(EDITOR’S NOTE: Since May of 1999, the Times News Sports Department has featured an On This Date practically every day, highlighting an event that happened in the past. With the coronavirus putting a halt to sports locally and nationally, the On This Dates have been expanded to the stories that actually ran in the next day’s newspaper. Today’s On This Date story is from March 28, 2001).

By Mike Haines

mhaines@tnonline.com

When you take 12 of the best senior players from their respective regions and put them on the same team for one of the final games of their high school careers, expect them to play at the highest level they can. That’s exactly what happened Wednesday night in the Via All Star Basketball Classic.

In the boys game, Kyle Koch (Lehighton) and Greg Duff (Pleasant Valley) led the North All Stars to a 100-67 win, while Pocono Mountain’s Amanda Fantry and Stroudsburg’s Lindsey Austin led the North girls to an 84-55 win over the East squad.

BOYS

The North and East had a tight contest going until late in the second half when Greg Duff hit three three-pointers within a minute, giving the North a 34-21 lead with 5 minutes and 39 seconds left in the half. The North never looked back as Duff would connect on two more long range baskets, giving the PV senior 15 points, and Kyle Koch would go on to score a game-high 23 points.

Duff said he felt comfortable throwing up the three-point shots as he has his entire basketball career, especially since it was an all-star game.

“The three-point shot has always been my shot,” Duff said. “I’m always confident. I’m not shy at all just to put it up.

“It’s a fun game. It’s fun to come and just play.”

Koch wasn’t surprised to see Duff’s shots fall.

“He didn’t miss. He can shoot the threes like nobody,” said Koch, who scored the North’s first four points and 11 of the team’s first 17 points.

Koch hit his second three-pointer of the game with 10:57 to go in the first half, giving the North a 21-15 lead as Koch had already poured in 14 points.

Less than three minutes later, Duff would heat up and put the North on top for good.

Koch said after failing to win the dunk contest he was motivated to perform in the game itself.

“I lost the dunk contest and I was disappointed about that so I had to boost myself up again (for the game),” Koch said.

“It’s so nice to play in a place like this. It’s different from your regular team because you’ve got all good players (on an all-star team). We worked well as a team,” Koch said of the team which will take the court again Friday’s against the winner of tonight’s South-versus-West game.

“If we pass the ball around and get open shots like we did tonight, I don’t see anything stopping us,” said the Lehighton senior.

North coach Brad Pensyl was pleased with his entire team.

“I thought the kids played well. I thought Koch and Duff shot well,” Pensyl said.

GIRLS

It could have been the girls game that set the stage for the boys big win, as the North girls opened a 19-point lead (41-22) on a basket by Lehighton’s Janie Neff with 40 seconds left in the first half.

The East team had the lead cut to 46-36 with 15:46 to play, but Jeanine Alonso (Pleasant Valley) hit two foul shots and then picked up an assist on a basket by Palmerton’s Brooke Mertz. Another basket by the Blue Bombers’ Katie Kasko capped the North’s 6-0 run and put them up 52-36 with 14:28 left in the game.

The East never got within 10 points the rest of the game.

Coach Dave Stefani of Pleasant Valley said he’s happy his team got the win, but that wasn’t the main goal in a game like this.

“We practiced for two days and said (to the players) ‘It’s an all-star game. Look to score points. If you’ve never a three before and you’re open, go ahead and take it.’ But the main thing is to have fun and I think the kids did that tonight,” Stefani said.

Northern Lehigh’s Courtney Wertman, who scored eight points, said the players wanted to have fun and win too.

“It’s great to play with the top players in the area. It really pushes you to your fullest,” Wertman said. “Everyone was definitely psyched for this game. We said we want to be here Friday. We want to play again. It’s going to be a great game. I can’t wait.”

Stefani said his team won because it had two key ingredients of a successful basketball team.

“We had a lot of size over them and we had some three-point shooters. I think all of our kids were some of the best three-point shooters on their teams,” Stefani said.

Stroudsburg’s Lindsey Austin led all scorers with 19 points, while Pocono Mountain’s Amanda Fantry scored 17. Lehighton’s Janie Neff added 10 for the winners.

NOTES: The three-point shooting contests were won by Lehighton’s Courtney Porzio and Fantry, and Palmerton’s Mark Amorim and Wilson’s Joe Templeton, who will compete with tonight’s winner in Friday’s finals. The slam dunk contest was won by Adam Brobst and Duff, who will both compete again Friday at Bethlehem Catholic.

GIRLS

EAST

Rotzell 1-0-0-2, Handelong 0-0-0-0, Walden 1-0-0-2, McElrone 3-0-3-6, Towne 0-0-0-0, Smith 7-3-5-17, Lane 3-0-0-6, DePue 6-0-0-12, Dominie 3-3-3-10, Nolf 0-0-0-0. TOTALS: 24-6-11-55.

NORTH

Neff 5-0-0-10, Porzio 0-1-2-1, Herschman 3-0-0-6, Wertman 2-1-4-6, Mertz 2-0-0-4, Kasko 3-1-2-7, Alonso 4-2-2-12, Fantry 6-1-3-17, Austin 9-1-3-19, Meicer 0-0-0-0. TOTALS: 35-7-16-84.

East 24 31 - 55

North 41 43 - 84

Three-pointers: East - Dominie 1; North - Fantry 4, Alonso 2, Wertman 1.

BOYS

EAST

Cosenza 1-0-0-2, Albert 1-1-1-3, Pachuta 4-0-0-8, Graf 0-0-0-0, Graziani 2-0-0-4, Muscavero 2-4-4-9, Tout-Puissant 7-1-2-15, Templeton 4-0-0-9, Donaldson 1-0-0-2, Fehnel 5-0-0-11, Ryan 2-0-0-4. TOTALS: 29-6-7-67.

NORTH

Koch 8-4-4-23, Hoffman 4-1-2-9, Sugra 4-3-5-11, D’Emilio 4-0-2-11, Roberts 1-0-0-2, Smith 1-0-0-2, Amorim 3-0-0-6, Duff 5-0-0-15, Conner 0-3-4-3, Dixon 2-0-0-4, Little 1-0-0-2, Barnhart 3-4-6-11. TOTALS: 36-15-23-100.

East 28 39 - 67

North 41 59 - 100

Three-pointers: East - Muscavero 1, Templeton 1, Fehnel 1; North - Duff 5, Koch 3, D’Emilio 3, Barnhart 1.