Tuesday night boys basketball predictions: Some good matchups should bring the heat

http://blogs.mcall.com/groller/ FROM KEITH GROLLER Perhaps you've noticed. It's cold outside. No sense complaining about it. It's January. Two months to go until the start of spring, and realistically, three months left until a fair amount of warm weather truly returns, although around here, you might need at least a light jacket until Memorial Day. One of the great things about high school basketball to me is that if you dive deeply into it, and I have for most of my Morning Call career, it gets you through the cold and by the time the season ends, the brutally cold weather is gone, too. I expect the biting cold to keep a lot of people home tonight, which is a shame, because there are a lot of good matchups. Here are my predictions: LEHIGH VALLEY CONFERENCE Allen 68, Northampton 52 -- Canaries get what they need to break out of their recent funk. Central Catholic 60, Nazareth 50 -- Might be a tougher game than the Vikings think. Blue Eagles find a way to keep most games competitive. Easton 53, Dieruff 38 -- They've been off the radar since those tough losses to Parkland and CCHS, but don't sleep on the Red Rovers who still might be as good as anybody in the league. Liberty 64, Emmaus 58 -- The best game of the night in the LVC. Green Hornets are always tough as home. But Green Hornets shouldn't be able to push around the Hurricanes the way they pushed around Parkland last week. Freedom 63, Whitehall 54 -- A little disappointed that the Freedom student section didn't really show up at Parkland on Friday. I am one of their biggest fans and was thrilled by what they did last year. Hopefully, they haven't lost all of their enthusiasm because the Patriots are still a very good team. Parkland 72, Bethlehem Catholic 53 -- Golden Hawks are clearly better this year than they've been in a while, but it's doubtful that they will make districts because remaing schedule is brutal. COLONIAL LEAGUE Salisbury 66, Northern Lehigh 60 -- The game of the night in the Colonial League and where I will be. The winner of this one will greatly enhance their chances of making league tourney. Bangor 60, Southern Lehigh 55 -- Still not quite sure who will be playing and who won't for the Slaters. As long as Alex Colton is in action, I like their chances. Saucon Valley 55, Catasauqua 52 -- Panthers really need this one more than the Roughies in terms of making districts. Wilson 73, Pen Argyl 48 -- Warriors' Phil Pierfy has emerged as one of the league's, and area's best players and he's only a sophomore. Palisades 63, Palmerton 48 -- I covered this matchup in back-to-back years when the Pirates were looking to snap a long losing streak. Those days are gone for Palisades, which has become a much more respectable program under Mike Viglianti. Weds. night game, Notre Dame 67, Northwestern 52 -- Again nice gesture by Jason Zimmerman, Dan Eddinger and Northwestern to allow Pat Boyle an opportunity to return from Florida where he attended a family funeral to make this game. MOUNTAIN VALLEY CONFERENCE PM West 73, ES North 50 -- Wonder how those deer I saw on my way out of Pocono Mt. West are doing. ES South 57, Pleasant Valley 49 -- Cavs won the first meeting, 46-32, back in December. Strousdburg 55, Lehighton 50 -- Much-improved Indians still have to prove they can finish games against good teams.