Through 2 nights: District dandies and disappointments

FROM KEITH GROLLER

We've got some real good District 11 quarterfinal matchups to look forward this weekend once the snow stops.

We've been told, by the way, that if they can't get Friday night's schedule in, the Friday games will go to Saturday afternoon, making Saturday potentially a very, very busy day. I hope it doesn't come to that.

Anyway, here's my top five dandies and disappointments through the first two nights of the tournament.

Dandies

1. Eric Frans, Saucon Valley (lower left).

The 6-8 junior from Ghana really showed his potential and changed the game against Southern Lehigh with his blocks. If he keeps working at it, he could dominate the Colonial League next year.

2. The entire Allen team. I thought the Canaries would have much more trouble against Stroudsburg. But they obviously put the loss to Nazareth in the LVC finals behind them. Now, it's on to Liberty on Saturday and it's a shame that one of these teams won't make semis.

3. Javier Rivera, Whitehall (lower right). The junior guard really picked up his game and ignited the Zephyrs' second-half surge against Emmaus along with Bobby Beldo and Chris Astacio.

4. Jarrod West, Liberty. His leadership and offensive ability are really crucial now. All of the Hurricanes looked good against Bangor, but his 18 points stood out.

5. Student fan sections at Whitehall and Southern Lehigh. The crowds aren't what they used to be, and the shaky weather isn't helping, but the kids at these schools showed up in large numbers and supported their classmates. I don't know if the student sections were evident at other places, but they were at these two venues.



Disappointments

1. Easton. The uncharacteristically up-and-down season for the Red Rovers ended with a downer.

2. Northampton. The Konkrete Kids beat Liberty late in the season and then lost four in a row. I didn't expect the Kids to beat Freedom, but I thought the final score would be closer.

3. Bangor. Tough draw for the Slaters, I know, but that final score was brutal.

4. Stroudsburg. After talking to Shawn Thornton earlier in the week, I know he was expecting more against the Canaries.

5. Emmaus' second half. I know the Green Hornets are young, and they will be much better next season, but they just didn't respond to Whitehall's defensive intensity. Like many other teams in the area, this was a hard club to figure this season. They were capable of beating Nazareth, Allen, Pottsville and Pocono West and also capable of losing to Dieruff.

That's it. Here's hoping we have games to see this weekend.

From Keith Groller