Riley Baird’s incredible scoring outburst Tuesday night led the upset that reset the Wyoming Valley Conference Division 2 girls standings.
Baird scored 15 points in the final 2:55, 23 in the fourth quarter and 42 for the game while leading Nanticoke past visiting Lake-Lehman, 70-58.
The game combined Nanticoke’s first divisional win with the first divisional loss for the defending champion Lady Knights.
Nanticoke is 1-2 in the division and 4-7 overall.
Lake-Lehman is 4-1 and 7-3, but lost sole possession of the lead. Wyoming Area tied Lake-Lehman for the division lead and Holy Redeemer is even with them in the loss column.
The Trojanettes trailed by 13 at halftime and were still behind when the fourth quarter started.
Baird hit half of her eight 3-pointers in the fourth quarter. She had 23 of her team’s points while Nanticoke was outscoring Lake-Lehman, 25-12, over the final 8 minutes.
The senior guard started the fourth-quarter scoring on a 22-foot, 3-pointer from the point with seven minutes left.
Lake-Lehman’s defense forced Baird toward the right sideline when she brought the ball up on the next possession. Baird fired from there, hitting from 24 feet and leading Lake-Lehman to call timeout with Nanticoke in front, 51-46, with 6:22 left.
Baird converted her own rebound for a seven-point lead, but Lake-Lehman scored the next seven points, including a 3-pointer by Ella Wilson, for a 53-53 tie with 3:05 left.
Baird came off a high ball screen and never stopped moving before launching a 3-pointer with 2:55 left for the basket that put the Trojanettes ahead to stay.
After hitting a step-back, 3-pointer with 2:02 left, Baird was fouled on a long-distance attempt with 1:28 remaining. She hit all three free throws for a 62-53 lead, starting a stretch in which she went 9-for-9 from the line at the end of the game.
Baird made all 12 of her free throws in the game, adding two sets of three free throws to her eight 3-pointers.
Nanticoke made 13 shots from 3-point range.
Claire Aufiero scored 11 points and Brooklyn Biehl had 10, including 7 in the third quarter, in the win.
Wilson led Lake-Lehman with 21 points, with the help of four 3-pointers. Chase Purdy added 17 points and Claire Dougherty had 10.
Dougherty scored eight points in the first quarter when Lake-Lehman took a 14-10 lead.
Wilson then fired in 14 second-quarter points to help the Lady Knights open their 37-24 halftime lead.
Baird, Aufiero, Biehl and Shaylee Heffron all made 3-pointers in the third quarter when Nanticoke outscored Lake-Lehman, 21-9, and grabbed a lead late in the quarter before going to the fourth trailing 46-45.
Nanticoke’s shooting prowess included going 17-for-18 (94.4 percent) from the line.
Baird’s 42 points is the season-high in the WVC and just two short of the District 2 high of 44 by Kaci Kranson for Holy Cross Friday against Lackawanna Trail.
In other Tuesday girls games:
Wyoming Area 37, MMI Prep 24
Host Wyoming Area held winless MMI Prep to four first-half points on the way to the victory that allowed the Lady Warriors to grab a share of first place in WVC Division 2.
The Lady Warriors scored 19 straight points – the last 10 of the first quarter and the first 9 of the second – for a 21-2 lead with two minutes left in the half.
Morgan Janeski led 11 Wyoming Area scorers with 8 points.
The Lady Warriors took a 33-7 lead into the fourth quarter before Bria Kringe hit three consecutive 3-pointers during a 14-point streak by the Preppers.
Kringe had five total 3-pointers – four in the fourth quarter – on the way to 18 points.
MMI dressed just five players.
Hazleton Area 53, Berwick 35
Hazleton Area set up Thursday’s first-place battle at Wyoming Area with the home-court win in WVC Division 1.
The Lady Cougars (5-0, 9-3) moved a half-game in front of the Wolfpack, the only other unbeaten in division play at 4-0 and 10-1.
Lacie Kringe scored 12 of her 22 points when Hazleton Area outscored Berwick, 18-8, in the fourth quarter to break open an eight-point game.
Kringe, Brianna Kennedy and Taylor Kilker all made four steals.
Sophia Shults contributed 13 points while Kennedy had 10.
Rae Anna Andreas led Berwick with 17 points.
Valley View 45, West Scranton 15
Valley View shut out West Scranton, 17-0, in the first quarter on the way to the home-court win in Lackawanna League Division 1.
Giada Costa led the Cougars with 22 points.
Dunmore 69, Mid Valley 20
Dunmore bounced back from its first loss of the season and just is fourth loss of the last four seasons by running out to a 47-10 halftime lead at Mid Valley in the Lackawanna Division 3 game.
Ciera Toomey scored 25 points and Moriah Murray added 12 on four 3-pointers without either playing in the second half.
Elk Lake 45, Lackawanna Trail 42
Krista Jones poured in 27 points as Elk Lake handed visiting Lackawanna Trail its first Lackawanna Division 4 loss – in just its second game – to hold down second place in the division.
Jones had 14 points in the first quarter to get Elk Lake out to a 16-10 lead and 21 by halftime when the Lady Warriors led 27-18.
Gretchen Rejrat scored 13 points and Amaralis Thiel added 12 for the Lady Lions.
Susquehanna 41, Blue Ridge 30
Meghan Kiernan scored 16 points while Megan Decker had 8 points and 15 rebounds to lead Susquehanna to the home-court win in Lackawanna Division 4.
Emma Button led Blue Ridge with 10 points.
MORE TUESDAY NIGHT COVERAGE
Expanded Riverside-Holy Cross game story: https://nepabasketball.com/2021-22/HSGames/LavelleKransonGameStory.
