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Bethlehem Christian\u2019s Gabe Transue, shown here in a file photo, scored 36 points in the Panthers\u2019 first-round state playoff win Friday night at Easton Middle School. (Jonathan Broady\/Special to The Morning Call)<\/p>\nThe Easton girls basketball team has seen its season end the last two years in opening-round overtime losses in the PIAA Tournament.<\/p>\n
That fact added to the tension as the fourth-quarter buzzer sounded with the Red Rovers and Neshaminy still tied at 27.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo,\u201d Easton coach Dave Lutz said when asked if the two previous overtime defeats were on his mind. \u201cBut, it would\u2019ve been at the end if we would\u2019ve lost.\u201d<\/p>\n
Senior guard Nat Amato\u2019s late heroics ensured they didn\u2019t as her stepback 3-pointer and game-clinching free throws in the extra period lifted Easton to a 35-32 overtime victory in Friday night\u2019s PIAA Class 6A first-round matchup with Neshaminy (19-7) at Easton Middle School.<\/p>\n
In the second game of a PIAA doubleheader, the Bethlehem Christian boys needed no such drama to advance to the next round of the Class 1A tournament as Gabe Transue poured in 36 points in an 86-56 win over Our Lady of Lourdes (12-14).<\/p>\n
\u201cIt really felt great, especially getting the momentum,\u201d Amato said. \u201cOur team had so much energy, we stayed together as a team and we just didn\u2019t let up. I did not want this to be my last game. I\u2019m so excited. We\u2019re going to have many more games to come and we\u2019re going to play great.\u201d<\/p>\n
The next game in line will be a rematch as the Red Rovers (26-3) will take on Red Lion (23-3), who defeated Scranton 49-34 on Friday night. The Lions traveled to Easton and knocked off the eventual District 11 champions 38-28 earlier this season.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey\u2019re very good, so hopefully we\u2019ve improved,\u201d Lutz said. \u201cWho would\u2019ve thought we\u2019d be facing them again with all the things that can happen in the state playoffs?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a big game for us, especially last year having lost to them in that heartbreaking loss,\u201d Transue said. \u201cWe were up by 10 at halftime, so we definitely want to come back and beat them. There\u2019s some bad blood between us that we have to handle and get revenge on them.\u201d<\/p>\n
Easton erases overtime trouble with another narrow victory<\/p>\n
Nothing has come easy for Easton\u2019s girls basketball team in what\u2019s also been a historic postseason for the program.<\/p>\n
The Red Rovers needed a pair of second-half comebacks to defeat Nazareth and Emmaus in the district tournament after winning their first EPC championship in a decade behind three hard-fought victories that came down to the final minutes throughout that tournament.<\/p>\n
These close contests and a 5-1 record on the season in games decided by single digits prepared Lutz\u2019s team for the nervy moments that dominated a nailbiting second half against Neshaminy.<\/p>\n
Senior guard Ava Muhammad beat the third-quarter buzzer with a corner 3-pointer that put an end to a 10-0 Neshaminy run and reestablished Easton\u2019s lead at 22-20 entering the final quarter.<\/p>\n
The defenses took over from there with just 12 combined points in the final eight minutes. Ashlynn Duffy hit a pair of 3-pointers to keep the Skins within striking distance while Melina Cole\u2019s triple put her team ahead 27-23 late in the fourth. One of Duffy\u2019s treys narrowed the deficit to one where freshman Nicole Trespalacios tied the score at 27 with 1:03 remaining.<\/p>\n
A turnover by the Red Rovers in the final seconds, followed by a dramatic stop on the other end, sent the first round thriller to overtime.<\/p>\n
Muhammad opened the scoring with a putback layup before Grace Weyler buried a pair of free throws to knot things up at 29. That\u2019s when Amato\u2019s confident step-back triple, her fourth of the night, established a lead Easton would not relent the rest of the way.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe\u2019s been doing that all year,\u201d Lutz said. \u201cShe works so hard, not just in contested games, but in practices. Her leadership is basically her effort in practice and in games. She doesn\u2019t lose her poise.\u201d<\/p>\n
That remained true when she stepped to the line in a four-point game with under a minute remaining as she drilled both to cushion Easton\u2019s lead. The Red Rovers needed it as a three-point play by Weyler at the other end and a subsequent turnover provided the Skins with a chance to tie the game on one final possession.<\/p>\n
Mia Raivitch\u2019s attempt bounced off the rim and a scramble for the rebound caused the last few seconds to tick away, securing Easton\u2019s first state tournament win since 2022.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve had some close games recently, so we just know to stay together as a team, communicate and just play our game,\u201d Amato said.<\/p>\n
Bethlehem Christian pounces early<\/p>\n
Oddly enough, Bethlehem Christian coach Matthew DeJesus noted that his team often gives up the first basket of the game. That\u2019s not typical for a 25-2 high school basketball team, but, sure enough, his team conceded a transition layup to fall behind 2-0.<\/p>\n
Bethlehem Christian\u2019s Gabe Transue, shown here in a file photo, scored 36 points in the Panthers\u2019 first-round state playoff win Friday night at Easton Middle School. (Jonathan Broady\/Special to The Morning Call)<\/p>\n
A 17-0 run ensued for the Panthers who all but sealed a first-round victory along the way. A flurry of 12 straight points by Transue, which were part of a 16-point opening quarter, put the two-time defending district champions ahead 29-13 after one.<\/p>\n
The win sets up another rematch with Sankofa Freedom Academy (19-8), which defeated the Panthers 75-66 in last year\u2019s PIAA second-round matchup on its way to a runner-up finish in 2025.<\/p>\n
Transue was joined by senior teammate Myles Harris in a dominant performance against the Red Raiders with the pair combining for 64 points, outscoring their first round opponent all on their own.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve been playing with Myles since sixth grade,\u201d Transue said. \u201cWe\u2019re like best friends, so it\u2019s great to just play at such a high level with him. Especially in our senior year.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Panthers led by no fewer than 13 points in the final three-and-a-half quarters, but a second-half rally by the Red Raiders made the coaching staff and players at least feel a bit of pressure down the stretch. After Trebor Moore and Gaven Renn\u2019s perimeter shooting kept Lourdes close, Brighton Scicchitano had a pair of highlight plays to bring his team within 67-54 and force a Bethlehem Christian timeout.<\/p>\n
Two technical foul free throws were all the Red Raiders could muster the rest of the way as the Panthers left no doubt with a 19-2 run to end the game as they started it \u2013 on a 17-point run.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe talk about it often where we\u2019re up in a game, they get a little lackadaisical, and we can\u2019t do that,\u201d DeJesus said. \u201cI\u2019m happy they responded toward the late part of it, but we\u2019ve got to play consistent for four quarters, especially because I think we play Sankofa again next.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen we played them last year, it was the same thing,\u201d DeJesus said. \u201cIn the third quarter, we fell apart and that cost us the game. We can\u2019t take a quarter off, we really can\u2019t take a possession off, but they have to stay together and keep defending.\u201d<\/p>\n
It\u2019s clear what DeJesus believes it will take to flip the script from last year\u2019s defeat, which is something he and the team have been thinking about ever since the game ended almost exactly a year ago.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think we\u2019ve been thinking about it since we lost to them, honestly,\u201d DeJesus said. \u201cI think we just thought we could\u2019ve went farther and to see [Sankofa] get to the championship game was nice because we lost to them, but we thought it could\u2019ve been us.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo, we don\u2019t want to leave it to chance with that,\u201d DeJesus said. \u201cI think we respond better in those tougher games, so I\u2019m looking forward to it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Derek Bast is a freelance reporter who can be found on Twitter\/X at @derek_bast or reached by email at derekbast11@gmail.com.<\/p>\n
EASTON 35, NESHAMINY 32, OT<\/p>\n
Neshaminy 4 \u2013 6 \u2013 10 \u2013 7 \u2013 5 \u2014 32<\/p>\n
Easton 6 \u2013 10 \u2013 6 \u2013 5 \u2013 8 \u2014 35<\/p>\n
NESHAMINY (32)<\/p>\n
Kolk 5-15 0-0 13, Duffy 3-8 0-0 9, Weyler 1-5 3-3 5, Trespalacios 1-8 1-4 3, Rodriguez 0-0 2-2 2, Raivitch 0-3 0-0 0, Klukososki 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 10-40 6-9 32.<\/p>\n
EASTON (35)<\/p>\n
Amato 4-9 2-2 14, M. Cole 4-12 1-2 11, Muhammad 2-5 0-0 5, Wismer 0-2 3-6 3, Brunetti 1-2 0-2 2, L. Cole 0-2 0-0 0. Totals 11-32 6-12 35.<\/p>\n
3-pointers: Neshaminy (6) Duffy 3, Kolk 3. Easton (7) Amato 4, M. Cole 2, Muhammad.<\/p>\n
Rebounds: Neshaminy 18. Easton 27 (L. Cole 8).<\/p>\n
Assists: Neshaminy 5. Easton 9 (L. Cole 4)<\/p>\n
Turnovers: Neshaminy 15. Easton 23.<\/p>\n
Officials: Tim Wood, Mike Scimkus, Jessica Dean.<\/p>\n
BETHLEHEM CHRISTIAN 86, OUR LADY OF LOURDES 56<\/p>\n
Our Lady of Lourdes 13 \u2013 12 \u2013 22 \u2013 9 \u2014 56<\/p>\n
Bethlehem Christian 29 \u2013 20 \u2013 16 \u2013 21\u2014 86<\/p>\n
OUR LADY OF LOURDES (56)<\/p>\n
G. Renn 4 2-2 13, Moore 4 0-0 12, B. Rishel 5 0-0 10, Scicchitano 4 1-3 10, J. Rishel 3 2-3 8, B. Renn 1 0-0 3, Williams 0 0-0 0, Cicchiello 0 0-0 0, Shegonoski 0 0-0 0, Madden 0 0-0 0. Totals 21 5-8 56.<\/p>\n
BETHLEHEM CHRISTIAN (86)<\/p>\n
Transue 14 2-6 36, Harris 10 5-6 28, Swift 6 1-3 14, Kasper 3 0-0 8, Brown 0 0-0 0, Fraser 0 0-0 0, Jeffers 0 0-0 0, Rex 0 0-0 0, Rodriguez 0 0-0 0, Primrose 0 0-0 0. Totals 33 8-15 86.<\/p>\n
3-pointers: Lourdes (9) Moore 4, G. Renn 3, B. Renn, Scicchitano. Bethlehem Christian (12) Transue 6, Harris 3, Kasper 2, Swift.<\/p>\n
Officials: Jack Kieter, Jordain Piazza, Nathan Branosky.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Easton girls basketball team has seen its season end the last two years in opening-round overtime losses…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":132002,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[14],"tags":[153,155,154,29375,305,726,432],"class_list":["post-132001","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-bethlehem","tag-bethlehem","tag-bethlehem-headlines","tag-bethlehem-news","tag-high-school-basketball","tag-high-school-sports","tag-sports","tag-top-stories-tmc"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/132001","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=132001"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/132001\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/132002"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=132001"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=132001"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=132001"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}