H.S. Girls Basketball: Pittston Area wins showdown with Wilkes-Barre Area

Jan. 30—PLAINS TWP. — First-place Pittston Area didn't score in the second quarter Monday night.

The circumstances, though, weren't dire because second-place Wilkes-Barre Area scored just two in the period.

Pittston Area snapped out of the cold spell first, quickly scoring six points in the third quarter on the way to a 39-22 victory in a Wyoming Valley Conference Division 1 girls basketball game.

Pittston Area (10-1 Div. 1, 18-1 overall) opened a two-game lead over WBA (8-3, 16-3) with three games remaining in the WVC season.

The second quarter was akin to the third quarter when the teams played on Jan. 9. In that game, Pittston Area had a one-point third period, but held WBA to four points and won 40-35.

"That's the same thing I said in the locker room because we did the same thing (at Pittston Area)," WBA coach Mary Mushock-Namey said. "I think we held them scoreless up there and we scored four points. ... We just could not find the groove on offense whatsoever tonight."

Pittston Area led 13-8 after one quarter as Maddie Karp scored inside and Daniella Ranieli hit a 3-pointer to finish the period. The Patriots didn't score again until Ava Callahan hit a jumper at 7:17 of the third.

In between, WBA had offensive issues of its own. Shelby Ardo Boyko had the only basket of the second quarter as the Wolfpack finished 1-of-10 from the field.

Pittston Area used Callahan's basket to start the third to seize some much-needed momentum. Taylor Baiera followed with an inside basket and Ranieli dropped in a pair of free throws for a 19-10 lead just 91 seconds into the quarter.

"We needed a basket," Pittston Area coach Jeff Gregory said. "I told the girls coming off the locker room we just need a basket to get going."

WBA's Mackenzie Evans broke up the run with a 3-pointer, but the Wolfpack's next basket didn't come for another 10 minutes. Their four points during the span all came from the foul line.

Pittston Area went on a 16-2 run after Evans' trey to take a 35-15 lead with just over three minutes remaining in the fourth quarter.

WBA finished with a season-low 22 points and turned over the ball 12 times in the second half.

"I think this was one of the best defensive efforts of any team of mine that I've had in coaching," Gregory said. "We keep playing hard on defense and hope our defense leads to our offense. You can have a bad night on offense, but if you play defense you always have a chance to win the game."

Pittston Area 39, Wilkes-Barre Area 22

PITTSTON AREA (39) — Daniella Ranieli 3 9-11 17, Kallie Booth 2 0-0 5, Maddie Karp 4 0-0 8, Ava Callahan 2 0-0 5, Taylor Baiera 1 2-2 4, Rowan Lazevnick 0 0-0 0, Grace Callahan 0 0-0 0. Totals 12 11-13 39.

WBA (22) — Natalia Credle 0 0-0 0, Diamond Thornton 0 0-2 0, Eternity Aiken 3 3-3 9, Shelby Ardo Boyko 1 0-0 2, Emma Krawczeniuk 0 0-0 0, Mackenzie Evans 4 0-0 11, Katherin Brito 0 0-0 0, Mahogany Robinson 0 0-0 0. Totals 8 3-5 22.

Pittston Area'13'0'15'11 — 39

WBA'8'2'5'7 — 22

Three-point goals — PA 4 (Ranieli 2, Booth, A.Callahan). WBA 3 (Evans 3).