Who will get the gold tonight?

Bangor is seeking its 10th league title, while Notre Dame-GP goes for its 1st since 2014

Brendan Boyle had just scored a Notre Dame-Green Pond school record 42 points Wednesday night, but rather than look back, all the Crusaders junior had on his mind was what was ahead.

“I’ve waited my whole to win a league championship,” Boyle said. “I’ve been around Notre Dame basketball since I was two or three years old and I’ve waited for this moment. I’m not going to leave anything out on the court, that’s for sure.”

Boyle’s wait for a crown could come to an end at 7:45 p.m. Friday at Moravian Academy. That’s when his Crusaders will play Bangor for the league championship.

Northwestern and Palmerton meet at 5:30 in the girls final.

The boys game will feature two of the best guards in the area in Boyle and Bangor’s C.J. Miles, a pair of unanimous firstteam all-stars as selected by the league’s coaches.

But while those two will be in the spotlight, the two programs and the entire league will get their moment on center stage. It will be a celebration for what the teams have accomplished in surviving a year unlike any other considering the pandemic, excessive snowstorms and the day-today uncertainty.

“We’re excited to have a chance to compete on Friday, especially with all of the unknowns this season,” Boyle said. “The Eastern Pennsylvania Conference couldn’t even have their league playoffs, so we’re very, very lucky. Now that we have this chance, we’re going to take it and do our best to win Friday night.”

History lesson

Notre Dame is going for its third Colonial title, but the first since 2014 when it beat Catasauqua 60-58 in the final. The Crusaders’ other championship came in 2005 with a 79-55 win over Catty. Notre Dame also lost in the finals four times, the last runners-up finish coming in 2010. The Crusaders also won a Centennial League crown in 1979.

Bangor is trying to win its 10th championship and sixth since 2013. It also won a league title in 1977 and three in a row from 1986-88. The Slaters also have lost three times in league finals, falling to Salisbury 66-56 in 2012 and to Southern Lehigh 36-32 in 2019 and 70-51 last year.

How they got here

Notre Dame earned the top seed in the tournament by going 6-1 in the Colonial League regular season with its lone loss coming at Northwestern, 58-57, on Feb. 13. That defeat snapped a ninegame win streak that began after the Crusaders lost their season opener 84-75 Dec. 11 at Executive Education.

In the tournament, Notre Dame beat No. 8 seed Palisades 80-72, building a 43-28 halftime lead and then beat No. 4 Palmerton 80-61 in the semifinals behind Boyle’s record-breaking night.

Bangor earned the No. 2 seed by going 8-2 in their league games with losses to Salisbury, 60-52 on Feb. 4, and Notre Dame, 84-76 on Feb. 17. The Slaters’ other defeat came against Nazareth, 67-62, in a nonleague game Jan. 19.

In the tournament, the Slaters whipped No. 7 Wilson 71 -47 and No. 3 Northwestern Lehigh 59-40.

Probable lineups

Bangor: Gabe Zieba (5-10 Sr. G) Josh Giaquinto (6-1 So. G); Justin Peterson (6-4 So.

F); Daniel Heald (6-6 Jr. F); CJ Miles (6-1 Sr. G). Others to watch, Jace Eldridge (5-8 Sr. G); James Merklinger (6-1 Jr. F); Caleb Ramthun (6-6 Sr. C).

Notre Dame: Brendan Boyle (5-10 Jr. G); Logan Rickert (5-11 Sr. G); Sean Howlett (6-0, Jr. G); Joe Galle (6-0 Sr. G); Zach Rodgers (5-11 So. G). Others to watch: Na’Kai Carew (6-1 Sr. F); Jayden Becker (6-0 Jr. G); Chase Marcks (5-10 So. G).

Scoring leaders

Boyle is the area’s top scorer with 27.5 points per game, while three other players average in double figures — Rickert (16.7), Howlett (10.5) and, Carew (10.0). Boyle, who has 1,240 career points, has 50 3-pointers, while Galle and Rickert have 25 and 22 respectively. As a team, the Crusaders average 76.9 points per game and allow 62.7. They average 8.5 treys per game.

Miles is among the area’s top scorers at 26.6 points per game, while Zieba averages 15.3 ppg. Miles leads team with 39 3-pointers. Giaquinto is next with 26. As a team, the Slaters average 65.4 ppg and allow 48.4. They average 6.3 3-pointers per game.

Previous meeting

On Feb. 17 at Bangor’s Bill

Pensyl Gym the Slaters started fast and took a 23-13 lead early in the second quarter that was stretched to 11 points several times before Notre Dame fought back to within 39-34 at halftime.

Bangor again surged at the start of the third quarter and led 58-43 with 3:22 left in the period.

But Notre Dame went on a 17-2 run to forge a 60-60 tie entering the final stanza. The Crusaders took the lead for good at 67-65 on a Boyle 3-pointer with 5:49 left and pulled away to an 84-76 win.

Rickert kept Notre Dame in it with 14 of his 28 points in the second quarter and Howlett had 15 of his 19 in the third period. Boyle had 13 of his 26 in the fourth quarter. Miles led all scorers with 33 points, but had just six in the fourth quarter.

What to expect

When they met last week, Bangor coach Colin Kessler said he expected his Slaters would meet Notre Dame again and added that he didn’t employ a few things it might use in a rematch.

Whatever it is that Bangor didn’t try the first time, the Slaters ought to use it this time because Notre Dame has looked unstoppable at times, including the second half of the win at Bangor.

While Boyle going against

Miles is one of the premier matchups in area basketball, it will likely come down to the supporting casts of each team.

In the first meeting, Howlett and Rickert were the deciding factors while Miles was in foul trouble and Zieba, a key for Bangor, was cramping up down the stretch.

The Slaters seemed to have control in the first game, but with Notre Dame’s offensive firepower, control can turn into calamity in a blink. No other team scores as much as the Crusaders, who have scored 80 points or more eight times in 15 games. Bangor’s best chance is to follow Northwestern’s plan and slow the pace.

Miles, who has worked hard on his game and has made himself into one of the area’s best players, would love to go out with a championship.

However, Notre Dame has played a tougher schedule with games against Executive, Bethlehem Catholic and Allen. They seem more battle-tested, have more weapons and play exceptionally well together.

The pick: Notre Dame 78, Bangor 71.