Red-hot Rovers continue to roll
Easton cruises, regular-season winning streak reaches 47
A year after blowing a double-digit lead in the second half to Allentown Central Catholic in the EPC championship game, Easton controlled Tuesday night’s rematch from start to finish as the Red Rovers cruised to a 57-36 victory at Easton Area Middle School.
Kourin Carew’s physical play in the post, complemented by Megan Elias’ sharpshooting from beyond the arc, propelled the Red Rovers to their sixth straight victory to start the season.
“[Carew] got lost in the shuffle last year. She’s very unselfish, a good shooter and handles the basketball for us,” Easton coach Dave Lutz said. “She’s a very good player and has been very important to our team for the last three years.”
Lutz’s senior-laden group showed its experience early with an aggressive, yet composed, 2-3 zone that caused fits for the Vikettes. Outside of returning first-team all-area guard Molly Driscoll, Central couldn’t seem to get into a rhythm in the paint or from the perimeter in the opening half.
“I feel like they got even bigger from last year and the size inside is very difficult. I think we got looks inside against their zone, we just couldn’t get the ball in the basket,” Central coach Kathy Davidowich said. “They are a very good team with the leadership that they have.”
Easton’s leading scorer, Evalyse Cole, got things rolling early with the team’s first six points before Carew extended the lead to 16 with a layup at the first-half buzzer to cap off her 10-point quarter.
“We had really great mismatches with four 6-foot players, so no teams can compare to our size,” Carew said. “I was just strong with the ball and going up through the fouls.”
Behind an Elias 3-pointer, two quick buckets by Carew and a banked-in triple from Janessa Starling, the Red Rovers raced out of the break with a quick 10-2 run to make it a 42-18. Driscoll responded with a pair of 3-pointers to spark a 10-0 run that cut the lead to 14 in the final two minutes of the third quarter.
Driscoll, who had missed the last four games for the Vikettes, returned with style Tuesday night as she scored a gamehigh 23 points.
“Obviously tonight she got into some rhythm but it’s still very tender,” Davidowich said. “She’s a gamer so she wants to be out there, but everybody needs to be in sync playing a team like this. It was a struggle tonight.”
Cole reestablished herself in the post while Mallory Elias scored four quick points to begin the fourth as the Red Rovers went back up by 20 before Carew drained a 3-pointer to leave no doubt in an early season statement win.
Cole finished with 12 points on the night while Megan Elias tallied nine points on three triples. Milly Wolf contributed five for the Vikettes as Sammy Roth and Abbey Kofroth each added four.
Regular-season success, and dominance in the process, is a familiar story for Lutz and the Easton girls basketball program. Tuesday’s win extended the Red Rovers’ winning streak in the regular season to 47 games, stretching back to the shortened 2020-21 season.
In its 6-0 start this season, all against EPC opponents, Easton is now outscoring opponents by an average of 34 points.
Despite the team’s remarkable success over a three-year period, the Red Rovers have just one district championship to show for it. The key to reversing that trend starts with more performances like Tuesday night.
“Especially after losing to them in the EPC tournament last season, it feels good to get these wins,” said Easton’s Megan Elias. “They’re a really good team, so coming out here and getting a strong win feels good.”