Berwick girls clinch WVC Division 1 crown

Steve Stallone, The Citizens' Voice, Wilkes-Barre, Pa.
·11 min read

Feb. 27—SALEM TWP. — For senior Renny Murphy and the Berwick girls basketball team, Friday will be a day none will soon forget.

Murphy scored 14 points, including the 1,000th of her career, in the Bulldogs' home showdown with Wyoming Valley Conference rival Hazleton Area.

More importantly, her play helped lead Berwick to a 57-53 victory, clinching the Division 1 championship. It was the Bulldogs' first championship since 1998.

"All my family's here, great team behind me. It was nice. Having this team behind me is awesome," Murphy said as her teammates started to cut down the net. "We're all really good friends and it's been great."

The Bulldogs (11-3 overall, 10-2 Division 1) beat Hazleton Area for the second time in four days, and had to withstand a late Lady Cougars' run Friday to cement the championship.

Neither team led by more than four points during a see-saw first half. Murphy's foul-line bank shot at 6:26 of the second quarter gave the Bulldogs an 11-9 lead and her career-scoring milestone.

But Olivia Wolk's 3-pointer at the buzzer put the visiting Lady Cougars (11-7, 7-4) up, 22-20, at halftime.

The momentum was short-lived, as Berwick came out in the third quarter and outscored Hazleton Area, 23-10, to take a 43-32 lead. Murphy's long 3-pointer, another by Sarina DeFinnis, and tireless work on the boards by 6-foot center Katie Starr helped turn the tide. Starr had 11 of her team's third-quarter points, dominating in the paint against the smaller Lady Cougars. She finished with 19 points and 16 rebounds before fouling out in the fourth quarter.

"We don't have an answer for Katie Starr. She's strong. She's tough. She makes it look easy," Hazleton Area head coach Joe Gavio said. "Our kids are battling like hell. Our bigs are 5-foot-6. We were doing everything we could do."

Murphy had five points in the third-quarter surge.

"At halftime we knew we were frantic and our coach just told us we got it," she said. "All we have to do is get by their press and we're good."

That proved easier said than done.

Berwick was up, 51-37, with 2:52 to play on Rachel Whitenight's steal and layup. Then, Hazleton Area went on a 14-2 run to get back in it. Brooke Boretsksi scored eight straight points during a 55-second stretch, and Wolk's 3-pointer from the corner cut it to 53-51 with 45 seconds to play.

After a scramble for a loose ball, Murphy came up with it and was fouled. She hit two free throws with 38 seconds remaining, and DeFinnis added a layup to help seal the deal and give the Bulldogs their ninth straight win, and their first title in more than two decades.

"Beating Hazleton twice is tough," Berwick head coach Bill Phillips said. "But we were gritty. The kids fought.

"The season wasn't easy. We had a couple kids that didn't come out that started last year, we said next man up. We are playing some younger kids. We had COVID. We had to quarantine. We haven't lost since the quarantine."

Berwick 57, Hazleton Area 53

Hazleton Area (53)

O. Wolk 6 6-8 21, B. Boretski 3 4-4 10, J. Mrochko 2 4-6 8, J. Franek 2 1-2 5, C. Krizansky 2 1-2 5, L. Kringe 2 0-1 4, T. Kilker 0 0-0 0. Totals: 17 16-23 53.

Berwick (57)

K. Starr 7 5-8 19, R. Murphy 4 5-6 14, R. Whitenight 3 0-3 7, G. Starr 2 3-4 7, S. DeFinnis 2 0-1 5, J. Nevel 2 0-0 4, E. Ouimet 0 1-2 1, K. Hacker 0 0-0 0. Totals: 20 14-24 57.

Hazleton Area 7 15 10 21—53

Berwick 7 13 23 14—57

3-point goals: O. Wolk (Haz) 3, S. DeFinnis (Ber) 1, R. Whitenight (Ber) 1, R. Murphy (Ber) 1.

Lake-Lehman 52, Nanticoke Area 43

At Nanticoke Area, Chase Purdy scored a season-high 25 points, and Lake-Lehman scored 24 points in the fourth quarter to defeat Nanticoke Area.

Hailey Kline, Brenna Hunt and Claire Dougherty each scored eight points for Lake-Lehman.

Brooklyn Biehl scored a season-high 13 points for Nanticoke Area. Riley Baird also had 13, while Genevieve Nalepa scored six. Nanticoke Area saw its four-game winning streak come to an end.

Lake-Lehman 52, Nanticoke Area 43

Lake-Lehman (52)

C. Purdy 7 9-11 25, C. Dougherty 3 2-2 8, H. Kline 2 4-6 8, B. Hunt 3 1-2 8, M. Brdaric 1 0-0 3, H. Jones 0 0-0 0, L. Keefe 0 0-0 0, Totals 16 16-21 52.

Nanticoke Area (43)

B. Biehl 5 0-0 13, R. Baird 5 2-3 13, G. Nalepa 2 0-0 6, L. Casey 2 1-2 5, E. Cullen 2 0-1 4, C. Aufiero 1 0-0 2, T. Thomas 0 0-0 0, Totals 17 3-6 43.

Lake-Lehman 11 9 8 24—52

Nanticoke Area 12 9 15 7—43

3-point goals: C. Purdy (LL) 2, M. Brdaric (LL) 1, B. Hunt (LL) 1, B. Biehl (NA) 3, G. Nalepa (NA) 2, R. Baird (NA) 1.

Wyoming Area 37, Hanover Area 20

At Hanover Area, Maria Amato scored a game-high 12 points, and Oliva Allen had seven to lead Wyoming Area.

Kaitlyn Slusser and Ashley Songalia each had five points for Wyoming Area.

Hannah Sawloski scored nine points and Brenna Slusser had seven for Hanover Area.

Wyoming Area 37, Hanover Area 20

Wyoming Area (37)

M. Amato 6 0-0 12, O. Allen 3 0-2 7, K. Slusser 2 0-0 5, A. Songalia 2 1-2 5, E. Holweg 2 0-0 4, G. Washney 1 0-0 2, A. Aufiere 1 0-0 2, R. Tart 0 0-0 0, S. Taylor 0 0-0 0, M. Janeski 0 0-0 0, H. Kranson 0 0-0 0, J. Williams 0 0-0 0, A. Thomas 0 0-0 0, Totals 17 1-4 37.

Hanover Area (20)

H. Salwoski 3 2-2 9, B. Slusser 2 2-2 7, M. Murphy 1 0-0 2, I. Curcio 1 0-0 2, M. Elick 0 0-0 0, P. Engleman 0 0-2 0, Totals 7 4-6 20.

Wyoming Area 11 9 10 7—37

Hanover Area 0 7 6 7—20

3-point goals: K. Slusser (WA) 1, O. Allen (WA) 1, H. Salwoski (HA) 1, B. Slusser (HA) 1.

Dallas 69, Crestwood 53

At Dallas, Bella Hill scored a season-high 21 points, and Victoria Spaciano tied a season-high with 15 as Dallas extended its winning streak to four.

Deanna Wallace scored 13 points for the Mountaineers, while Julia Kocher had nine.

Brianna Wickiser led Crestwood with 14 points. Jaden Weiss had 11, while Julia Glowacki had eight.

Dallas 69, Crestwood 53

Crestwood (53)

B. Wickiser 6 2-3 14, J. Weiss 4 0-2 11, J. Glowacki 2 2-2 8, C. Hiller 3 0-0 6, H. Jardine 1 1-2 4, C. Collins 1 0-0 3, B. Kijek 1 0-0 3, J. Johnson 1 0-0 2, I. Caporuscio 1 0-0 2, G. Pasternick 0 0-2 0, O. Jardine 0 0-0 0, K. Bozinko 0 0-0 0, Totals 20 5-11 53.

Dallas (69)

B. Hill 8 2-4 21, V. Spaciano 7 1-2 15, D. Wallace 5 0-0 13, J. Kocher 4 1-1 9, N. Evanosky 2 2-4 6, C. Charlton 2 0-0 4, A. DelGaudio 0 1-2 1, M. Pevear 0 0-0 0, C. Strobel 0 0-0 0, E. Viglone 0 0-0 0, S. Hobson-Tomascik 0 0-0 0, M. Bryk 0 0-2 0, H. Bryant 0 0-0 0, J. Porasky 0 0-0 0, Totals 28 7-15 69.

Crestwood 13 10 17 13—53

Dallas 21 18 17 13—69

3-point goals: J. Weiss (Crest) 3, J. Glowacki (Crest) 2, B. Kijek (Crest) 1, C. Collins (Crest) 1, H. Jardine (Crest) 1, B. Hill (Dal) 3, D. Wallace (Dal) 3.

Pittston Area 45, Valley West 41

At Valley West, Kallie Booth scored a game-high 18 points, and Kendall Tigue added nine as Pittston Area picked up its first conference win of the season.

Leah Zambetti had eight points for the Patriots, while Bernadette Lieback had five.

Trinity Johnson led Valley West with 14 points. Kalia Saunder had 11, while Gabby Marsola and Haylie Oliphant each had eight.

Pittston Area 45, Valley West 41

Pittston Area (45)

K. Booth 4 7-9 18, K. Tigue 3 0-0 9, L. Zambetti 3 2-2 8, B. Lieback 2 0-0 5, A. Callahan 1 0-0 3, T. Baiera 1 0-0 2, A. Butcher 0 0-0 0, T. George 0 0-0 0, M. DeMarco 0 0-0 0, J. Zaladonis 0 0-0 0, Totals 14 9-11 45.

Valley West (41)

T. Johnson 5 4-4 14, K. Saunders 5 1-3 11, H. Oliphant 2 2-2 8, G. Marsola 3 0-0 8, F. Tikjtova 0 0-0 0, M. Perluke 0 0-0 0, K. Kane 0 0-0 0, B. Varner 0 0-0 0, Totals 15 7-9 41.

Pittston Area 9 9 15 12—45

Valley West 8 10 12 11—41

3-point goals: K. Tigue (PA) 3, K. Booth (PA) 3, A. Callahan (PA) 1, B. Lieback (PA) 1, H. Oliphant (WVW) 2, G. Marsola (WVW) 2.

Tunkhannock 48, Wyoming Seminary 29

At Tunkhannock, Lexi Corby scored a game-high 13 points, and Anna Williams had 11 to lead Tunkhannock.

Maci Iddings, Sable Stephens and Alaina Ritz each scored six points for Tunkhannock.

Margaret Mihalick led Wyoming Seminary with 11 points.

Tunkhannock 48, Wyoming Seminary 29

Wyoming Seminary (29)

M. Mihalick 4 2-6 11, G. Aiello 1 2-4 4, E. Parra 2 0-0 4, C. Skoransky 1 1-2 3, T. Jackett 0 2-2 2, L. Lichenstein 1 0-0 2, H. Smeraldi 1 0-0 2, A. Williams 0 1-2 1, A. McDonald 0 0-0 0, B. Kornfeld 0 0-0 0, Totals 10 8-16 29.

Tunkhannock (48)

L. Corby 4 3-6 13, A. Williams 3 4-4 11, A. Ritz 1 4-6 6, S. Stephens 3 0-0 6, M. Iddings 2 2-2 6, A. Brown 1 1-2 3, M. Swenson 0 3-4 3, K. Whitaker 0 0-0 0, M. King 0 0-0 0, A. Staff 0 0-0 0, H. Applyby 0 0-0 0, Totals 14 17-24 48.

Wyoming Seminary 1 8 11 9—29

Tunkhannock 17 11 15 5—48

3-point goals: M. Mihalick (Sem) 1, L. Corby (Tunk) 2, A. Williams (Tunk) 1.

Boys

Lake-Lehman 42, Wyoming Area 26

At Wyoming Area, Josh Kane scored a team-high 10 points and Max Paczewski added nine to lead Lake-Lehman.

Cole Morio had eight points for Lake-Lehman, while Neil Dougherty had four.

Jesse Mikoliczyk led Wyoming Area with 11 points. Evan Melberger had six, while Jake Greenfield had four.

Lake-Lehman 42, Wyoming Area 26

Lake-Lehman (42)

J. Kane 4 1-4 10, M. Paczewski 2 4-4 9, C. Morio 2 3-6 8, N. Dougherty 2 0-1 4, H. Klopp 1 2-2 4, J. Barber 0 3-4 3, C. Bean 1 0-0 3, J. Pelton 0 1-2 1, E. Adams 0 0-0 0, Totals 12 14-23 42.

Wyoming Area (26)

J. Mikoliczyk 4 3-7 11, E. Melberger 2 2-2 6, J. Greenfield 1 1-2 4, N. Elko 1 1-2 3, J. Wiedl 1 0-0 2, D. Schutter 0 0-0 0, N. Winnick 0 0-0 0, Totals 9 7-13 26.

Lake-Lehman 14 7 12 9—42

Wyoming Area 4 4 6 12—26

3-point goals: M. Paczewski (LL) 1, J. Kane (LL) 1, C. Morio (LL) 1, C. Bean (LL) 1, J. Greenfield (WA) 1.

Lakeland 48, Tunkhannock 46

At Lakeland, Tim McGrane hit two free throws with two seconds left in overtime to give the Chiefs a nonleague win.

Caleb Vigil led Lakeland with 21 points.

Ryan Harder scored 21 for Tunkhannock.

Lakeland 48, Tunkhannock 46

Tunkhannock (46)

R. Harder 6 8-8 21, J. Chilson 5 0-0 12, D. Mateus 3 2-2 8, B. Chilson 0 3-4 3, C. Trochak 1 0-0 2, M. Kuzma 0 0-0 0, S. Macko 0 0-0 0, J. Brown 0 0-0 0, Totals 15 13-14 46.

Lakeland (48)

C. Vigil 9 0-1 21, L. Dippre 2 5-6 9, T. McGrane 2 2-2 6, J. Dunstone 2 0-0 5, A. Hazelton 1 3-4 5, Y. Roshan 1 0-1 2, K. Snyder 0 0-0 0, C. Clauss-Walton 0 0-0 0, C. Nevins 0 0-0 0, Totals 17 10-14 48.

Tunkhannock 11 3 12 14 6—46

Lakeland 8 14 13 5 8—48

3-point goals: J. Chilson (Tunk) 2, R. Harder (Tunk) 1, C. Vigil (LAK) 3, J. Dunstone (LAK) 1.