Tired of ads? Subscribers enjoy a distraction-free reading experience.
Click here to subscribe today or Login.

One way or another, Kirsten Durling kept making big plays.

And they pushed Pittston Area to one of its biggest victories in the young Wyoming Valley Conference girls basketball season.

Durling scored 16 of her 28 points as Pittston Area rallied in the second half, then made four steals in the final two minutes Monday as the Patriots swiped away a 50-38 victory against Berwick in a WVC battle between co-division leaders at the Berwick Middle School.

“I knew we had to come in here and get it done,” said Durling, whose 10 points in the third quarter helped the Patriots pull away in a game that was tight throughout. “Of course I felt a little pressure. But with my team, I knew we all had each other’s backs.”

Durling, though, stepped to the forefront.

Her 12 points in the opening half kept Pittston Area hanging around in a game Berwick’s defense was starting to dominate, and her scoring spurts through the second half gave the Patriots enough control to remained tied with Wyoming Valley West at 5-1 at the top of the WVC Division 1.

Durling’s defense, though, may have been the most dynamic part of her night.

She turned a steal with 1:50 left into a pair of free throws that took Pittston Area’s lead to 48-39. From there, Durling swiped away two consecutive Berwick possessions — and essentially the Bulldogs’ victory hopes — and turned one into a layup that gave the Patriots a 13-point lead with 79 seconds remaining.

“Kirsten has awesome hands,” Pittston Area coach Kathy Healey said. “Her arms are so long. She doesn’t always use them as much to her ability as she could. But her steals (Monday), they were at crucial times.”

The Bulldogs, who were dropped to the WVC Division 2 this season and fell to 4-1 and out of first place with Monday’s defeat, thought they had the situation timed perfectly.

Facing their old rivals from Division 1, they stormed out of the gates with eight consecutive points and had the upper hand through much of the first half.

Reese Mensinger, who finished with a team-high 15 points, popped for eight in the first quarter to give Berwick a 16-13 lead, then combined with Tori Talanca for nine points in the second quarter that sent the Bulldogs into halftime with a 28-26 advantage.

“(Berwick) coach (Bill) Phillips always has his players prepared,” Healey said. “It’s hard to play in here, I don’t know if it’s the bus ride or what it is.”

In the middle of the third quarter, Pittston Area figured it out.

The Patriots pulled out a full-court press which bothered Berwick’s passing lanes, and ultimately held the Bulldogs to 10 points through the entire second half.

“That kind of jump-starts us sometimes,” Healey said. “It worked.”

Not that the Patriots were overly confident the defensive change would flip a switch.

“We didn’t know, exactly,” Durling said. “We just tried different things. It just happened to work.”

Like a charm.

Pittston Area defensive stalwart Taryn Ashby and Durling locked down the perimeter, preventing Berwick from nailing a 3-pointer the Bulldogs desperately needed in the closing minutes, while Alexa Noone finished with 11 points.

And Durling kept extending Pittston Area’s lead with a timely touch.

She turned a quick burst out of a patient passing game into a pull-up 10-foot jumper for a nine-point Pittston Area lead early in the final quarter; slithered in for a sudden layup with 2:33 to play; then polished off her season-high scoring night with four points in the final 1:50 to keep Pittston Area safe.

“I couldn’t have done it without my teammates,” Durling said. “They were pushing me to do my best. We kind of had to keep each other focused.

“We knew we had to play our game.”

Nanticoke 77,

Coughlin 16

Kayla Aufiero was lights out for Nanticoke, going a perfect 8-for-8 eight from behind the 3-point line, finishing with a game-high 26 points. Riley Klepablo wasn’t far behind her, scoring 18 points.

Coughlin was paced by Niashia Sherry and Kira Meager, who each scored seven points.

Wyo. Valley West 52,

Lake-Lehman 37

Erin Gibbons made a trio of triples en route to 21 points to lead the Spartans to a 15-point win over Lake-Lehman. Natalie Gruver added nine points in the win.

Autumn Savitski led all Black Knight scorers with 17 points.

Northwest 48,

Wyoming Seminary 37

Northwest’s Brenna Babcock had a game-high 27 points.

Alex Wesneski had a team-high 15 points for Wyoming Seminary, including a pair of 3-pointers.

Hanover Area 66,

GAR 51

Genesis Rodriguez and Madison Hooper each scored double-digit figures to lead Hanover Area. Rodriguez finished with 16 points while Whiting scored 15.

Khira Cook’s 16-point effort was a team-high for GAR, while Alexis Whiting had a close second with 15 points.

Hanover Area outscored GAR 38-24 to seal the 15-point win.

Crestwood 62,

Wyoming Area 57

The Comets used a strong 23-point effort to edge Wyoming Area in a five-point win, thanks to the efforts of Sarah Hopkins and Julia Makowski. Both scored 18 points.

Hopkins made a trio of 3-pointers in the win.

Wyoming Area’s Sarah Holweg scored a game-high 27 points.

Holy Redeemer 73,

Hazleton Area 54

Samantha Rajza (17) and Samantha Yencha (15) combined for 32 points in a win over Hazleton Area. Maya Kornfeld and Irelyn Januzzi also left their stamp on the game, each scoring 13 points in the win.

Hazleton led by Marissa Trivelpiece’s game-high 21-point effort.

Dallas 77,

Tunkhannock 39

Maddie Kelley scored a game-high 27 points in the Mountaineers’ win over Tunkhannock.

Lauren Charlton and Sara Lojewski each scored 14 points in the win.

Tunkhannock’s Rebecca Avery and Abby Ritz scored 14 and 13 points, respectively.

GIRLS BASKETBALL

Pittston Area 50, Berwick 38

PITTSTON AREA (50) — Kirsten Durling 11 6-6 28, Leah Hodick 2 1-2 5, Alexa Noone 5 0-0 11, Andrea Ruby 0 0-0 0, Taryn Ashby 2 1-2 6, Portia Weidlich 0 0-0 0. Totals 20 8-10 50.

BERWICK (38) — Reese Mensinger 6 0-2 15, Tori Talanca 4 3-7 11, Abbey Burt 2 0-0 4, Mikayla Davis 0 0-0 0, Roni Isenberg 2 1-6 5, Megan Dalo 1 0-2 2, Mallory Pinterich 0 1-2 1. Totals 15 5-19 38.

Pittston Area`13`13`10`14`—`50

Berwick`16`12`6`4`—`38

Three-point goals — PA 2 (Noone, Ashby); BER 3 (Mensinger 3).

Nanticoke 77, Coughlin 16

COUGHLIN (16) — Niashia Sherry 3-0-0 7, Kira Meager 3 0-0 7, Emily Cicon 1 0-0 2, Ajalaya Butts 0 0-0 0, Le’ June Berry 0 0-0 0, Claire Curtis 0 0-0 0, Molly Poray 0 0-0 0, Morgan Gayton 0 0-0 0. Totals 7 0-0 16.

NANTICOKE (77) — Kayla Aufiero 8 2-2 26, Riley Klepablo 7 3-9 18, Katie Butozynski 3 0-0 7, Alyssa Lewis 1 3-4 6, Jil Baron 2 0-0 4, Amiah Lukowski 1 0-0 3, Lisa Radziak 1 0-0 3, Jennifer Kurkowski 1 0-0 2, Brinley Sobeck 1 0-0 2, Maddy Grilz 1 0-0 2, Bella Czeck 1 0-0 2, Emily Hauer 0 0-0 0. Totals 27 10-12 77.

Coughlin`0`4`9`3`—`16

Nanticoke`33`3`30`11`—`77

Three-point goals — COU 2 (Sherry, Meager); NAN 13 (Aufiero 8, Klepablo, Lewis, Lukowski, Radziak, Butczynski).

Wyoming Valley West 52, Lake-Lehman 37

VALLEY WEST (52) — Erin Gibbons 7 4-4 21, Natalie Gruver 4 1-3 9, Gabby Smicherko 2 1-2 6, Collen Cwalina 2 1-2 5, Toni Amato 0 5-5 5, Katie Johnson 2 0-0 4, Katie MacKiewicz 1 0-0 2, Andi Blaski 0 0-0 0. Totals 18 15-16 52.

LAKE-LEHMAN (37) — Autumn Savitski 7 3-4 17, Sarah Salus 3 0-2 6, Corinna Scoblick 1 3-8 6, Savannah Purdy 1 3-4 5, Janelle Cawley 1 0-0 3, Hailey Kubiski 0 0-0 0. Totals 13 9-18 37.

Valley West`15`8`17`12`—`52

Lake-Lehman`10`8`6`13`—`37

Three-point goals — WVW 4 (Gibbons 3, Smicherko); LL 2 (Cawley, Scoblick).

Northwest 48, Wyoming Seminary 37

NORTHWEST (48) — Brenna Babcock 9 8-11 27, Danielle Bowman 1 3-4 5, Trista Babcock 2 1-2 5, Hannah Wisniewski 2 0-0 4, Jordan Harrison 0 3-4 3, Megan Harry 1 0-0 2, Tess Edwards 1 0-0 2. Totals 16 15-21 48.

WYOMING SEMINARY (37) — Alex Wesneski 4 5-10 15, Julia Gabriel 1 4-12 6, Ally Vezendy 2 1-2 5, Julia Iskra 2 0-1 4, Annemaaike Reitsma 1 1-3 3, Brenna Satkowski 1 0-0 2, Mia Raneiri 1 0-0 2, Olivia Meuser 0 0-1 0. Totals 12 11-21 37.

Northwest`12`14`7`15`—`48

Wyoming Seminary`8`7`14`8`—`37

Three-point goals — NW 1 (B. Babcock); WS 2 (Wesneski 2).

Hanover Area 66, GAR 51

GAR (51) — Khira Cook 3 9-11 16, Alexis Whiting 4 6-15 15, Olivia Adolphus 2 3-4 8, Cheyenne Taylor 1 3-8 6, Cierra Taylor 2 0-0 4, Alana Germano 1 0-0 2. Totals 13 21-38 51.

HANOVER AREA (66) — Genesis Rodriguez 7 2-9 16, Madison Hooper 5 1-1 15, Sara Tuzinski 4 1-2 9, Mary Slusser 4 1-2 9, Sara Whitesell 3 0-0 7, Victoria Benning 1 4-6 6, Emily Bobos 2 0-0 4, Lauren Blazaskie 0 0-0 0, Tanisha Atherton 0 0-0 0. Totals 24 11-22 66.

GAR`10`13`12`12`—`51

Hanover Area`11`17`19`19`—`66

Three-point goals — GAR 4 (Adolphus, Whiting, Taylor, Cook); HAN 7 (Hooper 4, Tuzinski 2, Whitesell).

Crestwood 62, Wyoming Area 57

CRESTWOOD (62) — Sarah Hopkins 5 5-6 18, Julia Makowski 6 5-6 18, Andrea Shipton 3 3-3 9, Kate Snipas 3 0-0 8, Riley Magin 2 0- 1 5, Sarah Richards 1 0-0 2, Ally Muse 1 0-3 2, Gianna Uhl 0 0-0 0, Bella Termini 0 0-0 0. Totals 21 13-19 62.

WYOMING AREA (57) — Sarah Holweg 8 7-7 27, Addison Orzel 3 4-5 10, Cassidy Orzel 3 2-2 8, Lydia Edwards 2 1-2 6, Katie Wolfgang 0 4-8 4, Aleah Kranson 1 0-0 2, Nicole Silinskie 0 0-0 0, Brandi Sorokin 0 0-0 0. Totals 15 18-24 57.

Crestwood`16`11`12`23`—`62

Wyoming Area`9`17`17`14`—`57

Three-point goals — CRE 7 (Hopkins 3, Snipas 2, Makowski); WA5 (Holweg 4, Edwards).

Holy Redeemer 73, Hazleton Area 54

HAZLETON AREA (54) — Marissa Trivelpiece 7 7-10 21, Megan Trivelpiece 3 4-4 10, Virginia Yurchak 3 2-3 8, Kendra Pfeil 3 0-0 7, Maddie Mrochko 1 2-2 4, Ashley Albrechta 1 0-0 2, Erika Book 1 0-1 2, Mia Cundro 0 0-0 0, Alexis Sheeto 0 0-0 0, Katie Lipinski 0 0-0 0, Mackensie Jones 0 0-0 0. Totals 19 15-20 54.

HOLY REDEEMER (73) — Samantha Rajza 6 2-2 17, Samantha Yencha 5 5-5 15, Maya Kornfeld 5 3-4 13, Irelyn Januzzi 5 3-4 13, Julia Andrejko 6 0-2 13, Cameron Marcinkowski 1 0-0 2, Sarah Kuderka 0 0-0 0, Annie Bagnall 0 0-0 0, Liv Moore 0 0-0 0, Talia Kosierowski 0 0-0 0, Randie Kuhar 0 0-0 0. Totals 28 12-15 73.

Hazleton Area`10`15`19`10`—`54

Holy Redeemer`18`17`24`14`—`73

Three-point goals — HAZ 1 (Pfeil); HR 5 (Rajza 3, Januzzi, Andrejko).

Dallas 77, Tunkhannock 39

DALLAS (77) — Maddie Kelley 10 4-5 27, Morgan MacNeely 1 0-0 3, Haley Habrack 0 0-0 0, Hanna Johnson 2 0-0 4, Sara Lojewski 4 4-6 14, Olivia Johnson 1 0-0 3, Gianna Centrella 2 2-2 7, Kendra Saba 1 0-0 3, Lauren Charlton 6 0-0 14, Sam Kern 1 0-0 2, Marissa Bednar 0 0-0 0, Angelina Allen 0 0-0 0. Totals 28 10-33 77.

TUNKHANNOCK (39) — Sydney Faux 2 0-0 5, Kelly Barber 1 0-0 2, Annalise Verbeek 0 0-0 0, Josie Frisco 0 0-2 0, Jessica Ell 2 0-0 5, Katie Hawley 0 0-0 0, Dam Generotti 0 0-0 0, Adaka Flores 0 0-0 0, Abby Ritz 6 1-2 13, Izzy Robinson 0 0-0 0, Rebecca Avery 6 2-3 14. Totals 17 3-7 39.

Dallas`24`13`22`18`—`77

Tunkhannock`9`15`5`10`—`39

Three-point goals — DAL 11 (Kelley 3, MacNeely, Lojewski 2, O. Johnson, Centrella, Charlton 2); TUN 2 (Faux, Ell).

Pittston Area’s Taryn Ashby, left, gets past Berwick’s Abby Burt as official Frank Galicki watches the action. Pittston Area’s Taryn Ashby gets past Berwick’s Abby Burt as referee Frank Galicki.
https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/web1_TTL011717GBBPA-Berwick_spt_1-2.jpg.optimal.jpgPittston Area’s Taryn Ashby, left, gets past Berwick’s Abby Burt as official Frank Galicki watches the action. Pittston Area’s Taryn Ashby gets past Berwick’s Abby Burt as referee Frank Galicki.

Berwick’s Roni Isenberg, center, looks to pass under pressure from Pittston Area’s Kirsten Durling in WVC interdivisional girls basketball action Monday night in Berwick. Berwick’s Roni Isenberg looks to pass under pressure from Pittston Area’s Kirsten Durling Monday night in Berwick.
https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/web1_TTL011717GBBPA-Berwick_spt_2-2.jpg.optimal.jpgBerwick’s Roni Isenberg, center, looks to pass under pressure from Pittston Area’s Kirsten Durling in WVC interdivisional girls basketball action Monday night in Berwick. Berwick’s Roni Isenberg looks to pass under pressure from Pittston Area’s Kirsten Durling Monday night in Berwick.

Berwick’s Tori Talanca, right, shoots as Pittston Area’s Portia Weidlich defends. Berwick’s Tori Talanca shoots as Pittston Area’s Portia Weidlich defends during a game Monday night in Berwick.
https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/web1_TTL011717GBBPA-Berwick_spt_3-2.jpg.optimal.jpgBerwick’s Tori Talanca, right, shoots as Pittston Area’s Portia Weidlich defends. Berwick’s Tori Talanca shoots as Pittston Area’s Portia Weidlich defends during a game Monday night in Berwick.

Pittston Area’s Leah Hodick, left, looks to pass under pressure from Berwick’s Roni Isenberg, right, and Reese Mensinger. Pittston Area’s Leah Hodick looks to pass under pressure from Berwick’s Roni Isenberg, right, and Reese Mensinger in Monday’s Wyoming Valley Conference game in Berwick.
https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/web1_TTL011717GBBPA-Berwick_spt_4-2.jpg.optimal.jpgPittston Area’s Leah Hodick, left, looks to pass under pressure from Berwick’s Roni Isenberg, right, and Reese Mensinger. Pittston Area’s Leah Hodick looks to pass under pressure from Berwick’s Roni Isenberg, right, and Reese Mensinger in Monday’s Wyoming Valley Conference game in Berwick.
Pittston Area guard scores 28 point to spark victory

By Paul Sokoloski

[email protected]

ON VIDEO

To see video of Pittston Area’s Leah Hodick in Monday’s game against Berwick, visit the online version of this story at timesleader.com

VideoID: sqwC9mtEgO8
VideoType: YOU TUBE
URL: https://youtu.be/sqwC9mtEgO8
Video Embed String:
Video Caption: Leah Hodick hits a bucket
Video Credit: Paul Sokoloski
Video Position:

(use the “for files…” link above to associate attached files with this source)