The Emmaus boys basketball team kicked the season off strong after displaying a tight team dynamic in a 68-65 win during their first home game against Dieruff this weekend. 

Even in the face of unfamiliar game guidelines due to COVID-19 restrictions, the Hornets started steadily with the first points of the game being scored by senior Danny Bohman with a hook shot in the first minute of play. Despite a resistant defense from Dieruff, junior Demetri Rodgers initiated a strategic play by passing the ball to Bohman, who then made a straight pass to senior Shepard Henseler, ending with Henseler sinking the shot. 

Emmaus held the lead in the beginning of the second quarter 23-14, but the Huskies immediately challenged their defense. Junior Jadis Brevitt charged the ball down the court and scored a layup, contributing to the Hornet’s lead. However, Dieruff bounced back and eliminated the Hornets’ 12-point lead, leaving the game tied 33-33 at halftime. 

“You know, I was a little frustrated as a coach, but the panic button, I wasn’t pressing the panic button by any means,” Emmaus head coach Steven Yoder said. “It was a tie game and we just had to be better than them for 16 minutes, and I felt good about the adjustments that we as a staff could make at halftime.”

Third quarter began slowly with equally matched forces on defense and offense until Dieruff took the lead with a series of foul shots and a jump shot. The ball went back and forth for the majority of the last two quarters. By the end of the fourth quarter, the Huskies pushed to balance the score in the remaining 35 seconds, raising their score by 8 points. Regardless, the Hornets gripped on to their lead, winning 68-65. 

Coach Yoder, satisfied with the game’s results, said he will “never apologize for a win.” 

Despite losing five seniors, he looks forward to coaching this year’s team, and applauds their appreciation for their season, though limited by COVID-19. 

“The environment tonight, and for any upcoming home games we’ll have, was totally different…” Yoder said. “Coaching here has been great for home games because it doesn’t take much to pack it. Teams hate coming here because we have such a great home court atmosphere. We didn’t have that tonight and we won’t, nobody will.”