Nazareth Falls One Point Short of LVC Title

bid at a Lehigh Valley Conference title fell tantalizingly short Friday night, as the Blue Eagles rallied from an early 11-4 deficit, but eventually fell to Allentown Central Catholic 26-25 at Freedom High School.

The Blue Eagles took a 25-23 lead with 2:50 left in the game on a basket by Kim Owens, but Cental Catholic (21-3) regained the edge with a three-point play by Haley Smith at the 2:05 mark.

Nazareth (19-4) had numerous chances to win the LVC title in the final minutes, but shots by Caitlyn Gary and Lennon Kramer missed the mark.

The Blue Eagles had a final opportunity for victory with seven seconds to play, but a layup attempt by senior Erika Livermore rolled in and out.

“She’s won 60 games for me, so I can’t be too disappointed,” said head coach Rich Bickert. “I’m as proud of this team as I’ve ever been. They could’ve packed it and they kept fighting.”

Livermore said she thought she might have been fouled on the game’s final shot, but shrugged it off.

“It was the same play in the first game when we lost to them by one,” Livermore said. “Gold is better than silver, but to lose by one point to one of the best teams in the league is not terrible. We still have Districts.”

Livermore was awarded the league’s MVP trophy following the game.

Central Catholic’s Kerry Kinek led all scorers with 18 points.

NAZARETH (25)

Jacalyn Hikes 0 0-0 0, Gina Facinelli 1 1-2 4, Lennon Kramer 3 0-2 6, Morgan Calabrese 0 0-0 0, Caitlyn Gary 2 2-2 6, Erika Livermore 3 1-1 7, Kim Owens  1 0-0 2. Totals: 10 4-7 25.

CENTRAL CATHOLIC (26)

Casey Hollawell 0 0-0 0, Abigail Guman 1 0-1 2, Haley Smith 1 1-3,  Jenna Kocsis 1 0-0 3, Kerry Kinek 7 3-4 18. Totals 10 4-6 26.

Nazareth – 4  4  9 8 – 25
Central Catholic – 11 4  5 6 – 26

Officials: Rob Moser, Dennis Brong and Bob Bosak.
Fouled out: None.
3-point goals: Nazareth: Facinelli; Central Catholic: Kinek

Check back later for photos and a full story on tonight's game from Tom De Martini.