Some Allen High boys basketball players spent several days this week at the West Virginia Jamfest, a major AAU tournament.
They could have justifiably taken the rest of the week off to chill out after a brutal stretch in the heat.
Instead, they wanted to get back home to play in another tournament.
Jalen Cannon, D.J. Brown and Daqua Holiday — played key roles last weekend when the Canaries won the Stellar Construction tournament and on Friday night they took the first step toward another title and a summer sweep
Allen wasn't as crisp as it might have been with more rest, but the Canaries were still good enough to beat Souderton 53-39 as the SportsFest "A-town Throwdown" continued with 11 more games.
A whopping 44 games are scheduled today as the 44-team tournament is whittled down to the sweet 16 that will play a single-elimination tourney on Sunday.
Allen would love to be in that title game come 7 Sunday night.
"Our players are excited about keeping this going," said assistant Bob Freed, who is filling in for vacationing head coach Doug Snyder.
"Some of the kids were a little tired from the AAU tournament and they just got back [Thursday] night. Jalen was one of those kids and he was a little stiff from the drive. But winning the Stellar tournament was the highlight of our summer so far and they want to keep it going."
Allen hasn't lost in a tournament or in the Allentown High School Summer League all summer. The only place the Canaries have been clipped was in the South Whitehall Adult League where they compete against past high school legends like Allen alum Ray Barbosa.
"We've played so many games this summer and we've been able to get a lot of players on the court in significant situations," Freed said. "We're seeing a lot of progress from some of these kids, someone like R.J. Fletcher, a rising sophomore, has really come on. A lot of kids are getting their opportunity."
Against Souderton, D.J. Brown led the way with 13 points. Cannon had 10 points and was a force defensively and on the boards. Rob Rodriguez had nine points — all on 3-pointers — and Daquan Holiday chipped in seven.
"It would be nice to win this tournament, but very difficult," Freed said. "There are a lot of good teams here and the teams from our area will be shooting for us. But we're having fun. We're going to play about 80 games this summer and these kids love every one of them. There's a lot of character on this team. Everybody picks everybody up."
Dieruff and Central Catholic wins made it a 3-0 night for the Allentown schools. Among the locals, Bethlehem Catholic also posted a win.
FAMILIAR FACE IN NEW PLACE
He may look a little out of place in a North Penn shirt, but Bob Gilbert was right at home coaching back in Allentown on Friday night. Knights head coach Ron Hassler wasn't there, but Gilbert assisted Jerry Radocha as North Penn beat Whitehall 37-30;
Hassler and Radocha are former Whitehall head coaches and Gilbert was once an assistant there as well as several other stops around the Lehigh Valley.
"I'm entering my 37th season and I've been at seven different high schools," Gilbert said. "Back when I started coaching in the early 70s, we had nothing like this. Back then, you were limited to how many kids from your high school team could be on the same team. You had to have other kids from other teams playing together because of the regulations.
"But this is fantastic. This give kids a lot of exposure to great competition at a great venue. You can't ask for a better situation."
The soon-to-be 67-year-old Gilbert began his coaching career in 1972 at what was then South Mountain Junior High in Allentown. Though a success in junior high, he has never been a head high school coach.
Instead he has been on the bench with some of the greatest coaches on the local scene over the past three decades … guys like Hassler, Radocha, Rich Baksa, Dick Tracy and Terry German.
"I had an opportunity in Allentown at one point, but the district didn't allow you to be an administrator and a coach at the same time," Gilbert said. "That's why I went to Whitehall. The key thing is they let me coach, both there and at Central Catholic.
"I've been very fortunate to be with some great guys. I've been a part of 15 championship teams and the key to each was that the players worked hard and listened, and the parents were supportive and let the coaches coach."
PARKLAND GIRLS DOUBLE UP
For the second straight weekend, Parkland has two girls teams entered in a tournament at Cedar Beach and both the varsity and JV Trojans posted victories on Friday night.
"We have 20 girls spread over the two teams and the JVs are all rising sophomores," said assistant coach Samantha Edwards. "They're getting great experience against varsity competition. This is definitely going to show the younger kids what they need to work on and get them ready for next season. You can't ask for anything better than that."
While the JVs were 0-2 last weekend, the Parkland varsity reached the finals against Nazareth last Sunday, but came up a point short.
"Our girls would like another chance against them, but there are a lot of good teams here," head coach Wes Spence said. "We're having fun and that's the main thing. We just play. The girls always play hard and we have some good stretches and some bad stretches. If we can shorten the bad stretches we're going to be fine."
Like the Allen boys, Stellar champ Nazareth began its quest for a summer sweep on Friday night. The Lady Eagles whipped Dieruff behind a big night by Stellar MVP Erika Livermore.
Saucon Valley was also among the girls winners, beating Mid-Valley. Mid-Valley pulled out of the tournament after a dispute with officials.
CALLING ALL DUNKERS AND LAUNCHERS
For the first time, the SportsFest tourney will have slam dunk and 3-point shooting contests. Those displays will begin on Court 1 at about 9 tonight after the scheduled games are completed. Among the celebrity dunk judges will be former Allen star Terrence Roderick.
Tournament participants interested in competing should sign up at basketball headquarters by 5 p.m.
A preliminary round of 3-point shooting will take place at 6 p.m.
SPORTSFEST BASKETBALL SCOREBOARD
A-TOWN THROWDOWN BOYS VARSITY
Dieruff 35, Northern Lehigh 30 … Robert Allende 12.
Becahi 52, Gov. Mifflin 38 … Jake Hungarter 12.
Manheim Twp. 45, Boyertown 38 ….Vaughan-Geib 12.
Downingtown West 56, Quakertown 28 … Fontanez 15.
North Penn 37, Whitehall 30 … Matt Possanza 15.
CCHS 51, Burlington Twp. … Alex Gregg 15.
Nazareth of Brooklyn 59, Lebanon Catholic 27 … Roberts 15.
Springfield-Delco 42, Northampton 33 … Pearse 12.
Wissahickon 56, Catasauqua 28 … Anthony McKie 13.
Allen 53, Souderton 39 … D.J. Brown 13.
Octorara 57, Constitution 56 … Lamont Clark 16.
BOYS JV TOURNAMENT
Allen 33, CCHS 21.
Emmaus 46, Dieruff 35.
Souderton 49, Hershey 22.
Reading 57, Whitehall 47.
BOYS RISER DIVISION
Wall2Wall 54, Easton 33.
Salisbury 54, Wolves 42… Austin Uhl 18.
DYC 68, Becahi 48.
Wall2Wall 60, Bulldogs 22.
AMERICAN ARCH GIRLS VARSITY TOURNAMENT
Saucon Valley 32, Mid-Valley 21 … Van Buren 10.
Nazareth 45, Dieruff 25 … Erika Livermore 16.
Parkland JV 33, Salisbury 22 … A. Harris 14.
Daniel Boone 47, Lehighton 29 … Aly York 18.
Parkland 51, Faith Christian 27 … L. Stoudt 18.
Crestwood 40, Notre Dame-ES 27 … A. Jesikiewicz 13.