The Emmaus High School boys basketball team earned an exciting 54-49 victory over Liberty in an Eastern Pennsylvania Conference game on Tuesday, Dec.19. That win kept the Green Hornets undefeated in the conference after the first five games of the 2023-24 regular season. But the unblemished league mark did not last much longer as they were taken down three nights later against defending EPC champion Central Catholic, 46-40 last Friday night at Rockne Hall.

In the win over the Hurricanes, the score was tied 14-14 after the opening quarter, but Liberty was able to take an advantage into the locker room at halftime, outscoring Emmaus 11-7 for a 25-21 lead.

The Hornets had a big third quarter as they took a 39-33 advantage into the final quarter after outscoring the Hurricanes 18-8 in the third. Liberty pulled to within four points with a little over 30 seconds left to play, but Emmaus sealed the game at the free-throw line.

Jametric Harris led the Hornets with 19 points in the win over Liberty, while Will Barber added 14 points while playing through early foul trouble.

Emmaus had to have tired legs in its game at Central Catholic last Friday as it played its 10th game in 20 days. The Green Hornets were in it the whole way, though, trailing by one (11-10) after the first quarter and at halftime (18-17). They tied the game up at 30-30 heading into the final stanza, but the Vikings just had a little bit more gas and outscored Emmaus 16-10 in the fourth for the win. Barber finished with a team-best 15 points and both Teague McCourt and Jack Curley-Katrishen each added eight. Harris tallied six points. Emmaus is not playing in any holiday tournaments this year and is off until the New Year. The Green Hornets are back in action with a conference game at Stroudsburg next Wednesday night. They are 8-2 overall and 5-1 in the conference.