Bethlehem Catholic’s girls basketball team understood the assignment and received an A+ for their 62-50 victory over undefeated Easton on Jan. 12 at Bethlehem Catholic.

“Our plan was to rebound, compete, and fight hard. We knew we were going against a good team. We lost to them last year by three points, so beating them by this amount is really good,” said Becahi forward Daviana Jones. “Seeing all these people in the bleachers cheering for us, it was the most important feeling ever. I was smiling on the court. I was like, these people are here for us because they know we can do it, so winning and proving them right is a really great feeling.”

Jones had the hot hand last Friday night, positioned to tie the game twice and put Becahi ahead in the first half, shortly before the break.

Becahi guard Ella Bincarosky’s 3-pointer and Akasha Santos’s layup after Leah Ault intercepted an Easton pass combined for a 30-25 halftime lead.

“It was really important for us because we’ve never really had that over Easton before, so us, going into the second half, and knowing we were up, gave us the incentive to want to push even harder,” Jones said. “With the conditioning Coach Arnold has put us through, we knew we could push forward. We had to take Evalyse Cole away, and we would mess their offense up. Taking away the (Elias) twins and their 3-point shot helped us as well.”

Easton’s eight-point run put the Red Rovers ahead momentarily, but Hernandez’s 3-pointer and Santos’s bucket off an intercepted pass by Hernandez put the Hawks back on top, 43-39, to end the third quarter.

“Lansdale [Catholic] taught us a lot, being able to play against big girls,” said Becahi coach Arnold Alleyne, regarding the Hawks’ game against last year’s state champion three weeks ago. “That’s why we want to play tough competition, to be prepared, so we continue to work, and train, and prep, and that test came a couple weeks ago, so we were prepared.”

The Hawks made every fourth-quarter possession count, beginning with Hernandez’s no-look pass to Jones for three.

“Cici is one of the best point guards I could ever ask for. Her no-look passes are always there. She knows where to find everyone, and it’s all about basketball I.Q., knowing where everyone is on the court, and where the defenders are, and how much space, and how much time you have to get a shot off,” Jones said. “ I know my strengths and weaknesses, and I know I’m really good at shooting corner shots, so when I see an opening, I tend to go there.”

Hernandez then grabbed a defensive rebound and went the length of the court for a layup and a nine-point lead.

“Easton’s a great team, but also, Bethlehem Catholic is a good team. I give them respect because I just found out they haven’t lost in about two years in the regular season, but we were prepared to play, and it showed,” said Coach Alleyne. “I’m very happy for the girls. We’re very unselfish, and we celebrate each other.”