{"id":76354,"date":"2015-01-19T21:01:24","date_gmt":"2015-01-19T21:01:24","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/sandbox.web.rcn.net\/rcntv\/?p=76354"},"modified":"2023-04-13T15:11:22","modified_gmt":"2023-04-13T15:11:22","slug":"sportstalk-shop-hs-basketball-mid-season-report","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.astound.com\/atvn\/sportstalk-shop-hs-basketball-mid-season-report\/","title":{"rendered":"The SportsTalk Shop:  HS Basketball Mid-Season Report"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>As we reach the midpoint in the Lehigh Valley high school winter sports season, it continues to be an interesting season for local boys basketball.\u00a0 While we have had quite a few close ball games, with a handful going into overtime, a look at the different league standings shows there are a few teams doing very well, and even more teams a couple steps behind&#8211;finding themselves battling each other for the remaining playoff berths.<\/p>\n<p>The biggest \u201cnon-surprise\u201d is the Parkland boys basketball team, as they continue to dominate everyone they\u2019ve faced in the area.\u00a0 Even against an Easton team that was coming off a big win, the Trojans eventually wore them down and won the game easily.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/kN4UO1EUG3c\" width=\"425\" height=\"350\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>DeVante Cross is a player who we talked quite a bit about during the football season, but I have really been impressed by what he has done so far on the hardwood.\u00a0 The Trojans have more than enough firepower to go around, but I think Cross\u2019s improved play has made for an even more well-rounded ball club that will look to go deep into the PIAA playoffs.<\/p>\n<p>While Parkland has been the area\u2019s best team and has already clinched both an EPC and District XI 4A playoff spot, the Rovers are a team that has been playing well of late.\u00a0 Easton currently finds themselves a couple games below .500 and are making a push for a post-season spot, following a big win recently over Freedom HS.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/hNb9YOY-qUY\" width=\"425\" height=\"350\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>Three other teams that I have seen playing well and figure to be in the running for both league and district playoff action include Whitehall, Emmaus and Allen.\u00a0 The Zephyrs have been playing extremely well after a slow start and have won seven of their last nine games.\u00a0 While they haven\u2019t been posting explosive offensive numbers, it has been their defense\u2014in particular, the match-up zone defense\u2014that has been very impressive.\u00a0 Whitehall\u00a0 held a Liberty team\u2014a squad I feel is as athletic as any in the area\u2014to under 50 points last week.\u00a0 The Zephyrs did the same to an Emmaus team that has been playing some of the toughest teams from both Pennsylvania and New York in its non-conference schedule.<\/p>\n<p>Speaking of Emmaus, there aren\u2019t many teams that can boast as deep a bench as Steve Yoder\u2019s ballclub, and they can beat you a number of ways.\u00a0 They\u2019ve had some injury issues to overcome, which, combined with their tough out-of-league schedule, has delayed their clinching of a playoff berth until this point.\u00a0 But once in the playoffs, they are definitely a team that figures to win a few playoff games.<\/p>\n<p>Allen is another team that has been playing extremely well overall.\u00a0 It\u2019s unfortunate that the new league schedule does\u00a0 not feature the Canaries playing some of their traditional basketball rivals\u2014at least for this season.\u00a0 It is entirely possible they will get a chance to face Parkland and Central Catholic once the\u00a0 post-season begins.\u00a0 Allen has clinched a district playoff spot and looked impressive in its recent ball game against Bethlehem Catholic.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/oZojp6OB1Vw\" width=\"425\" height=\"350\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>Perhaps the story of the EPC this year has been the play of Northampton\u2014a team that had struggled in recent years, but has looked phenomenal in nearly every game they\u2019ve played.\u00a0 They play in the same division as Parkland, Whitehall, Emmaus, Central Catholic and Nazareth and have done more than hold their own, including posting a strong win recently against Dieruff.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/H0Js9nVfVVM\" width=\"425\" height=\"350\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>Northampton Head Coach Coy Stampone will be one of several local head basketball coaches who will be on our \u201cRCN SportsTalk\u201d show on Thursday, January 29<sup>th<\/sup> from 6-7 pm.\u00a0 I\u2019m looking forward to speaking with Coach Stampone and getting his thoughts on how he has turned the program around, and what his team\u2019s expectations are for the remainder of the season.<\/p>\n<p>Looking ahead to the first ever Eastern Pennsylvania Conference, the playoffs will feature eight teams vying for their post-season positions.\u00a0 The eight teams will consist of the three division winners (from the \u201cMountain,\u201d \u201cSkyline\u201d and \u201cSteel\u201d divisions) and five wild card spots.\u00a0 Many assume that the five \u201cSkyline\u201d teams not named Parkland will occupy most, if not all, of those wild card spots.\u00a0 Keep in mind that all those teams will play each other over the next few weeks, so if any one of those teams in the Skyline division go into a funk and lose several in a row, it would open up spots for a couple teams from the other divisions to sneak up and advance to the league playoffs.<\/p>\n<p>One final EPC note about the Vikings\u2014while they may not be the favorite this year in 3A because of the quality play so far by Pottsville, don\u2019t count out Central Catholic from making another district playoff run.\u00a0 Despite many several quality opponents in their classification, the Vikings have a lot of pride on the line and are looking to win their fifth straight 3A Title and eighth over the last ten seasons.<br \/>\n* * *<br \/>\nIn the Colonial League, there are several teams that have continued to play outstanding basketball.\u00a0 Salisbury has stayed right with the top teams (the others being Bangor, Saucon Valley &amp; Southern Lehigh) and has played a strong non-league schedule once again this winter.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/Qd1oAiwOqac\" width=\"425\" height=\"350\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>The wild card team\u2014both physically and figuratively&#8211;in the Colonial League might be Wilson.\u00a0 The Warriors ost to Pen Argyl, a team that lost to a struggling Northern Lehigh program and will probably not make the postseason.\u00a0 They\u2019ve also had some games in which they have struggled shooting from the floor and from the free throw line.\u00a0 However, Wilson has also posted a number of huge wins,\u00a0 among them an overtime victory over their rivals from Notre Dame-Green Pond and also played one of its best games of the season against Catasauqua.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/2J7g6gct_AM\" width=\"425\" height=\"350\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>Remember, the Colonial League has six berths for its playoffs this year, as opposed to just four teams advancing as in years past.\u00a0 This could be huge for a team like Wilson, Palisades, Notre Dame or even Northwestern.\u00a0 In previous years, it would appear to be a lock at this point that the Slaters, Falcons, Panthers and Spartans would be the only teams in the league playoffs.\u00a0 But with the expansion of two more teams, it\u2019ll make for a very entertaining race over the next few weeks to determine which other teams will qualify for the league playoffs.<\/p>\n<p>Another thing to remember is that the league winners will automatically get top berths for the District XI playoffs.\u00a0 So if a team that has been struggling during the first half of the year can get hot with a succession of victories over the next few weeks, they can receive a huge bump when it comes to District XI post-season seedings (see Notre Dame last winter).<\/p>\n<p>Which teams have impressed you so far this season and what games have resulted in the biggest surprises?\u00a0 Send us an email to <a href=\"mailto:RCNSportsTalk@rcn.com\">RCNSportsTalk@rcn.com<\/a> and join us on Thursday evenings as we read and respond to your sports questions and opinions on each program.<\/p>\n<!-- AddThis Advanced Settings generic via filter on the_content --><!-- AddThis Share Buttons generic via filter on the_content -->","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>As we reach the midpoint in the Lehigh Valley high school winter sports season, it continues to be an interesting season for local boys basketball.\u00a0 While we have had quite a few close ball games, with a handful going into overtime, a look at the different league standings shows there are a few teams doing&#8230;<!-- AddThis Advanced Settings generic via filter on get_the_excerpt --><!-- AddThis Share Buttons generic via filter on get_the_excerpt --><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_relevanssi_hide_post":"","_relevanssi_hide_content":"","_relevanssi_pin_for_all":"","_relevanssi_pin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_unpin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_include_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_exclude_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_no_append":"","_relevanssi_related_not_related":"","_relevanssi_related_posts":"","_relevanssi_noindex_reason":"Yoast SEO Relevanssi index 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\/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The SportsTalk Shop: HS Basketball Mid-Season Report - ATVN\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"As we reach the midpoint in the Lehigh Valley high school winter sports season, it continues to be an interesting season for local boys basketball.\u00a0 While we have had quite a few close ball games, with a handful going into overtime, a look at the different league standings shows there are a few teams doing...\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.astound.com\/atvn\/sportstalk-shop-hs-basketball-mid-season-report\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"ATVN\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2015-01-19T21:01:24+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2023-04-13T15:11:22+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Chris Michael\" \/>\n<meta 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