RECAP >> Trailing by as much as 14 points late in the third quarter on the road at East Stroudsburg South Thursday night, all the odds were against Emmaus rallying and staying unbeaten on the season heading into the holiday break.
But thanks to an incredible effort off the bench sparked by senior Ryan Santos, the Hornets pulled off a dramatic 48-46 come-from-behind victory to stun the Cavaliers on their home court.
Santos scored 16 of his season-high 17 points in the final 11 minutes of the game as Emmaus rallied from its largest deficit of the season (30-16) to stay perfect at 7-0 overall and 4-0 in the Eastern Pennsylvania Conference. It’s the second time in the last four years that the Hornets have won their first seven games to start a season.
Sophomore Will Barber and junior Dylan Darville also played key rolls in the comeback as both reached double figures. Barber matched his career-high as he finished with 15 points, while Darville scored nine of his 11 points after halftime.
East Stroudsburg South, which entered with a 4-1 record, was paced by senior Jahsan Simms who led all scorers with a game-high 19 points. Classmate Gabe Mileto added 12 — 10 coming in the second half.
Emmaus will return to action next week as they travel to the Spring-Ford holiday tournament. The Hornets will play the hosts at 6:15 p.m. on Tuesday, December 28. The game will be carried LIVE on www.easternpasportsnetwork.com beginning at 6 p.m. Emmaus will also face Central Bucks South at 5 p.m. on Wednesday, December 29.
While the boys had a much more difficult assignment on the road, the girls had a much easier time at home as they rolled to a 48-29 win over the Cavaliers for their third straight victory.
The Hornets had three players reach double figures led by senior Sarah Hoch who had a career-high 15 points. Sophomore Mya Cooper was next with 12 points, including a perfect 8-for-8 from the free-throw line, and senior Grace Oglesbee added a career-best 10 points.
Emmaus remained unbeaten in league play (4-0) and improved their overall mark to 5-2.
East Stroudsburg South suffered its first loss in the EPC (2-1) and dropped to 4-2 overall. The Cavaliers were paced by Laneice Williams’ nine points.
The Hornets will return to action on Wednesday, December 29 at 2 p.m. when they travel to Stroudsburg for a non-league matchup.
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Emmaus 48, ES South 46 (Boys)
Emmaus – 5-11-15-17 – 48
ES South – 10-10-15-11 – 46
Em – Will Barber 7 0-0 15, Dylan Darville 5 0-1 11, Jadis Brevitt 1 0-0 2, Brydon Crawford 0 0-0 0, Jayden Gallagher 0 1-2 1, Ryan Santos 7 1-3 17, Wilson Charlot 0 0-0 0, Ryan Diehl 0 0-0 0, Jametric Harris 0 0-0 0, Chase Muckey 0 2-2 2. Totals: FG 20, FT 4-8, 3s (4 – Santos 2, Barber, Darville)
ESS – Jahsan Simms 7 3-5 19, Logan Santos 0 0-0 0, Gabe Mileto 3 4-5 12, Javier Garrison 2 0-0 5, Nathaniel McIntyre 2 0-0 4, Chris Green 0 0-0 0, Edward Moore 2 0-0 4, Jeremiah Thedison 0 0-0 0, Michael Patterson 1 0-0 2. Totals: FG 17, FT 7-10, 3s (5 – Simms 2, Mileto 2, Garrison)
Emmaus 48, ES South 29 (Girls)
ES South – 11-2-8-8 – 29
Emmaus – 12-14-12-10 – 48
ESS – Laneice Williams 4 0-1 9, Johanna Zearfoss 1 0-0 2, Tyrah Smith 1 0-1 2, Layla Hernandez 3 0-0 6, Laneye Williams 0 0-0 0, Leeangie Marte 0 0-0 0, Jazmin Zearfoss 0 0-0 0, Oliana Cole 0 0-0 0, Olivia Cole 0 0-0 0. Totals: FG 9, FT 0-2, 3s (1 – Williams)
Em – Paige Inman 1 0-0 3, Kam Watkins 2 2-4 7, Grace Oglesbee 5 0-1 10, Sarah Hoch 6 1-3 15, Mya Cooper 2 8-8 12, Alyssa Brader 0 1-2 1, Callie Cook 0 0-0 0. Totals: FG 16, FT 12-18, 3s (4 – Hoch 2, Inman, Watkins)