Lehigh Valley Conference boys basketball: Tuesday night recap, updated standings

http://blogs.mcall.com/groller/ FROM KEITH GROLLER Central Catholic and Freedom posted huge road wins, but the biggest win of the night may have been Whitehall's over Allen. With that come-from-behind victory, the Zephs are still alive for districts. Allen, meanwhile, is in deep trouble in terms of districts. The Canaries will likely beat PM East and Dieruff, but still must beat either Emmaus, Central Catholic or Parkland to get in and that won't be easy for a team that has struggled through most of January. Becahi, too, kept its district hopes alive, but the G-Hawks still have to face four very tough teams -- Liberty, Freedom, Easton and Hazleton. Here's the recap: Liberty 76, Northampton 41 -- A 27-point first quarter for the Hurricanes set the tone. Liberty hosts Pocono Mountain West tonight in 'Canes third game in four days. Central Catholic 56, Parkland 43 -- I don't even think the Vikings played especially well on offense and they still won by 13. Right now, CCHS offers the best chance for a local team to be playing deep into March. Freedom 68, Emmaus 61 -- The Patriots shot 35 foul shots and Nigel Long was most impressive, going 10-for-10 at the line. Easton 57, Nazareth 41 -- The Blue Eagles hung tough, trailing only 33-29 after three quarters. Bethlehem Catholic 58, Dieruff 57 -- The Golden Hawks nearly let this one get away, making just 10 of 24 at the foul line. Whitehall 51, Allen 50 -- Tony Bellucci was the key with all 15 of his points coming on 3-point shots, including three treys in the final three minutes. LEHIGH VALLEY CONFERENCE STANDINGS (*) District 11 qualifer WEST DIVISION *Central Catholic 16-2, 9-2 *Emmaus 9-8, 7-4 Allen 8-9, 4-6 Dieruff 5-13, 2-9 NORTH DIVISION *Parkland 13-5, 8-2 Whitehall 9-9, 5-6 Nazareth 7-10, 3-7 Northampton 2-15, 0-10 EAST DIVISION *Liberty 12-5, 8-2 *Easton 14-4, 7-3 *Freedom 12-7, 7-4 Bethlehem Cath. 9-9, 3-8