Even after 6 p.m. on Sunday night it was still sweltering in the sunshine at Cedar Beach.
But Nazareth was sweating for something other than Mother's Nature oven.

Parkland turned up the heat in the championship game of the Stellar Construction/Patti Heffner Memorial girls tournament, but the Lady Eagles held on for a 34-33 victory and their first tourney championship.


The Lady Eagles had a 20-12 halftime lead and scored the first seven points of the second half to open a 15-point advantage.

However, Parkland never let Nazareth coast. Missed free throws opened the door for a Trojans comeback and they nearly knocked the door down.

Olivia Hassler made a 3-point shot to get Parkland within 33-31 with 17 seconds left, and Lennon Kramer made a free throw with eight seconds left to go to make it 34-31.

Parkland never could get the 3-point shot they needed for overtime, instead settling for Jess Fritsche's rebound basket at the buzzer.

"I was really sweating at the end," Nazareth coach Rich Bickert said. "I didn't want to use timeouts because it's a running clock, but that nearly burned me at the end. We got out of sync. We weren't trying to hold the ball, but it seemed like every time I told them to be patient they didn't even look to score. And we missed some foul shots.

"But we came up with good defense until the last few possessions and Parkland made some big shots. Luckily, we had one point more at the end."

Erika Livermore scored 14 points and averaged a double-double throughout Nazareth's 6-0 run over the last five days in becoming a unanimous choice as tourney MVP.

"Having been in this tournament the last three years, we had a second-place finish two years ago and a third last year, so it's nice to finally win it." Livermore said. "The key was playing together as a team and keeping our heads in it as a team. It got a little scary at the end and Olivia hit a big shot for them."

Nazareth soon-to-be senior Kim Owens, who scored six points, also enjoyed the moment.

"It was intense, hot and sweaty and Parkland's a tough team, but we pulled it out," she said. "Livermore was everywhere. We had to keep our heads and play smart."

The championship was meaningful for Nazareth.

"To win here in this atmosphere, on TV [ Service Electric TV2 televised the game] is great," Owens said. "It's awesome to win this. It has us psyched now for the [winter] season. It's going to be a good one."

Caitlin Gary, another rising senior who was named to the all-tournament team, will also be a key component for the Eagles next winter.

"Gina Falcinelli, who played the point for us today, is another senior, so we have some nice pieces for the coming season," Bickert said. "I am looking forward to next season. We should be as competitive as we were last year when we were 20-8, made the district final and won a state game."

The future also looks good for Parkland, which only lost to Nazareth (twice) in the 24-team tournament.

Second-year coach Wes Spence talked about his team's scrappiness on Saturday night after its first loss to Nazareth and the Trojans showed their mettle again.

"We have stretches where we play well and then stretches when we don't," he said. "But the girls play hard and they're having fun this summer."

Emmaus finished third, posting wins over Bangor and Southern Lehigh on Sunday before losing to Parkland 44-28 in the semis.

Erin Bond, a rising senior, was a leading force for the Green Hornets.

Bangor finished fourth and placed Morgan McCollan on the all-tournament team.

Rounding out the all-tournament was Northampton junior Steph Bragg and Southern Lehigh senior Hannah Doell. Parkland's Hassler received the sixth-man award.

STELLAR NOTES

Because many teams had to play a lot of games throughout the weekend, Monday night's Allentown High School Summer League games have been postponed. …The six sets of bleachers that surrounded the main court at Cedar Beach throughout the weekend were donated by the Lehigh County Agricultural Society at the Allentown Fairgrounds and general manager Ed Charles. The Stellar staff appreciated the donation to accommodate the tourney's biggest crowds. … The all-tournament team will be honored before the start of a 76ers game in the upcoming season. … Liberty won the boys JV tournament with a 36-32 championship win over Easton. Tyrae Grantham scored 12 points and was named the tourney MVP. The all-tournament team included: Donovan Wright (Easton), Emery Towson (Allen), Jessal Colon (Freedom), Ezra Gaines (Easton), Diante Robertson (Liberty), and Grantham (Liberty). The 6th Man Award went to Derrick Chicelensha (Freedom). … The Lehigh Valley Knights, led by former Allen star Terrence Roderick, won the adult tournament title. The Knights beat Team Dynasty 64-48 in the finals.

STELLAR SCOREBOARD

GIRLS TOURNAMENT

Elimination Bracket

Emmaus 34, Southern Lehigh 22 ... Erin Bond 12.

Bangor 34, Northampton 27 ... Morgan McCollan 11.

Emmaus 30, Bangor 29 .... Erin Bond 14.

Parkland Red 44, Emmaus 28 ... Alyssa Persichetti 15.

Championship Game: Nazareth 34, Parkland 33 … (Parkland) Persichetti 10, Hagenauer 7, Hassler 7, Fritsche 6, J. Oertner 3. (Nazareth) Livermore 14, Gary 4, Owens 6, Flannery 8, Kramer 2.

ADULT MEN'S TOURNAMENT SCORES 

Hardwood 82, PSU 64.

Go Hard 64, 808's 47.

Shupp's Troops 59, Non Stop 57.

Tan 71, Showtime 66.

Know Your Role 62, Hardwood 54.

Alvernia 58, Go Hard 53.

No Name Nites 87, Shupp's Troops 49.

Tan 75, Crima Squad 69.

Alvernia 45, Know Your Role 41.

Tan 67, No Name Nites 55.

Team Dynasty 55, Alvernia 49.

Tan 55, Quakertown 49.

Championship Game: LV Nites 64, Team Dynasty 48 … Terrence Roderick MVP, Team Dynasty had Horace Jenkins, a member of the 2001 Detroit Pistons NBA title team, on its team. All-tourney team members: Darnell Braswell (Nites), Derek Hall (Albright), Chaz Williams (Alvernia), Horace Jenkins (Team Dynasty), Jay Leon (Tan), Penny Williams (Tan).

JV BOYS TOURNAMENT

Easton 33, Liberty 21 ... Erick Oakley 10.

Liberty 41, Emmaus 40 ... Shankweiler 10.

Easton 40, Allen 33 ... Irail Wright 9.

Nazareth 42, Allen 41 ... R. Dibilio 11.

Freedom 29, Emmaus 28 ... Jessal Colon 11.

Freedom 48, Nazareth 43 ... Jessal Colon 24.

Liberty 43, Freedom 37 ... Diante Robertson 12, Tyrae Grantham 11.

Championship: Liberty 36, Easton 32 ... Tyrae Grantham 12, Grantham tourney MVP.

All-tourney team: Donovan Wright (Easton), Emery Towson (Allen), Jessal Colon (Freedom), Ezra Gaines (Easton), Diante Robertson (Liberty), Tyrae Grantham (Liberty). 6th Man Award: Derrick Chicelensha (Freedom).

Elimination Bracket

Emmaus 34, Southern Lehigh 22 ... Erin Bond 12.

Bangor 34, Northampton 27 ... Morgan McCollan 11.

Emmaus 30, Bangor 29 .... Erin Bond 14.

Parkland Red 44, Emmaus 28 ... Alyssa Persichetti 15.

ADULT MEN'S TOURNAMENT SCORES

Hardwood 82, PSU 64.

Go Hard 64, 808's 47.

Shupp's Troops 59, Non Stop 57.

Tan 71, Showtime 66.

Know Your Role 62, Hardwood 54.

Alvernia 58, Go Hard 53.

No Name Nites 87, Shupp's Troops 49.

Tan 75, Crima Squad 69.

Alvernia 45, Know Your Role 41.

Tan 67, No Name Nites 55.

Team Dynasty 55, Alvernia 49.

Tan 55, Quakertown 49.

JV BOYS TOURNAMENT

Easton 33, Liberty 21 ... Erick Oakley 10.

Liberty 41, Emmaus 40 ... Shankweiler 10.

Easton 40, Allen 33 ... Irail Wright 9.

Nazareth 42, Allen 41 ... R. Dibilio 11.

Freedom 29, Emmaus 28 ... Jessal Colon 11.

Freedom 48, Nazareth 43 ... Jessal Colon 24.

Liberty 43, Freedom 37 ... Diante Robertson 12, Tyrae Grantham 11.

Championship: Liberty 36, Easton 32 ... Tyrae Grantham 12, Grantham tourney MVP.