Friday night LVC scoreboard and updated standings: Parkland, CCHS clinch tourney spots; Becahi, Emmaus post big wins

http://blogs.mcall.com/groller/ FROM KEITH GROLLER Parkland became the first team to win a division championship as the Trojans 62-50 win over Nazareth on Friday night gave them the North Division title. Central Catholic also clinched a tournament spot with its easy 80-53 win over Dieruff. Jean Lee Baez and Muhammad Ali Abdur-Rahkman combined for 50 points. The Vikings, at worst, will finish with a wild-card spot and only need a win over Allen or Emmaus in their final two LVC games or a loss by Emmaus to Dieruff on Tuesday night to secure the West Divsion title. Speaking of Emmaus, the Green Hornets kept their league playoff hopes alive by going to triple-overtime to beat Allen for the second time this season, a 56-54 win that severely wounded the Canaries' district playoff hopes. The Canaries are now 9-10 overall, 4-7 in the league and must win two of their three remaining games (Central Catholic, Parkland, Dieruff) to qualify for the postseason. Whitehall, as expected, beat Northampton 48-28 and moved to within a win of a district berth. It could happen for the Zephs tonight against visiting Pocono Mountain West. But perhaps the big news in the LVC on Tuesday came in Bethlehem where Bethlehem Catholic stunned a short-handed Liberty team, 57-4. The Hurricanes were playing without Deshawn Oyeniyi (acadmically ineligible) and Greg Noack (mild concussion). The Golden Hawks now need a win over Freedom or Easton or Hazleton -- none an easy task -- to qualify for districts for the first time since 2007. Holy Cross-bound Matt Husek, a 6-11 center, took advantage of the absence of Oyeniyi and Noack and scored 15 points in the big win for Becahi. LEHIGH VALLEY CONFERENCE STANDINGS (after Friday's games) WEST DIVISION *Central Catholic-x 10-2, 18-2 *Emmaus 8-4, 10-8 Allen 4-7, 9-10 Dieruff 2-10, 5-14 NORTH DIVISION *Parkland-y 9-2, 14-5 Whitehall 6-6, 10-9 Nazareth 3-8, 7-11 Northampton 0-12, 2-17 EAST DIVISION *Liberty 8-3, 14-5 *Easton 8-4, 15-5 *Freedom 8-4, 13-7 Becahi 4-8, 10-9 *- Qualified for District 11 tournament. y-Clinched division title. x-Clinched LVC tourney spot.