Coval scores 43 in Parkland’s win over Bethlehem Catholic
After a season filled with surprises, the quarterfinal round of the Eastern Pennsylvania Conference boys tournament featured none on Friday.
All of the home teams and top seeds won.
And while someone scoring 43 points in a playoff game is a bit of a surprise, it should be no shock that the guy who scored 43 for his team Friday night was Parkland junior star Nick Coval.
Coval, who led the EPC in scoring during the regular season, made seven of his team’s 11 3-pointers and was 10 of 11 at the foul line in leading the Trojans past Bethlehem Catholic 64-51.
Parkland trailed 31-29 at halftime, but Coval scored 16 of his team’s 18 points in the third quarter when the No. 3 seeded Trojans outscored Becahi 18-7 to take control. It was a careerhigh total for Coval, who scored 35 in a game twice this season and had 32 in another.
Coval went 8 for 8 at the foul line in the fourth period to allow the defending EPC champs to seal a trip to the EPC semifinals Tuesday night at PPL Center where they will play No. 2 seed Pocono Mountain West (19-4) in the first game of a doubleheader at 6 p.m.
Bethlehem Catholic, which lost to Parkland for the second time this season, fell to 15-7.
In Tuesday’s other semifinal, it will be No. 1 seed Emmaus (19-4) and No. 4 Allentown Central Catholic (15-8) in the nightcap. Three of the four teams were involved in last year’s semifinals when Parkland beat ACCHS and Nazareth defeated Pocono Mountain West in the semis.
Emmaus had little trouble defeating No. 8 seed Liberty 60-39.
Four Green Hornets had nine points or more, led by junior Jametric Harris’ 18, while the Hurricanes’ talented freshman guards Blake Hargrove and Jake Pukszyn were held without a field goal in their first playoff game and had just one point apiece. Sophomore Dywane Chess Jr., led Liberty (14-9) with 18.
In Pocono Mountain West’s 71-63 win over East Stroudsburg South, senior standout Juju Pagan scored 22 and freshman KJ Coles scored 14 and made four of his team’s 10 3-pointers. South (17-6) was led Michael Patterson’s led South (17-6) with 14.