Stellar Tourney Starts Tonight!

"Who Dat" Lambert sinks free throw against LHS,earlier this summer. 

The hottest weather of the year is upon us. Muggy. Temperature in the 90s. This is swimming pool weather, not the time to be on a macadam basketball court so hot that it melts the soles of your sneakers. Yet this is precisely when two of the Lehigh Valley's most exciting basketball tournaments are played.

First is the Stellar Tournament, which has attracted 50 high school teams. Girls' basketball started last night, and this weekend, it will be nonstop basketball, from 9 am until well after the sun fades away. Next weekend, Sportsfest will host yet another tournament, the A-town Throwdown, including many of the same teams.

I have listed tonight's games below, along with the each team's state ranking at the end of the season. That was probably a waste of my time. Rankings mean very little when some players graduate while other active players may be away. On paper, favorites would have to include William Allen, Pocono Mountain West, Parkland and Bishop McDevitt. But Liberty and Bangor are playing surprisingly well, too. And really, every team is in the hunt. Part of it is sheer athletics. But another part is endurance, the willingness to keep on going as temperatures soar and players get tired. Of course, I'll be rooting for Central Catholic and their deadly three-pointers.  

Faith Christian (124) v. Shenandoah Valley (272)
Unified School of Arts (unrated) v. Kutztown (134)
Berks Catholic (182) v. Pen Argyl (286)
Bethlehem Catholic ( 175) v. Exeter (163)
Warren Hills (NJ) v. Governor Mifflin (102)
Emmaus (49) v. Cedar Crest (63)(Lebanon)
Salisbury (170) v. Pocono Mountain West (76)
Wyomissing (287) v. Spring-Ford (46)
Lehighton (333) v. Mahanoy (80)
Phillipsburg (NJ) v. Saucon Valley (171)
Northampton (122) v. Boyertown  (306)  
Central Catholic (138) v. Lancaster Catholic (209)