When Bethlehem Catholic took the floor on Monday night at Easton High School, the Golden Hawks donned warmup shirts that read, “adversity is fuel.”
The reigning Eastern Pennsylvania Conference runner-up has faced no shortage this season. Senior guard Kendall Nickisher missed the first nine games. Freshman star Kamryn Gallis has missed 12 games in the same stretch that Bryant University commit Aliyah Brame was sidelined for five games of her own. Throw in a few absences from role players spread throughout the entire season and it becomes reasonable to assume that the season went off the rails weeks ago.
Instead, the Golden Hawks will enter the EPC tournament as the league’s top-seed following a 43-35 road win against Easton, who entered the night one win away from a perfect 16-0 record in EPC play.
“That motto on our shirt definitely speaks for our team,” senior guard Leah Ault said after the win. “Being strong when the adversity came really helped us when we were at full strength.”
Ault, joined by freshmen Ayva Radande and Avaughna Gordan, is one of just three players to feature in all 21 games so far for the Golden Hawks and has emerged as a steadying presence for a team that’s relied heavily on younger players with the extended absences from Brame, Nickisher and Gallis.
But, it never hurts to have a Division I talent with the ability to take over a game like Brame did on Monday night.
After burying a 3-pointer on the game’s first possession, Brame was held scoreless for the rest of the first half before exploding for 14 points, which was more than the Red Rovers (12) could muster in the second half.
“She went for it,” Becahi coach Arnold Alleyne said. “She’s been putting the work in, you know? Coming early, leaving late, so she was able to show the confidence that ‘Hey, I can do this for my squad. I was happy to see how she exerted herself and went for it.
“It’s a blessing having a Division I athlete healthy and able to play on your team. Credit to her hard work and all of them putting the time and the work in, and I’m very proud of them.”
Brame’s explosion started with a crucial 3-pointer early in the third quarter after several offensive rebounds kept Becahi’s possession alive and allowed Brame to cut Easton’s lead down to four. Back-to-back buckets in transition tied the game at 26 just moments before Brooklyn Lewis leaked out in transition to give the Golden Hawks their first lead since 15-13 and force a timeout by Easton coach Dave Lutz.
“I don’t think it really left,” Brame said about her confidence coming back in the second half. “It was just a matter of finding my shot. I know it’s going to come.”
Her biggest shot came from beyond the arc once again as her third and final 3-pointer gave her team a 33-31 lead that they wouldn’t relent again in the early stages of the fourth quarter. That lead stuck not just because of Brame’s offensive heroics but because of a collective defensive effort that frustrated the area’s highest scoring offense throughout the second half.
Alleyne made the switch to zone on the first possession of the half and didn’t look back. Despite a significant size disadvantage, the pesky Golden Hawks defense interrupted passing lanes, communicated effectively and boxed out at a high level to keep a talented Red Rovers offense at bay.
“They were really exploiting our man-to-man defense, so we had to make some adjustments. I was happy that we practiced other defenses that we were able to use come second half,” Alleyne said. “Credit to my coaches and the players who were able to adjust and move forward.”
Beyond helping to flip the result of one regular season game, this defensive versatility could be the difference in making a deep postseason run that the Golden Hawks have been accustomed to for the better part of a decade.
“We can play 1-1, we play 2-3, we can play 3-2 and small, scrappy guards … you wouldn’t expect us to be able to rebound like that against a vertically inclined team like that but we got it done,” Brame said.
“A lot of communication. That was definitely key to our good defensive stops,” Ault said. “Brame’s on my side, and we communicate really well. We’ve been stressing that a lot and we definitely did it.”
Free throws are another key separator in the postseason and Becahi’s efficiency – 8/8 in the fourth quarter and 11/12 overall – prevented any chance of a comeback from the Red Rovers. Nickisher scored all six of her points in the fourth quarter while Ault (6 points), Gallis (5), Radande (5) and Lewis (4) rounded out the scoring for the Golden Hawks. Ava Muhammad led Easton with 11 points while Elena Brunetti added 10 and Gabby Wismer provided nine.
Official seeding is still to be finalized, but Monday’s result should flip the seeding at the top of the bracket as Becahi jumps to the top overall seed while Easton falls to No. 2 due to District 11 power ratings favoring the Golden Hawks for having a 5A classification against Easton’s 6A classification.
It was evident that far more than just playoff seeding was on the line as Ault and Brame relished one more win against their rival to avenge a 49-34 home loss at the beginning of the month.
“This one is really important because they took it to us at our house, and taking it back at their house really means a lot,” Ault said. “It’s a big rivalry we have with them. They’re a good team, we always go back and forth, but this one is very important.”
“Confidence and pride,” Brame said about what makes the win so important. “Easton has been our rival since my freshman year, so it feels amazing to come in their home gym and get a win.”
Derek Bast is a freelance reporter who can be found on Twitter/X at @derek_bast or reached by email at derekbast11@gmail.com.