The Emmaus High School boys basketball team is off to a good start during the Lehigh Valley Summer League. As of this week, the Green Hornets have won seven of their first nine games and are near the top of the Large School Division standings.

“We are happy with where we are so far and how the team is playing,” said assistant coach Eric Farkas. “They are working hard and everyone seems to be bought in. We’ve had a large number of guys show up for most of the games, even though the summer can be tough with attendance with vacations and other sports and what not.”

One of the more marquee wins of the summer for Emmaus, that also made some noise around the Lehigh Valley, was its victory over defending PIAA 6A state champion, Reading. The Green Hornets defeated the Knights 62-38 last Tuesday, June 20. Will Barber led the way in scoring with a game-high 14 points, and Jametric Harris also stepped up as a leader, according to Farkas.

“Will and Jametric have really shown their experience and leadership this summer, especially during that Reading game,” Farkas said. “Those are two really good players and we need them to step up and be leaders for our younger guys to be successful. They’ve done a good job of it this summer.”

In the week before last, Emmaus also defeated Saucon Valley, 40-32, Tuesday, June 13. Harris was the one who led the charge, finishing with 15 points. The Green Hornets also dropped their next game two nights later, falling to Eastern Pennsylvania Conference foe, Whitehall, 50-39.

There is a cluster of teams at the top of the standings, all within a game or less within each other. Emmaus is 7-2 and is just one-half game behind four teams that are 8-2, including Central Catholic, Executive Education, Reading and Wilson West Lawn. Parkland is in first at 8-1, followed by Whitehall at 7-1.

There are another two weeks of games, with a shortened week next week due to the Fourth of July. The first major tournament of the summer, the Bash at the Beach, is from July 13-16, at Cedar Beach.