ALLENTOWN – The top four seeds in the EPC girls basketball tournament all advancing to the PPL Center to do battle on Tuesday night.
First up, defending champion Emmaus taking on Bethlehem Catholic in a game that would be the tale of two halves.
The Green Hornets off to a hot start and lead 20-10 after one, working the ball around to Olive Whitney on the far side. Whitney drains it for three of her 16 points and Emmaus is up 35-27 at the break.
The Golden Hawks turn the tables in the third quarter, outscoring Emmaus 18-6. Beca’s Aliyah Brame drives then kicks it over to Kendall Nickischer she drains the three – part of her 13 points – and the Golden Hawks turn the eight point halftime deficit into a 45-41 heading into the fourth quarter.
The Green Hornets trying to stay in it, Olivia Haberl feeds Gabby DeVita and she dribbles around and sinks the three. DeVita led all scorers with 22 points but Bethlehem Catholic hold on, 63-55.
In the nightcap, Parkland taking on top-seeded Easton for a chance to meet the Golden Hawks for EPC gold in Thursday’s final.
The Trojans had not lost since a 10-point setback to Easton in mid-January when the Rovers were in the midst of a 15-game win streak. This one would be much closer as Easton led 11-10 after one quarter and Parkland took a one-point lead into the half at 28-27.
Freshman Eva Jordan stepped up in a big way for the Red Rovers – hitting a three-pointer midway through the fourth quarter to give Easton some breathing room. Her two free throws in the final seconds sealed a 55-50 win over Parkland.
Jordan and sophomore Melani Cole shared scoring honors for Easton with 15 points. The Red Rovers will get another shot at Bethlehem Catholic, who won the last meeting on February 2.