The Emmaus High School boys basketball team has been back out on the court for summer league action over the last five weeks. The Green Hornets, according to head coach Steve Yoder, have taken this offseason seriously and are competing at a high level, even with a slower start to their normal routine.

“While we did not get into the gym and weight room as much as we would have liked to this spring, that is going to change here soon,” said Yoder. “As far as summer league goes, turnout and effort have been great. It is a group that loves to compete and is a very tight-knit group. I’ve really enjoyed seeing the commitment, effort and support of each other as teammates from the group this offseason. It is a really fun group to coach and be around. They’re making the summer fun, but are also learning and getting better each day.”

Emmaus is 5-3 overall and tied for sixth in the league standings. The Green Hornets fell in both of their games last week, by two points to Reading and by eight against Whitehall. Yoder noted there are several different players that have played well so far early on this summer.

“There are really too many guys that have stepped up this summer to mention just a few,” said Yoder. “Experienced players like Dylan Darville and Will Barber have certainly shown a lot of consistency, but a lot of our less experienced players have shown a lot of growth. Guys like Chase Muckey, Wilson Daniel Charlot, Mikey Whitland, Jametric Harris, Jeremy Ko, Josh Greenplate, Dom Nunez, Teague McCourt and the Santos twins (Aidan and Pacey) have all had some great moments for us this summer.”

With a large group that has impressed Yoder so far, the team has made a positive impact in the eyes of their head coach.

“What excites me most about this group is what we have going with our team dynamics,” Yoder said. “Coaches and players alike really enjoy being around each other. They are very coachable, and have a great competitive spirit. I couldn’t be more excited about what this season will bring. We are a very close-knit group, and we are just enjoying every moment of the grind.”

With five weeks in to the summer league and the Cedar Beach Bash at the Beach this weekend, Yoder explained what he is looking to accomplish.

“For me it is a lot of evaluating,” Yoder said. “We have some pieces returning, but we also have a lot of players that will be looking to work their way into the rotation. Who is going to make that next step this summer and show that they are ready to physically play on this level and make the commitment it will take to do so. To this point they are pushing each other, supporting each other, and showing that they are all in for this upcoming season, and that makes this a great group to be around.”

Here are scores from last week’s games along with updated standings through games played Thursday, June 16.

Tuesday, June 14

SMALL SCHOOL DIVISION

Roberto Clemente 61 (Syncere Dixon 17), Upper Perkiomen 55

Saucon Valley 75 (Jack Robertson 23), Kutztown 33

Salisbury 51 (Jiro Suarez & Lucas Graver 10), Bethlehem Christian 33

Lehighton 48 (Blake Roberts 16), Catasauqua 36

BIG SCHOOL DIVISION

Pocono Mt. East 52 (Sebastian Fermin 21), Nazareth 42

Wilson West Lawn 65 (Seamus Breslin 13), Palmerton 57

Northampton 67 (Sam Koplin 18), Phillipsburg 57

Reading 51 (Myles Grey 22), Emmaus 49

Muhlenberg 66 (Xzavion Robertson 19), Bangor 43

Southern Lehigh 43 (Jonah Shaw 15), Whitehall 40

Executive Education 34 (Moustapha Sanoh 12), Central Catholic 27

Dieruff 29 (Alexis Rosario and Zajari Tirado 9), Quakertown 26 (OT)

Thursday, June 16

SMALL SCHOOL DIVISION

Kutztown 62 (Andrew Fleming 24), Roberto Clemente 47

Northwestern 57 (OT) (Cayden Fitch 14), Saucon Valley 50

Lehighton 44 (Blake Roberts 18), Bethlehem Christian 28

Upper Perkiomen 50 (Evan Bosler 14), Catasauqua 40

BIG SCHOOL DIVISION

Whitehall 41 (AJ Hines 12), Emmaus 33

Parkland 43 (Matthew Ray 14), Quakertown 34

Muhlenberg 51 (Eric Branch & Luis Valentin 11), Liberty 30

Nazareth 45 (Cole Dibilio 10), Southern Lehigh 39

Freedom 49 (Josh Washington 17), Easton 31

Notre Dame Green Pond 71 (Zach Rodgers 27), Executive Education 45

Phillipsburg 48 (Matthew Scerbo Jr. 16), Allen 32

Service Electric Big School Player of the Week: Sebastian Fermin, Pocono Mt. East

St. Luke’s Small School Player of the Week: Blake Roberts, Lehighton

Standings

SMALL SCHOOL DIVISION

Team W-L

Northwestern 7-0

Saucon Valley 6-1

Roberto Clemente 5-3

Upper Perkiomen 4-3

Lehighton 4-4

Kutztown 3-3

Catasauqua 2-5

Salisbury 1-6

Bethlehem Christian 0-7

BIG SCHOOL DIVISION

Team W-L

Muhlenberg 8-0

Parkland 8-0

Executive Education 7-2

Freedom 6-2

Central Catholic 5-2

Emmaus 5-3

Northampton 5-3

Notre Dame GP 5-3

Wilson West Lawn 5-3

Pocono Mt. East 4-4

Quakertown 4-4

Reading 4-4

Phillipsburg 3-3

Whitehall 4-5

Dieruff 3-5

Liberty 3-5

Palmerton 3-5

Nazareth 3-6

Allen 1-7

Bangor 1-7

Southern Lehigh 1-7

Easton 0-8