The 2025-26 high school boys basketball season is only 3 weeks old, and there are just two unbeaten teams left — Allen and Northwestern Lehigh.
Unlike football, where there is generally a week off between games, there is no rest for the weary in basketball. The teams play three and sometimes four times per week, and you have to stay healthy and sharp every time you take the floor.
That’s why a perfect regular season, as several Lehigh Valley football programs completed, is almost impossible on the hardwood.
But even if no one can attain perfection in basketball for an entire season, there are a lot of great teams out there that have already delivered some great finishes and will provide even more excitement as the second half of the season begins after the holidays.
Here’s a look at the final Morning Call Dandy Dozen in the 2025 portion of the 2025-26 season:
No. 12: Bethlehem Christian
Record: 7-1
Last rankings: Not ranked
Last game: Beat Faith Christian Academy 84-80
Next game: Play Northern Lehigh in Slatington Rotary Tournament, 7:30 p.m. Monday
Comment: The Panthers are back in the Dandy Dozen after a one-week hiatus. They rebounded from a 19-point loss to Nazareth with a 27-point win over Dieruff. This high-scoring team averages 73.6 points per game and features two of the area’s top scorers in Gabe Transue (27.5 ppg) and Myles Harris (24.4).
No. 11: Salisbury
Record: 7-1, 5-1 Colonial
Last rankings: 11th
Last game: Beat Moravian Acadey 67-45
Next game: At Hamburg, 7 p.m. Saturday
Comment: The Falcons bounced back from a loss to Bangor with a pair of wins. The Falcons have four players averaging 10 points per game or more, led by Steven Lozada (15.4) and Drew Petrie (12.3).
No. 10: Liberty
Record: 6-3, 5-2 EPC
Last rankings: 10th
Last game: Beat Freedom 58-37 (scheduled to play Scranton Prep on Monday night)
Next game: William Penn from Delaware in the Jameer Nelson Classic, 4:15 p.m. Sunday at Widener.
Comment: The Hurricanes are still struggling to play 32 consistent minutes against quality opponents. They had three strong quarters against Pocono Mountain West, but were dominated in the fourth period as a five-point lead turned into a 50-42 loss. Jake Pukszyn leads the way with 17.3 points per game.
No. 9: Northwestern Lehigh
Record: 5-0, 5-0 Colonial
Last rankings: 9th
Last game: Beat Palmerton 62-33 (Scheduled to play Monday at Northern Lehigh)
Next game: At Pottsville, 6:30 p.m. Tuesday
Comment: The Tigers enter the week as the only unbeaten team left in the Colonial League and one of just two left in District 11. Mason Bollinger continues to lead a balanced attack with 13.7 points per game.
No. 8: Allentown Central Catholic
Record: 6-2, 5-0 EPC
Last rankings: 8th
Last game: Beat Whitehall 60-50 (Scheduled to play Monday at Easton)
Next game: Host Frankford in Christmas tournament, 3:30 p.m. Dec. 29.
Comment: After starting 2-2 with losses to Trinity from District 3, and Souderton from District 1, the Vikings have put together a four-game winning streak. Yariel Gonalez and newcomer Cam Hines have formed a potent one-two punch, averaging 15.6 and 14 points per game, respectively.
No. 7: Notre Dame-Green Pond
Record: 7-1, 6-0 Colonial
Last rankings: 7th
Last game: Beat Saucon Valley 53-43
Next game: Play Pope John Paul II in ACCHS holiday tournament, 5 p.m. Dec. 29
Comment: Junior Justin Manning has emerged as one of the area’s leading scorers at 24.6 points per game. He had a 41-point game against Northern Lehigh and a 38-point display against Freedom. Drew Boyd, another junior, is averaging 14.1 ppg and had 24 in a victory over Catasauqua.
No. 6: Executive Education
Record: 6-1
Last rankings: 6th
Last game: Beat Overbrook 67-42
Next game: Play Pennridge, 6 p.m. Dec. 29 in the Easton Rotary tournament.
Comment: The Raptors dropped their first game of the season to two-time defending champ Devon Prep, but bounced back with a pair of double-digit wins over Northeast and Overbrook. In the win over Overbrook, sophomore Jaxon Loper had 11 points, four rebounds, four assists and five steals. Eshaan Tung had 22 points and three assists.
No. 5: Nazareth
Record: 7-1, 6-1 EPC
Last rankings: 5th
Last game: Beat Easton 52-49 (Played Wallenpaupack on Monday)
Next game: Play Northwestern Lehigh 6 p.m. Dec. 29 in the Whitehall holiday tournament.
Comment: Nazareth had a moment no one in attendance will ever forget when Bobby Grzenda hit the game-winning 3-pointer from the other end of the gym. It made ESPN’s plays of the day, but perhaps more importantly it gave the Blue Eagles a much-needed win as they remain in a tight race with Northampton for first place in the EPC’s Northampton County Division.
No. 4: Pocono Mountain West
Record: 7-1, 5-1 EPC
Last rankings: 4th
Last game: Beat Pocono Mountain East 70-45 (scheduled to host Abington Heights on Monday)
Next game: Host Bethlehem Catholic, 3 p.m. Jan. 3
Comment: KJ Coles is the area’s leading scorer at 28.9 points per game. He has not scored fewer than 22 points in any game this season and is over 1,500 points in his career.
No. 3: Northampton
Record: 8-1, 6-1 EPC
Last rankings: 2nd
Last game: Beat Bethlehem Catholic 61-37
Next game: Host Blue Mountain, 1 p.m. Jan. 3
Comment: The Konkrete Kids bounced back from their lone loss — a 42-37 defeat at Parkland — with a pair of solid wins. In Saturday’s rout of Becahi, Noah Walakovits led a balanced attack with 18 points while Leo Regec and Brady Simock added 11 and 10, respectively. Northampton made 10 3-pointers, and is averaging more than seven treys per game.
No. 2: Parkland
Record: 6-1, 5-1 EPC
Last rankings: 3rd
Last game: Lost to St. Joe’s Prep 58-47
Next game: Play Penncrest at 7:45 p.m. in the Jameer Nelson Classic at Widener
Comment: The Trojans had a five-game winning streak snapped with a loss Sunday to St. Joe’s Prep. The previous day against Emmaus, the Trojans made 11 3-pointers in a 64-41 win and had three players reach double figures in scoring, led by Tyler Beck’s 12.
No. 1: Allen
Record: 7-0, 4-0 EPC
Last rankings: 1st
Last game: Beat Dieruff 56-46
Next game: Will host Edison from Philadelphia, 7 p.m. Dec 29 in holiday tournament
Comment: It wasn’t an artistic masterpiece, but Allen showed its mental toughness and resiliency when it beat Dieruff despite having two players foul out, including leading scorer Tiheed Wise Jr. While Wise is one of the top scorers in the area, the Canaries are getting contributions up and down the lineup and off the bench, and that depth will play a key role once league play resumes and Allen has to play ACCHS twice and go to Parkland.
