Lots of talent in loaded league
Allentown Central Catholic looks to defend title
The Eastern Pennsylvania Conference laid claim to each District 11 girls basketball championship it could have in the 2022-23 season with Allentown Central Catholic, Bethlehem Catholic and Easton lifting trophies at 4A through 6A, respectively.
With each team bringing back one first-team all-area selection, it’s easy to envision them sweeping the District 11 championships once again this season.
But who will come out on top in one of the state’s top conferences?
A thrilling 52-49 overtime victory over previously undefeated Easton at Allentown’s PPL Center propelled Central Catholic to the EPC crown last season under first-year coach Kathy Davidowich. Molly Driscoll, the championship MVP, is back as a senior and will be considered one of the area’s top players again heading into this season.
The title snapped five straight championships by the Golden Hawks under Jose Medina, who resigned and handed the keys over to longtime assistant Arnold Alleyne this offseason.
Freedom’s Deanna Mulicka-Radio, Whitehall’s James Middleton, Pocono Mountain West’s Jim Dempsey, Pocono Mountain East’s Helena Gemmell and East Stroudsburg North’s Jerome Taylor will join Alleyne as rookie head coaches in the league.
Easton has entered the EPC Tournament a perfect 22-0 in each of the last two seasons but has come up short on both occasions. The Red Rovers graduated one senior, first-team All-Area forward Anye’ Staton, and look poised to compete for a championship behind Monmouth commit Evalyse Cole.
Look for Parkland, who has two of the top six returning scorers in the area in Talia Zurinskas and Madi Siggins, to threaten these three powerhouses under veteran coach Ed Ohlson.
Liberty, Emmaus and Nazareth should make noise as well and pull off a few upsets of their
own throughout the season.
Let’s get into what we can expect this season in the EPC:
TOP 5 PLAYERS TO WATCH
Evalyse Cole, Easton: Easton’s 6-2 point forward is already committed to a Division I program for a reason. The senior standout averaged 13.7 points, nine rebounds and nearly four assists as a junior and will be a threat for a triple-double every night alongside the Elias sisters, who can let it fly from beyond the arc. If I had a preseason MVP award to hand out, it’d go to Evalyse Cole.
Molly Driscoll, Allentown Central Catholic:
Central will return a ton of production from its league and district championship teams, but Driscoll stands out among the rest. The American University commit is ranked third in scoring (14.7) and 3-pointers made (62) among returning players in the conference and earned first-team all-area honors as a junior.
Cici Hernandez, Bethlehem Catholic:
Nobody makes a first-year coach’s job easier than a productive guard who you can trust in the biggest moments. Hernandez will be exactly that for Arnold Alleyne. The league’s top 3-point shooter from a season ago will bring leadership and three years of starting experience to one of the top teams in the EPC.
Talia Zurinskas, Parkland:
If there is a player who can challenge Hernandez for the 3-point title this season it is Talia Zurinskas. The threeyear starter is committed to play at Lafayette next season after drilling 70 triples in just 23 games as a junior. If Parkland is going to knock off the three favorites in the EPC, it will start with Zurinskas’ elite play in the backcourt.
Ava Kopetskie, Liberty:
Kopetskie burst onto the scene last year, leading the Hurricanes in scoring and to the district championship as a freshman. Oh, and she was a second-team all-area honoree. If she was able to do that without any high school experience last year, who knows what’s to come for the exceptional guard in year two.
Sr. Layla Hernandez, East Stroudsburg South; Sr. Madi Siggins, Parkland; So. Jayla Rosario, Dieruff; Sr. Sam
Honorable Mentions:
Baker, Nazareth; Sr. Mallory and Sr. Megan Elias, Easton; So. Gabby DeVita, Emmaus
TOP TEAMS TO WATCH
Easton (28-2, District 11 6A champions): Losing Staton is nothing to gloss over, but the Red Rovers return the bulk of their scoring from last season and almost all of their 3-point scoring. Staton’s rim-protection will be missed, but Cole is a Swiss-army knife who can do it all and make up for a lot of shortcomings on her own. The experience, floor-spacing and all-around talent should make this team contenders in the EPC and state tournaments.
Impact players: Sr. Evalyse Cole, Sr. Mallory Elias, Sr. Megan Elias, Jr. Kourin Carew, Sr. Olivia Keckler
Allentown Central Catholic (26-4, EPC and District 11 4A champions):
The Vikettes won their first EPC championship last season with a 10-point halftime comeback over Easton in the championship game. More impressively, they did it with a first-year head coach in Davidowich and six 3-pointers from Driscoll. Even after graduating five seniors, Central will be players for a conference championship once again.
Impact players: Sr. Molly Driscoll, Sr. Sammy Roth, Sr. Abbey Kofroth, Jr. Milly Wolf
Parkland (15-8, EPC and District 11 6A quarterfinalists):
After a promising 10-0 start, Parkland’s season went off the rails and ended with home losses to Bethlehem Catholic and Northampton in the first round of both postseason tournaments. The Trojans will lean on their three top scorers from a season ago in senior stars Zurinskas and Siggins as well as junior Delaney Chilcote to flip their fortune in 2023-24.
Impact players: Sr. Talia Zurinskas, Sr. Madi Siggins, Jr. Delaney Chilcote, So. Aneri McGalla
Bethlehem Catholic (19-10, District 11 4A champions):
Becahi had won the last five EPC championships dating back to 2017 until Central defeated the Golden Hawks in the quarterfinals last season. While they are under new leadership, Alleyne was an assistant for each of the previous five championships and knows what it takes to get back on top. He’ll turn to a long line of impact players this year, headlined by secondteam all-state sharpshooter Hernandez.
Impact players: Sr. Cici
Hernandez, Sr. Ella Bincarosky, Sr. Akasha Santos, Sr. Mirynet Colon, So. Aliyah Brame, Jr. Mekhyla Britt, Jr. Daviana Jones
Liberty (14-12): An exclusion from the EPC Tournament last season fueled a young Liberty team to the district championship before the Hurricanes fell to Easton 56-34. With the experience and confidence they built in last season’s run to the state tournament, the ‘Canes should be considered one of the top teams in the EPC this season.
Impact players: So. Ava Kopetskie, Sr. Emma Pukszyn, Sr. Ruby Miller, Sr. Jordan Thompson
OTHER NOTABLE TEAMS
Emmaus (14-11) could cause problems in the EPC West for Central and Parkland behind Gabrielle DeVita, another freshman last season who took the league by storm. Mya Cooper and Taylor Griffith will provide support for the Green Hornets under one of the most prolific scorers in the area’s history, Kelsey Gallagher.
Nazareth (14-13) weathered a poor start to reach the state tournament last season with wins over Emmaus and Northampton in the district tournament. Most of the current team received valuable experience last season, including Sam Baker and Renee Wells, who easily could have made the all-area team last season.
Dieruff (10-12) narrowly missed out on the district playoffs after a handful of close losses left the Huskies one win short. Freshman phenom Jayla Rosario scored 268 points to lead the team and will lead one of the league’s youngest teams with Marisa Price and Jayda Lopez.
Pocono Mountain West (20-3) will have plenty of work to do to replicate last season’s success with a new coach and the loss of first team all-area forward Vatijah Davis. Alyssa Ford and Anaisah Malone will have to step up if the Panthers want to continue their dominance up north.
TOP 5 STORYLINES TO WATCH:
1. First-year coach Jim Dempsey has the impossible task of replacing legendary coach Chrissy Campos and star forward Vatijah Davis who won three straight division championships at Pocono Mountain West. How will the new-look Panthers perform after the seismic change?
2. With just one player returning with significant varsity experience, how does Northampton replace the production of 1,000point scorer and reigning EPC MVP Grace Lesko?
3. Bethlehem Catholic was the most consistent and dominant program under Jose Medina the last nine years. Will that continue under longtime assistant Arnold Alleyne in his first season at the helm?
4. After two straight undefeated regular seasons and no EPC championships to show for it, will Easton finally get over the hump and complete the perfect conference season?
5. With her first season under her belt, can Dieruff grad Brittni Kholi build off a competitive first season at Allen and fight for a district playoff spot?
PREDICTIONS
1. Easton (district and league champion); 2. Central Catholic (district champion); 3. Liberty; 4. Bethlehem Catholic (district champion); 5. Parkland; 6. Nazareth; 7. Emmaus; 8. Pocono Mountain West