Ashley Wenskoski, Senior
On Monday afternoon, the Pirates ship set sail for Philadelphia! A plethora of students made the trip from Kintnersville to see Palisades Basketball compete against the Palmerton Blue Bombers at the Wells Fargo Center, with over 400 students from both schools projected to be in attendance. Before the game, senior captain Noah Marshall expressed his excitement about the opportunity. “It is a great experience to play at the Wells Fargo Center today, however we can’t let the environment distract us because it is still an important game,” he exclaimed. While the Pirates electrified the arena and played a hard-fought game through three quarters, they let the score slip away in the fourth quarter of action and fell to the Bombers by a score of 59-45. However, playing and having their school support them at the Wells Fargo Center still proved to be a prestigious opportunity for many of the players that they will not soon forget.
With a record of 2-1 as the season begins, the Pirates look towards a prosperous year with a group of seniors that have grown up alongside one another through multiple sports. Returning captains and three-year varsity players Noah Marshall and twins Grayson and Kane Deiley look to steer the ship in the right direction. Three-year varsity player Dan Muth also brings a veteran leadership presence to the team. To begin the season, Palisades faced Bristol and Sayre High Schools in the annual Bristol Coaches vs. Cancer Tournament. Breaking an infamous record of not winning their opening game in 21 seasons, the Pirates prevailed to win the tournament and featured many notable achievements. Point Guard Grayson Deiley received the honor of being named First-Team All Tournament, while Noah Marshall received the award of tournament MVP for averaging seventeen points per game. Marshall follows in the footsteps of Head Coach Christopher Alba, who won the same MVP award in 1997. The Pirates look to take their impressive beginning to the season and build on it, increasing momentum and effort every game.
Coach Alba is in his third year at the helm of the ship and brings unrivaled experience to the team. This year, he has switched to a faster-paced offense and it has proved to be quite effective thus far. While Coach Alba’s basketball knowledge guides the Pirates immensely, it is his character that the players believe is the most important factor behind their success. “He teaches us not just about basketball but also about life skills,” senior Dan Muth claims. Marshall echoes the sentiments of his teammate, saying that Alba “emphasizes the little things like respect and attributes off of the basketball court that make us better people.”
The Pirates have the majority of their season ahead of them, providing many opportunities for the Palisades community to attend their spirited games in the Gold Gym’s “Pirate Cove”. Their regular season stretches until February 5th against Saucon Valley. The Pirates are in agreement that the two games this season that will prove to be the biggest challenges are Moravian Academy and Notre Dame Green-Pond. The team faces Moravian on December 13th at home at 6:15 pm as well as on January 14th at Moravian at 6:45 pm. Similarly, they will face off against Notre Dame Green-Pond twice, on December 21st at 6:45 pm away and later in the season on January 26th at 6:45 pm at home in Kintnersville. Palisades Basketball is a can’t-miss attraction in Kintnersville, so be sure to catch the action and pack The Cove this season!
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