With the growing phenomenon that AAU basketball is, the high-profile showcase tournaments, where players can be scouted by college coaches, have been a must-attend events for prospects that want to play collegiate basketball. That has impacted teams from the Lehigh Valley when it comes to the two major summer basketball tournaments held annually at Allentown’s Cedar Beach Park.

The Emmaus boys basketball team was without two of its players for the opening game on Thursday night, and missing one of the two Saturday afternoon as the Hornets lost both games and had one of the quickest exits from the double-elimination Stellar “Catch A Rising Star” Tournament than they’ve had in years.

Without seniors guards David and Matt Kachelries, the Green Hornets struggled offensively in the opener, and fell to Cedar Crest 42-37.

“Obviously with David and Matt there we are a completely different team,” said Hornet head coach Steve Yoder. “Without them there though, it’s a great opportunity for our young kids. We have a lot of kids with zero varsity experience. It can be a blessing in disguise. Winning is great and all, but it is about getting these guys some playing time.

“Guys like Cameron Brown, Daryn Lewis, Bryce Diehl, Zach Sabol, Josh Artis and Cole Ferguson are all young when it comes to varsity level of play. That was great for us to get them experience.”

On Saturday, Matt Kachelries was able to play, but his brother David was still out, and Emmaus was beaten and eliminated by Freedom 43-39 in overtime.

“The offense just seemed to go away on us,” Yoder said. “We had nine first-half points. I emphasized to them all weekend, ‘let’s get our offense from our defense.’ When we pressed and sped up the game, a lot of good things happened for us. That then made things easier for us offensively, and our confidence grew. I thought the second half was a great period for us.”

Pocono Mountain West defeated Whitehall for this year’s Stellar boys title. And with Liberty making the final four, there were three area teams out of the four semifinalists, which may show that District 11 will be very competitive come the winter season.

“There aren’t going to be many nights off this year,” said Yoder. “When you think of the three teams there, and then you have Allen and Parkland who are very good, Central Catholic had a good tournament. There’s no panic here for us. Hopefully we can do better next week [at Sportsfest].”

The weekend wasn’t all dreary for the Emmaus basketball program. The JV team brought home gold by winning its tournament, and making a 5-0 run on the way to the title.

Diehl, Brown and Mark Swedberg played instrumental roles for the team. Diehl was named tournament MVP, and Swedberg was named to the All-Tournament team.

“I told them they carried the torch for the program this weekend,” Yoder stated. “Our JV teams have a long track record of making it to the finals in this tournament. They played really well all weekend, and that bodes well for the future. It was nice to see, and they’re a great group of kids.”

Emmaus varsity will play Daniel Boone, Saucon Valley and North Hunterdon in the round-robin style Sportsfest tournament, beginning with a Thursday night matchup against the Panthers at 8 p.m. The top two teams out of the four-team bracket will make Sunday’s single-elimination playoffs.