![\"Kylie](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/TMC-L-girlsbkbfinals03-1.jpg\")
Kylie O\u2019Neil works to evade Emmaus during their game against Bensalem during the A-Town Throwdown basketball tournament finals Sunday, July 26, 2026, in Cedar Beach in Allentown. (Jon Chiu\/The Morning Call)<\/p>\nThe first three days and nights at the annual A-Town Throwdown Tournament at Cedar Beach Park are all about great nights for the community and great opportunities for teams to see how they stack up against strong competition heading into the school year.<\/p>\n
Sunday is all about playoff basketball.<\/p>\n
The boys tournament narrowed down to 16 teams and the elite eight in the girls bracket were decided following Saturday\u2019s action, which set up an elite display of high school basketball from 10:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. on a beautiful day in Allentown.<\/p>\n
The day was won by a pair of out of area teams as Malvern Prep repeated for its third A-Town championship in four years while Bensalem brought home a championship to District 1 with a 24-18 win over Emmaus in the girls championship.<\/p>\n
At least locally, Sunday\u2019s action was all about the Green Hornets who advanced farther than any District 11 team in both the boys and girls tournaments.<\/p>\n
\u201cI told the boys on Thursday that beating Reading was an amazing moment, and I talked about how that can\u2019t be the best moment,\u201d Emmaus boys basketball coach Eric Luckenbill said. \u201cWe\u2019re really excited about the group that we have and the future that we can have. It was a great high, but we also wanted to continue to grind.\u201d<\/p>\n
His team did just that with wins over Bartram and Pocono Mountain West in pool play before playoff wins over Samuel Fels and William Allen on Sunday to become the lone local team playing in the final four.<\/p>\n
Kylie O\u2019Neil works to evade Emmaus during their game against Bensalem during the A-Town Throwdown basketball tournament finals Sunday, July 26, 2026, in Cedar Beach in Allentown. (Jon Chiu\/The Morning Call)<\/p>\n
\u201cWe knew that if we could get through our very tough pool that we could make a run, and that\u2019s exactly what we did today. I\u2019m just so proud of the boys for being able to fight and continue to grind like they did,\u201d Luckenbill said. \u201cEvery team takes on their own personality and every team, as a coach, you have to conform to what the team\u2019s strengths are. The beauty of this team is that we have guys from every position and even off the bench that can win and score and play and defend and play hard. Our depth has really become our joy.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd the boys buying into the fact that it\u2019s not who scores, but it\u2019s that we score. It\u2019s that we get the rebound. It\u2019s that we run sets together. It\u2019s just been getting better and better all summer, and I think it\u2019s really going to help propel us in the winter.\u201d<\/p>\n
A rising junior class is the main cause for excitement for Luckenbill, but on the girls side, this weekend\u2019s tournament was an opportunity for an exciting class of rising freshmen to shine before heading to high school next month. Aliyah Rosario was one of those freshmen stars, earning Team Awesome honors to go with a 3-point contest championship on Saturday night.<\/p>\n
![\"Sophia](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/TMC-L-girlsbkbfinals02-1.jpg\")
Sophia Shutkufski passes the ball to Gracie Ervin during Emmaus\u2019 game against Bensalem during the A-Town Throwdown basketball tournament finals Sunday, July 26, 2026, in Cedar Beach in Allentown. (Jon Chiu\/The Morning Call)<\/p>\n
\u201cHonestly, I\u2019m just so proud of myself. All the times I woke up at 4 a.m. to go practice before school, it\u2019s all paying off. Also, this is my favorite time of the year. So, that\u2019s what makes me even more happy that I get to celebrate something I always look forward to every single year.\u201d<\/p>\n
The reigning District 11 6A runner-up lost plenty of talent, but if another championship appearance on Sunday is any indication, the Green Hornets could be right back in the mix in February and March.<\/p>\n
Third-year coach Avon Mack didn\u2019t even need to be on the sideline for his team to make a run to the final by showcasing immense grit in a comeback win against Catasauqua in the semifinal. The Rough Riders scored the first 10 points of the game and were clinging to a 3-point lead in the final seconds before rising freshman Taylor DeFanti drained a deep triple to send the game to overtime. Her free throw in the second extra period gave her a game-high 14 points and proved to be enough to deliver a 37-34 double-overtime victory.<\/p>\n
![\"Kyle](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/TMC-L-boysbkbfinal03-1.jpg\")
Kyle Parrish shoots the ball during Lower Merion\u2019s game against Malvern Prep during the A-Town Throwdown basketball tournament finals Sunday, July 26, 2026, in Cedar Beach in Allentown. (Jon Chiu\/The Morning Call)<\/p>\n
A tight loss to Bensalem in the final won\u2019t take away from the strides DeFanti, Rosario and the rest of a highly anticipated freshman class made against the first varsity competition of their careers.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m definitely ready to get challenged. Avon Mack is a really good coach, and I\u2019m very excited to get coached by him. And Emmaus is a very competitive school, so I\u2019m just ready for whatever comes for me,\u201d Rosario said. \u201cI think this brought me a lot of confidence. I needed it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Saucon Valley, Northampton ready to turn heads in girls basketball<\/p>\n
Although neither team ended up winning the entire tournament, Saucon Valley and Northampton walked away from the A-Town Throwdown as two of the biggest winners in local girls basketball.<\/p>\n
The Panthers continued to show that last year\u2019s runs to the Colonial League and District 11 tournaments were no fluke by winning their first four games and earning a spot in the final four at Cedar Beach. A loss to the eventual champions, Bensalem, wasn\u2019t enough to dampen a productive weekend under John Tone, a finalist for last season\u2019s all-area coach of the year.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re not leaving here disappointed,\u201d Tone said. \u201cEverything\u2019s moving in the right direction, and I couldn\u2019t be more proud of them.\u201d<\/p>\n
What made the weekend even more impressive was that they lacked several key contributors from last year and played with five eighth graders on their way to the semifinal on Sunday. That just adds to Tone\u2019s excitement following a 12-12 season where he regularly rolled out six players per game.<\/p>\n
\u201cNow we\u2019re going to possibly have an eight or nine player rotation, which means kids get a break,\u201d he said. \u201cFoul trouble won\u2019t be as debilitating, so again, there\u2019s a lot to be excited about with this upcoming year. This was impressive to get to the semifinal, and I just couldn\u2019t be happier.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Konkrete Kids were another happy qualifier for Sunday\u2019s playoff bracket as they adjust to life under first-year coach Jameel Seymour who returns to his alma mater after serving as an assistant coach under Ed Ohlson at Parkland prior to his resignation.<\/p>\n
\u201cHonestly, it\u2019s been phenomenal. I graduated from Northampton, so to be able to go back home, it\u2019s almost like a lot of things never changed,\u201d Seymour said. \u201cSome of the teachers are still there. The coaching staff, we brought a couple people over from Parkland\u2026they\u2019ve welcomed me with open arms.\u201d<\/p>\n
With a pair of wins and plenty of experience to draw upon heading into the winter, Northampton is a prime contender to improve upon its win total from last year after a disappointing 6-16 campaign.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat we\u2019re ready,\u201d Seymour said about his takeaways from the weekend. \u201cThey\u2019re ready to take that next step. I know we\u2019re young, we\u2019re just getting together, but you count the losses up in total, in terms of point differential, we only by a total of six. We beat a really good Dieruff team and we took it to overtime. That showed that we\u2019re ready to handle some of that adversity, ready to handle some of that pressure and ready to handle some of that physicality. We just need to nurture that over the fall and come wintertime, we\u2019ll be ready.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think we\u2019ve got a really good team. I think we\u2019re going to turn some heads this year.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sunday scaries<\/p>\n
Everything was going right the first few days for the likes of Parkland, Allen and Northampton, who will all look to contend for a league and\/or district championship this winter. All three went through the first three days unscathed, but a loaded field from teams all over the state caught up to the local powers on Sunday.<\/p>\n
Northampton battled, but ultimately fell short, in a Sweet 16 showdown with Cedar Crest. Parkland and Allen survived their opening round matchups but bowed out in a pair of heated quarterfinals against Lower Merion and Emmaus, respectively.<\/p>\n
Team Awesome<\/p>\n
Boys Selections<\/p>\n
Kyle Parrish, Lower Merion<\/p>\n
Collin Romaczek, Malvern Prep<\/p>\n
Xander Grasty, Abington<\/p>\n
Noeah Newsome, Emmaus<\/p>\n
Marvin Reed, Lower Merion<\/p>\n
Chase Boylan, Malvern Prep (Beast of the Tournament)<\/p>\n
Israel Ingram, Lower Merion (Brit Life Coach Most Complete Player)<\/p>\n
Nick Harken, Malvern Prep (Most Awesome MVP)<\/p>\n
Girls Selections<\/p>\n
Kylie Der, Bensalem<\/p>\n
Aliyah Rosario, Emmaus<\/p>\n
Kaleaya Alexander, Bensalem (Beast of the Tournament)<\/p>\n
Gracie Ervin, Emmaus (Brit Life Coach Most Complete Player)<\/p>\n
Talyn Savage, Bensalem (Most Awesome MVP)<\/p>\n
Sunday\u2019s results<\/p>\n
Boys Varsity<\/p>\n
Sweet 16<\/p>\n
Parkland 48, Exeter 37 \u2026 Nassry 19<\/p>\n
Lower Merion 44, Stroudsburg 43 \u2026 Parrish 21<\/p>\n
Abington 55, Reading 47 \u2026 Grasty 32<\/p>\n
Cedar Crest 51, Northampton 37 \u2026 Tirado 11<\/p>\n
Emmaus 43, Samuel Fels 32 \u2026 Hafner 10<\/p>\n
Allen 43, Dobbins 27 \u2026 Walker 13<\/p>\n
Muhlenberg 41, Chambersburg 35 \u2026 Duheney 14<\/p>\n
Malvern Prep 50, Wilson WL 24 \u2026 Harken 17<\/p>\n
Quarterfinals<\/p>\n
Lower Merion 41, Parkland 34 \u2026 Parrish 19<\/p>\n
Abington 68, Cedar Crest 45 \u2026 Grasty and Sikora 19<\/p>\n
Emmaus 29, Allen 24 \u2026 Rooney 9<\/p>\n
Malvern Prep 42, Muhlenberg 35 \u2026 Harken 13<\/p>\n
Semifinals<\/p>\n
Lower Merion 57, Abington 49 \u2026 Parrish 33<\/p>\n
Malvern Prep 49, Emmaus 30 \u2026 Boglan 11<\/p>\n
Championship<\/p>\n
Malvern Prep 51, Lower Merion 42 \u2026 Harken 25<\/p>\n
Girls Varsity<\/p>\n
Quarterfinals<\/p>\n
Bensalem 35, Northampton 18 \u2026Der 9<\/p>\n
Saucon Valley 33, Reading 25 \u2026 Velez 13<\/p>\n
Catasauqua 31, Tamaqua 28 \u2026 Green 12<\/p>\n
Emmaus 19, NW Lehigh 14 \u2026 Ervin 10<\/p>\n
Semifinals<\/p>\n
Bensalem 29, Saucon Valley 14 \u2026 Der 10<\/p>\n
Emmaus 37, Catasauqua 34 (2 OT) \u2026 DeFanti 14<\/p>\n
Championship<\/p>\n
Bensalem 24, Emmaus 18<\/p>\n
JV<\/p>\n
Boys Championship: Malvern Prep 44, Executive 38<\/p>\n
Girls Championship: Whitehall 26, Dieruff 19<\/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
\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The first three days and nights at the annual A-Town Throwdown Tournament at Cedar Beach Park are all…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":252867,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[191,193,192,194,29375,305,726,432],"class_list":["post-252866","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-bensalem","tag-bensalem","tag-bensalem-headlines","tag-bensalem-news","tag-bensalem-township","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\/252866","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=252866"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/252866\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/252867"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=252866"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=252866"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=252866"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}