GROUP TRIPS
Defending state champion Imhotep impresses in win vs. Executive Education
These trips have been scheduled, but postponements and cancelations are very possible due to the coronavirus pandemic. Please contact the trip organizer for more information.
DAY TRIPPIN’
“Queen Esther,” Sight & Sound Theater, April 6. $110. Sears Retirees, Richard, 610-434-7750.
“Queen Esther,”
Sight & Sound Theater, April 20. $113. St. Francis of Assisi Church, Stephanie, 610-433-6102.
“Queen Esther,” Sight & Sound Theater, April 14. $92. Seniors in Action, Holy Trinity Church, Julie 610-262-6058.
“Queen Esther,” Sight & Sound, April 28. $115. Sue, 610-392-2957. Proceeds benefit St. Joseph the Worker Church.
Yankees Games: A’s, June 19. $125. Mets, July 3. $125. Red Sox, July 17. $125. Phillies, July 21. $125. Twins, Aug. 21. $100. Indians, Sept. 16. $100. All trips include tailgate party. Lehigh Valley Yankee Fan Club, Chuck, 484-347-8331.
American Music Theatre, holiday show, Dec. 11. $100. Lehigh Valley Yankee Fan Club, Chuck, 484-347-8331.
OVERNIGHT TRIPS
In the Footsteps of Jesus, a Holy Land Pilgrimage, Bethlehem, Jerusalem, Nazareth, air, some meals, sightseeing and more. Oct. 11-20. $3,595. St. Ann Parish, 610-965-2460.
Virginia International Tattoo Festival, June 3-5. $559. Thousand Islands and Canada, June 21-24. $625. Mystery Trip,
Aug. 11-15. $750. Branson, Nov. 5-13. $1,159. Lower Macungie Seniors, Doris, 610-966-3653.
Rocking Horse Ranch, May 10-14. $675. Ride the Rails,
W. Virginia, July 13-15. $445. Mystery Trip, Sept. 21-23. $445. Cape Cod, Oct. 11-16. $689. Lower Lehigh AARP, Doris, 610966-3653.
New York State, Hudson River cruise, lunch at Culinary Institute of America, West Point Military Academy, wine tasting, May 26-28. $555. Parade of Nations, Virginia International Tattoo, Spirit of Norfolk Dinner Cruise, Naval base tour, more, June
3-6. $559. Sue, 610-392-2957. Proceeds benefit St. Joseph the Worker Church.
Oberammergau and Danube River Cruise, Passion Play included, June 5-14, 2022. Prices from $6,499. Switzerland, Austria & Bavaria tour, Oct. 21-30. $3,799. Assumption Travel Club, John, 610-767-3036.
Highlights of Norway, Oslo, Fram Museum, Flam Railway, Sognefjord, Briksdal Glacier, Geirangerfjord Cruise, Bergen. Flight included. Aug. 6-14. $4,399. Magnolia Trail & Heart of
Texas, Oct. 16-20, 2021. $1,999. Includes Dallas city tour, AT &T Stadium, JFK sites, George W. Bush Presidential Library, Southfork Ewing Ranch, Waco city tour, HGTV series “Fixer Upper” sites, Magnolia Market, Dr. Pepper Museum, transportation to and from Philadelphia and air. Greenbrier at Christmas, West Virginia, two nights at this five star hotel, shops, hotel tour, afternoon tea, two breakfasts, two 2 dinners. Nov. 30 - Dec. 2. $770. Lehigh County School Retirees, Joanne, 610-398-0981.
Sponsored Trips are for nonprofit organizations. Send information two weeks in advance: event, date, cost, phone number. Fax: 610-820-6693; email: news@ mcall.com; mail: Trips, The Morning Call, Box 1260, Allentown, 18105-1260.
While Freedom High School’s disappointing coronavirus-interrupted girls basketball season continues, a balanced Easton team keeps showing why it will be a tough out in the upcoming Class 6A District 11 tournament.
Six-foot junior guard Avery McPeek sparked the Red Rovers to a big lead early with her all-around play and senior guard Nequai Fersner tallied a career-high 16 points as Easton defeated the Patriots 53-30 in an Eastern Pennsylvania Conference Northampton Division game on Saturday at McIntyre gymnasium.
Easton (7-2 overall, 7-2 division) took eight of its nine first-quarter shots from 3-point land and made four for a 12-2 lead. McPeek, Fersner, Sara Tomoun and freshman reserve Evalyse Cole made the shots.
McPeek opened the second quarter when she drove for a basket for Easton’s first two-point field and was fouled, but she couldn’t convert the three-point play. She also arched a perfect entry pass to a triple-teamed Anye’ Stanton for a bucket on the right block as Easton built its lead to 18-2.
“My team always has my back,” said McPeek, who led the Rovers with six rebounds. “That’s what’s fun about playing with them. Overall, I
thought we played pretty good today. We’re keeping up the intensity and continue to give it our best shot.”
“She is one of our glue people,” coach Dave Lutz said of McPeek, a three-year varsity player and two-year starter.
“She really keeps the team together and plays hard all the time. She can shoot, but she also does all the little things. She’s very important to the team. She plays great defense and gets a lot of deflections. She gets a lot of credit for our success so far.”
Freedom’s season thus far (1-3, 1-3) was epitomized when Elsa Martin’s third-quarter 3-point attempt tantalizing spun around the rim twice before rolling out. Coach Dean Reiman didn’t start four starters from last year after the Patriots were outscored 18-0 in the final quarter of their first match up with Easton on Thursday. The Red Rovers pulled away from a two-point game to win going away.
“We’re just looking for the right combinations,” Reiman said. “There are a lot of questions and still are. It’s a work in progress.
“We knew we were going to have to play more kids this season, plus we have some upperclassmen who are struggling. When that happens, you have to give opportunities to other kids.”
Easton didn’t attempt a field goal the entire fourth quarter and instead made 14 of 17 free throws after going into a delay game early in the quarter.
“We’re very optimistic with the way we’re playing,” said Easton senior Emily Violante, who added 10 points while Makenna Zimmerman scored eight and Tamoun and Cole combined for another 14.
“Our chemistry has been great all year and we just hope to keep up this momentum.”
Freedom has hardly practiced this season. Its final game last season was canceled because of COVID-19 as it was preparing and hoping to win the school’s first PIAA quarterfinal game.
All District 11 teams will be invited to play in its postseason tournament this season. Freedom didn’t play its first game until Jan. 8, exactly a month after the first area team played this season. Now it is attempting to squeeze its 10-game schedule in before districts start.
Lutz feels bad about the plight of the Patriots. He also said beware of them when the district tournament begins.
“They have a lot of good players over there and Dean is a good coach,” he said. “They’ll be dangerous by the time the postseason rolls around.”
“It’s more in-house stuff than anything,” Reiman said. “It’s bad coaching, it’s tentativeness, it’s a lack of confidence. And it’s lack of preparation.
“It’s nothing that any team has thrown our way. We just have to figure some stuff out. And we have another week-anda-half left in our [regular] season to do that.”
You can see the stress on Reiman’s face. He cares deeply about a program that he has done a tremendous job of turning around. The Patriots are coming off their first threestraight 20-win seasons in history and were 68-24 in the three previous years.
“None of us are taking the imbalance of the season very well,” he said. “As a coach you’re always trying to find answers to give your players in order to find success. Unfortunately, none of us have experience with this.
“As a coach that’s the most frustrating thing. I feel like I’m hopeless, which is tough.”
Scheduling teams such as perennial Philadelphia powerhouse Imhotep Charter will not help your win-loss record.
But the benefits of seeing how you stack up against a seven-time state champion like the Panthers outweigh the stain on a seasonal resume.
Executive Education Academy Charter lost to Imhotep 74-66 late Saturday afternoon in Allentown, but the defeat may have helped the Raptors attain their goal of a third straight District 11 championship and a deep run in the state playoffs.
Rahmir Barno led a balanced attack with 17 points as Imhotep gradually wore down an Executive team that likes to test itself against the best competition it can find.
The Raptors (10-4) led 18-15 after one quarter thanks to 10 points in the opening eight minutes by senior star Jevin Muniz.
However, Imhotep held Executive to seven points in the second period and scored 23 in the third stanza to open a 58-40 lead.
Although the Raptors continued to compete and a three-point play by Muniz cut the gap to 72-66 with 15 seconds left, Executive couldn’t pull off a comeback that would have garnered statewide attention.
“We battled, but the one thing about playing teams like Imhotep is that you can’t make mistakes because they’ll capitalize on them. … They’re relentless,” Executive coach Ray Barbosa said. “These are the types of teams you want to play against. We’ve got Constitution coming here [Feb. 21].
“This is what’s going to get you ready for the long haul. There’s a lot of good to take out of this.”
Muniz finished with 20 points, six rebounds and four assists. Recent addition Jeremiah Bembry added 18 and Jalil Schenck had 16 for the Raptors.
But Executive couldn’t get enough stops against Imhotep, which hit nine 3-pointers when it wasn’t gliding to the glass for slam dunks.
The Panthers have won three straight PIAA 4A titles and 17 state tournament games overall in building a 53-7 all-time PIAA tournament mark. The Panthers were set to play Lancaster Catholic in the 4A quarterfinals last March when the pandemic shut down the tournament.
This year’s team doesn’t feature a senior but seems capable of another run at Hershey.
“I love this team I coach,” said Andre Noble, Imhotep’s legendary leader with more than 400 wins in 17 seasons. “We don’t have a senior, but we have a lot of sophomores and we’ve raised these kids. They’re great kids who are learning to play the right way. We still make a lot of bonehead mistakes, but it’s still cool to see them grow.”
Noble, whose team has played a lot of games in the Lehigh Valley over the years, enjoyed his first visit to Executive and was impressed by the Raptors.
“They’re talented,” Noble said. “Them getting [Bembry] makes them different because now you have to deal with him and [Muniz]. There are other guys too, and Ray does a really good job with them. They’re going to be tough in 3A.”
Bembry, who enrolled at Executive in January after playing at Hudson Catholic two years ago and missing last season with an injury, is fitting in with the Raptors. He had five rebounds and three assists while shooting 6-for12 from the field.
“He’s fitting in well and it’s a process,” Barbosa said. “We’re going to continue to work as a team at getting better. I don’t think we’re as good as we can be, but we have time to fix that.
‘Once we get more practices in and get more of a rhythm, I think our ceiling can be pretty high come March.”
Imhotep’s ceiling is always as high as it gets in PIAA basketball, but Noble said he wants his players to take nothing for granted.
“I tell our guys to enjoy every game because I can’t tell you for sure that we’re going to get all the way there,” he said. “The [COVID-19] numbers are going down and things are going in the right direction, but who knows what’s going to happen? So I want them to enjoy each opportunity and love basketball. I think they’ve listened and they have responded.”