9 hours Ago By Steve Bennett
Dallas’ Izzy Evans, center, gets trapped by top Pittston Area defenders during the District 2 Class 5A semifinals at Pittston Area on Saturday afternoon. FRANK LAURI / CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHER Pittston Area’s Lili Hintze (21) tries to move the ball past Dallas’ Brianna Casey (21) during the District 2 Class 5A Semi Finals at Pittston Area on Saturday afternoon. FRANK LAURI / CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHER Dallas’ Odessa Kanton (center) tries to get past two Pittston Area defenders during the District 2 Class 5A semifinals at Pittston Area on Saturday afternoon.
FRANK LAURI / CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHER Dallas’ Odessa Kanton (13) goes up for a shot with pressure from Pittston Area’s Grace Callahan (32) during the District 2 Class 5A semifinals at Pittston Area on Saturday afternoon. (FRANK LAURI / CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHER) Dallas’ Izzy Evans (0) goes up for a shot with some pressure from Pittston Area’s Julia Long (3) during the District 2 Class 5A semifinals at Pittston Area on Saturday afternoon. (FRANK LAURI / CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHER) Pittston Area’s Julia Long goes up for a shot with pressure from Odessa Kanton (13) during the District 2 Class 5A semifinals at Pittston Area on Saturday afternoon.
FRANK LAURI / CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHER Pittston Area’s Giullanna Latona (center) tries to drive the ball through two Dallas defenders during the District 2 Class 5A Semi Finals at Pittston Area on Saturday afternoon. FRANK LAURI / CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHER Pittston Area’s Daniella Ranieli (2) goes up for a shot past Dallas’ Odessa Kanton (13) during the District 2 Class 5A Semi Finals at Pittston Area on Saturday afternoon. FRANK LAURI / CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHER Dallas’ Izzy Evans, center, gets trapped by top Pittston Area defenders during the District 2 Class 5A semifinals at Pittston Area on Saturday afternoon.
FRANK LAURI / CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHER YATESVILLE — It was a bad matchup for Pittston Area in January, again in February and one final time Saturday afternoon. Dallas freshman center Odessa Kanton created too many problems for the Patriots when it came to matching size-against-size inside the paint on both ends of the floor. Add Dallas sophomore guard Caitlyn Mizzer to the mix and the Mountaineers created another issue for Pittston Area.
Kanton controlled the lane on both ends of the floor while battling early foul trouble. Mizzer defended Pittston Area guard Daniella Ranieli from the opening tip to late in the fourth quarter. That combination proved too much for the Patriots to contend with as No.
3 Dallas defeated No. 2 Pittston Area, 47-36, in the District 2 Class 5A girls basketball semifinals at Pittston Area. Dallas (15-9) advances to the district championship game where it will face Crestwood on March 1 at 6 p.
m. at Mohegan Arena. Pittston Area sees its season come to an end at 17-7.
“Our game plan revolved around stopping her,” Pittston Area coach Jeff Gregory said of the 6-foot-3 Kanton. “She is a problem for us in matchup situations. She definitely bothers us inside with our lack of size.
” While the Patriots could try and figure out ways to attempt to neutralize Kanton, there was no preparation for the way Mizzer defended. From the opening tip until Gregory cleared his bench in the fourth quarter, Mizzer was defending Ranieli on the ball, working her way through screens and making it difficult for Ranieli to get off a clean shot. She held Ranieli, who came into the game averaging 22 points per game to 12 points and two 3-pointers.
“She’s feisty,” Dallas coach Vince Bucciarelli said of Mizzer. “Coming in if we could hold Ranieli to 18 points or 15, we’re probably in the game. Caitlyn is my quickest kid out there.
Every time, whoever we play, she is on their best player.” The start to the game was rough for both teams. Pittston Area missed all 10 shots it attempted from the floor in the first quarter and Kanton picked up her second foul with 56.
4 seconds left with the Mountaineers up 6-1 and went to the bench. After missing two more shots to open the second quarter, Pittston Area finally came through when Maddie Karp scored on a cut to the basket. Kanton returned to the game at the 6:29 mark of the second quarter with the Mountaineers leading, 10-4.
Ranieli scored on a drive to the basket to give the Patriots a 15-14 lead to cap a 6-0 run that started with a Giuliana Latona rebound basket. Dallas led by two points at halftime and turned to Kanton in the third quarter to keep the momentum going. Kanton scored seven consecutive points to put the Mountaineers ahead, 28-17.
Pittston Area closed on a 9-3 run which included a Karp 3-pointer to beat the buzzer to cut the deficit to five points going to the fourth quarter. But the Mountaineers scored the first eight points of the final quarter to open up a 13-point lead and put the game away.Kanton scored a game-high 22 points while Izzy Evans had seven points.
Mizzer and Malaysia Shaw each scored six. Maddie Karp scored nine points for Pittston Area while Latona had six. “I’m trying to work with Odessa on her post moves,” Bucciarelli said.
“Instead of bringing the ball down, she needs to keep it up. She has been coming along. I didn’t know what to expect from this team this year.
They got better and hung in there as we went through.” Crestwood 56, Abington Heights 39: Charlie Hiller scored 18 points to lead top-seeded Crestwood past No. 5 Abington Heights in a District 2 Class 5A semifinal Saturday.
Jackie Gallagher added 14 points, including four 3-pointers, and Kate Gallagher added 10 points for Crestwood. Lily Scoblick paced Abington Heights with 11, while Maggie Coleman scored 10 points. Class 4A Semifinals Scranton Prep 63, Nanticoke Area 27: Maya Jenkins scored 14 points to lead No.
1 Scranton Prep past No. 5 Nanticoke Area on Saturday. Chloe Mamera and Jenna Hillebrand added 12 and 11 points, respectively, for the Classics, who will face No.
2 Valley View in the championship game Thursday at Mohegan Arena at 6 p.m. Valley View 43, Honesdale 39: Sadie Cardoni came up big when Valley View needed her most.
The sophomore had 10 points and 10 rebounds to help the No. 2 Cougars defeat No. 3 Honesdale Saturday afternoon at Valley View High School.
Giada Costa led Valley View (20-4) with 11 points and Cora Castellani added 10 points. Natalie Goldstein scored 21 points for Honesdale (19-5), including the 1,000th of her career. Ruby Martin chipped in 11 points.
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