Five area teams continue in state playoffs
Contenders traveling across region for games
For decades, Lehigh Valley boys basketball teams have gone to Reading High’s Geigle Complex for state playoff games. There have been some great moments for area teams there and many sad ones too, as Geigle has been the final destination for numerous local teams over the years.
Ready or not, fans of both Allentown Central Catholic and Parkland will be making the trek to North 13th Street in Reading on back-to-back nights this week.
The PIAA released the sites for the second round of the state tournament Sunday afternoon. Allentown Central Catholic will play Cardinal O’Hara from the Philadelphia Catholic League at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday at Geigle in the Class 4A game while Parkland will take on District 1’s Garnet Valley in a 6A game at 6 p.m. Wednesday in Reading.
The three other Lehigh Valleyarea teams left in the PIAA boys tournament are headed in different directions.
Pocono Mountain West will play District 2 champ Abington Heights at 7 p.m. Tuesday at Hazleton in a 5A second-round game. Also Tuesday night, Bethlehem Catholic will travel to Pottstown to take on defending state Neumann-Goretti in a 7:30 p.m. game. Goretti ended Becahi’s season last year with a 53-42 win at Geigle Complex. Neumann-Goretti has won 52 of the 55 state playoff games it has played since entering the PIAA along with the rest of the Philly Catholic League in the 2008-09 school year and has won nine state championships.
Executive Education will have the longest trip of any of the five local boys teams left in the tournament. It will travel to Shamokin to take on North Penn-Mansfield, District 4’s runner-up, at 7 p.m. Wednesday.
Of course, potential inclement weather could affect the schedule as it did over opening weekend when most of the games scheduled for Friday were played Saturday.
The Lehigh Valley area entered the tournament with 12 teams and just five survived.
Emmaus and Liberty lost heartbreakers in Class 6A, with the Hurricanes going double-overtime before losing to Upper Darby.
East Stroudsburg South, the District 11 5A champ, fell to West Chester East. In 3A, Palmerton and Saucon Valley both lost to powerhouses in Math, Civics and Science, and Devon Prep respectively. The Bombers fell 82-71, but were within four in the fourth quarter. Saucon Valley surrendered 13 3-pointers and couldn’t slow down defending state champ Devon Prep in a 77-50 loss.
In Class A, both Bethlehem Christian and Notre Dame-East Stroudsburg were eliminated.
Here’s a recap of the games received by The Morning Call:
Hurricanes season finishes at 16-11. Upper Darby goes on to play District 3 champion Reading in Wednesday’s second round. Upper Darby 12 – 17 – 15 – 12 – 2 – 8 — 66 Liberty11–3–17–25–2–6—64
Khysir Slaughter 2 0-0 4, Lovo Mulbah 0 2-2 2, Nadir Myers 7 4-8 20, Niari Hodges 1 0-0 3, Crishaun Cain 3 0-0 6, Yassir Joyner 5 6-8 16, Troy Alston 0 0-1 0, Niymire Brown 7 0-0 15. Totals 25 12-19 66.
Blake Hargrove 4 7-9 15, Jake Pukszyn 5 0-0 11, Dywane Chess, Jr. 7 6-11 20, Axcel Kamanga 1 0-0 2, Nate Rivera 4 0-0 12, Angel Holguin 1 0-0 2, Ziego Goodman 0 2-2 2. Totals 22 15-22 64.
Upper Darby (4) Myers 2, Brown, Hodges. Liberty (5) Rivera 4, Pukszyn. Hempfield 62, Emmaus 59
The Green Hornets season ended at 20-7. Hempfield, the District 3 No. 3 seed, moves on to Wednesday’s second round against District 1 runner-up Spring-Ford. Emmaus13–12–9–25—59
Hempfield 8 – 16 – 16 – 22 — 62
Fotta 2 0-0 4, McCourt 0 0-0 0, Muckey 2 0-0 5, Lake 0 0-0 0, Harris 8 5-5 23, Darville 3 4-5 10, Barber 7 3-3 17, Terrero 0 0-0 0. Totals 22 12-13 59.
Pena 6 3-6 18, Riker 3 3-7 11, Hester 1 0-1 3, Calabretta 3 0-1 6, Deeg 0 4-4 4, Trotter 1 1-1 3, Lawrence 8 1-1 17. Totals 22 12-21 62.
3-pointers: Emmaus (3) Harris 2, Muckey. Hempfield 6 (Pena 3, Riker 2, Hester).
Pocono Mountain West 73, Chichester 67
The Panthers improved to 22-6 and advanced to the second round of the 5A tournament, where they will play District 2 champ Abington Heights on Tuesday night.
Chichester 15 – 12 – 17 – 23 — 67 Poc. Mt. West 12 – 16 – 20 – 25 — 73 CHICHESTER (67)
Mazen Zayed 10 12-21 35, Akhir Keys 7 1-4 17, Zaiyin Keys 1 0-0 2, Vince Wildrick 0 2-2 2, Eyan Thomas 2 2-5 6, Carlton Gordy 2 0-0 5. Totals 22 17-32 67. POCONO MT WEST (73)
Julian Pagan 6 8-12 20, Kyon Coles, Jr., 8 5-6 26, Ethan Sakwa 3 2-4 8, Jonathan Mateo 0 3-6 3, Jayden Huggins 0 1-2 1, Brady Bahr 1 1-2 4, Adrian Brito 4 3-5 11. Totals 22 23-37 73.
3-pointers: Chichester (6) Zayed 3, Keys 2, Gordy. PM West (6) Coles, Jr. 5, Bahr. West Chester East 52, East Stroudsburg South 47
The season ends for the District 11 5A champs at 19-7. Sophomore KJ Cochran scored 22 for East, which will play District 12 runner-up Archbishop Ryan in Tuesday’s second round. South sophomore Jaen Chatman had 15. Bethlehem Catholic 43, Greater Nanticoke Area 39
The Golden Hawks came back after trailing 10-1 after one quarter. They got 16 points from sophomore Marcus Drysdale, including eight in the fourth quarter when they outscored GNA 20-13. Alex Cercado scored seven of his 10 points in the final stanza. Becahi (18-8) will meet defending state
champ Neumann-Goretti in Tuesday’s second round.
Nanticoke 10 – 8 – 8 – 13 — 39 Becahi1–12–10–20—43 NANTICOKE (39)
Butczynski 0 2-4 2, Turak 2 5-7 9, Brogan 0 0-0 0, Mullery 0 0-0 0, J. Johnson 6 2-2 14, I. Johnson 7 0-0 14. Totals 15 7-13 39. BECAHI (43)
Mullaney 0 0-1 0, Cercado 4 0-3 10, Josh Benka-Coker 1 1-3 3, Brown 2 0-1 4, Holmes 3 1-2 7, Drysdale 4 7-12 16, Wickenheiser 1 0-0 3. Totals 15 9-24 43.
3-pointers; GNA (2) J. Johnson 2. Becahi (4) Cercado 2, Drysdale, Wickenheiser. ACCHS 78, CARVER E&S 46
The Eastern Pennsylvania Conference and District 11 4A champions advanced to the second round with a dominant effort that featured four players in double figures and another with nine. The Vikings (21-8) won their seventh straight postseason game and will play District 12 No. 3 Cardinal O’Hara from the Philadelphia Catholic League at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday at Reading’s Geigle Complex.
Carver E&S 10 – 10 – 12 – 14 — 46
Central Catholic 20 – 19 – 22 – 17 — 78 CARVER E&S (46)
McField 2 1-2 6, Young 3 0-0 6, Brown 2 0-0 4, Simpkins 2 0-2 6, Mosby 6 0-0 12, Brown 2 0-2 5, Roberts-Mouzon 0 2-2 2, Smith 1 0-0 2, Sandoval 1 0-0 3. Totals 19 3-8 46. ACCHS (78)
Fridia 1 7-8 9, Pulieri 4 2-2 11, Jones 4 0-0 10, Patridge 2 0-0 5, Vigo 4 6-9 14, Mushrush 5 2-2 16, Ensley 2 1-2 7, H. Stewart-Smith 2 0-0 4, A. Stewart-Smith 1 0-0 2. Totals 25 18-25 78.
3-pointers: Carver (5) Simpkins 2, McField, Brown, Sandoval. ACCHS (10) Mushrush 4, Ensley 2, Jones 2, Pulieri, Patriidge. Devon Prep 77, Saucon Valley 56
The Panthers tripled their win total from the 2021-22 season, finishing 21- 8. Devon Prep, the defending state champs in 3A, advance to face Mid-Valley, District 2’s No. 2, Wednesday night at Easton Area Middle School. Prep made 16 3-pointers.
Devon Prep 28 – 23 – 19 – 7 — 77
Saucon Valley 14 – 11 – 7 – 18 — 50 DEVON PREP (77)
Scarpolla 7 0-0 20, Orchard 2 0-0 5, Doule 6 1-2 16, Hollaway 6 3-4 17, Regan 1 0-0 3, Mishock 3 2-3 9, Harner 1 0-2 3, Craft 1 1-2 4. Totals 27 7-13 77. SAUCON VALLEY (50)
Magnotta 2 1-2 4, Weiss 2 0-0 5, Constantine 2 1-2 5, Robertson 3 2-3 11, Klotz 2 0-2 4, Thompson 1 0-0 3, Joseph-Davis 3 4-6 10, Clark 2 0-0 5. Totals 17 10-17 50.
3-pointers: Devon Prep (16) Scarpolla 6, Doyle 3, Hollaway 2, Orchard, Regan, Mishock, Harner, Craft. Saucon Valley (2) Weiss, Clark.
CLASS A
Bethlehem Christian had its first season as a PIAA boys basketball program end at 14-11. The City School, a Philadelphia program, advances to meet Linville Hill, the District 3, Tuesday night at Pottstown.
Bethlehem Christian 1 – 19 – 5 – 11 — 36
The City School 21 – 9 – 13 – 17 — 60 BETHLEHEM CHRISTIAN (36)
Williams 4 0-0 9, Transue 2 1-2 5, Harris 4 0-0 10, Lang 1 0-0 2, Arzuaga 3 0-0 7, Rex 1 1-1 3. Totals 15 2-3 36. THE CITY SCHOOL (60)
DeSouza 3 0-0 7, Jusir Johnson 6 0-0 15, Custis 5 0-0 10, J. Johnson 1 0-0 2, Davis 3 0-0 6, Murphy 7 2-2 16, Banks 2 0-0 4. Totals 27 2-2 60.
3-pointers: Bethlehem Christian (4) Harris 2, Arzuaga, Williams. TCS (4) Jusir Johnson 3, DeSouza.