Pittston Area vs Valley West District 2 5A Semifinals

In the second game at Wilkes University's Marts Center, Valley West and Pittston Area battled for the right to play Abington Heights for the District Title at the Mohegan Sun Arena. Valley West started off the game fast by leading 7-2 early, but the Patriots weren't fazed by the deficit as Alexa Noone hit a 3 pointer and Taryn Ashby hit 1 of 2 free throws to make it a one point game but the Spartans answered with an 8-0 run to make it 17-6 and would lead 19-9 after 1. Pittston Area would into the lead in the second quarter with them only allowing 5 points by Valley West in the quarter and would only trail 26-21 at halftime. The Patriots and Spartans traded shots early in the quarter but Valley West would score back-to-back baskets to make it an 8 point game. Pittston Area would not gain much ground as the Spartans would lead 44-38 at the end of three. Pittston Area kept fighting during the game, Taryn Ashby would hit a 3 that cut the lead to 2 with 2 minutes left. After Leah Hodick made 2 free throws to make it a one point game. Taryn Ashby would be fouled and would make 1 of 2 free throws to tie the game and the attempts by both teams at the end of regulation would fail and they would go to overtime. Pittston Area would get on the board first but two consecutive baskets by Valley West gave them a two point advantage. After Andi Blaski made 1 of 2 free throws, Taryn Ashby would convert 2 free throws to make it 53-52, but the Patriots were forced to foul and Erin Gibbons would make both of her free throws. With one last chance, Taryn Ashby attempted to force overtime with a three pointer but was just short and the Spartans would advance to the District Final with a 55-52 victory over Pittston Area. Erin Gibbons had a game high 22 points for the Spartans.

Thoughts on the game: Really good game by both teams. Pittston Area really fought to force overtime and they never gave up in that game. Erin Gibbons had a very good game, scoring 22 points. Taryn Ashby and Leah Hodick had great games for the Patriots.


District 2 Scoreboard
2A Boys
Holy Cross 52 Old Forge 23
Mt View 62 Blue Ridge 56

3A Girls
Dunmore 49 Riverside 45 (OT)
Holy Redeemer 48 Mid Valley 39

4A Boys
Scranton Prep/Nanticoke suspended early second quarter due to roof leak
GAR 57 Meyers 51

6A Girls
Hazleton Area 51 Delaware Valley 28

6A Boys
Williamsport 52 Delaware Valley 45
Hazleton Area 68 Scranton 62

Abington Heights vs Crestwood District 2 5A Girls Semifinals

Abington Heights and Crestwood battled at Wilkes University's Marts Center for the right to play at the Mohegan Sun Arena for the District Title in the battle of the Comets. Abington Heights looked to get back to the title game. Crestwood looked to get there for the first time. After Crestwood and Abington Heights traded scores, Abington Heights went on a 6-0 run to make it 10-4. Julia Makowski, Andrea Shipton and Kate Snipas helped keep Crestwood in the game and would only trail 12-10 at the end of the first. Abington Heights and Crestwood started once again back and forth but Crestwood would break through and take a 17-16 lead with free throws from Julia Makowski and Sara Hopkins. However, Abington Heights would score the final 7 points of the quarter and would lead 23-17 at half. Abington Heights kept their momentum going during the second half, as they outscored Crestwood 14-4 in the third and lead 37-23 highlighted by a Hannah Kowalski shot that beat the buzzer. Abington Heights would cruise and advance to the Mohegan Sun Arena for the second straight year with a 50-38 victory over Crestwood. Hannah Kowalski scored 22 points to lead all scorers and Alessia Brunori added 9 for Abington Heights. Julia Makowski scored 13 points for Crestwood and Andrea Shipton added 8.

Thoughts on the game: Alessia Brunori had a great game for Abington Heights. She was dominant on the boards and was able to control the inside. Hannah Kowalski also had a very good game who had 22 points. For Crestwood, it was a great season. I can see this team being back in the District semifinals next year as their best players are their juniors. Julia Makowski had a great game who had 13 points.

Scoring
Abington Heights
Nicole Getz 5
Alessia Brunori 9
Olivia Baker 2
Hannah Kowalski 22
Paris Koehler 4
Grace Evans 4
Erin Albright 4

Crestwood
Andrea Shipton 8
Julia Makowski 13
Kate Snipas 5
Sara Hopkins 2
Alyson Muse 2
Sara Richards 6
Riley Magin 2

Dallas vs Nanticoke District 2 4A Girls Semifinals

In the second game at Wyoming Area, Dallas and Nanticoke faced off for the second time this season in front of a packed gym. Both teams looking to get to the Finals and the winner would face Berwick at the Mohegan Sun Arena on Thursday. It would a tightly contested game right from the start but Dallas would start off the game with a 6-2 lead and the Trojanettes would try to come back into the game and would tie the game at 9 on a steal and layup by Riley Klepadlo and Alyssa Lewis gave Nanticoke the lead shortly until Sara Lojewski hit a three in the waning seconds of the first to give the Lady Mountaineers a 12-11 lead at the end of one. Nanticoke got back the lead on a basket by Lewis and a steal and basket by Kayla Aufiero but a free throw by Lojewski and a basket by Lauren Charlton tied up the game. Lisa Radziak gave the Trojanettes a one point but a basket by Gianna Centrella gave the Mountaineers the lead. After several ties and lead changes, the Mountaineers would start to pull away and lead 26-21 at halftime. The Mountaineers and Trojanettes traded baskets until Maddie Kelley scored 5 straight points and Hanna Johnson made it a 7-0 run to make it a 10 point advantage. Everytime the Trojanettes scored, the Mountaineers answered with a basket and would lead 46-38 after 3 quarters. The Mountaineers had an early 10 point lead but the Trojanettes kept on fighting. Nanticoke would go on a 8-0 run to cut the lead to 2. A pair of Sara Lojewski free throws made it a 4 point lead for the Mountaineers. Katie Butczynski's 2 free throws made it a 2 point game once again and a steal and bucket by Klepadlo tied the game at 50 and a free throw by Butczynski gave the Trojanettes a 1 point lead, then an Alyssa Lewis free throw, followed by another Butczynski free throws made it a 3 point lead. A pair of free throws by Dallas's Gianna Centrella made it only a one point game. Dallas would get the ball with 11.1 left and the Trojanettes's defense would hold to send them to the District Finals with a 55-54 victory over the Dallas Mountaineers. Riley Klepadlo had a game high 19 points for the Trojanettes. Katie Butczynski and Alyssa Lewis added 13 points each for Nanticoke. For the Mountaineers, Maddie Kelley had 17 points and Lauren Charlton had 14 points.

Thoughts on the game: What a comeback by the Trojanettes!!! Down 10 in the fourth quarter and end up winning by 1. It came down to the pressure they gave Dallas during that fourth quarter and the final stop basically said it all for Nanticoke. Not to be overshadowed, Alyssa Lewis had a great game off the bench, scoring 13 points. Riley Klepadlo and Kayla Aufiero had great games, especially in the fourth quarter with several steals. In all honesty, both teams should be commended on a great game. Dallas was very impressive. Sara Lojewski had a very good game. I was impressed as well by Lauren Charlton, who scored 14 points by making several plays.

Scoring
Dallas
Kendra Saba 2
Maddie Kelley 17
Sara Lojewski 12
Lauren Charlton 14
Gianna Centrella 6
Hanna Johnson 3

Nanticoke
Katie Butczynski 13
Riley Klepadlo 19
Alyssa Lewis 13
Kayla Aufiero 9
Lisa Radziak 1

District 2 Scoreboard
A Girls
Forest City 51 Salem Christian 43
Susquehanna 53 Lincoln Leadership 38

2A Girls
Old Forge 49 Northwest 44
Elk Lake 62 Blue Ridge 50

3A Boys
Holy Redeemer 60 Dunmore 34
Mid Valley 70 Carbondale 49

5A Boys
Abington Heights 61 Dallas 42
West Scranton 41 Crestwood 38 (3OT)

Scranton Prep vs Berwick District 2 4A Semifinal

Berwick and Scranton Prep played at Wyoming Area High School for the right to play in the 4A Girls final at the Mohegan Sun Arena. Scranton Prep looked to get back into the District Final for the second straight year. Scranton Prep would start off with a basket by Calista Kline but the Bulldogs countered with a free throw by Roni Isenberg and a three pointer by Abbey Burt. They would lead 4-2 at the end of a very low scoring first quarter. Tori Talanca scored 6 straight points to start the second for the Bulldogs and they would go on a 9-2 run and have a 9 point lead but the Classics would end the quarter on a 9-0 run and Scranton Prep would trail 16-14 at halftime. Julia Sirotnak would start the third quarter by tying the game at 16, but Abbey Burt would give the Bulldogs the lead on a three pointer and Isenberg increased their lead to 5, the Bulldogs would dominate the quarter but only lead 27-20 at the end of the third. Reese Mensinger would take over at the start of the third quarter by scoring four straight points. Scranton Prep would score 5 straight points to cut the lead to 6 but a Reese Mensinger three pointer gave the Bulldogs a nine point lead and would seal their trip to the Mohegan Sun Arena with a 39-30 victory over Scranton Prep. Reese Mensinger scored 13 points for Berwick. Abbey Burt and Tori Talanca added 10 points each for the Bulldogs. Julia Sirotnak had 10 points for the Classics.

Thoughts on the game: Abbey Burt had possibly the biggest impact on the game. Her 3 three pointers in the game being the big difference. Her second three on the lead gave the Bulldogs the lead for good. Several Bulldogs made a difference in the game. Tori Talanca's six straight points in the second made Scranton Prep into hurry up mode. Reese Mensinger was quiet in the first half but she made a big difference in the fourth quarter with her biggest basket being a three pointer that pretty much sealed Berwick's ticket to the District Final. For Scranton Prep, they kept fighting even down by 11 in the second and only ended up trailing by 2 at halftime. Julia Sirotnak had a pretty good game, scoring 10.

Scoring
Scranton Prep
Calista Kline 9
Katherine Dzwonczyk 7
Julia Sirotnak 10
Devon Merritt 4

Berwick
Roni Isenberg 6
Abbey Burt 10
Tori Talanca 10
Reese Mensinger 13

Wyoming Area vs Nanticoke District 2 4A Quarterfinal

Nanticoke and Wyoming Area faced off for the second straight game, this time it was at Wyoming Valley West High School. Nanticoke came in as the No 4 and Wyoming Area entered as the No 5. Will Wyoming Area avenge their loss from a week ago? The Trojans started off hot as they went inside with Luke Butczynski and Justin Casey. Nanticoke would lead 14-3 at the end of the first quarter. The Trojans continued their dominance as Trahjan Krupinski and Nate Kreitzer hit baskets and increased their lead to 15. The Warriors would eventually cut the lead to 8 but a Nate Kreitzer basket gave the Trojans a 26-16 lead at halftime. Each team were trading shots early on but the Warriors would cut the lead to 8 but the Trojans hit 3 straight years, including a buzzer beating shot by Cody Piestrak to give the Trojans a 40-24 lead after the third quarter. The Trojans would cruise in the fourth quarter to advance to the semifinals and guaranteed themselves at least two more games this season with a 60-36 victory over Wyoming Area. Luke Butczynski lead all scorers with 15 points and Justin Casey added 13 for the Trojans. For the Warriors, Kyle Musto scored 9, while Mike Bonita added 8.

Thoughts on the game: Overall, a great team effort by the Nanticoke Trojans. It doesn't come down to the leading scorers. 8 different players hit the scoresheet for Nanticoke. The Trojans almost from the tip, looked like the best team on the floor. Only were tied early in the first quarter and didn't look back. For Wyoming Area, a great season comes to an end. This was the first time since 2005-2006 that Wyoming Area had an above .500 record. I can see Wyoming Area being an up and coming team for years to come.

Scoring
Wyoming Area
Anthony Nardell 5
Tony Saitta 5
Sam Greenfield 4
Mike Bonita 8
Kyle Musto
PJ Angeli 2
Ryan Shuleski 1
Aaron Zezza 2

Nanticoke
Justin Casey 13
Luke Butczynski 15
Cody Piestrak 7
Trahjan Krupinski 4
Nate Kreitzer 9
Zach Cardone 4
Matt Piontkowski 4
Alec Divers 4

District 2 Scoreboard
2A Boys
Holy Cross 75 Forest City 27
Old Forge 56 Elk Lake 48
Mountain View 46 Northwest 40
Blue Ridge 73 Lackawanna Trail 65

3A Girls
Dunmore 50 Meyers 18
Riverside 39 Carbondale 26
Mid Valley 45 Holy Cross 44
Holy Redeemer 65 Lakeland 51

4A Boys
Scranton Prep 79 Tunkhannock 60
Nanticoke 60 Wyoming Area 36
GAR 51 Berwick 33
Meyers 68 Valley View 44

5A Girls
Valley West 52 Coughlin 6
Pittston Area 58 North Pocono 54
Abington Heights 39 West Scranton 34
Crestwood 61 Wallenpaupack 45

Pittston Area at Crestwood District 2 5A Quarterfinals

Crestwood and Pittston Area battled for the fourth time this season, this time it was at Nanticoke Area High School. Crestwood knocked off Pittston Area the three times they played, will the Comets make it a fourth time? Crestwood would start off leading 8-3 but the Patriots would eventually take the lead at 10-9 on a three point play by Chris Klein but Kyle Gegaris's three pointer gave the Comets a 12-10 lead after a quarter. The second quarter started with a little spark from off the bench, Camden Boris may have entered in the first quarter but he made his impact in the next quarter with Boris making back-to-back threes to give the Comets an 8 point advantage. The Patriots would cut it down to 4 points and only be down 20-15 at halftime. The second half started with Crestwood scoring the first four points but Matt McGlynn would catch fire by scoring five of Pittston Area's seven points to cut the lead to 2 but that was all the Patriots could muster but the Comets only scored 3 points and would lead 27-22 after 3. The Comets would start rolling in the fourth as they went on a 9-0 run to make it a 14 point lead. The Patriots would try and claw back, cutting the lead to 9 but another big Crestwood run, this time an 8-0 run put the game out of reach and helped advance the Comets to the semifinals with 44-31 victory over Pittston Area. Kyle Gegaris scored 16 points to lead all scorers and Lance Blass added 8 for the Comets. Chris Klein had 9 points and Matt McGlynn added 8 for the Patriots.

Thoughts on the game: Overall effort by the Comets, they played their best tonight, with Noah Jackson having a great game on the boards and defensively. Kyle Gegaris adding 16 points tonight, Camden Boris giving the Comets a sparkplug off the bench in the second quarter. For the Patriots, Chris Klein had a good game and Matt McGlynn had a great second half.

Scoring
Pittston Area
Naseem Guillaume 7
Pat Mitchell 4
Chris Klein 9
Mike Mazurkivich 1
Matt McGlynn 8
Justin Coyne 2

Crestwood
Kyle Gegaris 16
Lance Blass 8
Kyle Richards 6
Camden Boris 7
Evan Knapp 1
Noah Jackson 3
Kevin Klusewitz 3

Scoreboard
Boys 5A
Abington Heights 66 Wallenpaupack 26
Dallas 75 Valley West 70
West Scranton 42 North Pocono 29
Crestwood 44 Pittston Area 31

Boy 3A
Mid Valley 58 Lakeland 31
Carbondale 49 Wyoming Seminary 45
Holy Redeemer 51 Montrose 38
Dunmore 47 Riverside 33

Valley View at Berwick Girls Basketball District 2 4A Quarterfinals

The Valley View Cougars and Berwick Bulldogs came to Nanticoke High School for their District 2 4A Quarterfinal matchup. Valley View came in as the No 7 seed and the Bulldogs came in as the No 2 seed. The game started with a barrage of three point shots with each trading 2 three pointers each. Valley View would take an 8-6 lead on free throws by Abby Pidgeon but Ronnie Isenberg would tie the game at 8 and Reese Mensinger would give the Bulldogs the lead with a steal and layup and the Bulldogs would take a 17-11 lead after one. The Cougars would start with cutting the lead to 4 until Berwick went on a 9-2 run to give the Bulldogs an eleven point lead and would lead 34-21 at halftime. Berwick would outscore Valley View 9-4 in the 3rd quarter to make it 43-25 going into the fourth quarter. Valley View would try and make it interesting when Hannah Yanoski scored the first four points of the quarter and eventually cut the lead to 12 but the Bulldogs would hit their free throws and advance to the semifinals with a 54-38 win over Valley View. Reese Mensinger lead all scorers with 34 points and Tori Talanca added 8 points for the Bulldogs. Cali Craig had 10 points to lead the Cougars and Abby Pidgeon added 9 for the Cougars

Thoughts on the game: Reese Mensinger had a great first half, scoring 22 but she had a great game overall, scoring 34. Hitting a bunch of threes, making free throws and making a key steal in the first quarter that gave the Bulldogs the momentum. Overall, Berwick played very well on both sides of the court. For Valley View, I was impressed early on with them hitting their shots early. Cali Craig and Abby Pidgeon had very good games.

Scoring
Valley View
Olivia Chieffallo 6
Cali Craig 10
Abby Pidgeon 9
Jenn Nguyen 4
Arianna Nardelli 3
Hannah Yanoski 4
Tori Duffy 2

Berwick
Reese Mensinger 34
Roni Isenberg 6
Mallory Pinterich 2
Tori Talanca 8
Mikayla Davis 2
Megan Dalo 2

Girls Scoreboard
4A
Nanticoke 56 Honesdale 35
Dallas 66 Wyoming Area 40
Scranton Prep 39 Lake-Lehman 20
Berwick 54 Valley View 38

2A
Old Forge 44 Wyoming Seminary 27
Elk Lake 57 Mt View 41
Blue Ridge 59 Lackawanna Trail 35

Hazleton Area at Crestwood Girls Basketball

Crestwood came into Friday night looking to seal up the No 2 in the District 2 5A Playoffs. Hazleton Area was looking to finish the season strong with a win over Crestwood as they were sealed into the No 2 seed in the District 2 6A Playoffs. The game started off with the Lady Cougars leading 8-2. Everytime the Comets made a basket, the Cougars kept answering and they would lead 14-9 after one quarter. The Comets started off the second quarter by tying the game on a three pointer by Julia Makowski and a basket by Sarah Richards. Maddie Mrochko and Kendra Pfeil hit back to back baskets to give Hazleton Area a 4 point lead. The Cougars would go on a 7-1 run to make it an 8 point lead and would lead 29-21 at halftime. The Comets started off the second half by hitting back-to-back three pointers by Julia Makowski and Kate Snipas to make it a two point game. The Cougars however answered with back to back threes of their own. A 6-0 run by the Lady Comets would cut it back to 2 but a basket by Megan Trivelpiece and a free throw by Marissa Trivelpiece to make it a five point lead. Another 6-0 run by Crestwood gave them their first lead at 39-38, but it was short-lived as Kendra Pfeil hit a three to make it 41-39 and would lead 43-41 at the end of the third. The Cougars started off the fourth quarter with a 6-0 run to make it an 8 point lead, but a three pointer by Sara Hopkins and a basket by Julia Makowski made it 49-46. The Cougars answered with a basket by Megan Trivelpiece and free throws by Erika Book. With the Comets trailing by five, the Cougars Kendra Pfeil hit a big three to make it an eight point game. The Comets would continue to make a run but came up short as the Cougars took the road victory 61-59 over the Crestwood Comets. Kendra Pfeil scored a game high 23 points and Maddie Mrochko had 15 for the Cougars. For the Comets, Julia Makowski scored 21 points and Sarah Richards had 13.

Thoughts on the game: Kendra Pfeil and Maddie Mrochko were lights out for the Cougars tonight. Scoring 23 and 15 respectively. The team played very well defensively. For the Comets, I was impressed by Sarah Richards who played hard all game. She was going inside and drawing several fouls. Julia Makowski had also a good game for Crestwood.

GAR at Nanticoke Boys Basketball

GAR coming off a victory over Crestwood on Wednesday night came into Nanticoke to play the Trojans, who was having senior night recognizing 5 cheerleaders and 7 basketball players. GAR started off the scoring with a Herman Suazo three pointer but Nanticoke went on a 6-0 run with baskets by Luke Butczynski, Justin Casey and Cody Piestrak, but GAR answered with baskets by Keyshawn Palmer and Suazo to make it a 7-6 GAR lead but the lead was short-lived as Cody Piestrak and Nate Kreitzer hit consecutive three pointers and Justin Casey hit consecutive baskets to make it a 16-7 Trojan lead, but Will Johnson made 1 of 3 free throws and also hit a buzzer beating basket to make it 16-10 Nanticoke lead at the end of 1. GAR started the second quarter by taking the lead on a 8-0 run to make it 18-16 but the Trojans retook the lead with back-to-back three pointers to make it a 22-18 lead. GAR tied the game on two free throws each by Will Johnson and Andrew Campbell but a Cody Piestrak 3 and two free throws by Nate Kreitzer gave the Trojans a 27-22 lead at halftime. The Grenadiers started off by tying the game at 27 but Justin Casey gave the Trojans the lead again and Nanticoke was called for a shooting foul and a player was shocked by the call and got called for a technical foul, however GAR only made 2 of 4 free throws to tie the game. Suazo gave the Grenadiers lead on two free throws but Nanticoke went on an 11-0 run to make it 40-31 in favor of the Trojans. GAR would keep on clawing back with a 9-2 run to make it 42-40 Trojans at the end of the third quarter. Keyshawn Palmer would tie the game up then Nanticoke took the lead on three consecutive 3 pointers to make it 51-42. Will Johnson and Palmer would help GAR cut the lead to one with 4 points each on an 8-0 run. A goaltending call by GAR gave the Trojans a three point lead but Will Johnson tied the game on a three pointer. Luke Butczynski would give the Trojans back the lead and GAR's Andrew Campbell hit a three to take a 56-55 lead. Will Johnson would hit one of two free throws to make it 57-55 in favor of the Grenadiers. The Trojans would attempt to tie the game when Nate Kreitzer drove in but couldn't make it but Casey grabbed the rebound but couldn't put it back in and GAR's Keyshawn Palmer grabbed the rebound and would be fouled and made both free throws to make it a four point lead for GAR. Nanticoke would miss another chance on the other end and Kahlil White made 1 of 2 free throws and a 5 point lead but the Trojans weren't done, Nate Kreitzer hit a three to cut the lead to 2. Andrew Campbell made both free throws but once again Nate Kreitzer hit a 3 pointer to make it a 1 point game. Will Johnson would sink both free throws to make it a three point game with 3 seconds left but GAR was whistled for a foul with 1.6 left and the inbound pass went to Trahjan Krupinski and had to attempt a half court shot and bounced off the rim and fell off as GAR escaped Nanticoke with a 64-61 victory. Will Johnson scored 22 points for the Grenadiers and Keyshawn Palmer added 15 in the victory. For the Trojans, Nate Kreitzer had 22 and Cody Piestrak scored 14.

Thoughts on a game: It was a heck of a game to be at!! Both teams played a great game and was back and forth all game. Great game by Nate Kreitzer who scored 22 points. Luke Butczynski and Cody Piestrak hit key threes for the Trojans. For GAR, great game by Will Johnson and Keyshawn Palmer. Johnson had 22 points and made several great plays and Palmer made a difference in the lane and on the boards. For a game almost to go into overtime on a half court shot, it was the most thrilling game I've been to all game. 

Scoring

GAR

Herman Suazo 7

Keyshawn Palmer 15

Will Johnson 22

Andrew Campbell 13

Kahlil White 7

Crestwood

Luke Butczynski 13

Justin Casey 8

Cody Piestrak 14

Nate Kreitzer 22

Rich Wiaterowski 2

Trahjan Krupinski 2

GAR at Crestwood Boys Basketball

Crestwood coming off a victory over Dallas, hosted the GAR Grenadiers. Before the game, Crestwood commemorated Head Coach Mark Atherton's 400th victory which happened on Tuesday night over the Dallas Mountaineers. The Grenadiers started the scoring on an Andrew Campbell jumper that went off the glass and in but the Comets took over the quarter with an 11-0 run to give Crestwood an 11-2 lead after 1. GAR started the second quarter running with the Grenadiers going on a 10-2 to cut the Comet lead to 1 but a three by Lance Blass and a bucket and free throw from Kyle Richards gave the Comets a 19-12 lead at halftime. Kyle Richards got the lead to 9 but GAR got 4 straight points from a Will Johnson to cut the lead to 5, but Evan Knapp got a putback and was fouled and made the free throw to complete the three point play. GAR got the game within 2 late in the third quarter. Lance Blass made 1 of 2 free throws and Herman Suazo cut the Comets lead to 1 and Andrew Campbell made one free throw to tie but was unable to attempt the second free throw as GAR was called for a lane violation. Crestwood took the lead early as Kyle Richards hit 1 of 2 free throws but GAR went on a 7-0 run to take a six point lead. Lance Blass's 3 point play cut the lead to 3 and Noah Jackson made one of two free throws to make it only a 2 point lead. Keyshawn Palmer's bucket made it a four point game. Kyle Gegaris hit a 3 and cut it to a one point game but Will Johnson increased it to a 3 point game once more and then Kyle Richards made it a one point game once again. GAR would pull away with a basket by Palmer and free throws by Khalil White and Palmer to give the Grenadiers a road victory over the Crestwood Comets 52-44. For the Grenadiers, Will Johnson scored 20 points and Keyshawn Palmer had 10. For the Comets, Kyle Richards scored 20 points and Lance Blass had 9.

Thoughts on the game: GAR had a great second half as they took the game over then. Will Johnson had a great game, scoring 20 points and 15 of them came in the second half. GAR's overall height and athleticism were the major difference in the game. For the Comets, great game by Kyle Richards who scored 20 points and the Comets were able to score in different ways tonight.

Scoring

GAR

Andrew Campbell 9

Will Johnson 20

Herman Suazo 8

Keyshawn Palmer 10

Khalil White 5

Crestwood

Kyle Richards 20

Kevin Klusewitz 6

Noah Jackson 3

Lance Blass 9

Evan Knapp 3

Kyle Gegaris 3

Berwick at Nanticoke Boys Basketball

Nanticoke coming off a victory over Meyers on Saturday hosted the Berwick Bulldogs which was a rematch of last year's quarterfinal matchup which Berwick won. Berwick's Kenny Marshman scored the first points on a three pointer, however that would be all the Bulldogs would score as the Trojans went on a 10-0 to end the first quarters and led 10-3 after one. Nanticoke would increase their lead in the second quarter to 12 but the Bulldogs would fight back as they cut the lead to 7 but a Luke Butczynski three and a Trahjan Krupinski basket brought the lead back to 12. A pair of Matt Champ free throws made the score 22-12 at halftime. The Bulldogs cut the lead to 7 as Damon Beckhorn, who was jeered the whole game by the Nanticoke student section, sank a 3 pointer. Nate Kreitzer's five straight points increased the lead back to 12 but the Bulldogs kept fighting on as Matt Champ hit a three and a Ken Marshman jumper cut the lead to 6 but a Matt Piontkowski basket gave the Trojans a 34-26 lead after three quarters. Matt Champ tried his hardest to get the Bulldogs the victory as he would score Berwick's first 6 points of the quarter to cut the lead to 4. After a Trahjan Krupinski basket, Damon Beckhorn and Jude Goddard cut the lead to 2. After Trahjan Krupinski made 1 of 2 free throws, Alec Markle made it a one point lead with a bucket. Justin Casey's basket made it a 3 point game. After a few possessions of not scoring, Nanticoke attempted to play keep away but turned it over, however Cody Piestrak stole the ball around mid court, attempted a layup but missed. Nate Kreitzer however got the rebound and put it in as the Trojans took a 5 point lead and Cody Piestrak 4 free throws as the Trojans took down the Bulldogs 47-38. For the Trojans, Nate Kreitzer scored 17 and Cody Piestrak had 9 points. Matt Champ had 18 and Damon Beckhorn had 7 for the Bulldogs. 

Thoughts on the game: Great game by the Trojans, Nate Kreitzer had a great game with 17 points and Cody Piestrak's 9 points in the second half was the difference and his steal late in the game changed the game. For the Bulldogs, Matt Champ had a great game with 18.

Scoring

Berwick

Kenny Marshman 5

Jude Goddard 6

Matt Champ 18

Damon Beckhorn 7

Alec Markle 2

Nanticoke

Nate Kreitzer 17

Trahjan Krupinski 7

Luke Butczynski 8

Justin Casey 4

Cody Piestrak 9

Matt Piontkowski 2

Dallas at Nanticoke Boys Basketball

The Nanticoke Trojans played for the second straight night, coming off a disappointing loss to Valley West and with Meyers ahead on Saturday, they looked to get back on track. Dallas looked to improve their standing in the District 2 5A race. The game was back and forth for the most part of the first quarter til the Mountaineers broke it open. Dallas took the lead with a pair of Nick Kocher free throws and a Ben Donahue 3 pointer increased the lead to 5, after a Luke Butczynski three, Dallas would score the final two baskets which the final one was on a putback basket by Alex Charlton to give the Mountaineers a 21-15 lead at the end of 1. The Trojans and Mountaineers traded baskets til Nate Kreitzer scored 7 straight points to give the Trojans a 28-25 lead and would lead 28-27 at halftime. Nanticoke started off the second half running. The Trojans would go on a 9-0 run, highlighted by a 4 point play by Nate Kreitzer to increase the lead to 10. The Mountaineers would come back in the game with a 9-2 run to cut their lead to 42-39 after 3 quarters. The Trojans started the 4th quarter with a 5-0 run to make it an 8 point lead. A 3 point play by Ben Donahue cut the lead to 5. A Trahjan Krupinski free throw and two Justin Casey free throws brought it back to an 8 point lead but Dallas went on a 6-0 run to make a one possession game. However, that would be the closest the Mountaineers would get as Luke Butczynski scored 5 points and Rich Wiaterowski hit a free throw as the Trojans took the victory 56-50. Luke Butczynski scored a game high 23 points for the Trojans and Nate Kreitzer had 14. For the Mountaineers, Ben Donahue scored 19 points and Ethan Szczencinski had 13.

Thoughts on the game: Great game by both teams. Luke Butczynski had a great game with 23, but several players made contributions for the Trojans in things that won't be in the box score. Rich Wiaterowski made several hustle plays in the game. Cody Piestrak had a great second half, making 3 three pointers. Ben Donahue and Ethan Szczencinski had great games for the Mountaineers. Donahue was the major reason they were able to stay in the game.

Scoring

Dallas

Colin Pertl 3

Alex Charlton 8

Ethan Szczencinski 13

Nick Kocher 4

Ben Donahue 19

Brody Strickland 1

Ben O'Connell 2

Nanticoke

Trahjan Krupinski 5

Luke Butczynski 23

Justin Casey 4

Nate Kreitzer 14

Cody Piestrak 9

Rich Wiaterowski 1

Berwick at Crestwood Girls Basketball

The Lady Comets coming off a loss at Holy Redeemer looked to get back on track as they hosted the Berwick Bulldogs. After the Bulldogs took a 3-2 lead early in the game, Julia Makowski scored 6 straight points and scored 10 points in the quarter and Andrea Shipton chipped in 4 to give the Comets a 16-5 lead at the end of one. Crestwood continued their run with a 6-0 run to start the quarter, however the Bulldogs would make a run by going on a 11-2 to end the quarter and cutting to 8 at halftime. Sara Hopkins would go off in the third quarter for the Lady Comets. After the Bulldogs hit 1 of 2 free throws, Hopkins would score 8 straight points to increase the Comets lead to 15. She would score 11 points in the quarter to give the Lady Comets a 38-24 lead at the end of the third quarter. They would cruise in the fourth quarter to take the victory 51-35. Julia Makowski scored 19 to lead all scorers and Sara Hopkins scored all 16 of her points in the second half in the victory. For the Bulldogs, Reese Mensinger scored 14 points and Tori Talanca had 11.

Thoughts on the game: Julia Makowski seemed like she was everywhere on the floor tonight. She scored 12 of her 19 points in the first half. Sara Hopkins had a great second half, scoring all 16 of her points in the second half. Reese Mensinger had a good game and was the most impressive player on the floor for Berwick. 

Scoring

Berwick

Reese Mensinger 14

Tori Talanca 11

Megan Dalo 4

Roni Isenberg 6

Crestwood

Julia Makowski 19

Andrea Shipton 9

Kate Snipas 2

Sara Hopkins 16

Sarah Richards 2

Bella Termini 2