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Before we take our final look at this winter’s high school basketball poll (and in the interest of full disclosure)…let’s look back at which teams our poll experts had predicted when we started the season – the first time – back in late November/ early December.
EPC-LV TOP 5 (Preseason Version)
2) Allen
3) Easton
4) Parkland
5) Northampton
COLONIAL TOP 5 (Preseason Version)
2) Notre Dame
3) Bangor
4) Northwestern
5) Palmerton
As you’ll see, the biggest change – and the biggest surprise – was Southern Lehigh. The Spartans were tapped by many to be the best team in the Colonial League and in Class 5A, featuring the return of one of the premier basketball players from the previous season. Instead, the defending Colonial League and District 11 5A champions were eliminated in the first round of both the conference and district playoffs.
Obviously, the main goal for all teams was to just try to get through this past winter sports season healthy. Otherwise, you would have to look at Southern Lehigh as one of the biggest disappointments of the winter.
The EPC poll had fewer surprises and was a little easier to predict.
With that, it’s time for us to take our final look at our high school basketball or teams in the RCN viewing area within District XI boundaries.
For this winter, we broke the two polls down into the Eastern Pennsylvania Conference (Lehigh Valley teams only) and Colonial League schools, within the RCN broadcast area.
Like the fall, our pollsters consisted of local media members and coaches/administrators from our local teams, who will remain anonymous so they can vote honestly without retribution and to avoid any “bulletin board” material.
So below we have high school polls for both leagues, along with the listing of all of the teams that are included in our respective categories.
Feel free to email me at Chris.Michael@rcn.net for your thoughts on our final poll and we might read and respond to your emails on this week’s SportsTalk show.
EPC-LV TOP 5
1) Allen
3) Parkland
4) Easton*
5) Northampton
*Season concluded due to school district protocols
Eligible Teams (in no particular order):
Central Catholic, Bethlehem Catholic, Easton, Freedom, Liberty, Dieruff, Allen, Parkland, Whitehall, Emmaus, Nazareth, and Northampton
COLONIAL TOP 5
1) Bangor
2) Notre Dame
3) Northwestern
4) Palmerton
Eligible Teams (in no particular order):
Bangor, Pen Argyl, Notre Dame – Green Pond, Wilson, Catasauqua, Salisbury, Saucon Valley, Northwestern, Northern Lehigh, Southern Lehigh and Palisades
We will be looking at the last several months of scholastic sports action in our viewing area over the next few weeks here at “The Shop” and on our RCN SportsTalk television program.
Simultaneously, we’ll start gearing up for the spring sports season, present some interviews and previews of local teams and storylines of interest and more … all coming your way over the next month!
