Blue Eagles like their role as favorites
Nazareth is talented and deep but will have plenty of competition in tough EPC.
To say the Nazareth girls basketball program enters the 2018-19 season with some unfinished business would be putting it mildly.
It’s also fair to say the Blue Eagles delight in the fact that the business is right in front of them as the Blue Eagles are favored by some to win not only the Eastern Pennsylvania Conference championship but the District 11 6A title as well.
And then, in all practicality, there’s the state tournament to contend with. Nazareth has lost in the first round each of the last four seasons.
“Yes, we like the fact we’re being called the favorites,” said Maddie Amy, a senior guard who has been a back-court staple with her twin sister, Morgan, since their sophomore seasons. “It gives us confidence.”
“We won two pretty big local tournaments over the summer,” Morgan Amy said. “And we played pretty well in the fall, too. We’re working on our mental toughness and being positive and I think it’s going to lead into in the season.”
It took Nazareth until 2002 to reach its first district final. Back-to-back final appearances in 2010 and 2011 included the program’s first PIAA victory. The Blue Eagles haven’t reached another conference final since winning their first EPC title 2013.
Nazareth won its first District 11 title in 2013 and two of the next three to establish itself as one of the premier programs in the area under 13-year coach Rick Bickert, the school’s all-time girls coaching leader in wins by a lot.
With a chance to completely dominate the highest class after winning three titles in four seasons, Nazareth has lost in the last two championship games. Last year’s defeat came in overtime on a 3-pointer in the waning seconds.
“We don’t want to go through that buzzer-beating stuff again,” said Maddie Amy, who to no one’s surprise, will attend the same as yet undecided college as her sister.
It’s the same conference contenders as recent years, although two-time defending EPC champ Bethlehem Catholic was dealt a tough blow in June when junior two-time all-state selection Taliyah Medina (14.0 ppg) was lost for the season with an ACL injury. The Golden Hawks have also won back-toback District 11 4A titles.
“It’s been an open tryout so far for playing time,” said Golden Hawks coach Jose Medina, whose team lost in the PIAA second round a season ago after winning the 4A state title in 2017. “The best five will be the starters come Dec. 7.”
Defending District 11 6A champion Freedom returns three starters but must replace its top offensive threats in Kyra Jefferson and 1,000-point career scorer Hailey Silfies, whose gamewinning 3-point shot with 7.2 seconds left in overtime while down 39-37 gave the Patriots their third district title and first in 12 years.
Northampton returns Rider University recruit Victoria Keenan, a 5foot-7 senior guard, who is ninth all-time in the area with 171 career 3-point field goals. Classmate Jenna Rogers, a 6-foot forward, and sophomore guard Morgan Sterner will lead a young first-year varsity roster that includes three sophomores and four freshmen.
To prove how tough the EPC can be, Allen went on its first three-game PIAA run in a decade last season after not qualifying for the eight-team conference playoffs. Senior guards Mariam Rodriguez and Asha Talib along with 6-foot junior forward Jakayla Wise are a solid nucleus to build around. Freshman point guard Tniyah Riggins is expected to make an immediate impact for the Canaries who begin the season as the favorite to win the East Division title.
Parkland has a new coach in Ed Ohlson, a former successful boys coach who is coaching girls for the first time, and the same projections to be a conference contender. Claire Courter, a senior guard, was the leading scorer last season in a program that has almost always spread the wealth offensively.
Easton loses everybody that had a pivotal role in the school’s best ever run the last four seasons (91-24 with an EPC and district title) Coach Dave Lutz, one of the quickest girls coaches in the area to reach the 100-career win mark, starts over with a new group.
Pleasant Valley, with 5-7 junior guard and three-year starter Cameron Caffrey leading the way, is the favorite to win the Mountain Division over two-time defending champ Stroudsburg.