By Tom Robinson, NEPABasketball.com
YATESVILLE – The last three times a Wyoming Valley Conference title was being determined, the Lake-Lehman girls made it their own.
The Lady Knights set themselves up Friday night to take aim at a fourth straight WVC title and their second this season.
Claire Dougherty and Lia Keefe led the game-breaking charge as Lake-Lehman earned a chance to repeat its WVC Tournament success by defeating Wilkes-Barre Area, 42-34, in a semifinal game at Pittston Area.
The Lady Knights won the tournament from the underdog position of Division 2 runner-up the last time it was contested in 2020. That was just the start of the program’s rise to successive Division 2 titles in 2021, when there was no WVC Tournament because of COVID, and this season.
The win over the Wolfpack puts Lake-Lehman back in the tournament final where it will play Division 1 champion Pittston Area at Wilkes-Barre Area Saturday at 6.
“I think there is a little something to prove,” Dougherty said of coming out of the division for the WVC’s smaller schools. “Obviously, we’d love to repeat that championship. It’s always been one of our goals.
“We already won the division, so the next goal is the conference. I think we’re ready to come in and surprise people.”
Lake-Lehman, the No. 3 Big School in the My City Mortgage Super Six Power Rankings of District 2 teams takes a 10-game winning streak and 17-3 record into the final. No. 6 Pittston Area has won nine straight to get to 22-2.
Dougherty hit eight out of nine shots at one point on her way to 20 points, 9 rebounds and 4 assists.
Keefe, who moved into the starting lineup when Lake-Lehman lost all-star Chase Purdy to a season-ending knee injury, provided 12 points, 7 assists, 5 rebounds and 4 steals.
“Her defense was excellent,” Lake-Lehman coach Charlie Lavan said. “She hit some great 3s and some of the assists she had were beautiful.
“She really played a good game.”
And, as Lavan quickly pointed out, so did Dougherty.
Dougherty gave Lake-Lehman a counter to Wilkes-Barre Area’s Gloria Adjayi as both teams built their games around post play.
Adjayi’s scoring was held in check until she came up with 7 of her 10 in the fourth quarter to arrive at 1,000 for her career. Although the Wolfpack was unable to contain Dougherty, Adjayi led the way in causing other problems for the Lake-Lehman offense. She finished with game-high totals of eight blocked shots and seven steals along with leading her team in assists with three.
“I definitely think she’s one of the best post players in the area,” Dougherty said. “ … She’s so strong.
“We worked really well tonight. We were just really focused on doubling down on her and we played real well together.”
Adjayi’s only basket of the first three quarters brought the Wolfpack within 15-12 with 2:20 left in the first half.
Dougherty and Keefe took over from there.
Counting the last basket of the first half, when Keefe slipped a pass across the lane to Hailey Kline, Lake-Lehman took off on an 18-2 run to a 33-14 lead with 2:18 left in the third quarter.
Dougherty had eight points and two assists in the run while Keefe had four points and four assists.
“Defensively, we were during the job, but we were looking for a surge (offensively),” Lavan said. “They certainly responded in the third quarter.”
Dougherty had the three of the baskets, including the third time in the game that Lake-Lehman was able to throw an in-bounds pass directly to her in the lane for a score, as the Lady Knights produced the first eight points of the half, leading to Wolfpack coach Mary Mushock-Namey calling a timeout.
Shelby Ardo-Boyko hit a reverse layup for Wilkes-Barre Area coming out of the timeout, but the Wolfpack needed another chance to talk things over when Lake-Lehman again ran off eight points.
This time, Keefe scored twice and ignited the transition game with a steal and a long outlet pass while Dougherty scored a basket and took advantage of the attention she was drawing at the high post to feed two teammates for layups.
“I’m always looking for whoever is closest to the basket, whoever can get the highest-percentage shot,” Dougherty said.
Just when it seemed like time for a weary Wilkes-Barre Area team to give up in its fourth game in five days and seventh in 12 days, the Wolfpack fought back with a late, 18-7 run.
The Wolfpack closed to within 38-27 when Adjayi set up an Ardo-Boyko score with a bounce pass through the lane, then hit two free throws with 3:24 left.
That’s when Keefe and Dougherty worked together one more time for the highlight-reel play that iced the victory.
Keefe drove baseline and slipped a no-look pass to Dougherty in the middle for her last basket.
Wilkes-Barre Area reduced the deficit to eight twice, but by then it was too late.
“We were exhausted, but we just wouldn’t give up,” Mushock-Namey said. “And, that’s why I’m so proud of these girls.”
Unable to complete a comeback from 19 down, the Wolfpack instead found a different reason to celebrate when Diamond Thornton found Adjayi inside for a three-point play with 1:16 left.
The cheers and rush of players onto the court from the Wolfpack bench caught Adjayi by surprise. Her teammates knew the foul shot got her to 1,000, but Adjayi had been led to believe there was still more work to do.
“She had absolutely no idea,” Mushock-Namey said. “I didn’t want that weighing on her mind.”
After reaching 1,000, Adjayi went back to something she has done often this year to counter all the double-teams she has faced. She assisted Danayjha Moore on the game’s final basket.
“That’s what I was thinking this year, pass to my teammates,” said Adjayi, who followed Allycia Harris to become the second player to reach 1,000 career points while playing for the Wolfpack. “I’d rather get us a better record than get points.”
Moore was 3-for-4 in the fourth quarter to finish with 10 points, along with 4 steals.
Ardo-Boyko had 7 points and 5 steals as Wilkes-Barre Area forced 24 Lake-Lehman turnovers.
Ella Wilson joined Dougherty with nine rebounds as Lake-Lehman built a 36-24 advantage on the boards.
Brenna Hunt matched Keefe for the team lead of four steals.
Defenses dominated the first half with only one fewer combined turnover than points scored.
Lake-Lehman forced 15 turnovers and led throughout, making it to the break ahead 17-12 when each team scored just one basket over the final four minutes of the second quarter.
The fourth-ranked Wolfpack (18-5) finished with 23 turnovers.
“Overall, I thought we had really great defense,” Keefe said. “I feel like we won the game in the third quarter and really showed them what we’re all about.”
