Yasso/Rothrock tourney has all 24 LVC teams in action

FROM THE MORNING CALL

Former Central Catholic and University of Tennessee star player Michelle Marciniak was the keynote speaker at the Yasso/Rothrock Christmas City Classic Tip-Off Banquet on Thursday night at Moravian College's Johnston Hall.

Marciniak, who presented her former Tennessee coach Pat Summit, the newly-named Sports Illustrated Sportswoman of the Year at a banquet in New York City on Tuesday night, talked about her playing career and her new ventures in the business world.

The event always helps to tip off the scholastic basketball season. The eighth annual Yasso/Rothrock Christmas City Classic will be held on Saturday with all 24 boys and girls teams in the Lehigh Valley Conference in action. Liberty, Freedom and Bethlehem Catholic will host four games apiece.

At Liberty, the Whitehall and Dieruff girls and boys will meet in a doubleheader beginning at 2 p.m. followed by the Central Catholic and Liberty girls and boys battling in another doubleheader set to begin at 5:30 p.m.


At Freedom High, the Allen and Easton girls and boys meet in the afternoon doubleheader followed by a twinbill involving Northampton and Freedom at night.

At Bethlehem Catholic, the Emmaus and Parkland girls and boys meet in the afternoon and the Becahi and Nazareth girls and boys teams tangle at night.

For one purchase price, fans can hop from location to location to watch games.

The tournament and banquet honor the late George B. Yasso, a longtime Hurricane Basketball Club president and coach. Yasso died in November 2003 at age 52 after years of dedication to Bethlehem-area athletes.

In 2008, the late Todd Rothrock was added to the tournament's name. Rothrock was a successful coach at Moravian College and Liberty High who died in August 2008 at age 48.

http://www.mcall.com/sports/varsity/mc-marciniak-1208-20111208,0,151708.story