Just three weeks left in the regular season and the big games are going to come fast and furious now as teams attempt to nail down league and District 11 tournament spots.
Here are the latest league rankings:
LEHIGH VALLEY CONFERENCE
1. Central Catholic (14-0, 7-0) ... Last time No. 1 ... Right now, simply the best. ... Up next: Host Nazareth on Tuesday.
2. Parkland (12-2, 6-2) ... Last time No. 2 ... Sam Iorio has emerged as a force, and yes, he's only a freshman. ... Up next: Host Becahi on Tuesday.
3. Becahi (8-6, 5-3) ... Last time No. 9 ... Huge jump for the Golden Hawks who have played well since Christmas with the one blemish being a bad second quarter against CCHS.
4. Emmaus (11-4, 5-3) ... Last time No. 3 .. Looks like the LVC's wild card team to me. ... Up next: At Liberty on Tuesday.
5. Easton (8-7, 3-5) ... Last time No. 11 ... Another team making a huge jump. To me, looks like the only team capable of challenging Becahi in the LVC East.... Up next: Host Dieruff on Tuesday.
6. Allen (9-5, 5-3) ... Last time No. 5 ... Canaries are up and down and totally dependent on their outside shooting. ... Up next: Host Northampton on Tuesday.
7. Whitehall (9-5, 5-3) .. Last time No. 4 ... Back-to-back losses to Becahi and Easton knocked the Zephs out of first place in the LVC North ... Up next: Host Freedom on Tuesday.
8. Dieruff (6-6, 1-5) ... Last time No. 6 ... Huskies desperately needed that overtime win over Liberty. Forget making league tournament. Focus now should be on getting the five wins needed to qualify for districts. ... Up next: At Nazareth tonight.
9. Freedom (5-8, 4-3) ... Last time No. 8 ... Patriots have lost three of their last four league games and seven of last eight overall. ... Up next: At Whitehall tonight.
10. Liberty (6-7, 2-6) ... Last time No. 7 ... Defending league champs need to get everyone back on the floor and then must learn how to play together. ... Up next: Host Emmaus on Tuesday.
11. Nazareth (6-8, 2-5) ... Last time No. 10 ... Blue Eagles are better than they've been, but it's tough to show progress in this competitive league. ... Up next: Host Dieruff tonight.
12. Northampton (2-11, 0-7) ... Last time No. 12 ... Another team that is improved, but it's hard to tell by its record. K-Kids at least play teams tough for a quarter or a half. ... Up next: At Allen Tuesday.
COLONIAL LEAGUE
1. Bangor (10-4, 8-1) ... Last time No. 2 ... Slaters are back on top, but maybe for just a few hours because they play Salisbury tonight. ... Up next: At Salisbury tonight.
2. Salisbury (11-4, 8-1) ... Last time No. 1 ... Falcons may need tonight's game more than Bangor because the CL's South Division still has a lot of big games left. ... Up next: Host Bangor tonight.
3. Southern Lehigh (10-5, 7-3) ... Last time No. 4 ... Spartans will get a chance to prove themselves against Bangor and even more when they get back in the CL South. ... Up next: At Bangor Tuesday.
4. Saucon Valley (9-7, 7-3) ... Last time No. 5 ... Panthers have come a long way since starting 0-4. ... Up next: At Catasauqua Tuesday.
5. Notre Dame (6-9, 4-5) ... Last time No. 6 ... The win over Catty proved the Crusaders aren't done yet. ... Up next: At Palmerton tonight.
6. Northern Lehigh (10-5, 7-3) ... Last time No. 3 ... The Bulldogs have three very good players, but very little depth and are vulnerable to being worn down by some of the CL's elite. ... Up next: Host Salisbury on Tuesday.
7. Catasauqua (8-6, 6-3) ... Last time No. 7 ... The wins over Southern Lehigh and Salisbury showed how good this team can be, but it needs to be more consistent ... Up next: Host Saucon Valley Tuesday.
8. Wilson (7-7, 4-5) ... Last time No. 8 ... The rout of Northern Lehigh and the spirited effort against Bangor showed that the Warriors aren't done. ... Up next: At Pen Argyl Tuesday.
9. Pen Argyl (5-9, 3-7) ... Last time No. 9 ... The Green Knights have yet to beat a really good team to prove that they're a better program. .... Up next: Host Wilson Tuesday.
10. Palisades (4-10, 2-8) ... Last time No. 10 ... This season is not about wins, but about progress for the Pirates who don't have a single senior on the roster. ... Up next: At Palmerton Tuesday.
11. Northwestern (4-11, 1-9) ... Last time No. 11 ... Like Palisades, the Tigers will be better next year. ... Host Notre Dame on Tuesday.
12. Palmerton (1-12, 0-9) ... Last time No. 12 ... Hope to be able to tell the story of Leigh Keenan's interesting family sometime soon. This is a good guy from a very good family. Can Bombers get first league win when they play Palisades this week? ... Up next: Host Notre Dame Monday.
MOUNTAIN VALLEY CONFERENCE
1. Stroudsburg (7-6, 5-1) .... Last time No. 3 ... The Mounties, the preseason favorite to win the league, steps up to No. 1 after wins over Pocono West and ES North. ... Up next: Host Lehighton Tuesday.
2. ES North (12-3, 6-1) ... Last time No. 1 ... Narrow win over Pleasant Valley and loss to Stroudsburg could be wakeup calls for Timberwolves ... Up next: Host PM West Tuesday.
3. PM West (9-4, 5-2) ... Last time No. 2 ... The Panthers may not end the regular season in first place, but will be a handful during the league and district tournaments. ... Up next: At ES North Tuesday.
4. Pleasant Valley (5-8, 2-5) ... Last time No. 4 ... The Bears have some work to do to qualify for districts. Up next: At ES South Tuesday.
5. Lehighton (9-5, 2-4) ... Last time No. 5... The Indians are much better playing teams outside the MVC than inside. Guess that bodes well for next year. ... Up next: At Stroudsburg Tuesday.
6. ES South (5-9, 2-3) ... Last time No. 6 ... Cavs have won just one of their last seven and don't look like a District 11 qualifier. ... Up next: Host Pleasant Valley Tuesday.
7. PM East (1-13, 0-6) ... Last time No. 7 ... Hope to get up to the Cardinals football banquet on Sunday night. ... Up next: At Stroudsburg Thursday.
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