BASKETBALL

After not seeing any games since last Tuesday (not counting the Whitehall alumni event) it's back to Bethlehem tonight for Whitehall at Liberty.

Here's how I see the Lehigh Valley Conference to this point, with records through Sunday and I still admit that teams through 2-11 are very evenly matched:

1. Liberty (7-1) ... Still the team to beat. Host Whitehall tonight.

2. Allen (5-2) .... Get the feeling Doug Snyder is enjoying coaching this team. Host Becahi tonight.

3. Whitehall (5-2).... Has impressive division wins over Northampton and Nazareth so far. At Liberty tonight.

4. Becahi (5-3)... No doubt, this is the best offensive team in the league, but defense still has to get better for them to seriously contend. At Allen tonight.

5. Northampton (5-2)... Brian Stevko being healthy has made a big difference. Host Emmaus tonight.

6. Freedom (5-3).... Patriots weren't really challenged in winning their Christmas tournament. At CCHS tonight.

7. Easton (3-4)... James Middleton's academic problems proved costly in loss to Notre Dame in Easton Rotary tournament. Host Parkland tonight.

8. Emmaus (4-3)...Green Hornets are headed toward better season than first thought. At Northampton tonight.

9. Nazareth (5-2)... Chuck Dibilio is averaging over 20 points per game, and this is a team that will probably not stay this low for long. Interested in seeing what they do at Northampton on Friday. Host Dieruff tonight.

10. CCHS (3-4)...Shane McNeely is starting to emerge as a force, but Vikings still need to prove they can win a big LVC game. Tonight offers a chance. Host Freedom tonight.

11. Parkland (2-5)....Trojans have been the disappointment of the league to this point and even more disappointing is the report from a reliable source that a key player was caught drinking during the team's trip to Wildwood and will miss a bunch of games that will likely knock his team out of league and district playoff consideration.

12. Dieruff (1-6)....Eager to see for myself the new gymnasium on the East Side. Heard there's not much room at the scorer's table, which doesn't make it enticing for media coverage.

And here's the Colonial League rundown with admittedly a lot of mysteries to solve:

1. Notre Dame (6-1) ... Crusaders seem to have recovered from that early loss to Saucon. Impressive win over Easton last week. Host Wilson tonight.

2. Northern Lehigh (6-2) ... Bulldogs have three players -- Jordan Waylen, Nick Pappas and Evan Biegley -- averaging between 12 and 16 points per game. At Palmerton tonight.

3. Bangor (4-3) ... Slaters are 4-0 against Colonial League teams. Host Pen Argyl tonight.

4. Wilson (4-3) ... Warriors gave up just 38 points to Easton last week. Problem was they only scored 27. At Notre Dame tonight.

5. Salisbury (4-1) ... Nice road win at Tamauqua on Saturday night. Host Southern Lehigh tonight.

6. Catasauqua (3-4) .... Roughies played Northampton tough for a half and beat Dieruff in the Northampton Christmas tournament last week. Host Northwestern tonight.

7. Southern Lehigh (2-5) ... Ramfis Rodriguez has scored 12 points or more over the past five games. Spartans have improved after slow start. Key game tonight at Salisbury.

8. Saucon Valley (1-5)... The Panthers caught everybody's eye with a big win over Notre Dame but have done nothing since. Host Palisades tonight.

9. Palisades (1-7) .. Josh Parris scored 56 points in the Fleetwood Christmas tournament and the Pirates got their first win. At Saucon tonight.

10. Northwestern (4-4) ...Tigers yet to post a quality league win. At Catty tonight.

11. Pen Argyl (1-7)...Win over Palmerton gets the Green Knights the 11th spot. At Bangor tonight.

12. Palmerton (2-6)... Need to find way to get Lehighton on schedule more often. Host Northern Lehigh tonight.

Keith Groller