12/24/18
RECAP — Coming off an impressive and emotional 42-point win over rival Central Catholic on Friday, Steve Yoder said he wasn’t too concerned with the quick turnaround for his team to step back on the court and face the defending Class 5A state champs Abington Heights in a non-league game on Saturday.
“I don’t know if concerned was the word, more like interested to see how they would respond,” said Emmaus’ 11th year head coach. “This game was about things that can’t be measured.”
“How much heart do you have. How competitive are you. How much does this game mean to you. How much are you willing physically and emotionally to push yourself because of the short turnaround to execute and play well. That’s what I was interested in seeing tonight. They didn’t climb over the wall, they knocked it down.”
And down went Abington Heights.
Showing little effect from last night’s 79-37 win over the Vikings, Emmaus raced out to an double digit lead in the opening quarter and never relinquished the lead the entire game as the Hornets beat the Comets 56-48 in the Awesome! Holiday Challenge at Muhlenberg College.
Getting a balanced scoring attack with four different players reaching double figures, Emmaus heads into the holiday break with its second 6-0 start to the season in the last three years.
Senior Mark Swedberg led all scorers and matched his career-high with 17 points, fellow seniors Zach Sabol and Cameron Brooks each added 11 and another senior, Bryce Diehl, chipped in 10.
“These players are just so awesome to coach,” said Yoder. “We work on things in our walk -through and pregame and they just own it. There’s nothing more rewarding for coaches to see kids go out there and play basketball the right way and this group does it. I think they are really starting to buy in and that’s exciting.”
Showing little effect from the rout of Central Catholic less than 24 hours earlier, Emmaus raced out to an early 15-6 in the opening quarter on 7 of 11 shooting from the floor with all five starters figuring into the scoring column.
Abington Heights was able to outscore the Hornets 16-10 in the second quarter to cut the lead to just five at the break (26-21), and the second half was a back-and-forth affair before Emmaus eventually pulled away late in the fourth quarter for the win.
Abington Heights, which dropped to 4-2 on the season, was led in scoring by senior Trey Koehler who had a team-high 14 points. Sophomore Harry Johnson came off the bench and provided a spark with 12 points, while senior George Tinsley, a Division I commit (Binghamton University), added 11 but just one point through the first three quarters.
The Comets struggled all night from the floor shooting 37 percent (18 of 48) and just 18 percent (4 of 22) from beyond the arc. The Hornets, meanwhile, hit on 44 percent (17 of 39) from the field and an even better 46 percent (6 of 13) from 3-point range.
Emmaus will be off until after the Christmas holiday when they travel to Orlando, Florida to compete in the KSA Events Holiday Basketball Tournament. The Hornets will take on Enka High School from North Carolina on Thursday, December 27 at 2 p.m.
Look for a preview of the tournament later this week on Emmaussports.com
Emmaus – Zach Sabol 5-8 1-3 11, Bryce Diehl 4-6 0-1 10, Ethan Parvel 2-8 3-4 7, Mark Swedberg 4-9 7-10 17, Cam Brooks 2-6 5-6 11. Subs. Danny Bohman 0-0 0-0 0, Devon Boyko 0-2 0-0 0, Josh Moyer 0-0 0-0 0. Totals: FG 17-39, FT 16-24, 3s (6 – Diehl 2, Swedberg 2, Brooks 2)
Abington Heights – Jack Nealon 0-5 2-2 2, George Tinsley 4-13 3-5 11, Corey Perkins 2-4 0-1 4, Mike Malone 0-0 0-0 0, Trey Koehler 5-13 3-4 14. Subs: Harry Johnson 5-11 0-0 12, Drew Nealon 2-2 0-0 5. Totals: FG 18-48, FT 8-13, 3s (4 – Johnson 2, Koehler, Drew Nealon)
Em – 16 – 10 – 15 – 15 – 56
AH – 5 – 16 – 14 – 13 – 48
