RECAP >> Playing Dieruff for the second time in five days, Emmaus got off to a slow start on Tuesday night on the east side of Allentown as they trailed by double digits in the second quarter, then rallied to get within one possession late in the game, before seeing their comeback fall just short in a 58-55 loss to the Huskies.
“We were not ready to play from the start tonight,” said a disappointed Hornets head coach Steve Yoder. “We got down 27-10 midway through the second quarter, got the game to single digits at the half (29-20) and I was proud of the comeback our team team made as we were in position late to steal it from them, but to their credit they made just enough free throws and we missed a couple of golden opportunities.”
Emmaus, which had defeated Dieruff 68-65 in the season-opener for both teams last Friday, had a chance to tie it with :11 seconds left in the fourth quarter, but junior Jadis Brevitt’s three-pointer hit off the front of the rim, giving the Huskies their first win of the season while handing the Hornets their first loss. It also marked the first time since the 2010-11 season that the Dieruff has defeated Emmaus.
“It was frustrating and a little disappointing but there were also some positives,” said Yoder. “Ryan (Santos) was unbelievable tonight. He was great and as a team we showed that we could overcome some adversity.
“We learned a lot about ourselves but we also feel we missed an opportunity.”
Santos, a junior making his first career varsity start, led all scorers with a game and career-high 19 points, 14 of which came in the second half. Classmate Meech Rogers also had a career-best performance with 15.
Dieruff (1-1) had three players reach double figures. Senior Dalwin Cattouse led the Huskies with a team-high 18 points, while junior Daniel Quiones was next with 17 followed by George Gibbs who added 12.
The Hornets will return to action on Thursday at 7 p.m. as they host Allen (2-0). The game will be carried LIVE on www.easternpasportsnetwork.com beginning with the pregame show at 6:45 p.m.
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Em – Shep Henseler 1 0-0 2, Danny Bohman 1 2-2 4, Ryan Santos 8 2-3 19, Meech Rogers 5 4-4 15, Jameel Sanders 3 0-0 6, Jadis Brevitt 3 1-2 7, Ryan Diehl 0 0-0 0, Brydon Crawford 0 2-2 2, Jaden Gallagher 0 0-0 0. Totals: FG 21, FT 11-13, 3s (2 – Santos, Rogers)
Die – Dalwin Cattouse 8 1-5 18, George Gibbs 5 2-3 12, Daniel Quinones 5 6-11 17, Wilmer Sabatar 2 0-2 4, Antion Chapman 2 1-2 5, Edward Acevedo 1 0-0 2. Totals: FG 23, FT 10-23, 3s (2 – Cattouse, Quiones)
Em – 8-12-11-24 – 55
Die – 21-8-8-21 – 58