The Hurricanes are the only local squad to advance in the winners' bracket.
Liberty proved to be the one shining light on a day that saw
all but one local team drop into the losers' bracket, getting past Coatesville
with a tough 49-35 win Friday in the Stellar Construction ''Catch a Rising
Star'' basketball tournament at Cedar Beach.
Nazareth lost to Muhlenberg 58-56 in overtime while Notre Dame-Green Pond was
humbled by Faith Christian 57-52 in early winners' bracket games.
Later, Harrisburg topped Bethlehem Catholic, 57-52; Williamsport beat Pius X,
75-50; and Dallastown topped Bangor, 51-36.
In girls action, Saucon Valley beat Pen Argyl 33-30, and
Bethlehem Catholic held on for a 25-23 win over Daniel Boone.
Sergio Comacho scored 12 points to lead the Hurricanes, who were on the
receiving end of an early Coatesville rush and appeared to be in awe of their
opponents.
''You get thinking about who you're playing,'' Liberty coach Todd Rothrock said.
''Coatesville's got a reputation and they're bigger than we are. We have some
inexperienced kids playing for us which can be a problem. It took us a while to
get going but once we start executing, we're pretty tough.''
The game between Notre Dame-GP and Faith Christian matched two of the state's
better small school programs.
''We need to get a lot better,'' Notre Dame coach Pat Boyle said. ''We have a
long way to go. Every mistake you make defensively, they make you pay for it.
They proved it this summer playing with the big boys, they're 11-2.
''I thought Andrew Mitzak played really well for us, and Danny Huber came off
the bench and gave us some nice stuff,'' Boyle added. ''But we have to compete
under the boards. We've been dominated under the boards all summer long.''
Nazareth tied Muhlenberg with seconds to play in overtime but gave up an easy
layup in the loss.
''The kids played hard and have been playing hard all year,'' Nazareth coach Joe
Arndt said. ''But a couple of dumb mistakes down the stretch hurt us. We led by
10 at halftime and we let them come back.''
Allen had a strong 71-26 romp over Lebanon Catholic in a losers' bracket game
that matched one of the state's largest schools against one of the smallest. The
Canaries were led by Terrance Talib, who had 16 points, including 12 in the
second half, Iaiah Swanson with 11 and Sabat Medina with 10.
''We came off a difficult loss last night, where we missed seven free throws
down the stretch and lost to Reading Catholic by one point in overtime,'' Allen
coach Doug Snyder said. ''I was a little frustrated and the kids heard that in
me. They came back and responded pretty well tonight. We have not yet found out
how to win the close games and last night was an example of that.''
Whitehall advanced in the losers bracket with a 42-31 win over Pleasant Valley
behind Matt Greene's 13 points.
Easton, led by Dutarious Sledge's 17 points, also advanced with a 58-36 win over
Chambersburg, overcoming a sluggish start.
''We changed defenses and got a few steals and got a few buckets that I think
loosened us up,'' Red Rovers coach Jim Hutnik said. ''They're a real good team,
but when you get on runs like that and get some steals, it becomes contagious.''
John Heilig is a freelance writer