Whitehall beats Allentown Central Catholic

In talking to Eastern Pennsylvania Conference coaches during the preseason there was an impression that the league races would be wide open this season with a few surprises mixed in with every batch of games.

Opening night on Tuesday provided those surprises in the EPC, most notably Whitehall beating Allentown Central Catholic in overtime.

Liberty outlasted Nazareth in three overtimes and Freedom got a basket at the buzzer to beat Bethlehem Catholic.

Meanwhile, Stroudsburg’s Tarik E-Bassiouni and Saucon Valley’s Brett Snyder both got wins in their league coaching debuts, Dieruff improved to 2-0 and both Pocono Mountain West and Notre Dame-Green Pond rolled to lopsided wins and Nick Coval and Josh Giaquinto had big nights for Parkland and Bangor respectively.

Here’s a look at Tuesday’s action:

EPC EAST STROUDSBURG SOUTH 52, PLEASANT VALLEY 40

The Cavaliers improved to 3-0, the Bears fell to 0-2. Logan Santos scored 14 of his 18 points in the second half.

ESS9-17-10-16—52

PV10-7-14-9—40

East Stroudsburg South (52)

Patterson 3 4-4 12, Santos 6 5-6 18, Chatman 5 5-7 15, Garrison 0 1-2 1, McAllister 0 0-1 0, Watts 3 0-2 6. Totals 17 15-22 52.

Pleasant Valley (40)

J. Moore 5 3-5 13, Williams 1 1-1 3, Lucas 1 0-0 3, P. Moore 4 1-6 10, Ratti 1 0-0 3, Prator 4 0-0 8. Totals 16 5-12 40.

3-pointers: ES South (3): Patterson 2, Santos. PV (3): Lucas, P. Moore, Ratti.

POC. MOUNTAIN WEST 80, EAST STROUDSBURG NORTH 47

The Panthers placed five players in double figures in rolling to their straight win to start the season.

ESNorth15-6-16-10—47 PMWest22-20-19-19—80

ES North (47)

Gilchrist 1 0-0 2, Kenyi 7 0-0 15, Dobie 5 1-2 11, Washington 2 0-0 4, Wilder 5 3-6 13, Toolsee 1 0-0 2. Totals 21 4-8 47.

PM West (80)

Pagan 5 4-4 17, Coles 2 5-5 10, Artis 5 0-0 11, Sakwa 4 3-4 14, Smith 3 0-1 6, Mateo 1 0-0 2, Silva 0 2-4 2, Gadsden 0 0-2 0, Brito 6 4-4 16, Thompson 1 0-0 2. Totals 27 18-24 80. 3-pointers: ES North (1) Kenyi. PM West (8) Pagan 3, Sakwa 3, Coles, Artis.

PARKLAND 53, NORTHAMPTON 34

The Trojans got their first win of the season getting another big outing from junior star Nick Coval who now has 52 points in two games.

Northampton 6 - 13 - 9 - 6 — 34

Parkland 13 - 13 - 10 - 17 — 53

Northampton (34)

Kolumber 0 1-3 1, Pinnock 3 0-0 6, Graff 2 2-2 6, Kauffman 2 2-3 8, Kopin 1 0-0 3, Christman 1 0-0 2, Moyer 1 0-0 3, Duch 1 0-0 3. Totals 11

7-12 34.

Parkland (53)

Coval 10 0-0 25, Bednar 1 0-0 2, Gerbasio 4 1-2 9, Escalona 1 0-0 3, Spang 5 0-0 12, Hovan 1 0-0 2. Totals 22 1-3 53.

3-pointers: Northampton (5) Kauffman 2, Kopin, Moyer, Duch. Parkland (8) Coval 5, Spang 2, Escalona.

FREEDOM 38, BECAHI 37

Freedom senior forward Jaden Tillet made a game-winning followup two-foot shot at the buzzer to give Freedom the victory.The Patriots improved to 2-1, the Golden Hawks fell to 1-2.

Bethlehem Catholic: 7 - 14 - 9 - 7 — 37 Freedom7-8-10-13—38

Bethlehem Catholic (37)

Aiden Rompilla 1 0-2 2, Nathan Mullaney 1 0-0 3, Alex Cercado 6 5-6 20, Joshua Benka-Coker 0 2-2 2, Joshua Brown 1 0-0 2, Ethan Roman 0 0-0 0, Jared Benka-Coker 0 1-2 1, Isaiah Hodge 0 1-2 1, Marcus Drysdale Richardson 2-0-0 6. Totals: 11 9-14 37.

Freedom (38)

Aaron Levy 2 2-2 6, Krishna Mangroo 1 0-0 2, Jalen Fletcher 0 0-0 0, Joseph Dew 1 0-0 3, Jaden Wilson 1 0-0 2, Jaden Tilett 3 1-2 7, Nicholas Ellis 4 2-3 10, Nathaniel Sletvold 3-1-4 8. Totals: 15 6-11 38.

3-pointers: Bethlehem Catholic: Alex Cercado 3, Marcus Drysdale Richardson 2, Nathan Mullaney 1. Freedom: Joseph Dew 1, Nathaniel Sletvold 1.

STROUDSBURG 63, POC MT. EAST 43

First-year coach Tarik El-Bassiouni gets his first EPC win.

PMEast5-12-10-16—43

Stroudsburg 15 - 11 - 18 - 19 — 63

Pocono Mountain East (43)

Fermin 7 3-4 20, Cruz 3 0-0 6, Hyde 0 0-2 0, Goodridge 0 2-2 2, Gardner 1 2-2 5, Pierre 2 0-3 4, Scoz 1 0-0 2, Daley 2 0-0 4. Totals 16 7-13 43.

Stroudsburg (63)

Card 2 4-6 8, Brown 2 0-0 5, Beck 1 0-0 2, Gilmore 9 4-7 22, Polonia 2 0-2 4, Lynch 7 4-8 19, Wynter 1 0-0 3. Totals 24 12-23 63. 3-pointers: PME (4) Fermin 3, Gardner. Stroudsburg (3) Brown, Lynch, Wynter.

LIBERTY 73, NAZARETH 70

So far, so good for Liberty’s two highly-touted freshmen. In their first EPC game, Jake Pukszyn and Blake Hargrove combined for 38 points and two others placed in double figures to outlast Nazareth in a triple-overtime thriller at Memorial Gym. Most impressive for the 2-0 Hurricanes was a 24-for-27 effort at the foul line led by Pukszyn’s 11-for-12 shooting.

Nazareth6-16-12-14-7-7-8—70 Liberty12-5-15-17-7-7-11—73

Nazareth (70)

Durner 5 0-1 12, Ramin 12 2-2 26, Kuehner 4 3-8 12, Morgan 2 0-0 4, Banghart 0 2-2 2, Ragazzo 1 0-0 2, Dibilio 4 3-4 12. Totals 28 10-17 70. Liberty (73)

Hargrove 6 2-2 16, Pukszyn 5 11-12 22, Chess,

Jr. 3 6-6 12, Kamanga 1 0-0 2, Vermuelen 2 4-5 9, Rivera 3 1-2 10, Goodman 1 0-0 2. Totals 21 24-27 73.

3-pointers: Nazareth (4) Durner 2, Kuehner, Dibilio. Liberty (7) Rivera 3, Hargrove 2, Pukszyn, Vermuelen.

DIERUFF 53, EASTON 43

The Huskies are off to a 2-0 start thanks to a big fourth quarter in which they outscored host Easton 15-8.

Dieruff 13 - 14 - 11 - 15 — 53

Easton 17 - 7 - 11 -8 — 43

Dieruff (53)

Chapman 3 5-9 12, Fallah 1 4-6 7, Walker 1 2-4 4, Hanna 1 0-0 2, Pearsall 5 1-2 13, Moore 6 1-2 13, Ross-Benson 1 0-0 2. Totals 18 13-23 53. Easton (43)

Duran 0 0-2 0, Alston 0 1-2 1, Cornish 6 1-1 14, Folk 4 0-1 8, Muhammad 3 0-0 6, Hunt 2 3-4 7, Hoadley 3 1-2 7. Totals 18 6-12 43.

3-pointers: Dieruff (4) Pearsall 2, Chapman, Fallah. Easton (1) Cornish.

WHITEHALL 49, ACCHS 43

Seth Hoderewski hit a 3-pointer and Luke Keppel made three foul shots in overtime as Whitehall outscored Central Catholic 6-0 in the extra period to get a huge win at Rockne Hall. Keppel had 22 points with 11 of 13 shooting at the foul line. The Vikings fell to 0-2 despite making 11 3-pointers. Whitehall12-9-7-15-6—49 ACCHS17-8-8-10-0—43

Whitehall (49)

Keppel 4 11-13 22, Hoderewski 2 0-0 6, Kneller 0 3-4 3, Roberts 0 1-3 1, Hines 6 3-5 15, Ringenberger 1 0-0 2. Totals 13 18-25 49.

Central Catholic (43)

Cook 0 2-3 2, Pulieri 0 2-2 2, Jones 5 0-0 15, Vigo 4 0-1 10, Mushrush 4 0-0 11, Ensley 1 0-0 3. Totals 14 4-6 43.

3-pointers: Whitehall (5) Keppel 3, Hoderewski 2. ACCHS (11) Jones 5, Mushrush 3, Vigo 2, Ensley.

COLONIAL LEAGUE WILSON 74, PALISADES 46

The defending champion Warriors got their Colonial League schedule off to a good start thanks to a big night by Shamel Gibson. Wilson 12 - 21 - 18 - 23 — 74

Palisades 8 -14 - 15 - 9 — 46

Wilson (74)

Kelly Range 2 3-5 7, Gibson 10 3-4 26, Samayoa 1 0-0 2, Shaw 6 4-7 17, Westbrooks 3 3-4 10, Bryan 4 0-0 12. Totals 26 13-20 74. Palisades (46)

Carr 0 1-2 1, Stiansen 2 2-2 7, Ogliaro 1 1-2 4, Bonelli 4 0-0 10, LeBlanc 1 0-0 3, Sessinger 10 1-5 21. Totals 18 5-11 46.

3-pointers: Wilson (9) Bryan 4, Gibson 3, Shaw, Westbrooks. Palisades (5) Bonelli 2, Ogliairo, LeBlanc, Stiansen.

BANGOR 58, MORAVIAN ACADEMY 49 Josh Giaquinto got his senior season off to a big start with a 32-point performance that featured four 3-pointers in a rout of Moravian Academy.

Moravian Academy 8 - 10 - 15 - 16 — 49 Bangor 14 - 14 - 10 - 20 — 58

Moravian Academy (49)

Klotz 1 0-0 2, Phillips 4 2-4 10, Reid 6 5-8 17, Borsuk 2 2-6 7, Bolden 5 2-3 13. Totals 18 11-21 49. Bangor (58)

McShane 3 1-1 8, Kluska 1 0-1 2, Marmol 1 0-1 2, Nelson 3 2-5 8, Giaquinto 12 4-5 32, Singer 2 0-0 4, Karner 1 0-0 2. Totals 23 7-13 58. 3-pointers: Moravian Academy (2) Borsku, Bolden. Bangor (5) Giaquinto 4, McShane.

SAUCON VALLEY 46, PEN ARGYL 32

First-year coach Brett Snyder gets a win in his first game despite the Panthers making just three of 16 foul shots. PenArgyl7-9-5-11—32

Saucon Valley 12 - 11 - 12 - 11 — 46

Pen Argyl (32)

Irwin-Hill 3 0-0 6, Tyminski 3 5-7 12, Vishnesky 1 0-0 3, Kennedy 1 1-2 3, Soos 2 3-5 8. Totals 10 9-14 32.

Saucon Valley (46)

Weiss 3 0-0 6, Donahue 1 1-4 3, Albert 4 0-0 8, Robertson 6 0-0 12, Klotz 3 1-4 10, Joseph-Davis 3 1-8 7. Totals 21 3-16 46.

SALISBURY 52, CATASAUQUA 28

Jack Foley and Tom Lovelidge combined for 29 points and five 3-pointers to help the Falcons improve to 1-1.

Catasauqua 4 - 7 - 7 - 10 — 28

Salisbury 16 - 11 - 15 - 10 — 52

Catasauqua (28)

Juica 1 2-5 5, Rivera 2 2-4 7, Cofie 1 0-0 2,

Torres 1 3-4 5, Bright 1 4-6 7, Saadiouni 1 0-2 2. Totals 7 11-21 28.

Salisbury (52)

Suarez 0 1-4 1, Graver 1 0-0 2, Foley 6 0-0 15, Zellin 0 2-4 2, Lovelidge 4 4-4 14, Leiner 3 0-0 7, Day 2 2-2 7, Thomas 2 0-2 4. Totals 18 9-16 52. 3-pointers: Catasauqua (3) Juica, Bright, Rivera. Salisbury (7) Foley 3, Lovelidge 2, Leiner, Day.

PALMERTON 54, NORTHWESTERN LEHIGH 36

The Blue Bombers built an 18-2 lead after one quarter and never looked back in improving to 2-0..

Northwestern Lehigh 2 - 11 - 14 - 9 — 36 Palmerton 18 - 7 - 10 - 19 — 54

Northwestern Lehigh (36)

Fitch 2 4-5 9, Zimmerman 1 0-0 3, Bollinger 2 1-3 5, Kozlowski 1 0-0 2, Nelson 3 7-8 13, Marth 1 0-0 2, Tyler 1 0-0 2. Totals 11 12-16 36. Palmerton (54)

Machalik 6 1-5 13, Sebelin 1 0-0 2, Robinson 3 2-2 8, Reph 2 0-1 4, Grammes 2 3-3 8, Hosier 7 4-6 19. Totals 21 10-17 54.

3-pointers: Northwestern (2) Fitch, Zimmerman. Palmerton (2) Grammes, Hosier.

In other Colonial League games, Notre DameGreen Pond routed Northern Lehigh 83-17 and Saucon Valley got a win for new coach Brett Snyder in its opener, beating Pen Argyl 46-32.

NONLEAGUE SHENANDOAH 62, TAMAQUA 55

The Blue Raiders fell to 0-2, Shenandoah Valley is now 1-2.

Tamaqua (55)

Ansbach 1-0-0-2, Lewis 0-2-2-2, Mateyak 4-0-0-11, Klein 0-0-0-0, Milot 2-0-0-4, Kane 1-1-2-3, Gomez 0-0-0-0, Dillon 9-4-4-29, Ligenza 0-0-0-0, Andrews 1-2-2-4. Totals 18-9-10-55.

Shenandoah (62)

K Maksimik 9-2-4-25, Cano 0-0-0-0, B Maksimik 1-0-0-2, Nickerson 3-0-1-8, Najada 3-3-510, Hernandez 1-2-2-4, Rivera 4-4-5-13, Burke 0-0-0-0, Totals 21-11-17-62.

3-pointers: Tamaqua (10) Mateyak 3, Dillon 3. Shenandoah (9) K Maksimik 5, Nickerson 2, Najada, Rivera.