It was a quick turnaround between the conclusion of the Bash at the Beach tournament at Cedar Beach and the start of the Lehigh Valley Summer Basketball League playoffs at Whitehall High School, as the quarterfinal round took place just two days following Sunday’s final day of the tournament.

The Green Hornets competed on that Sunday, having played three games after playing in four the day before, all under the heat of the sun. Without much time to rest, Emmaus was back in action in the playoffs last Tuesday night. The Hornets earned the sixth seed after finishing with a 9-3 overall record and played the three seed, Executive Education, who ended at 10-2.

Tired legs seemed to show early as Emmaus fell behind by double digits in the first half before climbing back, but just did not complete the comeback, falling 55-51.

“This playoff game put us in a great matchup against a very good team,” said varsity assistant coach and acting head coach during the summer playoffs Eric Farkas. “I wasn’t sure how we would respond after coming off of playing eight games the previous weekend at the Bash at the Beach. Our boys battled and never gave up. We were down 16 points early on in the game and we continued to fight and put ourselves in a place to win down the stretch. Executive made a few more plays down the stretch and ultimately got the better of us that night.”

The Raptors are a tough matchup for any team, winners of five straight District 11 championships.

“Executive is a very athletic team, who was extremely physical,” Farkas said. “They also had a size advantage on us. In the beginning of the game, Executive used their advantages to build a lead. We were forced to call a time out and I talked to the boys about competing and chipping away. I told them we belong. These Emmaus boys responded.”

There is still one more tournament to be played this summer, the A-town Throwdown, back at Cedar Beach this weekend. Farkas is hoping to continue to see his team grow together and play good basketball.

“This summer has helped us grow as a team,” said Farkas. “We are still learning a lot about this crew, but we know they compete. There is no quit in this team and that’s what I love most about coaching them. Each night a new person steps up and shows that refuse to give in attitude.”