2011-2012 Season Archive

Not bad, considering.

 That's my take on the just-released Pennsylvania all-state basketball selections that were just released by the Associated Press.

 In 4A, Morning Call player of the year Greg Bobal from Emmaus and Pocono  Mountain West's Quindell Brice were selected.

 In 3A, Muhammad Ali Abdur-Rahkman of Central Catholic, was chosen to the   second team. Muhammad was a first-team choice last year as a freshman, and is now 2-for-2 in all-state selections.

 And in 2A, Salisbury's Lloyd Irons was named to the third team.

 I participated on the panel and was pleased to see four local kids get  represented, especially considering we had just two teams -- Easton and Central Catholic -- win state playoff games and only one (Easton) reach the state quarterfinals.

 As we know, the southeast corner of the state is where most of the power is in PIAA basketball, but we still offer some quality kids who work hard and deserve to be  recognized.

PENNSYLVANIA ALL-STATE BOYS BASKETBALL TEAMS

 (as selected by a panel of Pennsylvania sportswriters)

CLASS AAAA

FIRST TEAM

Rondae Jefferson, Chester, 6-7, jr, 12.1 ppg

B.J. Johnson, Lower Merion, 6-5, jr, 15.8 ppg

Haiishen McIntyre, Harrisburg, 6-2, sr, 24.2 ppg

Devin Thomas, Central Dauphin, 6-9, sr, 23.8 ppg

Geno Thorpe, Shaler, 6-3, jr, 21.4 ppg

Steve Vasturia, St. Joseph’s Prep, jr, 21.8 ppg

SECOND TEAM

Nolan Cressler, Plum, 6-3, sr, 25.7 ppg

Shep Garner, Roman Catholic, 6-2, so, 15.9 ppg

Miles Overton, St. Joseph’s Prep, 6-4, jr, 15.0 ppg

Jordan Reed, Wissahickon, 6-3, sr, 23.7 ppg

Darryl Reynolds, Lower Merion, 6-7, sr, 10.6 ppg

Darius Robinson, Chester, 6-1, jr, 11.8 ppg

Erikk Wright, Chester, 6-4, sr, 11.4 ppg

THIRD TEAM

Greg Bobal, Emmaus, 6-3, sr, 11.5 ppg

Quindell Brice, Pocono Mountain West, 6-4, sr, 16.2 ppg

Malik Draper, Scranton, 6-4, sr, 15.3 ppg

Nate Snodgrass, Butler, 6-0, sr, 21.3 ppg

Jahad Thomas, Williamsport, 6-2, jr, 14.5 ppg

Sheldon Zablotny, Cathedral Prep, 5-11, jr, 17.4 ppg

Mike Zangari, Red Land, 6-10, sr, 21.4 ppg

PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Rondae Jefferson, Chester

COACH OF THE YEAR: Larry Yarbray, Chester

CLASS AAA

FIRST TEAM

John Davis, Neumann-Goretti, 6-4, jr, 12.9 ppg

Donovon Jack, Berks Catholic, 6-9, sr, 17.0 ppg

Brendan Kilpatrick, Malvern Prep, 6-5, sr, 15.8 ppg

Micah Mason, Highlands, 6-2, sr, 28.7 ppg

Ja’Quan Newton, Neumann-Goretti, 6-3, so, 15.8 ppg

Maurice Watson, Boys Latin Charter, 5-10, sr, 21.8 ppg

SECOND TEAM

Muhammad Ali Abdur-Rahkman, Allentown Central Catholic, 6-4, so, 17.7 ppg

Andrew Andreychik, Danville, 6-0, sr, 23.0 ppg

Jaymon Mason, General McLane, 6-2, jr, 18.4 ppg

Jamal Nwaniemeka, Conwell-Egan, 6-2, sr, 21.8 ppg

Derrick Stewart, Neumann-Goretti, 6-5, sr, 8.7 ppg

Devin Wilson, Montour, 6-4, jr, 10.0 ppg

Yosef Yacob, Archbishop Carroll, 6-0, jr, 14.6 ppg

THIRD TEAM

Shawn Anderson, New Castle, 6-3, jr, 18.8 ppg

Dwight Andrews, Johnstown, 6-5, sr, 18.7 ppg

Charles Cooper, Octorara, 6-1, sr, 17.3 ppg

Ted Hinnenkamp, York Suburban, 6-6, sr, 21.0 ppg

Marquis Marshall, Berks Catholic, 6-4, sr, 15.4 ppg

J.C. Show, Abington Heights, 6-2, so, 17.1 ppg

Cornell Yarde, Schuylkill Valley, 6-2, sr, 21.2 ppg

PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Maurice Watson, Boys Latin Charter

COACH OF THE YEAR: Adam Kaufman, Montour

 CLASS AA

FIRST TEAM

Brandon Austin, Imhotep Charter, 6-6, jr, 11.4 ppg

Amile Jefferson, Friends Central, 6-8, sr, 19.9 ppg

Sheldon Jeter, Beaver Falls, 6-8, sr, 22.5 ppg

Rysheed Jordan, Roberts Vaux, 6-4, jr, 17.3 ppg

Josh Kosin, Holy Cross, 6-7, jr, 17.9 ppg

Daniel Ochefu, Westtown, 6-10, sr, 14.0 ppg

SECOND TEAM

Quentin Brandon, Westmont Hilltop, 6-2, sr, 22.8 ppg

Conrad Chambers, Friends Central, 6-3, so, 11.2 ppg

Jerry Kincel, Riverside, 6-2, sr, 21.5 ppg

Eugene Lewis, Elmer L. Meyers, 6-3, sr, 17.5 ppg

P.J. McLaughlin, Greensburg Central Catholic, 6-7, sr, 18.1 ppg

Brett Smith, Delone Catholic, 5-9, jr, 15.4 ppg

Khyree Wooten, Imhotep Charter, 6-2, sr, 15.7 ppg

THIRD TEAM

Kyler Burke, Pine Grove, 6-3, sr, 17.2 ppg

Noah Davis, Bellwood-Antis, 6-6, jr, 18.9 ppg

Josh Dombrosky, Shenandoah Valley, 6-7, sr, 17.8 ppg

Zane Hackett, Brookville, 6-6, sr, 20.6 ppg

Lloyd Irons, Salisbury, 6-2, sr, 16.8 ppg

A.J. Leahey, Penn Cambria, 6-7, jr, 20.7 ppg

Larry Zimmerman, Pine Grove, 5-10, sr, 17.0 ppg

PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Amile Jefferson, Friends Central

COACH OF THE YEAR: Al Callejas, Holy Cross

CLASS A

FIRST TEAM

Matthew Dogan, West Middlesex, 6-6, jr, 22.4 ppg

Marcus Gilbert, Academy of the New Church, 6-6, sr, 17.0 ppg

Savon Goodman, Constitution, 6-6, sr, 25.8 ppg

Daiquan Walker, Constitution, 6-2, sr, 18.1 ppg

Dinjiyl Walker, Academy of the New Church, 6-3, sr, 21.2 ppg

Devontae Watson, Lincoln Park Charter, 6-10, sr, 15.1 ppg

SECOND TEAM

Darrian Brown, Vision Quest, 6-2, sr, 21.5 ppg

Trey Hosack, Lincoln Park Charter, 6-0, sr, 17.9 ppg

Chris Koryak, Vincentian Academy, 6-2, sr, 22.4 ppg

Eric Matheson, Ridgway, 5-9, sr, 18.4 ppg

Howard Sellars, Church Farm, 6-1, sr, 17.0 ppg

Sharif Welton, Sullivan County, 6-5, sr, 16.1 ppg

Jeremiah Worthem, Math, Civics & Sciences, 6-6, jr, 15.4 ppg

THIRD TEAM

Stewart Borst, Juniata Valley, 6-0, sr, 24.0 ppg

Brandon Camic, Serra Catholic, 6-5, sr, 22.5 ppg

Ryan Fyock, Shade, 6-1, jr, 21.8 ppg

Rasaun Mosley, New Hope Academy, 6-5, sr, 16.0 ppg

Cole Peterson, Johnsonburg, 5-10, so, 12.7 ppg

Danny Savulchak, North Catholic, 6-4, jr, 19.2 ppg

Mike Wenner, St. John Neumann, 6-4, sr, 20.0 ppg

PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Savon Goodman, Constitution

COACH OF THE YEAR: Rob Moore, Constitution

The Via All-Star Classic banquet was held tonight at Freedom and once  again the Via people did an outstanding job incorporating so many different honors.

There were the hall of fame inductions which included Jackie Adamshick, Mary Lisicky, Mike Polaha and yours truly.

A very humbling moment for me; one that I honestly never thought would happen. And one that I will always treasure, especially because I got to spolight my family and thank them for all they  have done for me. I also could not have been inducted with three more outstanding young adults than the three great players and  people that were also inducted tonight.

Special thanks to Allen coach Doug Snyder for doing such a  wonderful job in presenting me.

 However, there were many more accolades given out tonight, most  notably the $2,000 scholar-athlete award winners which were Wilson's Ryan Spirko and Palmerton's Kelsey Hay.

The Via Teams of the Year were:

BOYS -- D.J. Brown (Allen), Lloyd Irons (Salisbury), Greg Bobal (Emmaus), Joe Lococo (Freedom), Justin Ringland (Bangor) and player of the year Quindell Brice (Pocono Mountain West).

GIRLS -- Bridgette Dougherty (Southern Lehigh), Aimee Oertner (Northern Lehigh), Kelecia Harris (Pocono Mt. East), Leah Horton (Emmaus) and Hay of Palmerton. And the player of the year was Central Catholic's Kerry Kinek. Strong showing for the Colonial League this year.

Former football star and longtime broadcaster Joe Theismann was one of the most energetic, lively and powerful speakers in the banquet's history. He went 18 minutes over the 25 minutes event organizers had allotted for his presentation, but very few in the crowd of over 600 seemed to mind.

Pocono Mountain West seniors Tyrel Dixon, John Amoroso, and Quindell Brice were selected by local media outlets to this year's Via of the Lehigh Valley MVC all-star squad. The team which is comprised of the MVC's best players, will take on the Lehigh Valley Conference East squad (Bethelehem Catholic, Easton, Freedom, Northampton, and Nazareth).

The game will take place on Saturday, March 31st at Northampton Community College at 3:30pm and is a part of Via's "Super Saturday" which is a day full of all-star games between the LVC, Colonial League, and MVC.

Via of the Lehigh Valley is a non-profit agency that provides services for children and adults with disabilities like autism, cerebral palsy, Down syndrome. Serving the community since 1954, Via’s staff and volunteers help individuals and families from birth through retirement to gain life skills, obtain meaningful employment and develop social connections. Via of the Lehigh Valley, Inc. works in partnership with Via Events, Inc. and the Via Foundation, Inc. to accomplish these goals with community partners. 

Focus on the boards, intensity on defense and grim  determination in the paint — all hallmarks of the high school basketball season that just ended — were gone Monday night  at East Stroudsburg University's Koehler Field House.

But no one, not even the numerous coaches who were in  attendance, cared.

That's because this basketball event was all about having fun  and doing what you love to do, all for a good cause.

It was the 10th annual Perryman-Keglovits Foundation All-Star  Games, a night to celebrate the season just completed, remember some outstanding individuals who are no longer with  us and renew the commitment to fight cancer.

Yes, there were two games played involving 44 seniors from the  Mountain Valley Conference and they kept score.

However, five minutes after the final buzzer sounded, no one  probably remembered that Team Keglovits beat Team Perryman  75-71 in the boys game or that Team Keglovits topped Team  Perryman 56-49 in the  girls contest.

The winners were the people who are supported by the efforts of the kids, coaches and tournament organizers.

 "I look at this as an opportunity to bring the community together," said Rich Laverdure, one of the event's directors. "This is our 10th anniversary and we've raised in the neighborhood of $5,000 per year with most of the money going to the Dale and Frances Hughes Cancer Center. We've also given a lot over the years to the Jimmy V Foundation. We like to keep the money here in the community."

In addition to the games, the Perryman-Keglovits organizers always like to salute a prominent person or people from the area with their Spirit of Basketball awards, and Blue Ridge Cable's Dr. Bob Mlkvy and Bob Capasso were Monday's co-recipients.

The two have been working together on Blue Ridge telecasts since 1996 and have done more than 500 games together, including the Perryman-Keglovits event every year.

"It's the love of the kids, the game and the cause. … that's why we're here," the legendary Mlkvy said. "What better way to spend the night, doing something you love to do anyway and helping out such a worthy cause. We're truly humbled to receive this award.

"I still have passion for the game. I've been in it a long time as a player and now doing this and for someone getting up in years like me, it feels good to be around our young people. It takes me back to my own playing days and my youth just being around these kids and the game."

Pocono Mt. West players Quindell Brice, Tyrel Dixon, Mike Collins, and John Amoroso were selected to play in the charity all-star game. 

It's not like Pocono Mountain West hasn't had a good boys basketball program before this season.

The Panthers had won four Mountain Valley Conference championships in six years, strung together five consecutive 20-win seasons and had never missed a District 11 tournament since the program began in the 2002-03 school year.

But to get the respect they craved, particularly from their friends in the Lehigh Valley Conference, Brad Pensyl's crew knew it had to do something it hadn't before – win the District 11 championship.

After winning the MVC title for the fifth time in seven years, Pocono Mountain West forged into new territory, beating LVC members Whitehall, Easton and Parkland for the first boys basketball district title in school district history.

While the Panthers suffered a disappointing overtime loss to Coatesville in the first round of the state tournament, their 22-5 record and league and district titles — the only District 11 boys team to do that — was enough to make them The Morning Call's boys basketball team of the year for 2011-12.

"Our kids still haven't stopped smiling from winning that district championship," Pensyl said. "It meant an awful lot to them. It's something that they will probably think about at least once a week for the rest of their lives.'

It was also a proud moment for Pensyl, a former 1,000-point scorer at Bangor where he played for his father, the legendary Bill Pensyl. Pensyl also scored 1,000 points at West Chester University.

He coached at Pocono Mountain when the district had just one high school for 13 years and then moved over to the new school in Pocono Summit when it opened in 2002. His teams have never missed a district tournament in the 23 years has has been in charge.

Pensyl went over the 400-win plateau late last season, but he knew there was one missing piece to his resume and one more step to go for his program to solidify its status as one of the area's best, and that was to win districts.

That's why the 57-53 win over Parkland at Liberty on March 3 was so gratifying.

"Our kids don't think they get enough credit a lot of times, but I tell them they have to go out and earn it," Pensyl said. "We feel like we've been very consistent, but winning the district title put an exclamation point on our program."

The Panthers were able to get their first district gold in an unexpected year. They returned just one starter, Michael Collins, after graduating one of the area's best players in Tynell Fortune.

Quindell Brice would have started last season except that he missed most of it with a bulging disc in his back.

"We didn't know what we were going to get from Quindell, but the guys worked very hard and were so unselfish," Pensyl said. "The big thing is that we didn't turn the ball over. And we also played very good defense. We just got after people. This group, unlike some of the other teams I've had, could play fast or slow, fullcourt or halfcourt."

More than that, it was a great group of kids who took turns. Tyrel Dixon, Jon Amoroso, Joe Wiggins, Eric Vick and others had their big moments.

Even better, there was never an attitude problem.

"We didn't have a single incident," Pensyl said. "No one even missed a practice. We have a set of rules that must be followed and if they don't follow them, they can go do something else. I won't put up with it. You have to be tough. But these kids were fantastic, both on and off the court."

First Team

 MUHAMMAD ALI ABDUR-RAHKMAN

 6-4 sophomore G, Central Catholic

 Averaged 17.7 points and 6.4 rebounds per  game, shot 48 percent from 2-point range. … repeats as an all-area and LVC first-team selection. … helped Vikings win second straight district title. … scored 35 points in a loss to Allen. … Was a second-team all- state selection last year in 3A. … "It was a good season and I'm happy we won districts and got a win in states," Abdur-Rahkman said. "I want to work on getting more people involved on offense and not just scoring." … Plans to take several Division I college visits, but won't make decision until after junior year.

TIM ABRUZZO

6-3 senior G, Pennridge

Averaged 21.3 points per game, totaling 470 points, also had 32 blocks, 60 assists, 111 rebounds in 22 games.. … Set single-game scoring mark with 39 against CB South. … Finished as school's all-time leader scorer with 1,152 career points. … A first-team Suburban One selection. … Will be attending the U.S. Naval Academy Prep School and plans to play at Navy. …"He set the bar for excellence as a Pennridge basketball player," said coach Dean Behrens. … "We won four of our last five and came on strong," Abruzzo said. "Looking back, there was nothing I would change. I had a great career."

AUSTIN BEIDELMAN

6-3 junior G, Parkland

Averaged 13.7 points per game, shot 42 percent from 3-point range in making 46 treys, had 53 assists and 42 steals. … First-team all-LVC selection. … Scored 26 points against Pocono Mountain West in the District 11 4A finals when he had six 3-pointers. … "We were real happy with what we did this year," Beidelman said. "Our goal was to make districts and leagues. We did that and we made states, too. We're all going to work hard in the weight room to get ready for next year."

D.J. BROWN

6-3 senior F, Allen

Averaged 18.6 points and 8.8 rebounds per game, shot 55 percent from 2-point range, 73 percent from foul line … 4-year varsity performer … A first-team LVC selection. … "D.J. was one of the area's more dominant players in the paint," coach Doug Snyder said. "He also had the ability to step out and hit the jump shot." … Team captain and lone returning starter from 2011 district champs. …"This was a rebuilding year and we had our ups and downs," Brown said. "We had a different chemistry, but we had some exciting wins." … Considering Goldey-Beacom, DeSales, Alvernia and Albright.

QUINDELL BRICE

6-4 senior G, Pocono Mountain West

Averaged 16.2 points, 5.7 rebounds and 2.9 assists per game, shot 45 percent from 2-point range, 67 percent from the line. … Named Mountain Valley Conference MVP … Missed large chunk of junior season with bulging disc in his back. … Key member of team that won first-ever district title in addition to MVC crown … "I feel blessed to have been healthy this year and to play on this team," Brice said. "It felt like our hard work paid off in winning districts. I will never forget winning that title. We worked hard for it."

ROB DVORACEK

6-1 senior F, Parkland

Averaged 8.8 points, 7.5 rebounds per game, shot 47 percent from the field and had 24 steals … First-team all-LVC selection. … Three-year starter. … Was also an all-area and all-state football selection and will continue football career at Temple on a full scholarship. … "It was a great year all the way around," Dvoracek said. "It was great to go out with good football and basketball seasons as a senior. It was great to be around these guys every day. I've always had fun playing basketball. I'm going to miss it."

LLOYD IRONS

6-2 senior F, Salisbury

Averaged 16.8 points 7.5 rebounds, 3.4 assists per game. … Named Colonial League's MVP and helped team win the Colonial League title with seven points and eight rebounds against Bangor … Had 31 points in a win over Tamaqua. … "It was a great season because everybody stepped up and did their part," Irons said. "Coach Weaver was tough on me, but he's a great coach. He wanted the best for me. These were the best two years of my life after being born in New York and living in Philly." … Looking at several Division III schools.

JOE LOCOCO

6-2 senior G, Freedom

Averaged 14.3 points, 5.7 rebounds, 3.0 assists per game and shot 40.2 percent from the field. … Made 40 3-pointers. … Named the LVC's MVP, the first Freedom player to receive the honor … Finished his career with 109 3-pointers, the second most in school history … Helped team set school mark with 13 straight wins to start the season. … Was a third-team all-area selection last year. … Headed to Shippensburg. … Said beating Liberty in double-OT in front of nearly 3,000 fans was his highlight. … "It was a fun year with a lot of great games," Lococo said. "We didn't win them all, but we were in every one of them.'

JUSTIN RINGLAND

6-4 senior F, Bangor

Averaged 15 points, 5.7 rebounds, 1.5 blocks per game, shot 49 percent from the field, 67 percent from the line. … First-team Colonial League all-star selection along with teammate Kerry Reider. … "It was good to get to the Colonial League finals because we haven't done that in a long time," Ringland said. "We lost seven or eight seniors and four starters from last year's team, and a lot of people didn't pick us to make the playoffs. We proved them wrong." … Considering Northampton Community College, Penn State.

MATT WISELEY

6-7 senior, F, Emmaus

Averaged 11.5 points, 12 rebounds, 2 assists, 4 blocks per game. … First-team all-LVC selection. … Had 17 points, 19 rebounds and six blocks in the LVC finals against Freedom. … "He did it all for us," Emmaus coach Steve Yoder said. "He could handle the ball against pressure, shoot from long range, play with his back to the basket. He was a dominant defensive presence." … Missed most of his junior season because of injury. … Considering several colleges including DeSales and West Chester. "I hope to make my selection within the next two weeks," he said.

Second Team

Alex Anderson, Sr., Southern Lehigh; Derike Chiclana, Jr., Freedom; David Garcia, Sr., Pocono Mt. East; Noel Hightower, Sr., Easton; Caleb Knudsen, Sr., Pius X; Easton; Connor Hughes, Sr., Notre Dame; Chris Moran, Sr., Whitehall; Greg Noack, Jr., Liberty; Kerry Reider, Sr., Bangor; Gerald Terry, Jr., Wilson.

Third Team

Jon Amoroso, Sr., Pocono Mt. West; Alex Colton, Jr., Bangor; Tyrel Dixon, Sr., Pocono Mountain West; Lincoln Holley, Sr., Easton; Zach Holubowski, Sr.,Northampton; Brent Maron, Sr., Salisbury; Nick Melosky, Sr., Whitehall; Kyle Muller, Sr., Pen Argyl; Lucas Pierce, Jr., Northern Lehigh; DeVante Queen, Jr., Easton.

BETHLEHEM — One of the best seasons in Pocono Mountain West history came down to a tenth of a second and the ending was painful.

Coatesville's Tymeir Miller hit two free throws to send the game to overtime and the Red Raiders won the extra session to capture a 62-57 victory over the Panthers in the opening round of the PIAA Class AAAA boys basketball playoffs at Freedom High School on Saturday.

Coatesville (24-6) moves on to Wednesday's second round where it will play John Bartrum, a 48-47 winner over Central Dauphin East in another first-round game Saturday.

It looked like it would the Panthers (22-5) who would be moving on.

After trailing for just about all of the game, West took a 53-51 lead when Ty Dixon hit a turnaround, fade-away jumper with 15 seconds to go. The Red Raiders advanced the ball into their half of the court, called a timeout with seven seconds to go and then got the ball in the hands of Miller, their 1,000-point scorer. The senior drove to the hoop and was met by a host of Panthers, but the officials called a foul on Quindell Brice with just a tenth of a second showing on the clock. Miller hit the first, and then after a West timeout, sank the second to force OT.

"I want to see what the tape says, but it's a shame if it came down to that," PM West coach Brad Pensyl said. "There are more plays than that though. They made plays and we didn't."

That's how overtime went.

The game was tied at 56-56 when Dwayne Vines scored on a putback with 2:36 to go, but the Red Raiders controlled the rest of the extra period.

Tyler Burke scored on a tip-in to put Coatesville in front for good, and after a Red Raiders' turnover gave West the ball with a chance to tie, Miller stole the ball and went coast-to-coast for a layup that sank the Panthers' ship.

"They scored a couple big buckets there," Pensyl said.

Coatesville started that way, too.

The Red Raiders ran out to an 18-9 lead in the opening quarter by hitting six of their first seven shots, but the Panthers answered with seven straight points to the end the quarter to make it a two-point game after one.

The game stayed tight throughout the second quarter despite West missing All-Mountain Valley Conference first teamer Ty Dixon, who sat the final 9:18 of the first half with three fouls. Vines was brilliant in an extended run off the bench, grabbing a game-high nine rebounds to go along with four points and two blocks.

Even with their outside shot not falling, the Panthers, who finished just 2-for-19 from behind the 3-point line, stayed in the game throughout.

West trailed by just one at the break and were down by three going into the fourth quarter. A layup by Leroy Hoggard, who got away with a double dribble, put Coatesville up 45-40 with 6:35 left in the fourth, but the Panthers reeled off a 9-2 run, capped by Eric Vick's 3 that gave West its first lead at 49-47 with 3:38 to go.

The Red Raiders got the lead back on Hoggard's layup, but Dixon split two sets of free throws to tie the game with 58 seconds left. A defensive stop gave West the ball back, and after Brice missed a runner, Dixon grabbed the rebound and sank a jumper for a 53-51 lead.

It wasn't to be though as the whistles blew on the other end, Miller made both free throws and the Panthers' season was over four minutes later.

"I thought we were every bit as good if not better than Coatesville except for a tenth of a second," Pensyl said. "I really thought we had an opportunity to win this game. We were right in it. I'm not going to sit here and say what if."

Coatesville 62, PM West 57, OT

COATESVILLE (62)

Nixon 0-2 6-6 6, K. Miller 10-18 0-2 22, Jones 0-2 0-0 0, Hunt 4-9 0-1 9, Burke 3-4 2-4 8, Williams 0-0 0-0 0, Trowley 1-4 2-2 4, Boyd 0-0 0-0 0, T. Miller 1-5 2-2 4, Boggs 0-1 0-0 0, Hoggard 4-7 1-2 9. Totals — 23-52 13-19 62.

PM WEST (57)

Brice 6-14 0-0 12, Vick 3-8 1-2 8, Amoroso 4-10 2-2 10, Collins 2-12 2-4 7, Dixon 5-7 4-6 14, Wiggins 0-3 0-0 0, Vines 2-2 0-0 4, Baptiste 0-0 0-0 0. Totals — 22-55 9-14 57.

Coatesville 18 8 15 12 9 — 62

PM West 16 9 13 15 4 — 57

3-point goals — C 3-13 (K. Miller 2, Hunt); PMW 2-19 (Collins, Vick). Rebounds — C 36 (Hunt 7); PMW 36 (Vines 9). Assists — C 10 (Nixon 4); PMW 10 (Dixon 3). Steals — C 5 (K. Miller, Burke 2); PMW 9 (Brice 3). Blocks — C 1 (Hunt); PMW 6 (Amoroso, Vines 2). Turnovers — C 16; PMW 16..

Records — Coatesville 24-6; PM West 22-5.

POCONO SUMMIT — Pocono Mountain West needed contributions from all of its players to make history.

In winning their first District 11 title in school history, the Panthers  got everyone to do their part. That included Eric Vick, the only underclassman starter who scored a career-high 17 points in the 58-54 victory over Parkland in last Saturday's district title game.

Point guard Joe Wiggins came off the bench to run West's offense, while Dwayne Vines played big minutes with starting forward Jon Amoroso in foul trouble.

Those three didn't just perform last weekend, but have done the job all season.

Vick has been solid all season as a first-time varsity player. Just a sophomore, Wiggins is in charge of West's offense when he's on the floor. When Amoroso missed time at midseason with a heart aliment, it was Vines who stepped into the starting lineup.

"All three of them have just been great for us the entire year," said PM West coach Brad Pensyl, whose Panthers play Coatesville in the PIAA playoffs at 6 p.m. at Freedom High School on Saturday. "They are very unselfish. They're total team players. Sometimes it's hard in high school sports when kids don't understand their roles."

That hasn't been a problem for the three.

Vines, one of six seniors on the team, knew he needed to step up his game when Amoroso missed three games in January. The same was the case in the district semifinals against Easton and against Parkland last Saturday when Amoroso got in foul trouble.

"Jon is the heart and soul of our team and that's pretty irreplaceable, but I just want to go in and keep everything going," Vines said. "I just want to do what he does and try to help win games for us."

As the youngest player to see the court consistently, this season has been eye opening for Wiggins.

The sophomore averages 5.8 points per game off the Panthers' bench, but getting the offense set up and his teammates involved is Wiggins' goal when he's on the floor.

"I'm setting things up and I know as a point guard that the offense revolves around me when I'm on the floor," Wiggins said. "I just want to get everyone involved in the game."

Vick has been everything the Panthers could have expected.

He's been steady on the both ends of the court, providing good defense and capable scoring. Vick had his best game in the district final, hitting 10-of-12 free throws in the final quarter, and averages 5.9 ppg on a team that has three players in double figures and another (Mike Collins) average nine ppg.

It's all part of the team concept Pensyl asks his players to buy into.

"It's been real important to us because it's showed us how well we work as a team," Vick said.

It's allowed West to have one of the best seasons in school history.

The Panthers won the Mountain Valley Conference title for a second straight year and fifth time in the school's 10-year history. They claimed the district title and advanced to the PIAA tournament for the second time since 2008. The talent has been a big reason for all the success, but have the intangibles the players have brought to the game.

It's all made this one of Pensyl's most enjoyable seasons in his 23-year coaching career.

"It's been a great year and we haven't had a problem, not one," Pensyl said. "These are the kind of years that make you want to coach. There are some years when you say, 'I might be looking to pack it in,' but this is the kind of year that makes you come back for another year."

BETHLEHEM — Fundamental basketball helped Pocono  Mountain West and Brad Pensyl finally win that elusive district title.

The second-seeded Panthers hit 16-of-22 foul shots in the fourth quarter and committed just seven turnovers in their 57-53 victory over No. 5 Parkland in the championship game of the District 11 Class AAAA boys basketball playoffs at Liberty High School on  Saturday.

The Panthers (22-4), who will play Coatesville, the seventh-place team from District 1, in the PIAA playoffs next Saturday, gave Pensyl his first district title in his 23-year coaching career. Pensyl, who started his career at Pocono Mountain in 1988 before moving to Pocono West when the schools split in 2002, had taken his team to the district playoffs every single year, but was 0-for-2 in district finals.

A stellar effort in two areas Pensyl constantly preaches to his team — taking care of the ball and hitting free throws — made the third time the charm.

"I've been saying we had to do certain things to win this game — run our half-court stuff, take care of the ball, knock down free throws and play good defense," Pensyl said. "We got everything we could get out of our defense. It was just a matter if we could score enough points to beat them."

The Trojans (21-6) didn't make it easy, especially late in the game.

Even as the Panthers hit their foul shots, with Eric Vick's 10-for-12 performance the key, Parkland stayed in the game by knocking down five 3-pointers in the final 1:54. It didn't matter though as Vick and company sealed the victory at the line.

"Every day Coach tells us to shoot 20 free throws and then to shoot 20 more free throws," said Vick, who finished with a career-high 17 points. "That's a lot of what we do at practice, every single day."

Even with just one player — Mike Collins — returning with a lot of starting experience from last year's team, the Panthers never let the atmosphere get in their heads at Liberty.

With a loud Parkland student section and the Trojans' side of the stands nearly full, West got off to a strong start. Collins scored seven of his 13 points in the first quarter to help the Panthers run out to an 11-7 lead.

"I just wanted to set the tone on offense for us to help us win this championship," Collins said.

The Panthers never let down after that.

Parkland tied the game with an 8-0 run in the second quarter, but Quindell Brice's 3 just before the horn put West up 25-22 with 16 minutes to play.

Pocono West controlled play through the third and into the fourth, opening up a 42-34 lead on Vick's layup with 3:31 left to play. The Trojans, who hit four 3s in the first half but were held scoreless from behind the arc through much of the second half, started cutting into the Panthers' lead when Austin Beidleman hit from behind the arc with 1:54 left. That cut West's lead to 44-37, but even though Beidleman hit four more 3s in the fourth the Panthers' free throwing shooting proved too much for Parkland to overcome.

"Eric Vick was phenomenal at the line, just great," Pensyl said. "The way they were shooting, we needed every single one of those foul shots. There was no doubt about that."

There will now be no more doubt about whether Pensyl, his team or a Mountain Valley Conference school can win the biggest of big games against the Lehigh Valley Conference.

LVC schools had won 14 straight district titles, with Stroudsburg the last non-LVC team to win in 1999. That streak ended Saturday while all those years of near misses for Pensyl were reduced to a faded memory.

"I know what our record is and what we've done here, but maybe what this does is shut some people up," said Pensyl, whose Panthers beat three LVC teams to win the district title. "That I can't win this or Pensyl can't win that, but this has never been about me. It's all about our kids. I could retire tomorrow and be happy with whether I won or lost this championship.

"This wouldn't change my outlook on my kids or our basketball program."

No. 2 PM West 57, No. 5 Parkland 53

PARKLAND (53)

Beidelman 9-21 2-2 26, Muhr 2-11 0-1 5, Charles 0-5 0-0 0, Dvoracek 4-6 1-2 9, Zajko 1-8 4-4 6, Rindock 3-5 0-0 7, Hahn 0-0 0-0 0, Jones 0-0 0-0 0. Totals — 19-56 7-9 53.

PM WEST (57)

Brice 5-17 2-3 13, Vick 3-7 10-12 17, Amoroso 2-5 1-2 5, Collins 4-6 4-4 13, T. Dixon 3-14 0-1 6, Vines 1-1 1-2 3, Wiggins 0-2 0-0 0. Totals — 18-52 18-24 57

Parkland 7 15 8 23— 53

PM West 11 14 8 24 — 57

3-point goals — P 8-22 (Beidleman 6, Muhr, Rindock); PMW 3-10 (Brice, Vick, Collins). Rebounds — P 39 (Dvoracek 16); PMW 38 (Dixon 10). Assists — P 14 (Muhr 7); PMW 13 (Vick 5). Steals — P 4 (Zajko 2); PMW 9 (Dixon 4). Blocks — P 2 (Beidleman, Muhr); PMW 8 (Amoroso 4). Turnovers — P 15; PMW 7.

Records — Parkland 21-6; PM West 22-4.

As the celebration continued all around him Saturday night at Liberty High School's Memorial Gym, Pocono Mountain West boys basketball coach Brad Pensyl talked about changing perceptions.

  For the first time in his 23 seasons as a head coach in the Poconos —the first 13 at Pocono Mountain and then at 10-year-old Pocono Mountain West — Pensyl was a District 11 champion following his team's hard-fought 57-  53 win over Parkland in the 4A title game.

Despite the moment of glory, Pensyl questioned whether  the gold medal around his neck had changed anything.  "Am I a better coach because we won this district title?"  he asked. "I don't think I'm a better or worse coach after  this game. It may change the minds of some detractors  who say 'Pensyl always chokes,' but it's not really about  personal vindication for me.

  "I know what we've done at this school. In the 10 years  we've been around, we've won over 200 games and five  league titles. And now a district title. That's pretty good."

In winning the first district title in school history and becoming the first Monroe County school to win a district boys gold since Stroudsburg in 1999, Pensyl's Panthers were more than pretty good — they were outstanding.

They used tenacious man-to-man defense to hound Parkland into a tough shooting night. They also held their own on the boards, made free throws and executed well in the halfcourt offense.

The fifth-seeded Trojans had early leads of 3-0 and 5-4, but spent most of the night just trying to keep up with the quicker Mountain Valley Conference champions.

"It took us awhile to get used to the pace of the game," Parkland coach Andy Stephens said. "Some teams give you a little cushion, but West is up on you, taking chances and pressing you."

Pocono West bothered Parkland into 3-for-15 shooting in the first quarter and put the Trojans in a 17-9 hole early in the second period.

Parkland, which displayed grit and resiliency in beating both Freedom and Emmaus in the quarterfinals and semis, fought back again and tied the game at 20 and 22 late in the first half.

But the Panthers got a 3-pointer from Quindell Brice to close the second period and then opened up a 33-26 lead with three minutes to go in the third.

"I still felt great at halftime to be down only three because we didn't play a great first half," Stephens said. "But we could never get into a rhythm or take advantage of some situations."

Parkland, which also was induced into 16 turnovers, made just 3 of 13 shots in the third quarter and began the final stanza 2-for-11 as Pocono West seized command of he game.

Once the guys from the Poconos had the game in their hands, they wouldn't let go thanks to 16-for-22 foul shooting in the last quarter — 10 of 12 by Eric Vick, who finished with a team-high 17.

Trojans fans began heading to the exits with their team down 50-39 and 1:03 remaining.

Those fans missed quite a shooting display by Parkland's Austin Beidelman in the final minute as the junior sharpshooter finally found the range with four 3-pointers.

Beidelman finished with 26 points — 17 in the fourth quarter when he had five treys.

"I was a little worried about Beidelman because he's a heck of a player and he kept chucking stuff up," Pensyl said. "I was hoping he'd cramp up a little bit."

But Beidelman's barrage didn't change the outcome.

"I'm just so happy for our kids because people say they can't execute late in the game or in the halfcourt. … and they say that they're just street kids," Pensyl said. "They did everything they had to do in the second half to win the game. They executed on offense, blocked out on the defensive boards and knocked down foul shots. If you know the kind of kids we have, you know this means a lot to them."

Pensyl didn't say that this was vindication for his league, however. His team was the only MVC squad with an above .500 record this season.

He said: "I could careless about that MVC stuff. This conference down here is 50 times better than our conference. I never said they weren't. But I said there's a year we can win this thing and we did it tonight."

Both teams advance to the PIAA tournament, which will begin on Saturday. Parkland will play Roman Catholic and Pocono West will play Coatesville and there's a good chance that both will be on the same card of a tripleheader at Freedom.

Parkland was already thinking of its next game before it left Bethlehem.

"I didn't make it a whole sentimental thing in the locker room after the game because they want to keep playing basketball," Stephens said. "We're going on to the state tournament and I know our kids will keep battling and give it their best shot. I told them that they may not be the most talented team I've ever coached, but I don't know if I've ever coached a more determined group. We're not done yet."

STROUDSBURG — Pocono Mountain West has gone through two Lehigh Valley Conference teams and it will have to go through another to win a district title.

The second-seeded Panthers were stellar on defense, holding No. 3 Easton to 21 percent shooting from the floor, to capture a 50-42 victory in the semifinals of the District 11 Class AAAA boys basketball playoffs at Stroudsburg High School on Thursday.

The Panthers (21-4), who advanced to the PIAA playoffs with the victory, will meet No. 5 Parkland, a 39-36 winner over top-seeded Emmaus in a Wednesday semifinal, for the district championship at 7 p.m. at Liberty on Saturday night.

Pocono West got there by dispatching a second LVC team in less than a week. The Panthers, who reached the district title game for the second time in school history, beat Whitehall last Saturday, and for a second straight game did so by show they can execute offensive in the half court.

"A knock against my basketball team, my program, my system is that we can't execute in the half court," PM West coach Brad Pensyl said. "I think you saw two games in a row my team execute in the halfcourt against a good Lehigh Valley team and win the basketball game."

It wasn't easy for the Panthers.

Even though Easton (19-7) finished just 12-for-56 from the floor, the Red Rovers stayed in the game by cleaning up the offensive glass. Twenty four of Easton's 51 rebounds came on the offensive end, but a suffocating West defense caused many of those missed shots.

"We had some trouble on the glass, but I thought defensively that was the only way we could play and beat them," said Pensyl, whose team mixed zone and man-to-man looks.

Joe Wiggins' jumper late in the third quarter put West up by 10, but Easton never went away until late in the fourth.

The Red Rovers got as close as two twice, but a driving layup by Ty Dixon pushed the Panthers' lead to 45-41 with 48 seconds to go. West hit five free throws down the stretch to seal the game.

"It was an intense game," Dixon said. "Both teams went at it really hard and nobody wants to lose at this point. Everybody wants to win a district title."

Getting a district title would add to Pensyl's already fantastic coaching career.

After starting his head coaching career in 1988-89 at Pocono Mountain, Pensyl moved to West when the school district split in 2002. Pensyl, who has 425 victories and five Mountain Valley Conference titles, has taken his teams to the district playoffs in every season he's coached and reached the final twice, but to get that elusive district title the Panthers will have to beat Parkland. A victory would stop a run of 14 straight district titles won by LVC schools.

"I've never said our league is better then their league; they're definitely better and I'd be fool to doubt that," Pensyl said. "They've won the last 14 district championships, but we'll see. We have a lot of work to do. We'll get back in the gym (Friday) and see what we can do."

No. 2 PM West 50, No. 3 Easton 42

EASTON (42)

Walsh 3-10 1-2 7, Hightower 2-7 4-8 8, Queen 0-2 0-0 0, Holley 2-16 4-6 8, Gaines 2-9 2-2 7, Oakley 0-0 0-0 0, Middleton 3-10 5-6 12, Batista 0-2 0-0 0, Jackson 0-0 0-0 0, Beinlich 0-0 0-0 0. Totals — 12-56 16-24 42.

PM WEST (50)

Brice 3-15 8-10 15, Vick 2-6 0-0 5, Amoroso 1-2 0-0 2, Collins 5-14 7-8 17, Dixon 2-7 1-4 5, Wiggins 2-5 1-2 6, Vines 0-2 0-1 0, Baptiste 0-0 0-0 0, Burton 0-0 0-0 0 Totals — 15-51 17-25 50.

Easton 7 12 9 14 — 42

PM West 9 15 10 16 — 50

3-point goals — E 2-19 (Middleton, Gaines); PMW 3-17 (Wiggins, Brice, Vick). Rebounds — E 51 (Holley 19); PMW 39 (Dixon 10). Assists — E 7 (Holley 3); PMW 7 (Brice 4). Steals — E 4 (Hightower 3); PMW 7 (Wiggins, Vines 2). Blocks — E 2 (Hightower, Gaines); PMW 4 (Dixon 2). Turnovers — E 13; PMW 6.

Records — Easton 19-7; PM West 21-4.

EAST STROUDSBURG — An eight-day layoff had Pocono Mountain West coach Brad Pensyl a bit concerned, but the Panthers wasted little time easing his mind.

Second-seeded Pocono West built a 17-point lead by early in the third quarter and held off a late run by No. 10 Whitehall to capture a 59-46 victory in the quarterfinals of the District 11 Class AAAA boys basketball playoffs at East Stroudsburg South High School on Saturday.

The win was the 200th in school history for the Panthers (20-4), who will play No. 6 Easton, a 43-30 winner over No. 3 Pottsville in another quarterfinal Saturday, in the semifinals at 7:30 p.m. at Sroudsburg on Wednesday. Pocono West beat Easton 56- 46 on Dec. 9.

It will be the Panthers' fifth appearance in the district semifinals in the 10 years, to  go along with five Mountain Valley Conference titles over the same time frame.

"I'm real proud of our basketball program and I'm proud of this group of kids," Pensyl said. "I think our kids do an excellent job. It's difficult sometimes because people expect certain things, but to win five championships and be in the semifinals in 10 years, I'll take that."

Getting there came after a well-earned break.

Winning a fifth MVC title gave the Panthers the second seed in the district playoffs and a first-round bye. Stepping on the court against Whitehall (12-12) on Saturday was West's first action since its 83-49 victory over Pleasant Valley in the MVC title game last Friday.

"I was a little concerned, but I thought we played really well," Pensyl said. "(Whitehall) is a really good team, a sneaky team."

The Panthers controlled the game early.

After a close first quarter, that saw Pocono West lead 18-15, the Panthers opened up some breathing room in the second. Quindell Brice hit two 3s and had a driving layup, and Mike Collins' runner put PM West up 35-22 at the break.

"We had to stay together," said Brice, who finished with a team-high 19 points. "We just kept talking to each and kept playing defense."

The Panthers would need that defense in the second half.

Collins' layup with 5:45 left in the third put West up 41-24, but the Zephyrs closed the quarter with a 13-4 run to get to within eight with one quarter to go.

The Panthers forced eight turnovers in the fourth, part of West's defensive effort that saw Whitehall turn the ball over 21 times in the game.

"Defensively is definitely something we feed off of," said PM West senior Ty Dixon, who led the way with six steals. "Our defense creates offense for us and that's what wins us games."

Whitehall never got closer than eight in the final quarter and with the Zephyrs trying to get off a 3 Brice stole a pass, went the length of the floor and flushed a two-handed dunk to punctuate the victory.

"We have to have an answer when a team makes a run at us," Pensyl said. "We have a shot now. There are four teams left and certainly we'd like to continue to play. This has been a great group of kids and I hope we continue to play."

No. 2 PM West 59, No. 10 Whitehall 46

WHITEHALL (46)

Melosky 6-12 7-10 20, Sipko 1-3 0-2 3, Johnson 1-3 0-0 2, Shafnisky 1-2 0-0 3, Moran 5-21 5-8 16, Bellucci 0-2 0-0 0, Wah 0-0 0-0 0, McGinley 1-1 0-0 2, Keglovits 0-0 0-0 0. Totals — 15-44 12-20 46.

PM WEST (59)

Brice 8-19 1-2 19, Vick 2-5 4-6 8, Collins 3-8 3-5 9, T. Dixon 3-8 1-4 7, Amoroso 5-7 2-2 12, Wiggins 1-1 0-0 2, Vines 0-0 2-2 2. Totals — 22-48 13-21 59.

Whitehall 15 7 15 9 ­— 46

PM West 18 17 10 14 — 59

3-point goals — W 4-15 (Melosky, Sipko, Shafnisky, Moran); PMW 2-8 (Brice 2). Rebounds — W 38 (Moran 15); PMW 24 (T. Dixon 7, Amoroso 7). Assists — W 9 (Sipko 3, Moran 3); PMW 14 (Vick 5). Steals — W 2 (Sipko 1, McGinley 1); PMW 13 (T. Dixon 6). Blocks — W 1 (Moran 1); PMW 2 (Brice 1, Amoroso 1). Turnovers — W 21; PMW 10.

Records — Whitehall 12-12; PM West 20-4.

STROUDSBURG — Pocono Mountain West did little wrong en route to winning   its fifth Mountain Valley Conference title since 2004. That's not good news for the rest of District 11.

Jon Amoroso scored 22 points, and Conference MVP Quindell Brice and Mike Collins each had 20 and the top-seeded Panthers' defense was suffocating in an 82-49 victory over No. 2 Pleasant Valley in the MVC championship game at  Stroudsburg High School on Friday.

The victory was a bit of redemption for Pocono West (19-4), which lost 45-43 to the Bears in Brodheadsville two weeks ago. Better to have an off night then instead of in a title game.

"We didn't play with any regret," said Brice, who finished 9-for-15 from the floor and led West with six assists. "We just wanted to play."

The Panthers showed that right from the beginning.

Riding a relentless defense, PM West forced Pleasant Valley (11-13) into 10 turnovers in each of the first two quarters. Ty Dixon's three-point play off one of  his five steals highlighted an 19-10 first quarter for the Panthers.

The second quarter was much the same as West outscored PV 24-7 with Collins and Brice scoring eight each as Pocono led 43-17 at the break. The defense wasn't just about forcing turnovers either as the Bears shot just 7-for-17 in the opening half, while the Panthers were 16-for-29.

"Defense wins championships," Collins said. "We're a good offensive team. If we want to win championships we have to play defense like we did (Friday)."

"Phenomenal defense, we played great," PM West coach Brad Pensyl said. "We were very aggressive, did some very good things man-to-man. We're playing really well right now. I wish we didn't have this break coming up."

The Panthers likely won't play again until next Saturday since they'll get a bye in the upcoming District 11 Class AAAA tournament, but if they play like they have their last three games — all blowout victories against playoff teams — the Panthers could be adding more hardware to their trophy case.

A district title would be the first for the school district and the first for Pensyl, who came to West from Pocono Mountain when the school district split for the 2002-03 school year. More performances like the one Friday night would go a long way toward making that happen.

"This is the time to play our best," Brice said. "That's what Coach is always telling us and we are."

No. 1 PM West 82, No. 2 Pleasant Valley 49

PLEASANT VALLEY (49)

Brown 4-7 0-0 8, Shivers 4-9 1-2 12, Wright 3-8 1-4 7, Dekmar 2-3 0-0 5, Jones 0-3 0-2 0, Howard 2-5 1-5 5, Getz 2-2 0-0 5, Gerolimatos 0-0 0-0 0, Hosier 0-1 2-3 2, Helfrich 1-2 0-0 3, Neubert 0-0 2-2 2. Totals — 21-42 7-18 49.

PM WEST (82)

Brice 9-15 2-8 20, Vick 1-3 1-2 4, Amoroso 8-12 6-6 22, Collins 7-11 0-0 20, T. Dixon 2-4 5-5 9, Wiggins 1-2 0-0 2, Vines 1-1 0-0 2, Baptiste 0-2 0-0 0, Burton 0-2 2-2 2, D. Dixon 1-1 1-2 3, Howard 0-0 0-0 0, Fladger 0-0 0-0 0. Totals — 30-53 17-25 82.

Pleasant Valley 10 7 16 17 — 49

PM West 19 24 18 21 — 82

3-point goals — PV 6 (Shivers 3, Dekmar, Getz, Helfrich), PMW 5 (Collins 4, Vick). Rebounds — PV 25 (Jones 6), PMW 26 (T. Dixon 7). Assists — PV 11 (Shivers, Dekmar 4), PMW 17 (Brice 6). Steals — PV 9 (Howard 3), PMW 22 (Amoroso 7). Blocks — PV 5 (Brown 2), PMW 3 (T. Dixon 2). Turnovers — PV 29, PMW 17.

Records — Pleasant Valley 11-13, PM West 19-4.

POCONO SUMMIT — One play doesn't make up an entire 15-point comeback, but Selwyn Wright's dunk sure sparked it.

Wright's one-handed slam midway through the third quarter was the beginning of a 33-12 run to end the game as the second-seeded Bears rallied for a 48-41 overtime victory against No. 3 Stroudsburg in the semifinals of the Mountain Valley Conference boys basketball tournament at Pocono Mountain West on Wednesday.

The Bears (11-12) will meet No. 1 Pocono Mountain West, a 77-45 winner over fourth-seeded Pocono Mountain East in the other semifinal, in the championship game at 7:30 p.m. at Stroudsburg High School on Friday.

The two teams split the regular season series, with Pleasant Valley upsetting the Panthers 45-43 two weeks ago.

"They beat us the last time and outplayed us," Pocono West coach Brad Pensyl said. "Hopefully, we can make enough adjustments in one day of practice to get ready for them. We've got some work to do, but it should be a good game."

It looked improbable that PV would be there.

The Mounties (8-15) did little wrong in the opening eight minutes, leading 17-3 against a team they had beaten in double overtime last Friday. The Bears made up some ground in the second quarter, getting it to 23-13 at halftime, but Stroudsburg scored six of the third quarter's first eight points to lead 29-15 with 5:06 to play.

Then came Wright's dunk.

Wright dribbled baseline and found an alley to the basket. He went up strong, threw it down with one hand and the PV fans erupted, prompting chants of "check the scoreboard" from the Stroudsburg faithful, but it woke up the Bears.

"That dunk was key," Pleasant Valley coach Ken Piontkowski said. "I could see it changed Selwyn's body language. Until then he struggled, didn't look like he was having a good time and it just wasn't his game, but then he made that play and his whole personality changed. Everybody looked at him, and let's be honest he's our leader on the court, and they said, 'well, Sel just showed up,' and that helped everybody's confidence."

Wright wasn't going to let the chance go by to get his teammates back in the game.

"I thought I'd drive baseline and catch a dunk," Wright said. "My team got hyped and we went from there."

While Wright's dunk got them started, the Bears got a huge second half and overtime from Marquis Brown.

The sophomore big man went down late in the first half with a twisted left ankle, but he emerged from the locker room with it taped and ready to play. Fifteen of his 17 points came in the second half and all 11 of his rebounds were after halftime. He also hit four big free throws to help stretch PV's three-point lead to 45-38 with 32 seconds left in the extra session.

"When I got hurt I got up by myself and I said, 'I'm not giving up,'" Brown said. "I wasn't going to let my team down. I told the trainer to tape it and I was ready to go."

While Brown and Wright led the charge, they scored PV's final eight points of the fourth quarter to push the game into overtime. The Bears' defense did the job, too.

Stroudsburg went over 13 minutes without a field goal, which started with 1:14 left in third quarter, before Jacob Battle's 3 with 13 seconds left in overtime made Pleasant Valley's lead 47-41. The Bears also forced 17 turnovers, and limited Stroudsburg to just 24 points after it scored 17 in the first eight minutes.

"We wanted to play our man-to-man defense and get up real tight up on them because in the first half we weren't up on them real tight," Wright said. "Second half we got up on them and they started turning over the ball."

In the second game, Pocono West (18-4) controlled throughout.

The Panthers scored the first 16 points, led 25-4 after the first quarter and 53-17 at halftime.

"We just wanted to play hard, get up and down the court and play with a lot of intensity like we like to do," said PM West senior Quindell Brice, who scored 17 points. "We wanted to finish and come out with the W."

West erased any hopes East (10-12) had of a comeback quickly.

Jon Amoroso scored 14 of his game-high 18 points in the second quarter, and Brice's dunk off a steal with 1:42 left in the third quarter put the mercy rule into effect.

"We just kept playing," Amoroso said. "That's all we could do. We couldn't let up. This was a big game for us and we just kept playing."

No. 2 Pleasant Valley 48

No. 3 Stroudsburg 41, OT

STROUDSBURG (41)

Northern 0-2 0-0 0, Kaiser 3-6 0-2 6, Brandt 0-2 0-0 0, Clowney 5-10 5-7 15, Battle 5-14 2-2 14, Watson 1-1 0-0 2, Clouse 0-1 0-0 0, Mohamed 2-2 0-0 4, Bradshaw 0-0 0-0 0, Cayo 0-1 0-0 0. Totals — 16-39 7-11 41.

PLEASANT VALLEY (48)

Brown 6-11 5-6 17, Shivers 2-9 1-3 6, Wright 5-12 5-5 15, Dekmar 1-3 0-0 2, Jones 3-4 0-6 6, Howard 0-2 2-2 2, Getz 0-0 0-0 0, Gerolimatos 0-0 0-0 0. Totals — 17-41 13-22 48.

Stroudsburg 17 6 12 1 5 ­— 41

Pleasant Valley 3 10 12 12 12 — 48

3-point goals — S 2-12 (Battle 2); PV 1-7 (Shivesr). Rebounds — S 17 (Clowney 4); PV 34 (Brown 11). Assists — S 15 (Battle 5); PV 8 (Shivers 5). Steals — S 7 (Battle 4); PV 10 (Brown, Shivers, Jones, Howard 2). Blocks — S 2 (Clowney 2); PV 0. Turnovers — S 17; PV 19.

Records — Stroudsburg 8-15; Pleasant Valley 11-12.

No. 1 PM West 77, No. 4 PM East 45

PM EAST (45)

Garcia 5-11 1-2 11, Stapler 1-3 0-0 3, Lambert 0-4 0-0 0, Asiyo 3-7 7-7 13, Sickler 2-5 0-0 6, Ko. Harris 2-5 0-0 4, Randazzo 0-2 0-0 0, Ky. Harris 2-3 0-0 4, Maloney 0-4 0-0 0, Wheeler 0-1 4-5 4, Gleason 0-2 0 0-0 0. Totals — 15-47 12-14 45.

PM WEST (77)

Brice 5-13 6-11 17, Vick 3-4 0-0 7, Amoroso 8-14 2-2 18, Collins 5-12 2-4 14, T. Dixon 6-8 2-3 14, Wiggins 1-4 0-0 2, Vines 0-1 0-2 0, D. Dixon 0-2 2-2 2, Hardy 0-1 0-0 0, Baptiste 0-0 0-0 0, Burton 1-2 1-2 3, Fladger 0-2 0-0 0. Totals — 29-62 15-26 77.

PM East 4 13 14 14 ­— 45

PM West 25 28 14 10 — 77

3-point goals — PME 3-17 (Sickler 2, Stapler); PMW 4-14 (Collins 2, Brice, Vick). Rebounds — PME 25 (Sickler 6); PMW 38 (T. Dixon 12). Assists — PME 3 (Garcia 2); PMW 14 (Vick, T. Dixon 5). Steals — PME 10 (Wheeler 3); PMW 8 (Brice, Vick, T. Dixon 2). Blocks — PME 1 (Asiyo); PMW 2 (Vick, Baptiste). Turnovers — PME 18; PMW 9.

Records — PM East 10-12; PM West 18-4.

SWIFTWATER — Pocono Mountain West couldn't have ended the regular season any better.

The Panthers trailed by four midway through the third quarter before ripping off a 35-11 run to end the game on their way to a 66-46 victory over arch-rival Pocono Mountain East in Mountain Valley Conference boys basketball Friday.

For Pocono West (17-4, 11-1 MVC), the victory was its second in a row after being upset by Pleasant Valley last Friday and a perfect springboard into next week's MVC playoffs. The Panthers are the top  seed and host Wednesday's semifinals.

 "I understand we stubbed our toe against PV last week, but that was  just one game," said PM West senior Jon Amoroso, who scored 12  points, grabbed seven rebounds and had three steals Friday. "What means something is when we're  playing next Wednesday."

Pocono East (9-11, 6-6) was looking to pull off its second upset of the week after knocking off Pleasant Valley on Tuesday and for three quarters it looked like the Cardinals just might do it.

With Ryan Sickler scoring six points and Jok Asiyo seven during the third, East led 35-31 with 4:11 to play in the third quarter. It was all Pocono West from there.

The Panthers ended the quarter on an 8-0 run, capped by back-to-back scores in tight from senior Ty Dixon, who had 12 points and a game-high 14 rebounds.

"Any time you can get those layups or two-footers you take them," PM West coach Brad Pensyl said. "In the first half we missed a few of those."

The end of the third was just a preview of the fourth quarter.

The Panthers used their defense to create easy offense, with Quindell Brice and Amoroso converting steals into uncontested layups. Pocono West forced 17 turnovers by the Cardinals, with eight coming in the final minutes when the Panthers outscored East 24-8.

"The offense came easier (in the fourth quarter) because we played better defense," said Brice, who scored a game-high 19 points. "We were able to get out on a couple of fast breaks and that's how we like to play."

The game was tight throughout the opening half, with the lead changing hands seven times in the first 16 minutes.

Sickler and Asiyo, who finished with 17 points, led the charge out of the locker room for East, but the final 12 minutes belonged to Pocono West.

More importantly, the Panthers took another positive step after last week's setback. With the conference semifinals in its gym, Pocono West will start defense of its MVC title while looking for a fifth conference championship since 2004.

"This is a good win and a good win to go into the tournament with," Pensyl said. "You want to go into the tournament on a positive note. We're the defending champs and we want to defend that title. That's what we plan to do."

PM West 66, PM East 46

PM WEST (66)

Brice 6 4-6 19, Vick 2 0-0 4, Collins 2 4-8 10, Amoroso 4 4-5 12, T. Dixon 5 2-4 12, Wiggins 3 2-2 9, Vines 0 0-0 0, Baptiste 0 0-0 0, D. Dixon 0 0-0 0, Fladger 0 0-0 0, Burton 0 0-0 0. Totals — 22 16-25 66.

PM EAST (46)

Asiyo 7 1-3 17, Wheeler 0 0-0 0, Garcia 4 2-2 11, Gleason 1 0-1 3, Sickler 3 1-2 7, Ko. Harris 2 0-0 4, Stapler 2 0-0 4, Maloney 0 0-0 0, Lambert 0 0-0 0, Ky. Harris 0 0-1 0, Randazzo 0 0-0 0. Totals — 19 4-9 46.

PM West 8 16 18 24 ­— 66

PM East 9 14 15 8 — 46

3-point goals — PMW 6 (Brice 3, Collins 2, Wiggins); PME 4 (Asiyo 2, Garcia, Gleason). Rebounds — PMW 34 (T. Dixon 14); PME 31 (Asiyo 5). Assists — PMW 10 (Brice 5); PME 15 (Ko. Harris 5). Steals — PMW 13 (Vick, Amoroso 3); PME 3 (Ky. Harris, Asiyo, Gleason). Blocks — PMW 1 (Brice); PME 4 (Sickler 2). Turnovers — PMW 14; PME 17.

Records — PM West 17-4, 11-1 MVC; PM East 9-11, 6-6.

JV score — PMW, 50-30. 

POCONO SUMMIT — Don't be fooled by the final score. Pocono Mountain West had a dogfight on its hands and the Panthers came out better because of it.

PM West ended the fourth quarter on a 19-8 run to hang on to a 74- 63 victory over Stroudsdburg in Mountain Valley Conference boys basketball Friday.

The Panthers (12-3, 7-0 MVC) beat the Mounties by 27 last month, but this was a different Stroudsburg team

Led by Jake Battle's 18 points, coming on six 3-pointers, the Mounties stayed right with West through the first 28 minutes.

Battle's 3 from the wing with 3:50 left tied the game at 55-55, but West pulled away at the end thanks to free throw shooting and solid defense.

 "Teams get better as the season goes on," West senior Mike Collins said. "We can't beat teams by 30 every time. We've just got to keep our heads in it and keep working hard."

The Panthers did that over the final four minutes and Collins was a big part of it.

Held to four points in the opening three quarters, Collins exploded for 12 in the final eight minutes. His runner with 2:33 left put West up by eight and Stroudsburg (3-11, 2-5) would never get closer than four the rest of the way.

"Mike has been struggling a little bit so I was glad to see him play well," Panthers coach Brad Pensyl said. "He had a real nice fourth quarter and I was real glad to see him step up and do some things that we've been waiting for them to do."

West didn't have to wait for Stroudsburg to come out ready to play.

The Mounties were strong in the opening eight minutes, trailing by just two going into the second quarter. Pocono West opened up a seven-point lead at the half and held a five-point edge after three quarters before the Mounties were able to tie it midway through the fourth.

"Let's face it, we have the target on our back," Pensyl said. "We know that and everybody knows that. Pocono Mountain West is the team everybody wants to beat and our kids have to understand that. We're the defending champs and we went through the first half 6-0 and we're everybody's big game. Who doesn't want to beat us."

PM West 74, Stroudsburg 63

STROUDSBURG (63)

Northern 2 2-2 6, Kaiser 3 2-2 8, Brandt 2 2-5 6, Clowney 5 3-5 13, Battle 6 0-0 18, Clouse 1 2-2 5, Bradshaw 1 12-3, Walker 1 0-0 2, Rogers 0 0-0 0. Totals — 21 12-18 63.

PM WEST (74)

Brice 6 3-4 15, Vick 0 1-2 1, Amoroso 8 4-5 20, Collins 5 6-6 16, T. Dixon 1 2-4 4, D. Dixon 1 2-4 4, Wiggins 3 3-4 9, Vines 2 1-2 5, Hardy 1 0-1 2. Totals — 27 23-32 74.

Stroudsburg 14 8 17 24 — 63

PM West 16 13 15 30 — 74

3-point goals — S 7 ( Battle 6, Clouse); PMW 0. Rebounds — S 19 (Clowney 7); PMW 33 (Amoroso, T. Dixon 7). Assists — S 15 (Kaiser 6); PMW 9 (Brice 3). Steals — S 9 (Battle 5); PMW 16 (Amoroso 5). Blocks — S 2 (Brandt, Clowney); PMW 1 (Collins). Turnovers — S 25; PMW 17.

Records — Stroudsburg 3-11, 2-5 MVC; PM West 12-3, 7-0.

JV score — PMW, 48-43 

Pocono Mountain West and Freedom staged their own version of "Big Monday" on Monday night in Bethlehem.

The two teams, ranked in the top two slots of the latest Morning Call boys basketball poll, didn't disappoint in an entertaining, fast-paced contest that could serve as a preview of an even bigger meeting in early March.

For now, the Patriots have the bragging rights between these rivals from different leagues.

Freedom's hard-fought 63-57 victory made it 10-0 on the season, the best start in school history.

 The previous best beginning was a 9-0 mark recorded by the 1979-80 team.

With a win over visiting Allen on Tuesday, this collection of Pates would have the  longest winning streak in school history. The 1980-81 squad also had a 10-game winning streak.

Historical footnotes aside, beating the pride of the Mountain Valley Conference provided a good barometer of where Freedom stands approaching the season's midway point.

The Pates were the team to beat coming out of the summer, and so far, no one has beaten them, not even a very talented Pocono West team (9-3) that kept making charges.

"It's exciting to be a part of this team right now," said junior Derike Chiclana, who was one of four double-figure scorers for the Pates with 15 points — 11 coming in the second half.

"We're going to do our best to keep this streak going. We've already made school history, but we just want to take it one game at a time and Allen is next."

Freedom gave up the most points it has allowed all season to Pocono West, but was still able to find a way to win for the seventh time this season by nine or fewer points.

Trailing 30-29 at halftime, the Pates limited the Panthers to just two field goals and 10 points in the third period.

Then back-to-back 3-pointers by Jarrod Dilts and Nyreef Jackson allowed Freedom to open a 48-42 lead three minutes into the fourth quarter and sent the Pates colorful "Riot Squad" student fan section into a frenzy.

Those treys fueled a 10-0 run that made it 52-42 with 3:30 to go and while Freedom didn't have a field goal after Joe Lococo scored on a runner with 2:31 left, it made enough foul shots to hold on.

The Pates were 9-for-10 at the line in the final 1:03 with Chiclana making three of his four freebies.

"Coach [assistant Tom] Mosser is hard on me with the foul shooting," Chiclana said. "We practice free throws a lot and I hate to miss any. I'm sorry I missed that one."

As a team, Freedom was 12-for-15 at the line. It's another strength for a team that appears to have no weakness.

"We're just finding different ways to win," coach Joe Stellato said. "We've got a lot of guys who are contributing nonstop, even guys off the bench. Tonight Pocono West tried to take away our inside game with a zone and forced us to hit outside shots and we did that. It's tough to match up with us, but we've got to continue to play good basketball and that's starting with Allen."

Lococo led Freedom with 19 points, while Jackson and Dilts tallied 11 and 10 respectively. All but seven of the Pates' 22 field goals were assisted, demonstrating good ball movement.

"They're a little better than we are right now," Pocono West coach Brad Pensyl said. "We had a stretch there in the third quarter where we couldn't stop the bleeding. We didn't have an answer for them. Our kids kept battling, but give Freedom credit. That's a good basketball team."

The only flaw for Freedom was its ability to protect the defensive glass. Pocono West outrebounded the Pates 35-25 with Tyrel Dixon and Dwayne Vines combining for 22 boards — 10 at the offensive end. Dixon wound up with a game-high 20 points.

"We've got to do a better job of boxing guys out, but you want to be tested in nonleague games," Stellato said. "We might see them again, but right now all I'm thinking about is Allen. It's going to be a white-out for us in this gym and it should be a whale of a basketball game."

POCONO MOUNTAIN WEST (57)

Brice 4-18 3-3 11, Vick 2-6 1-2 5, Collins 2-5 0-0 5, Vines 3-5 0-3 6, T. Dixon 7-17 5-9 20, Wiggins 4-5 0-0 10, Hardy 0-0 0-0 0, D. Dixon 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 22-56 9-17 57.

FREEDOM (63)

Young 1-1 1-2 4, Colon 0-0 0-0 0, Dilts 4-9 0-0 10, Lococo 6-13 6-7 19, Connor 1-2 0-0 2, Chiclana 5-8 5-6 15, Flood 1-4 0-0 2, Jackson 4-9 0-0 11. Totals 22-46 12-15 63.

Officials: Rod Strobl II, Dave DeYong.

3-pointers: PM West (4-16): Wiggins 2, T. Dixon, Collins. Freedom (7-18): Jackson 3, Dilts 2, Lococo, Young.

Rebounds: PM West 35 (T. Dixon 12). Freedom 25 (Jackson 7).

Assists: PM West 6 (Wiggins 3). Freedom 15 (Flood 3).

Turnovers: PM West 15. Freedom 12.

Pocono Summit — A fantastic fourth quarter was the final chapter in a good test for Pocono Mountain West's boys basketball team.

The Panthers used a 13-0 run to start the fourth to open up a commanding lead that ended in a 65-52 victory over Pleasant Valley in Mountain Valley Conference action Friday night.

Pocono West (9-1, 4-0 MVC) had been dominating opponents all season, outscoring its foes by over 19 points per game, but through three quarters the Bears trailed by just two.

After West opened up an eight-point lead in the first quarter, PV responded with a 14-3 run to take a three-point edge after Sean Dekmar's 3-pointer with 2:01 left. The two teams traded the lead five times over the next eight minutes before West scored the half's final five points to take a seven-point lead into the locker room. The Panthers extended that lead to seven early in the third before the Bears (5-5, 2-1) battled back to tie the score at 45-45 on a layup by Devon Howard with 1:05 remaining in the third.

Entering the final eight minutes ahead by a basket, the Panthers put Pleasant Valley away with some tough defense and timely offense. The Bears turned the ball over eight times in the final quarter, while Quindell Brice scored eight of his game-high 19 points as West outscored PV 16-5 down the stretch.

"We started to breakdown more on defense," Brice said. "We have a lot of players on offense so we weren't really worried about that, but we started playing better defense and that's what got us some offense."

That defense was there throughout, but the offense was a little slow to catch up.

Pocono West forced 15 turnovers through the first three quarters, but struggled a bit with PV's 2-3 zone defense. The Panthers' D stayed tough in the fourth, forcing eight turnovers, but a pair of 3s by Eric Vick and Brice early loosened the zone a bit and enabled Ty Dixon to get to work inside. The Panthers' senior forward had five of his 16 points in the fourth, including two putback scores.

"Defensively we were just more aggressive," said Dixon, who finished eight rebounds. "They were more aggressive at first, but then we turned it and matched them and then got it that one notch higher to get the win."

It was a bit different than West's other wins this season.

Outside of a four-point victory over Allen on Dec. 14, the Panthers had won all their games by double digits. Pocono West had wins by margins of 29, 39, 46, 27 and 40 points.

"This game was good for us," Pocono West coach Brad Pensyl said. "Some people have these expectations and I'm not sure where they come from, but every game can't be a 30- or 40-point win. You've got to go out and work."

Especially against a Pleasant Valley team on the rise.

Nick Stanovick had 17 points, including five 3s, while backcourt mate Selwyn Wright had 12 points and four assists. Marquis Brown battled foul trouble to finish with eight points, including putbacks on back-to-back possessions in the third quarter.

"Pleasant Valley is a good basketball program," Pensyl said. "(PV coach) Kenny (Piontkowski) is a good coach and he's got a good team."

PM West 65, Pleasant Valley 52

PLEASANT VALLEY (52)

Brown 4 0-0 8, Shivers 1 2-2 4, Howard 1 0-0 2, Wright 5 1-2 12, Dekmar 1 0-0 3, Getz 0 0-2 0, Gerolimatos 0 0-0 0, Jones 1 0-0 2, Helfrich 0 0-0 0, Stanovick 6 0-0 17, Neubert 0 0-0 0, Pazienza 0 0-0 0, Hosier 0 0-0 0, Guadagna 2 0-0 4. Totals — 21 3-6 52.

PM WEST (65)

Brice 6 5-7 19, Vick 2 1-2 6, Collins 5 2-2 12, Vines 0 0-0 0, Baptiste 0 0-0 0, T. Dixon 6 4-8 16, Wiggins 3 1-1 8, Hardy 0 0-0 0, Howard 0 0-0 0, D. Dixon 2 0-0 4. Totals — 24 13-20 65.

Pleasant Valley 17 12 18 5 ­— 52

PM West 18 18 13 16 — 65

3-point goals — PV 7 (Stanovick 5, Wright, Dekmar); PMW 4 (Brice 2, Vick, Wiggins). Rebounds — PV 27 (Wright 8); PMW 30 (T. Dixon 8). Assists — PV 11 (Wright 4); PMW 8 (Vick, T. Dixon 3). Steals — PV 4 (Wright 2); PMW 12 (Vick 4). Blocks — PV 2 (Wright 2); PMW 3 (Brice, T. Dixon, D. Dixon). Turnovers — PV 23; PMW 11.

Records — Pleasant Valley 5-5, 2-1 MVC; PM West 9-1, 4-0.

JV score — PMW, 58-29. 

Barring a change of plan, this week was likely the last time Northampton Area High School will host a holiday boys basketball tournament.

And no one hates to see it go more than Pocono Mountain West coach Brad Pensyl.

 Ever since West opened its doors in 2002 and Pensyl took over as coach and athletic director, he has entered his team in the Northampton tournament.

"I like [Northampton athletic director] Mike Schneider, I like the tournament,

I like the treatment we get down here and I like playing teams from the Valley," Pensyl said Thursday night as he has said several times before.

But he also likes winning and Pensyl's team has done more than its share in the Northampton event.

The Panthers made it five Northampton tournament titles in a row Thursday night when the Mountain Valley Conference powerhouse wore down Dieruff for a 68-41 win in the championship game.

West's win came after Northampton held off Catasauqua 47-42 in the consolation game.

Pocono's Quindell Brice was named the tournament's most valuable player after scoring 24 points and dominating the game seemingly any time he felt like it.

Tyrell Dixon added six points and 15 rebounds and Jon Amoroso registered 14 points and 10 rebounds as the Panthers were never seriously threatened after scoring the game's first nine points.

While Pocono's offense and explosiveness around the basket is always evident, the Panthers impressed the most with their defense against Dieruff.

The Huskies struggled to run their offense and were just 14-for-42 from the field through the first three periods before nose diving even more in the fourth quarter.

"Our defense is getting better and was really good tonight because Dieruff is much improved," Pensyl said after his team moved to 7-1. "It was a weird game and we were a little sloppy on offense. It's hard during the break [from school] to keep the continuity going with the time off."

When the MVC schedule resumes next week, Pensyl said he's looking forward to playing some home games. After opening the season at home against Easton on Dec. 9, the Panthers have been road warriors for the last seven games.

No matter where they play, however, they're tough to contain with their speed and leaping ability.

"Outside of Emmaus, they handled us about as well as anyone has all season," Dieruff coach Steve Gabryluk said after watching his team give a valiant effort. "They're an elite team.

"We tried to slow them down as much as possible without taking away from our game, which is up-tempo. We battled, but what keeps you in games is foul shooting and this was our worst foul shooting night of the year."

Dieruff made just five of 17 attempts from the line, including six misses on seven tries in the fourth quarter when the game got totally away from the Huskies, who ran out of energy as well as players.

Rasean Jenkins' 19 points had kept Dieruff within striking distance for 21/2 quarters.

It was just 34-28 with 5:45 left in third period.

Pocono opened a 48-32 lead before the Huskies' Anthony Feliciano closed the third quarter with a 3-point shot launched from near halfcourt that banked in.

Dieruff, however, would score just six points in the final period.

"We lost the intensity we had on defense over the last half of the game," Gabryluk said. "For the most part, we are getting the intensity and effort out of the kids. We're just very young. We've been banged up with injuries and we had some disciplinary issues that kept two starters out of this tournament. With all of the changes, it's tough to get some consistency."

Jenkins finished with 21 points in earning a spot on the all-tournament team for the Huskies, who fell to 3-6 after playing their seventh game in 14 days.

He was joined on the all-tourney squad by his teammate Feliciano.

Northampton had hoped to play in the finals of what is likely its final holiday tournament, but the K-Kids were upset by Dieruff, 70-61, on Wednesday night.

Northampton came out fired up against Catty in the consolation game and opened a 20-8 lead after the first period.

The K-Kids struggled over the rest of the game, however, and were fortunate to come away with their second win in eight games this season.

"A win's a win and with Pocono Mountain West in this tournament, we knew we were probably looking at going 1-1 in this tournament no matter what," said Kyle Huber, who earned an all-tournament slot after recording 16 points and eight rebounds.

"We still hope to turn our season around. We're not giving up yet. We've played some good teams real tough. Sometimes we play down to the competition. We have to play hard no matter what. A lot has to change and we need to get better."

Jake Bloszinsky led Catty (3-4) with 10 points and was named to the all-tourney squad.

The Roughies regrouped with a solid effort after being routed by Pocono West 80-37 on Wednesday.

When they last met in March in the District 11 4A semis, the Allen and Pocono Mountain West boys basketball teams were loaded with star power — Jalen Cannon and Daquan Holiday among the big names for the Canaries, and Tynell Fortune and Keon Scott among the standouts for the Panthers.

When the two squads battled Wednesday night at Allen's Sewards Gym, a star was born for PM West — or, at least, resurfaced.

Senior Quindell Brice, who missed a large chunk of last season with a bulging disc in his back, scored 25 points, including two free throws with 9.4 seconds left, to seal the Panthers' entertaining 68-64 non-league win over the Canaries.

The loss dropped Allen, the defending district champs, to 0-2 on the young season with games against Emmaus and Central Catholic upcoming.

 PM West, which lost to the Canaries 59-49 in last season's 4A semis, improved to 2-1 and Brad Pensyl's team already owns wins over two of the LVC's marquee programs. The Panthers opened the season by beating Easton.

"We like playing Allen and we like playing a tough independent schedule," Pensyl said. "We've already played three good teams and we've got Blair Academy and Plainfield (N.J.) still to come. We have to play a schedule like if we want to compete come late February and early March. If we don't do it, we're not going to be ready."

PM West seemed ready to compete with a lot of quality teams with Brice, Tyrel Dixon and Jon Amoroso running the floor and forcing the tempo.

Those three combined for 50 of the Panthers' points, and Brice and Dixon also combined for 16 rebounds for four assists.

"Having Quindell back is huge for us," Pensyl said. "I feel so good for him because this is the first time he's had the chance to play at the beginning of the season. He was never 100 percent last year even though he came back late. He was sent to every doctor known to mankind last year and had every body part checked. He couldn't even run up and down the floor last year."

Brice ran up and down the floor and past Allen several times for key baskets and rebounds.

The Canaries shot the ball well, making 27 of 51 attempts from the field.

The problem was that they didn't shoot enough, thanks to 29 turnovers — eight in the fourth quarter when they actually took a brief lead at 56-54 on a D.J. Brown layup with five minutes left.

Dixon answered with back-to-back 3-pointers at the other end and Allen had to fight an uphill battle the rest of the way.

Down 66-64, the Canaries got the ball back off a Panthers turnover with 24.6 seconds left.

However, typical of the kind of night it was for Allen, a bad pass along the sideline gave it right back to the visitors from Monroe County.

With Allen forced to foul, Brice calmly went to the line and swished the two free throws that secured a big early-season win for his team.

"It feels good to be back out there; I feel better than ever now," Brice said. "The intensity of our team is good. If we come out with the same intensity every night, we should be good."

Allen coach Doug Snyder said Brice, a 6-foot-4 swingman, was more than good.

"Brice is a great player. … he went 9-for-9 at the line. … took care of the ball," Snyder said. "He scored when he had to and he showed leadership when he had to. But the bottom line is we had too many turnovers, including crucial ones down the stretch. We need to do a much better job of handling the basketball. We're just not a good passing team right now."

In going 23-5 last season, Allen was known for dumping the ball inside to Cannon and allowing him either to get to the glass or the foul line.

But the Canaries, who were led by Brown's 17 points and 10 rebounds, had just eight attempts at the line against PM West, an indication that Snyder's team is settling for outside shots.

"We only had four free throws when we lost to Easton on Saturday and only eight tonight, so that's another cause for concern," Snyder said. "We have a lot of things to work on, but that's not unexpected."

Snyder, like Pensyl, said he enjoys the non-league relationship between the two programs.

"We always have down-to-the-wire games with them," Snyder said. "West is aggressive and quick and really challenged our kids, which is good for us. We're playing a brutal early-season schedule with a young, inexperienced team. We've just got to minimize the turnovers and give ourselves a chance."

POCONO MT WEST (68)

Brice 8-15 9-9 25, Vick 2-8 0-0 5, Amoroso 5-11 0-1 10, T. Dixon 6-14 0-0 15, Collins 1-6 2-3 4, Wiggins 4-5 0-0 9, Vines 0-0 0-0 0, D. Dixon 0-0 0-0 0, Hardy 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 26-59 11-13 68.

ALLEN (64)

Ward 2-4 0-0 5, Ayers 3-7 0-0 9, Dorris 4-7 2-2 10, Fletcher 5-6 0-0 10, Brown 7-13 3-6 17, Rockmore 2-4 0-0 5, Guilmet 2-3 0-0 4, Barnett 1-4 0-0 2, Gonzalez 1-2 0-0 2, Davis 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 27-51 5-8 64.

PM West 18 – 21 –13 – 16 – 68

Allen 17—14 –18 –15 – 64

Officials: Jack Baum, Kevin Boylan.

JV: Allen 71-59.

3-point shooting: PM West (5-11): T. Dixon 3, Wiggins, Vick. Allen (5-11): Ayers 3, Rockmore, Ward.

Assists: PM West 6 (Brice 2, T. Dixon 2). Allen: 14 (Barnett 5).

Rebounds: PM West 25 (Brice, T. Dixon 8 apiece). Allen: 37 (Brown 10).