EDITOR’S NOTE: While NEPABasketball.com compiles more complete reports, here is a quick recap of Monday’s highlights.
Taylor Kilker hit three 3-pointers during the third quarter Monday night to rally Hazleton Area from a halftime deficit and send the Lady Cougars on their way to a 45-31 victory in a Wyoming Valley Conference Division 1 girls opener.
Crestwood brought a 5-0 overall record into Opening Night of WVC girls and Lackawanna League boys.
Kilker scored 11 of her 16 points when Hazleton Area turned a 18-12 deficit into a 32-23 lead with a 20-5 third quarter.
Lacie Kringe then scored 7 points in the fourth quarter to finish with 13 points, 5 rebounds and 3 steals.
Grace Pasternick had 8 of her 10 points in the first half for Crestwood.
In other girls games: Wyoming Valley West edged Berwick, 54-53, and Wilkes-Barre Area routed Tunkhannock, 51-20, in other WVC Division 1 openers; while Holy Redeemer defeated Wyoming Seminary, 47-20, and Lake-Lehman handled Hanover Area in WVC Division 2.
Claudia Siegfried scored 19 points, Trinity Johnson added 17 and Wyoming Valley West survived 5-for-15, fourth-quarter foul shooting to go on the road and defeat the defending division champions.
The Lady Spartans were 9-for-11 at the line, including 5-for-6 by Johnson before running into trouble in the last eight minutes.
Gabby Starr led Berwick with 16 points.
Wilkes-Barre Area scored the game’s first 10 points at Tunkhannock, held the Lady Tigers to one point until past he midway point of the second quarter and kept adding to the lead through three quarters.
The Wolfpack scored the first 10 points of the second half for a 31-4 lead midway through the third and used a 19-2 run total to make it 38-6 later in the quarter.
Holy Redeemer shut out Wyoming Seminary for a 15-0 lead after one quarter.
Aubrey Curley scored 16 points to lead the Lady Royals.
Brooke Kroptavich had seven of her nine points in the first quarter.
Lexy Lichtenstein led Wyoming Seminary with 12 points.
Lake-Lehman opened defense of its title with the romp on the road.
Mid Valley built a 24-point lead early in the second half of a 47-32 victory over Holy Cross in Lackawanna Division 3.
Sophomore Nathan Sadaka scored 13 points, matching Holy Cross in the first half when the Spartans took a 33-11 lead.
Gabe Tanner led the way with 15 points.
Gabe Gonzales did all his scoring for the game and all the team’s scoring in a 13-2 run to get Holy Cross within 39-26 midway through the third quarter.
In other boys games: Elk Lake handled Forest City, 56-32; Susquehanna topped Lackawanna Trail, 36-29; and Blue Ridge routed Montrose, 66-26, in Lackawanna Division 4 games; Abington Heights handled Valley View, 45-32, in Division 1; West Scranton rolled over Western Wayne, 57-33, in a Division 1-2 crossover; Dunmore defeated Carbondale, 57-47, in Division 3.
Matt Mowry scored 21 points and Elk Lake overcame a sluggish start to open defense of its Division 4 title.
The Warriors trailed, 8-7, after one quarter.
Susquehanna won the Lackawanna opener for the season with a 6 p.m. start on its own court.
The Sabers held the Lions scoreless for more than 4½ minutes to begin the fourth quarter, then held off a comeback in which Lackawanna Trail scored six straight to get within, 33-27.
J.T. Burke scored 13 points and Colton Stone added 12 for Susquehanna.
Connor Cranage scored 23 points and Carson Gallagher had 18 for Blue Ridge.
Jamison Bessoir scored 13 points to lead Abington Heights, which recovered after trailing 5-2 at the end of the first quarter.
West Scranton improved to 7-2 overall with its road win.
Dunmore withstood six 3-pointers and 33 points from Carbondale’s Jay Allen.
Kevin Walsh led the Bucks with 19 points while Adriel DeNaples added 14.
