No West for the weary

BY MARTY MYERS, TIMES-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER

North Pocono girls basktball coach Jeff West pulled off his tie and wrung it in frustration, squeezing that baby like a stress ball after Friday's loss at Scranton Prep.

With good reason. He saw his team rally from a double-figures deficit, put together an 11-0 run in a game span of about two minutes, and close within two of Prep, which is still undefeated in the second half.

In the span of about another two minutes, the game was slkipping away from West, and he couldn't help but blame himself after the loss. He talked about the team needing to finish quarters, to have better focus, and about the drills he runs in practice to try to get them to focus.

Truth of the matter is, it's time for West to stop beating himself up and for the players to start taking a good, long look at why they have just one win against the three teams above them in the standings.

The NP mentor could travel the recesses of his mind for an answer, but it's not there. This comes down to the players. Bad passes at the first sign of pressure. Leaving the ball unprotected as they drive to the basket. Missing bunnies under the bucket. Guilty on all counts. Saw a few tears and a couple long faces as the Trojans left the Xavier Center, but after a game like that, you should look like you just lost your dog. Quick question for everyone involved: Excluding the stretch in the 11-0 run when NP hit five shots in a row, was it West's coaching that caused the team to shoot a pitiful 8-for-45 the rest of the game?

Mirror, mirror, on the wall, who's the one going to shoot the ball. And preferably, make a couple.

It's not all gloom in Moscow. Christie Bonacci has been a bright light of late, playing her way into the starting lineup and responding by scoring in double figures in four straight. But for the team to make another run like last year's district tournament, it will need some other players to step forward.

Two big ones

Prep has a pair of big games this week, first facing Scranton at home on Monday, then traveling to Abington Heights for the big Shoot for Hope game to raise bucks and *** cancer awareness.

Meghan McDonald is a 5-foot-8 post player, on her tippytoes, who has begun playing like she's a 6-footer. Last four games, she's averaging 14 per contest, including a 12-rebound effort Friday. No wonder Prep's offense looks alive again. Can't just sit on Celia Rader and Sara Walsh any more.

Scranton's countering with some noticeably better play from Terika Turner, who has double-doubles in her last three with the Knights.

Say Carra, Carra

BY MARTY MYERS, TIMES-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER

The interview suddenly took on the tenor of an an inquisition. Twice before, Dunmore's Lauren Carra had been led to the water of self reflection. Each time she backed away from speaking about Dunmore's success in individual terms.

Finally, under threat that the question would be asked again if she didn't say something about her own superb play, the three-time All-Region selection and first-team, all-state player relented. But only under duress.

Hey, why say anything about your own play when it speaks so loudly for itself? Saturday afternoon's 29-point, 12-rebound, 5-assist, 3-steal, 3-block performance echoed through Old Forge's gym long after the Bucks, top-ranked in the Times-Tribune girls basketball poll, easily dispatched of Old Forge, 58-38.

Old Forge assistant coach Jim Monteforte called Carra the best point/wing player in the state. We're not arguing. Yet, as she approached 2,000 points (honestly, she doesn't know how many she needs to reach it), she's more interested in team goals than individual ones. In fact, when a technical was called late in the contest, she had to be shoved by a teammate to go to the foul line to take the shots.

Can I revise that? Carra is interested in one individual goal, just not her own. She wants to see teammate Tayler Pallotta (shooting at right) get her 1,000th point. She'll have that chance Monday at home against Mid Valley. Pallotta needs 17 to reach the milestone.

Perhaps most impressive about Dunmore's latest rout was just that: it was another rout. Since Holy Cross nearly stunned Dunmore in the first half, losing by two in overtime, Dunmore has won its last four games by an average of 29 points, beating three top-10 teams in the process.

Saturday's key numbers: 19 buckets, 14 assists and by my count, just four forced shots. "I’ll have to go back and look at the tape, but that’s probably about right," Dunmore coach Ben O'Brien said. We’ve been playing pretty good basketball, but we go into every single practice thinking we need to get a liuttle better, because everyone else is. We preach that and we try to get a little bit better and a little bit better."

By the numbers

Love stats. Some of them because they're really cool on their own, others because they tell a story. Time to let you decide which ones are important and which ones are there just to have you go, Hmm.

-- Mid Valley's Bob Doughton can either be taking it in stride or pulling his hair out. Probably a little of both. The difference between a good team and a very good team can be as little as 7 points, in the case of the Spartanettes. Of their seven losses this season, three came by a single point, two others by two points. Of course, this with a team that doesn't have a senior on the roster.

-- Dunmore's Carra and Holy Cross' Julie Kosin are the only players to have scored in double figures in every Lackawanna League game this year.

-- Riverside's dynamic guard trio of Angela Dente, Morgann Haduck and Jess Segilia have seven games where each has hit for double figures. The Lady Vikes' record in those games is 4-3.

-- Carbondale guard Cassie Catanzaro had a double-double Friday night with 20 points and 11 assists in a win over Lakeland. Teammate Colleen Walsh got back on track after failing to hit a 3-pointer for the first time in league play. She nailed five in the win over Lakeland and set a career-high with 24 points.

Fighting against Cancer

BY JOBY FAWCETT, Senior Staff Writer

Coaches, players and communities banded together Saturday night to raise money for the American Cancer Society.

Lackawanna Trail's Andrew Kettel was the chairman of the Coaches vs. Cancer weekend, and in speaking with him late Saturday night the effort was an overwhelming success.

At Valley View High School, the cheerleaders and fans decorated the entire gym with balloons. There was a raffle and giveaways, but more importantly, the community raised $1,500 from sponsors for the Valley View-Dunmore game, while an additional $4,500 had been raised throughout the community.

During halftime, Valley View Superintendent Joe Daley gave a speech, and acknowledged all cancer survivors in attendance, including Valley View sophomore K.C. Rafter.

In the game, Matt Maldonato scored 14 points, Brian Copeland scored 12 points and had eight rebounds, and Michael Ehnot added 13 points as Dunmore defeated the Cougars, 59-50, in a Lackawanna Division II game.

That kept Dunmore tied with Holy Cross at 3-0 in the division. The Crusaders rolled past Riverside early Saturday, 61-40 behind the 18-point effort from Mark Bevacqua.

• Mid Valley pulls upset: Mid Valley had been improved this season, and finally Saturday it got a big win in the division. Mike Cravath scored 15 points and Jason Esperance and Briton Hendricks each had 14 as the Spartans upended Old Forge, 49-46, thanks in major part to a 20-point outburst in the third quarter.

DIVISION I

North Pocono stuns Prep: For the second time this half, Scranton Prep got stung. North Pocono picked up an important Division I victory, 52-49. Eric Steinmetz scored 22 points, including 18 in the first half for the Trojans.

•  Staying the course: Abington Heights won its 15th straight game, beating Honesdale; Scranton defeated Wallenpaupack and West Scranton recovered from its upset loss to Wallenpaupack to beat Delaware Valley on the road.

DIVISION III

Montrose, Elk Lake still tied: Kyle Bonnice scored 13 points and Bill Stranburg added 12 as Montrose defeated Blue Ridge; Elk Lake, meanwhile, raced past Western Wayne, 60-26. Mike Greenwood scored 15 and Jeff Madrak scored 10. These two teams are on a collision course it seems in the division.

TUESDAY'S SCHEDULE

Division I

North Pocono at Delaware Valley

Honesdale at West Scranton

Scranton Prep at Scranton

Abington Heights at Wallenpaupack

Division II

Old Forge at Lakeland

Valley View at Riverside

Mid Valley at Dunmore

Holy Cross at Carbondale

Division III

Forest City at Mountain View

Elk Lake at Blue Ridge

Lackawanna Trail at Western Wayne

Montrose at Susquehanna

Then there were two....

BY MARTY MYERS, TIMES-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER

Is it possible we aren't a week into the second half of Division I play and only two of the eight teams are still unbeaten?

Absolutely, after North Pocono tried but couldn't overcome a huge Scranton lead. Whew, is what Scranton players had to be thinking when the Trojans rallied to get within four, but a 20-point lead by Scranton was just too big a hill to climb. Terika Turner's 18-rebound, 16-point effort didn't go to waste. Neither did a nice 15-point performance out of Liz Borgia. In fact, Scranton put four players in double figures, with Sara Corbett (12) and Emily Baldacci (10) also chiming in with solid efforts.

Scranton may need more of those if reports are true that Lachelle Miller, who had been moved from starting point guard to first off the bench, has left the team.

North Pocono's been getting some good games of late from Christie Bonacci, who's gone for double figures in each of her last four, including 18 against Scranton.

Scranton Prep and Abington Heights, which has a game to make up at Delaware Valley on Saturday, are the last oif the unbeatens. Prep took a big halftime lead, thanks to Celia Rader and Sarah Walsh, then had to hold off a charge from Honesdale, which saw Katy DeGraw moved within 54 points, I believe, of the 1,000-point plateau. Pretty cool if she gets it, since her sister, Lacey, just scored her 1,000th last week for Misericordia University.

It's all pointing toward a possible showdown Thursday night at Abington Heights, which is also Shoot for Hope night. Prep and AH will don special jerseys to honor *** cancer survivors, heck, all cancer survivors, remmeber those who have not made it, and raise money for the Susan B. Komen Foundation. The schools have sold a boatload of pink Shoot for Hope T-shirts so far, and it promises to be a memorable night, far beyond a simple basketball game. This used to be a pretty bitter rivalry. Thanks to coaches Vince Bucciarelli (AH) and Roy Gibbs (Prep) working together on this project, it's turned into a really good rivalry that's going to be special for both teams, and their fans, and cancer victims and survivors.

I don't need to beg anyone to come out for this special event, do I? And bring more than some spare change.

Meteors defeat Trail

BY JOBY FAWCETT, Senior Staff Writer

On Tuesday, Lackawanna Trail's Bobby Pacholec scored a career-high 33 points in a win over Susquehanna. Facing one of the top defensive teams in the Lackawanna Division III is a matchup that piqued my interest.

Montrose, which defeated first-half winner Mountain View to start the second half, couldn't stop Pacholec, but it came away with an important win in the division, 58-53 in overtime.

Thanks to the quick hands of Alan Charles and the timely free throw shooting of Rob Volk, the Meteors were able to overcome a three-point deficit in the final 1:30, even after Lackawanna Trail had possession and had already been in the bonus.

Charles had a key steal and layup that turned into a three-point play that tied the game. Pacholec had two free throws, then Volk made two in the final seconds to send the game to overtime. Andy Burgh drilled a 3-pointer and Jeff Liddick had two free throws and Lackawanna Trail never got back into it.

Pacholec did finish with 24 points, which included nine straight in the third quarter for the Lions. But Montrose had more balance, as Liddick finished with 15 points, Charles had 14 points and four steals, and Volk had 10 points and 11 rebounds.

Montrose is 2-0, tied with Elk Lake, which defeated Susquehanna. Watch out: Sean Morahan is red hot from the 3-point line. He had seven against Susquehanna and 11 in his first two games of the half.

• Mountain View upends Blue Ridge: In a wild game that went double overtime, Luke Jenkins scored 30 points as the Eagles defeated Blue Ridge, 63-52.

UP NEXT: Mountain View is at home against Susquehanna on Saturday, while Montrose will be home against Blue Ridge in key games.

Division I

West gets upset

Coming off its impressive win at the Xavier Center against Scranton Prep, West Scranton dropped a 52-48 game in double-overtime to Wallenpaupack. Isaiah Slutter scored 19 points and Patrick Kilduff added 12 to record their first win in the division. Tom Horan continues to play hard for West Scranton, scoring 22.

That leaves Abington Heights, which had its game against Delaware Valley postponed, as the only unbeaten in Division I this half.

•  Scranton and Scranton Prep post wins: Scranton bounced back from its loss to Abington Heights with a 65-53 win over North Pocono. Timmy Fisch, Terry Turner and Willie Knight combined for 43 of Scranton's 65 points. Scranton Prep defeated Honesdale, 55-30 as Pat Mineo scoed 12 points.

UP NEXT: On Saturday, Scranton Prep will be at North Pocono in a very important game between teams at 1-1 in the half.

Division II

Dunmore rallies

Dunmore defeated Old Forge, 60-58, outscoring it 18-9 in the fourth quarter. Michael Ehnot scored eight of his 19 points during that surge for the Bucks. Pat Ross added 13 and Matt Maldonato had 12. For Old Forge, which is 0-2 to start the second half, Matt Rava scored 16 and Tony Goodall had 12.

• Holy Cross rolls: The Crusaders jumped all over Mid Valley, scoring 37 points in the first quarter. Since they are giving up only 31 points per game, that's a good start. Louis Cipriano hit six 3-pointers in the game and finished with 20 points. Brett Podhyski added 17.

UP NEXT: Big matchups on Saturday. Riverside takes on Holy Cross at Marywood at 11 a.m. Dunmore will be at Valley View, which is 2-0 to start the second half.

COACHES VS. CANCER

Saturday's games are also part of the Coaches vs. Cancer weekend. The 2008-09 Planning Committee includes, Lackawanna Trail coach Andrew Kettel, chairman; Scranton girls coach Bill Gibbons, Valley View boys coach Larry Pegula; Forest City boys coach Jason Pantzar; Dunmore girls coach Ben O'Brien; Jim Gross, Terry Greene and Joe Dente, referees.

Won by one, Holy Cross moves on

BY MARTY MYERS, TIMES-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER

If there is any team Holy Cross doesn't want to see in the District 2 Class AA girls basketball playoffs, it's Mid Valley. The Crusaders escaped again on Thursday, a one-point winner over the ninth-ranked Spartanettes for the second time this year.

Kayla Sileo saved the day with a long jumper at the horn in the first meeting. This time, it was Maria Durdach hitting a pair of free throws in the final minute of the 44-43 win in a Division II game, and the Crusaders defense not allowing Mid Valley to get off a tying 3. Finally, Kaitlyn Merenich scored, but it was too late, and a point too little.

Durdach's free throws were surely a sign she's gotten mentally tougher. She had two free throws in the Dunmore game that could have iced that upset. Both spun out. This time, Durdach nailed both clutch shots to lock up the win for the fourth-ranked Crusaders.

What happened in the last three weeks? Carbondale played Valley View down to the wire the first time the teams met, losing by one. This time around, Rebecca Keegan and Emily Pambianco made sure the only question to be answered in the fourth-quarter would be: "Who hasn't been in the game yet?"

Keegan's fifth triple-double of the season (30 points, 15 boards, 10 blocks) and a nice complementary effort from Pambianco (15 points) made this no contest from the first quarter on. It was 21-5 after eight minutes, and the spread just got wider from there.

We'll have to wait for Saturday afternoon for the rematch of top-ranked Dunmore and No. 3 Old Forge. Expect this to be a better game, not the 21-popint blowout we saw the first time.

Koloski returns, losing streak ends

BY MARTY MYERS, TIMES-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER

Maybe it's just a coincidence, but I don't think so. Julia Koloski returns to the lineup after separating her shoulder and Montrose beats Lackawanna Trail in what suddenly had become a huge game for the Meteors. Koloski led Montrose with 14 points in the 51-44 victory, which keeps her team on the heels of unbeaten Mountain View, which leads Division III at 2-0.

The Meteors need someone to step up and become a reliable scorer because it's a lot to ask freshman Dallas Ely to keep scoring, and that's evident in the fact that Ely hasn't scored in double figures in her last four games. Putting that much weight on a 14- or 15-year-old's shoulders is an awful lot to ask. No question, Ely is going to be one heckuva ballplayer. Now, she needs a little time to grow, and some help from her friends.

Koloski's return is important, but the Meteors will have to do without Raina Upright for the remainder of the season. She didn't score a lot, but Upright was a defensive stopper for her team, and when you lose someone like that, it throws the whole rotation out of whack.

If there is a sleeper in the second half, it's Elk Lake, so one coach in the league told me Thursday night. It's a team that's getting much better, especially defensively. Maybe Karley Caines is their only legit scoring threat, but if you don't let the other team's scorers produce, how much offense do you need, anyway? It's a theory that has worked well in very successful programs around the Lackawanna League, and looks like Al Caines has taken a page out of former coach Tony Blaisure's old playbook.

Comets off to good start

BY JOBY FAWCETT, Senior Staff Writer

Abington Heights, which claimed the first-half title in Division I, got off to a good start with a 55-49 win over Scranton. The Comets needed some sharp free-throw shooting from senior guard Cory Spangenberg to seal the win. He made 11 of 12 in the fourth quarter, which conjured up memories of his 10-for-12 night in a win over Scranton Prep during the first half.

It's really no surprise. Spangenberg is the leading free-throw shooter in the Lackawanna League Division I, hitting .878 percent.

Abington Heights also got big nights from Eric Hardaway, who scored all 14 of his points in the first half, and Dan Smith, who scored 12, which included eight on four assists from Hardaway in the third quarter.

Bilal Floyd did what he could to keep Scranton in the game, scoring 18 points, which included four 3-pointers.

This is a big road win for the Comets, who have now won 14 straight games this season.

Up Next: Abington Heights is home against Delaware Valley on Thursday, while Scranton hosts North Pocono, which defeated Wallenpaupack.

• West stuns Cavaliers: Getting their revenge, the Invaders jumped all over Scranton Prep at the Xavier Center. Tom Horan, one of the top inside players in the league, bullied his way to 22 points, while the sharpshooting guards Ethan Dunn and Tyler Hughes combined for five 3-pointers and 31 points. Scranton Prep did get 12 from Tim Lavelle and 11 from Pat Mineo, but that duo was held to almost 10 points below their combined season average.

Division II

Holy Cross overpowers Lakeland: Another strong defensive effort from the area's top team. Holy Cross thumped Lakeland, 62-19. Louis Cipriano drilled five 3-pointers and Mark Bevacqua scored 13 points, but what is more impressive is the five points the Crusaders limited Lakeland to over the second and third quarters.

Up Next: On Thursday, Holy Cross will be at Mid Valley, which began the second half with a win over Carbondale.

• Dunmore also clamps down: The Bucks limited Riverside to single digits in each of the first three quarters in their 44-37 win. Pat Ross is starting to find his range, hitting three 3-pointers, while Michael Ehnot scored 14. Dunmore improved to 11-5 overall.

Division III

Montrose beats first-half winner: Limiting Mountain View to only 14 first-half points, the Meteors stunned the Eagles, 39-35, making the rest of the second half a very interesting race. Alan Charles was the lone Montrose player in double figures with 16 points, which included three 3-pointers.

Up Next: Now Montrose will travel to Lackawanna Trail on Thursday. The Lions defeated Susquehanna on Tuesday on the strength of a 33-point night from Bobby Pacholec.

• Elk Lake beats Forest City: Two of the marquee players in the league Elk Lake's Jeff Madrak and Forest city's Jesse Walsh, turned into a defensive struggle. Madrak scored only three points -- 19 below his season average, but Steven Rezykowski fired in 13 points and Sean Morahan had 12 as the Warriors are now 14-2 overall. Walsh scored 13 to lead Forest City.

BOYS BASKETBALL Lackawanna League

League Overall

x-Abington Hts. (7-0)                1    0   14  1

West Scranton (4-3)                1    0   12   4

North Pocono (3-4)                  1    0    9    7

Delaware Valley (1-6)              1    0    3  12

Scranton Prep (6-1)                  0   1   12   4

Scranton (5-2)                             0   1    7   9

Honesdale (2-5)                          0   1   5   10

Wallenpaupack (0-7)                0   1   5   11

League Overall

x-Holy Cross (7-0)                      1     0    14    1

Dunmore (6-1)                            1     0    11    5

Valley View (5-2)                       1     0       9    7

Mid Valley (1-6)                         1      0       7   9

Old Forge (4-3)                            0     1      9   7

Riverside (3-4)                            0      1     7   9

Carbondale (2-5)                       0      1    3  13

Lakeland (0-7)                             0     1    1   15

League Overall

Elk Lake (6-1)                             1       0     14      2

Montrose (5-2)                         1        0     10      4

Blue Ridge (3-4)                       1        0       9     6

Lacka. Trail (3-4)                       1       0        6   10

x-Mtn. View (7-0)                      0      1       11     4

Forest City (3-4)                         0      1        6    10

Susquehanna (1-6)                  0      1        5    11

Western Wayne (0-7)              0      1        1    14

x-Won first-half title

No Buck-ing this trend

BY MARTY MYERS, TIMES-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER

I could stand on a rooftop and shoult this advice: Don't let Lauren Carra and Tayler Pallotta go for 40 points, and contain Ashley Murray.

That's like trying to separate a sportswriter from a buffet line. It's easy to say and there are a lot of defenses you can try, but bottom line: When you are hungry, the big dogs want to eat.

And Dunmore is feasting on Lackawanna League Division II opponents. Make that 11 straight wins overall for the steamrolling Bucks, who motored past Riverside by 20. Last time Dunmore lost a league game? Heckuva question, Truamn administration? We'll try to figure it out for another entry.

All you need to know is that Lauren Carra (25) and Tayler Pallotta (20) are well on their way to milestones -- 2,000 points for Carra, 1,000 for Palotta. And Murray? 'Well, she's got a nice little base on her way to who knows what success.

Together, they've got the Bucks humming, and others hmmmming.

Nice night for Sarah Fife and third-ranked Old Forge, which entertains Dunmore at the Devils Den on Wednesday, weather permitting. Fife scored 20, Kim Kaville added another 16 and Old Forge, even if it can't figure out a way to slow down Dunmore, looks like it's getting geared up for another end-of-season run.

No surprises from No. 9 Mid Valley, which ripped off 21 of the first 23 points at Carbondale, or No. 4 Holy Cross, which got another 20-point game from Julie Kosin.

Warning: Teams are closer than they appear

BY MARTY MYERS, TIMES-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER

Not to brag, but... OK, I'm bragging. Did I not warn Montrose and Forest City that they were in trouble in Monday's Lackawanna Division III second-half openers? And what happens? Montrose goes on the road and loses to Mountain View on a late deuce by Kayla Kazmierski, and first-half and No. 10-ranked Forest City is shocked by Elk Lake.

Maybe the Montrose-Mt. View result surprises no one, especially since Montrose is playing without its second leading scorer, Julia Koloski. The track star and double-digit scorer is reportedly out with a separated shoulder, suffered in a loss to Elk Lake a week ago. And Mt. View was one of three teams that finished in a tie for the first half.

Now, the Eagles are flying high, for the time being, atop the division with three teams you wouldn't expect to find there: Elk Lake, Lackawanna Trail and Western Wayne.

Elk Lake's Karley Caines continues to light it up, scoring 23 of her team's 42 in the win, but the defensive effort has bee superb of late. In its last five games, no Warriors opponent has scored more than 39 points.

For Trail, this is an added boost of confidence when the Lions really need it. They go up against Montrose and Forest City intheir next two. Balance like 12 (Lauren Ellsworth), 11 (Kelsey Deveney) and 11 (Kristyn Grunza) will make any coach smile, any night.

Western Wayne's Charlcie Brink has erupted in the last couple games to add some life to the Varden Garden. Blue Ridge was hindered by the absence of Megan Ragard, who is out with a concussion.

It's a three-game week, so the standings could be shuffled big time by Friday night.