{"id":79435,"date":"2026-01-06T18:16:14","date_gmt":"2026-01-06T18:16:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/79435\/"},"modified":"2026-01-06T18:16:14","modified_gmt":"2026-01-06T18:16:14","slug":"dandy-dozen-boys-basketball-rankings","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/79435\/","title":{"rendered":"Dandy Dozen boys basketball rankings"},"content":{"rendered":"

The first few days of 2026 delivered several special moments for players and coaches in local boys basketball.<\/p>\n

Longtime Catasauqua coach Eric Snyder celebrated his 400th career win when the Rough Riders routed Pen Argyl at home on Saturday.<\/p>\n

On the same day, Northampton\u2019s Noah Walakovits reached 1,000 career points with a 26-point effort in a loss to Blue Mountain. Walakovits began his career at Brandywine Heights in Berks County, where he scored 222 points, and that total is included in his 1,000.<\/p>\n

Also, Pocono Mountain West\u2019s KJ Coles, a Kutztown University commit, became his school\u2019s all-time scoring leader. Coles had 31 points in a win over Bethlehem Catholic, giving him 1,577 in his career. Isaiah Wiggins, a 2017 graduate, previously held the record at 1,571 points. Lance Singh, another 2017 Panthers grad, is now third at 1,561 points.<\/p>\n

Pocono Mountain West opened in 2002, and in the first 23 boys basketball seasons in school history, the Panthers have never failed to reach the District 11 tournament, and this year\u2019s team will keep that streak alive. The program has also produced seven 1,000-point scorers.<\/p>\n

Where is Pocono Mountain West in the latest Dandy Dozen rankings? Take a look:<\/p>\n

12. Northwestern Lehigh
\n\"NorthwesternNorthwestern Lehigh\u2019s Cannon Fitch drives up the court as Notre Dame Green-Pond\u2019s Justin Manning defends Friday, Jan. 2, 2025, at Northwestern Lehigh High School. (Amy Shortell\/The Morning Call)<\/p>\n

Record: 8-4, 7-1 Colonial<\/p>\n

Last rankings: 9th<\/p>\n

Last game: Beat Kutztown 59-45<\/p>\n

Next game: Played at Wilson Area Monday night; host Pen Argyl, 7 p.m. Thursday<\/p>\n

Comment: The Tigers had a rough 10-day stretch that featured losses to Pottsville, Nazareth and Delaware County Christian, but three of those defeats were by five points or less. Coach Patrick Wanamaker talked about the need to finish games stronger. It remains a balanced team with three players \u2014 Mason Bollinger, Malachi Coleman and Brady Krimmel \u2014 averaging in double figures.<\/p>\n

11: Bethlehem Christian
\n\"BethlehemBethlehem Christian\u2019s Gabe Transue gets a rebound during a game against Northern Lehigh on Monday, Dec. 29, 2025, at Northern Lehigh High School in Slatington. (Jonathan Broady\/Special to The Morning Call)<\/p>\n

Record: 10-1<\/p>\n

Last rankings: 12th<\/p>\n

Last game: Beat Lehigh Valley Regional Charter 72-56<\/p>\n

Next game: At Lehigh Valley Christian, 7 p.m. Tuesday<\/p>\n

Comment: Gabe Transue had back-to-back 34-point performances in leading his team to the Slatington Rotary Christmas Tournament title at Northern Lehigh. He also had 42 rebounds in the wins over Northern Lehigh and Catasauqua. He then had 39 against Lehigh Valley Charter. He is closing in on 2,000 points in his career and went over the 1,000-rebound mark.<\/p>\n

No. 10: Salisbury
\n\"SalisburySalisbury beat Southern Lehigh in the Lehigh Valley Summer Basketball League small-school title game on July 25, 2025, at Whitehall High School. (Amy Shortell\/The Morning Call)<\/p>\n

Record: 10-1, 6-1 Colonial<\/p>\n

Last rankings: 11th<\/p>\n

Last game: Beat Southern Lehigh 45-40<\/p>\n

Next game: Hosted Catasauqua Monday night; at Saucon Valley; 7 p.m. Thursday<\/p>\n

Comment: The Falcons won both the small-school summer league title and a summer tournament championship in 2025, and that success may have given them a confidence boost into the regular high school season. Salisbury entered a Monday night game on a five-game winning streak and rely on balanced scoring with Steven Lozada, Drew Petrie, and Julian Makhoul all averaging in double figures.<\/p>\n

No. 9: Liberty
\n\"LibertyLiberty coach Nigel Long coaches his team during an EPC game against Pocono Mountain West on Thursday, Dec. 18, 2025, at Liberty High School in Bethlehem. (Jonathan Broady\/Special to The Morning Call)<\/p>\n

Record: 7-5, 5-2 EPC<\/p>\n

Last rankings: 10th<\/p>\n

Last game: Beat Downingtown West 58-55<\/p>\n

Next game: Host Easton, 7 p.m. Tuesday<\/p>\n

Comment: In their five losses, the Hurricanes are averaging 43.4 points per game. In their seven wins, the \u2018Canes are averaging 59.1 ppg.<\/p>\n

8: Notre Dame-Green Pond
\n\"NotreNotre Dame-Green Pond\u2019s Justin Manning drives around the perimeter Saturday, Jan. 4, 2025, during a game against Northwestern Lehigh at Notre Dame-Green Pond High School in Bethlehem Township. (Amy Shortell\/The Morning Call)<\/p>\n

Record: 9-2, 7-0 Colonial<\/p>\n

Last rankings: 7th<\/p>\n

Last game: Beat Northwestern Lehigh 72-70<\/p>\n

Next game: Hosted Palmerton Monday night; host Wilson Area at 1:30 p.m. Saturday<\/p>\n

Comment: The Crusaders are one of the most prolific 3-point shooting teams in the area, with 86 treys in their first 11 games, led by Justin Manning\u2019s 26. Coach Pat Boyle now has 538 wins in his 30th season at Green Pond. Former Crusaders star Chadd Lilly will be among the inductees into the school\u2019s athletic Hall of Fame on Saturday when Wilson Area will be the opponent.<\/p>\n

No. 7: Allentown Central Catholic
\n\"AllentownAllentown Central Catholic\u2019s Cameron Hines had 17 points in an EPC game against Parkland on Saturday, Jan. 3, 2026, at Allentown Central Catholic High School in Allentown. (Jonathan Broady\/Special to The Morning Call)<\/p>\n

Record: 8-4, 6-1 EPC<\/p>\n

Last rankings: 8th<\/p>\n

Last game: Lost to Parkland 54-49<\/p>\n

Next game: At Pocono Mountain West, 7 p.m. Tuesday<\/p>\n

Comment: The Vikings had won six straight before losing to Pope John Paul II in the finals of their own holiday tournament. Coach Dennis Csensits likes where his team is at, but says everything still needs to come together. Coming up, ACCHS has games against West, Bethlehem Christian, Northampton and Allen.<\/p>\n

6: Northampton
\n\"Northampton'sNorthampton\u2019s Noah Walakovits drives up the court against Liberty on Friday, Dec. 12, 2025, at Liberty High School in Bethlehem. Walakovits recently scored his 1,000th career point. (Amy Shortell \/ The Morning Call)<\/p>\n

Record: 8-2, 6-1 EPC<\/p>\n

Last rankings: 3rd<\/p>\n

Last game: Lost to Blue Mountain 65-58<\/p>\n

Next game: Host Northampton, 7 p.m. Tuesday<\/p>\n

Comment: It\u2019s sometimes easy to forget that the Konkrete Kids are defending EPC champions. Certainly, coach Matt Scholl has not forgotten it and knows how well his team is capable of playing. He also knows his team can have inexplicable lulls. Perhaps one of them happened in Saturday\u2019s game against Blue Mountain.<\/p>\n

\u00a05: Executive Education
\n\"ExecutiveExecutive Education coach Ray Barbosa has guided his team to an 8-1 start. (Keith Groller\/The Morning Call)<\/p>\n

Record: 8-1<\/p>\n

Last rankings: 6th<\/p>\n

Last game: Beat Phillipsburg 60-48<\/p>\n

Next game: At Bishop McDevitt, 4:30 p.m. Saturday<\/p>\n

Comment: The Raptors were excited to be included in the Easton Rotary Club holiday tournament at Easton and got themselves a championship. They have won four in a row since their lone loss \u2014 54-45 to Devon Prep on Dec. 17 \u2014 and have not allowed more than 48 points in any of those wins.<\/p>\n

4: Nazareth
\n\"Nazareth'sNazareth\u2019s Bobby Grzenda and Logan Hahn led the Blue Eagles to a win over Whitehall in the Zephyr Holiday Classic championship game Tuesday, Dec. 30, 2025, at Whitehall High School. (Jonathan Broady\/Special to The Morning Call)<\/p>\n

Record: 8-2, 6-1 EPC<\/p>\n

Last rankings: 5th<\/p>\n

Last game: Beat Whitehall 63-59<\/p>\n

Next game: At Northampton, 7 p.m. Tuesday<\/p>\n

Comment: While Bobby Grzenda got national attention for his game-winning shot to beat Easton on Dec. 20, the more impressive performance by the Blue Eagles was their win over Whitehall in the title game of the Zephyr Holiday Classic. The Blue Eagles could have hung their heads after a late turnover led to a game-tying 3-pointer by Jack Lloyd at the end of regulation. But Nazareth refocused and held the hosts to two points in OT to get the win and the tournament title.<\/p>\n

3: Pocono Mountain West<\/p>\n

Record: 9-1, 6-1 EPC<\/p>\n

Last rankings: 4th<\/p>\n

Last game: Beat Bethlehem Catholic 70-38<\/p>\n

Next game: Host Allentown Central Catholic, 7 p.m. Tuesday<\/p>\n

Comment: The Panthers lost just one regular-season league game last year, and it was a 61-59 overtime loss at Allentown Central Catholic. It\u2019s unlikely that West\u2019s returning players have forgotten about that one and will look to make amends when the Vikings visit Pocono Summit.<\/p>\n

2: Parkland
\n\"Parkland'sParkland\u2019s Nassim Adams drives to the basket against Allentown Central Catholic during an EPC game on Saturday, Jan. 3, 2026, at Allentown Central Catholic High School in Allentown. (Jonathan Broady\/Special to The Morning Call)<\/p>\n

Record: 7-4, 6-1 EPC<\/p>\n

Last rankings: 2nd<\/p>\n

Last game: Beat Allentown Central Catholic 54-49<\/p>\n

Next game: At East Stroudsburg South 7 p.m. Tuesday<\/p>\n

Comment: The Trojans lost three in a row to Philly-area teams over the holiday break, but weren\u2019t overly concerned about them because they want to play strong teams on the nonleague schedule and don\u2019t mind the losses as long as they learn from them. TJ Lawrence is coming off a football-related injury and figures to see his first action of the season soon and Javian Porter, who played well in the first few weeks of the season, also figures to be back sometime this month. They will bolster an already deep rotation.<\/p>\n

1: Allen
\n\"Allen'sAllen\u2019s Xayvon Wimberly puts up a shot against Dieruff during an EPC game on Saturday, Dec. 20, 2025, at Dieruff High School in Allentown. (Jonathan Broady\/Special to The Morning Call)<\/p>\n

Record: 8-1, 7-0 EPC<\/p>\n

Last rankings: 1st<\/p>\n

Last game: Lost to Woodson from Fairfax, Va., 64-48 in the finals of Allen\u2019s holiday tournament.<\/p>\n

Next game: At East Stroudsburg North, 7 p.m. Tuesday<\/p>\n

Comment: The Canaries were the last team to lose after winning their first eight games. Despite the loss to a strong Woodson team, Tiheed Wise Jr., continued to shine with 29\u00a0 points. He is averaging 22.9 points per game, fourth-best in the area. However, perhaps dealing with fatigue, he was held scoreless in the fourth quarter when Woodson outscored Allen 18-4. The Canaries have a back-to-back situation this week with a home game against Muhlenberg Township on Wednesday night, following a long trip to East Stroudsburg North.<\/p>\n

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