Gabby DeVita. DeVita is an ever-present threat who can cause major frustration for opponents. Liberty will need to force Emmaus to turn the ball over and need to get more players involved on the offense to complement contributions from Kopetskie. In the first meeting, Kopetskie scored 20.
• Nazareth v Dieruff, Friday 6:00 at Northampton – Both the Huskies and Blue Eagles are coming off disappoint defeats in the EPC tournament. Nazareth had a 25-3 lead on Parkland that went squandered. Dieruff was ousted in a play-in game 68-61 against Liberty. Nazareth won the previous meeting 56-45, behind a strong 20-9 fourth quarter. Alexa Davis, Carly Brown and Karly Leszcynski combined for 37 in that contest. The core of five Dieruff seniors look to do head coach Cathy Piston proud one more time as they seek their first district playoff victory in several years.