Thirteen area players chosen for Via All-Star Basketball Classic

The best players in the greater Lehigh Valley have been chosen to represent their high schools in the 43rd annual Via All-Star Basketball Classic, which raises funds for Via of the Lehigh Valley’s programs for adults and children with disabilities.

Thirteen athletes from the Times News area were selected to play in the game.

Northwestern’s Gabby Sevrain, Jessica Williamson and Leighanna Lister; Lehighton’s Aubrey Blasiak and Skylynn Faust; Palmerton’s Linnaea Leister; and Northern Lehigh’s Jillian Olewine will all be on the West girls team.

The West boys team will have Caine Carpenter of Lehighton, Gio Colon of Northern Lehigh, and Ryan Yacone of Palmerton.

Pleasant Valley’s Masani Francis will be on the North girls team. The Bears’ Isaiah Howard and Colin Stivala will both play for the North boys team.

Via Super Saturday is at Northampton Community College on March 31. Games begin at 10:30 a.m. Four boys and four girls all-star teams will match up for four games throughout the day.

The North all-stars will face their counterparts from the South at 10:30 (girls) and 12 p.m. (boys). After the 1:30 p.m. Special Olympics Shoot Out, the West will face the East at 2 p.m. (girls) and 3:30 p.m. (boys). Games will utilize a running clock with 20-minute halves as well as shot clocks and a college three-point line.

The Via All-Star Basketball Classic is presented by Service Electric TV2 Sports, and the banquet’s keynote speaker, Herschel Walker, is presented by the Sands Bethlehem Casino Resort. Other key sponsorships include: BB&T, St. Luke’s University Health Network, Northampton Community College and Reichenbach Fuel.

In addition to the All-Star games, the Lehigh Valley High School Basketball Hall of Fame announced the 2018 inductees to be honored at the Via All-Star Banquet on March 28. The Hall of Fame was established in 1978 and honors individuals who have made outstanding contributions to high school basketball in the Lehigh Valley. A complete listing of inductees can be found at www.ViaNet.org.

This year’s Hall of Fame inductees include Emmaus girls basketball head coach Kelsey Gallagher, a 2008 graduate of East Stroudsburg Souther High School; Rich Baker, a 1999 Stroudsburg graduate who is also a former head coach at his alma mater; Marc Holum, a 2000 gradaute of Saucon Valley High School; Rich Fatzinger, who coached both boys and girls basketball at Parkland High School and the boys team at Central Catholic High School; and the Central Catholic Class of 1984, which won a Class 3A boys state championship.

ROSTERS

North Girls

Meghan Barone (Bangor), Angie Byra (Stroudsburg), Masani Francis (Pleasant Valley), Tamia Hines (Stroudsburg), Mikaela Miller (Pleasant Valley), Briann Ohland (Bangor), Brianna Peterson (East Stroudsburg North), Jameka Pilgrim (Pocono Mountain West), Hope Williams (East Stroudsburg South)

North Boys

Colin Brady (Stroudsburg), Greg Eck (East Stroudsburg South), Travis Elmore (Pocono Mountain West), Royce Frazier (Notre Dame-East Stroudsburg), Jahi Hamilton (East Stroudsburg South), Isaiah Howard (Pleasant Valley), Saveon Jackson (Stroudsburg), Tony Jones (Bangor), Lee Mosley (Pocono Mountain West), Devante Nelson (East Stroudsburg North), Elias Scott (Pocono Mountain East), Saber Singleton (Bangor), Colin Stivala (Pleasant Valley)

South Girls

Keon Andrews (Allen), Avery Bennett (Southern Lehigh), Hope Brown (Bethlehem Catholic), Briana Hart (Emmaus), Helen Kreshchollek (Saucon Valley), Sarah McGee (Salisbury), Amanda Mobley (Southern Lehigh), Morgan Orloski (Bethlehem Catholic), Natalie Rhine (Bethlehem Catholic), Isis Russel (Allen), Kaylynn Stoble (Dieruff), Ciarra Wippel (Emmaus)

South Boys

Josh Artis (Emmaus), Logan Blondell (Southern Lehigh), Ammadeus Cannon (Liberty), Deandre Gardner (Bethlehem Catholic), Malik Gordon (Allen), Bless Jones (Allen), Jasiah Lopez (Allen), Will Melson (Dieruff), Maurice Moore (Lincoln Leadership Academy), Jack Reichenbach (Salisbury), CJ Richardson (Dieruff), Alex Serrano (Liberty), Ryan Young (Bethlehem Catholic)

West Girls

Aubrey Blasiak (Lehighton), Kenzie Bradley (Catasauqua), Julia Buchman (Parkland), Margaux Eripret (Central Catholic), Skylynn Faust (Lehighton), Linnaea Leister (Palmerton), Leighanna Lister (Northwestern), Jillian Olewine (Northern Lehigh), Kayla Reed (Central Catholic), Gabby Sevrain (Northwestern), Jessica Williamson (Northwestern), Alix Buskirk (Whitehall)

West Boys

Jake Bartholomew (Parkland), Caine Carpenter (Lehighton), Gio Colon (Northern Lehigh), Aidan Ellwood (Northampton), Isaiah Graves (Catasauqua), Kevin Kern (Central Catholic), Dat Lambert (Central Catholic), Jacob Lisicky (Whitehall), Michael Ruisch (Parkland), Jay Vaughn (Central Catholic), Cory Weisenberger (Northampton), Ryan Yacone (Palmerton)

East Girls

Olivia Brandt (Notre Dame-Green Pond), Leanna Deegan (Easton), Juliann Duignam (Nazareth), Natalie Galle (Notre Dame-Green Pond), Kyra Jefferson (Freedom), Caroline Joseph (Moravian Academy), Carissa Norder (Freedom), Jah’nel Oliver (Easton), Ally Quinn (Wilson), Hailey Silfies (Freedom), Kyla Smith (Easton), Gabby Vega (Wilson)

East Boys

Dylan Arnold (Freedom), Jahan Dotson (Nazareth), Vigan Gashi (Wilson), Jayshawn Grant (Phillipsburg), Jake Herres (Easton), Chalie Hohl (Notre Dame-Green Pond), TJ Lilly (Pen Argyl), Chris Mann (Phillipsburg), Qofi Quainoo (Moravian Academy), Maihan Ramin (Nazareth), Peter Rivera (Wilson), Mason Wickman (Nazareth)