The Parkland High School boys basketball team continued its success from the Lehigh Valley Summer League into the first major tournament of the summer.

The Trojans won 11 of 12 games during the regular season, earning the top seed in the Large School Division in the summer league. They then continued that momentum and made a run to the championship game of the Bash at the Beach tournament at Cedar Beach last weekend.

Parkland went 4-2 overall, the two losses both coming at the hands of eventual champion Central Catholic.

“It was a really good weekend overall,” said assistant coach Austin Beidelman, who was the acting head coach for most of the weekend. “We played some really good teams and got a lot of good competition, which is what we wanted. We played well and the guys really impressed us. They competed really well and played together. The entire summer, the kids have been putting in the work and you see the success that is leading to so far.”

Parkland opened the event on Friday evening and defeated fellow Eastern Pennsylvania Conference opponent Freedom, 48-20, behind 19 points from Robbie Ruisch. About 15 hours later, the Trojans were back on the hardwood and took down another conference foe in Nazareth. With the continued wins, they were able to stay out of the heat and play fewer games in the double-elimination format.

The next game wasn’t until Sunday morning when Parkland went out-of-conference and beat Muhlenberg Township, 59-47, inside Whitehall High School due to rain.

In a quick turnaround, the Trojans fell in the winner’s bracket final to the Vikings, 48-45, before answering immediately in picking up a rival victory over Emmaus to make it to the championship game and a rematch with CCHS. The Trojans held a double-digit lead in the second half, but the Vikings stormed back to win.

Everyone that knows the program knows that reigning EPC MVP Nick Coval is the do-it-all type for Parkland, but Beidelman had some praises for some other players from the weekend.

“Nick does so much for us,” Beidelman said. “Scoring, passing, defense, he’s the leader on the floor for us. Guys are coming along though and stepping up when he’s not around or maybe not having the best of games. Jayden Thomas had a fantastic weekend and is doing great this summer, coming back from a major injury. He’s really progressing well and we’re pushing him hard. Robbie Ruisch is another guy who is playing well, he can really shoot. I think the guys are getting better every day and they liked being coached, which is a dream for us.”

Next up, Parkland is competing in the LV summer league playoffs. The Trojans earned a victory in the quarterfinal round over Reading. They will then play in the Atown Throwdown tournament, back at Cedar Beach, next weekend.