When Allentown Central Catholic coach Kathy Davidowich looked at the District 11 standings ahead of Tuesday night’s clash with undefeated Dieruff, she recognized a reality that she and the rest of the Vikettes faithful rarely experience: their team at the bottom.
“I actually just looked at where we are in District 11 4A, and then looking … we were in last place. I haven’t seen that in a long time,” Davidowich said. “I think the girls have been uptight and I said, ‘Let’s just go have some fun.’”
It was a struggle at times, but her team did just that, especially in the locker room after the game following a 44-40 win over the Huskies at historic Rockne Hall – a place where Dieruff dominated the Vikettes last season in a 50-40 win.
“Last year, they came in here and destroyed us. And part of my speech today was not tonight,” Davidowich said. “I’m just so proud because we had ups and downs tonight, but we were able to put it together.”
The first quarter indicated that a fifth consecutive loss to start the season could be on the way as Dieruff’s press and relentless defense caused problems for Central’s offense. That and a total domination by the Huskies on the offensive glass helped coach Cathy Piston’s team open up a 9-4 lead at the end of the opening quarter.
Back-to-back triples by Alyssa Hursh and the star of the night, Shamiya Roberts, jumpstarted a 19-point eruption in the second quarter to give their team a 23-18 lead at the break. Roberts buried another perimeter jumper later on as Gianna Menecola provided a spark from the bench to get the balanced Vikette offense rolling.
“Tonight it was Shamiya that gave us that spark, and I thought our bench today came off and gave us a very good spark like Gianna,” Davidowich said. “We have a bench that’s not experienced. They don’t have a lot of playing time, so I think that’s where we’ve been struggling.”
It was a tremendous response from Roberts, who missed much of her team’s previous game against Saint Hubert Catholic due to foul trouble, producing a team-high 15 points on three 3-pointers and a clutch free throw that put the game out of reach in the final minute.
“I just know I wanted to get the win and get more playing time to be with the girls more,” Roberts said. “I just knew I had to keep it calm and play the game.
“It’s really important. I know most of the girls on Dieruff – we’ve played together since we were little – and we just needed it,” Roberts said. “We were hungry for the win and hopefully this energy carries on to tomorrow and the rest of the season.”
While another difficult non-conference opponent dropped Central to 1-5, Roberts and her team responded with another league win over Pleasant Valley as the Vikettes try to build more confidence heading into the new year.
After squeaking into the playoffs last year on a tiebreaker over Dieruff, it can’t be overstated how impactful Tuesday night’s win could be for short-term morale and long-term goals for Davidowich’s group.
“We need to be up there in that top-eight. We were ranked No. 8 in that category [last year], and we need to fight,” Davidowich said. “I don’t want to be eight. I want to be more in the middle to get a better seed.”
Standout players
Tegan Simms, Northern Lehigh: The Bulldogs were staring an 0-4 start in the face on Thursday night with the final seconds in a matchup with Wilson ticking away. Trailing by two, Simms banked in a 3-pointer at the buzzer to lift Northern Lehigh to a 42-41 win that marked its first of the season.
The shot capped a team-high 25-point night for the junior who is doing a remarkable job filling the shoes of Katelynn Barthold. Despite facing the toughest early season schedule in the league, Simms is averaging over 12 points per game to lead all scorers for the Bulldogs.
Natalie Conner, Northwestern Lehigh: Conner is another Colonial League star emerging after a former teammate’s graduation last spring. The sophomore is averaging over 20 points per game and just prevailed against Catasauqua senior Hailey Jenkins on Friday night as Conner’s 17 points were enough to give the Tigers a 56-51 win over the Rough Riders.
Olivia Serfass, Lehighton: Serfass is in the midst of three consecutive double-digit performances for the Indians who remain the surprise story of the Colonial League at 4-0 this season. The senior forward averaged 15 points in three impressive wins over Wilson, Pen Argyl and Salisbury to bring her team to the top of the league standings.
Player of the Week
Ava Kopetskie, Liberty: The top individual performance of the season now longs to Kopetskie after a 37-point outburst against Pleasant Valley on Tuesday night. The Loyola Maryland commit followed it up with 28 more points to pace the Hurricanes past Northampton for their first division win of the season.
She’ll be carrying plenty on her shoulders this year with a new-look Liberty squad, but the senior appears up to the challenge so far with Adelynn Smith, Chloe Rummelhart and Emma Miller beginning to provide support around her.
Other notes
Palmerton continued its unbeaten start with comfortable league wins over Moravian Academy, Bangor and Southern Lehigh as senior forward Courtney Connell led the way … Emmaus sophomore Gracie Ervin posted a career-high 19 points against Allen as the Green Hornets picked up their fourth straight win after a season-opening loss to Wilson West Lawn in OT … Notre Dame-GP got into the win column with eight different scorers leading the charge against Northern Lehigh in a 51-33 victory … Northampton’s Isabella Pecuch averaged 18.5 points in back-to-back wins against Bangor and ES North to help get the Konkrete Kids back to .500 … Catasauqua’s Hailey Jenkins posted a pair of 25-point performances to rise to the top of the scoring leaderboard in the league (21.3 PPG) … Becahi prevailed in a thrilling divisional matchup with Nazareth as Kamryn Gallis’ 12 points led the Golden Hawks in a 42-39 win.
Standings (through 12/16)
Eastern Pennsylvania Conference
(overall and division record)
Northampton Division
Becahi; 6-0; 2-0
Easton; 5-2; 2-0
Liberty; 3-3; 1-1
Nazareth; 4-3; 1-1
Freedom; 2-4; 0-2
Northampton; 2-4; 0-2
Lehigh Division
Parkland; 6-0; 2-0
Emmaus; 5-1; 2-0
ACCHS; 3-5; 1-1
Dieruff; 5-2; 1-1
Whitehall; 2-5; 0-2
William Allen; 0-7; 0-2
Monroe Division
Stroudsburg; 4-4; 3-0
PM West; 3-3; 3-0
PM East; 2-3; 1-2
Pleasant Valley; 1-5; 1-2
ES South; 1-6; 1-2
ES North; 0-8; 0-3
Colonial League
(overall and division record)
East Division
Notre Dame-GP; 3-3; 2-0
Pen Argyl; 5-1; 1-0
Wilson Area; 3-2; 1-0
Bangor; 0-6; 0-1
Moravian Academy; 0-7; 0-3
West Division
Lehighton; 5-0; 1-0
NW Lehigh; 6-1; 1-0
Palmerton; 5-1; 2-1
Northern Lehigh; 2-4; 1-2
Jim Thorpe; 0-6; 0-2
South Division
Catasauqua; 3-1; 2-0
Salisbury; 4-1; 1-0
Southern Lehigh; 1-5; 1-1
Palisades; 2-4; 0-1
Saucon Valley; 2-3; 0-2
Rankings
1. Becahi 6-0
2. Parkland 6-0
3. Emmaus 5-1
4. Easton 5-2
5. Nazareth 4-3
6. NW Lehigh 6-1
7. Lehighton 5-0
8. Palmerton 5-1
9. ACCHS 3-5
10. Dieruff 5-2
Just missed: Catasauqua (3-1), Executive Education (3-1), NDGP (3-3)
Top scorers (through 12/16)
(Name, school, average)
Ava Kopetskie; Liberty; 25.8
Natalie Conner; NW Lehigh; 21.4
Hailey Jenkins; Catasauqua; 21.3
Kendra Morgan; Salisbury; 20.5
Juliana Bonham; Wilson Area; 20.5
Kamryn Gallis; Becahi; 19.3
Jayla Rosario; Dieruff; 17.0
Courtney Connell; Palmerton; 16.0
Teagan Strunk; Stroudsburg; 14.4
Gabby DeVita; Emmaus; 14.3
Aliyah Brame; Becahi; 13.8
Kaylin Stewart; Catasauqua; 13.3
Ryleigh Trotman; Lehighton; 12.3
Olivia Serfass; Lehighton; 12.3
Tegan Simms; Northern Lehigh; 12.2
Gracie Ervin; Emmaus; 12.2
Eliana Marques; Southern Lehigh; 11.5
Hailey Barry; Palmerton; 11.3
Leah Ault; Becahi; 11.2
Adriana Borzio; Stroudsburg; 11.1
