"We had our ups and downs," Jeff Jacksits said after Northampton's final girls' basketball game on Friday.

The Konkrete Kids had just lost to Nazareth 47-32 and coach Jacksits wasn't exactly happy that the season was over.

"It was a season of would of, could of, should of," he said as Northampton wound up with a 6-10 record in the Eastern Pennsylvania Conference's Skyline Division.

The Kids, who were 7-15 overall, "played hard all season and we started to click as a team too late" to make the EPC and District 11 playoffs.

"We had a bad start (2-8) because we didn't have enough game experience," the coach added. "With only three seniors, our girls just lacked experience, but we progressed, but it was too late."

Jacksits, who now has a 174-113 record in his 11 years as head coach, said "early victories would have helped" as his team missed the playoffs for the first time in nine years. Jacksits' first team had only seven wins as did this year's team.

"We had some good years (two championships and several runner-up years), but sometimes things just don't work out the way you want them to," he said.

"Our seniors (Giovanna Martinez, Ali Reppert and Francesca Sanchez) worked hard and contributed with their best efforts," Jacksits says. "But things just didn't work out."

Martinez, who was the team's second highest scorer this season, finished strong offensively by getting 55 of her 169 points in the final four games. Reppert was "steady on defense with only a little game experience at the beginning" with Sanchez "coming through in our wins over Freedom and Whitehall," said Jacksits.

"We had no true point guard at the start, but (junior Lauren) Sterner did her best and she'll be back next year. Sophomore Aja Blount (who wasjust announced as an EPC first team all-star selection this week) was tops on the boards and scored 343 points (she has 567 in two years as a starter)," Jacksits added as he's looking forward to next year.

"Our future looks bright. Our jayvees were .500 and our freshman and middle school teams had 18-4 records and our fitness and weight programs will help us," Jacksits concluded.

In Northampton's final game against Nazareth (on Senior/Parents Night), Martinez was top scorer with 11 points and Blount added nine with junior Sophia Eckroth and sophomore Briana Butto getting four each.

EPC ALL-STARS

1st Team

MVP - Kalista Walters, Becahi; Jackie Benitez, P.M. West; Alyssa Mack, ACC; Tessa Brugler, Nazareth; Kassie Behler, Nazareth; Maggie Melham, Becahi; Aja Blount, Northampton; Khyasia Caldwell, P.M. East; Kiyae White, Emmaus; Dom Moser, Easton

Honorable Mention

Lexii Anderson, Dieruff; Alpreshia Parker, P.M. East; Taylor George, Whitehall; Nadine Ewald, Parkland; Maddie Capuano, Liberty; Olivia Roseman, ACC; Gabby Bloshuk, Easton; Kaylin West, Liberty.