Being able to execute plays in the final seconds of a tight game has not always been easy for the Emmaus girls basketball team over the years.
Nor has beating Central Catholic for that matter — especially at Rockne Hall.
The last time it happened for the Hornets was back in the 2016-17 season when they won a one-point thriller 40-39 in Allentown.
Since then, the Vikettes have dominated the series between the two teams winning the past 12 meetings, including a 50-40 win before the holiday break.
None of that recent history seemed to matter to Kayla Snyder and her Emmaus teammates last night.
Especially after they just executed arguably their biggest play of the season and at the perfect time.
Snyder, the Hornets phenom freshman, hit the biggest shot of her young career with a game-winning 3-pointer in the waning seconds of regulation to lift the Hornets to a dramatic and an all-important 43-41 come-from-behind victory over Central Catholic.
“We drew up a play for me out of the inbound to come off of a screen and that’s just what I did,” explained Snyder who led her team with 11 points. “We executed the play. Mya (Cooper) got a big rebound before that and Sofie (Laird) set a hard screen for me to hit the three.
“It’s a really big win for me and the team and it’s good to hit the wininng shot. It was a great team effort for everybody,” added Snyder.
Indeed it was.
With the victory, Emmaus continues to remain one of the hottest teams in the Eastern Pennsylvania Conference as they’ve now won seven straight and nine of their last 11 games. The Hornets improve to 12-8 overall and are now tied with the Vikings for the sixth spot in the league playoff race. The top eight teams will qualify for the league tournament which gets underway on Friday, February 9.
“These kids deserve this win tonight because they’ve worked so hard,” said head coach Kelsey Gallagher, moments after watching Molly Driscoll’s potential game-winning shot from beyond half court at the buzzer hit off the back of the rim. “I don’t know the last time we beat Central Catholic but this is a good win for the Emmaus program overall.
“Hats off to Central and their coaching staff because they do a fantastic job and have a great team, but right now I’m just really proud of my girls.”
Emmaus led 11-6 after one quarter but trailed by five (24-19) at the haltime break after the Vikettes outscored them 18-7 in the second. The Hornets still trailed after three quarters 34-29, but a 14-7 fourth made the difference in the victory.
Sophomore Gabby DeVita reached double figures for the sixth time in the last seven games and finished with 10 points, while Cooper added eight.
For Central Catholic (9-5 EPC/13-7 overall) Driscoll returned from an injury to lead all scorers with a game-high 13 points while classmate Milly Wolf added 12. The loss snapped a three-game winning streak for the Vikettes.
Emmaus will play its final regular-season road contest of the year on Friday at 7 p.m. as they make the short trip up Cedar Crest Boulevard to take on arch-rival Parkland (13-1/18-2). The Trojans won the first meeting back on January 8, 48-30.
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Emmaus 43, CCHS 41
Em – Mya Cooper 2 4-6 8, Kayla Snyder 3 3-4 11, Gabby DeVita 4 2-4 10, Taylor Griffith 0, Cassie Doemling 3 0-1 6, Emma Naccarato 0, Sylvia Sokolofski1 0-0 2, Sofie Laird 2 0-0 6. Totals: FG 15, FT 9-15, 3s (4) – Snyder 2, Laird 2
CC – Armani Brickhouse 3 1-2 8, Sammy Roth 2 0-0 4, Milly Wolf 4 3-4 12, Abbey Kofroth 2 0-0 4, Molly Driscoll 5 1-2 13, Lailey Polanco 0, Shamiya Roberts 0, Annika Spinosa 0, Morgan Seagreaves 0. Totals: FG 16, FT 5-8, 3s (4) – Driscoll 2, Brickhouse, Wolf
Em – 11-7-11-14 – 43
CC – 6-18-10-7 – 41