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District 2 Girls Recap (WVC D1 Title Game: Dallas vs. Hazleton Area)
 

District 2 Girls Recap (WVC D1 Title Game: Dallas vs. Hazleton Area)

Written by: Jon K on February 10, 2024

 

 

February 9, 2024

 

Oops! She Did it Again (and is a Division Champion!)

 

Dallas 52, Hazleton Area 47

 

NANTICOKE – Trying to erase the memory of a stunning 4th quarter collapse which prevented them from wrapping up an outright division championship on their home court just two day earlier, Hazleton Area began the final stanza of Friday’s WVC Division 1 playoff by aggressively taking the ball to the hoop as they expanded their lead to six points, 43-37.  A few minutes later, Kaitlyn Bindas fired a no-look pass into Sophia Benyo for a layup that seemingly gave them plenty of momentum and another six-point advantage with 5:44 remaining in the game.  But, there was no hint of any panic in the Dallas lineup or on their sideline as they played as if they again had the Lady Cougars right where they wanted them.  With plenty of confidence and leadership, Molly Walsh would go on to score her team’s next 11 points (part of her game-leading 25).  In what may feel like their own hoops’ version of Bill Murray’s “Groundhog Day”, Dallas had once again rallied for a 52-47 victory giving them the Wyoming Valley Conference Division 1 Championship.  This was a team that simply refused to lose and impressively displayed that throughout the contest.    

There might not have been more experience and maturity packed into a more youthful starting lineup anywhere in the state Friday night as 8 of the 10 starters were freshmen and sophomores.  This one was a tight game throughout the first half.  Sophia Benyo and Sophia Shults combined for all 10 of Hazleton Area’s points in the first quarter that featured three ties.  Shults got things going before Elizabeth Viglone connected on a triple giving Dallas a 4-2 lead.  The Lady Cougars were doing a good job getting to the basket before Lyla Wydra again knotted the game at 8.  Benyo got a putback with under a minute left in the frame before Brianna Casey converted a free throw in the closing seconds to cut the gap to a single point, 10-9, heading to the second period.

The pace picked up for what proved to be a very entertaining second quarter.  Hazleton Area expanded their lead to 17-13 nearing the midpoint of the stanza as Benyo made a terrific pass into Shults before Bindas netted a triple.  Following a Dallas timeout, the Lady Mountaineers went on a 11-4 run to go up 24-21 sending their fans erupting to their feet in approval.  Casey and Molly Walsh sank treys wrapped around a score by Kayla Lagowy that tied things up at 19.  Walsh continued her scoring surge by adding another basket and a triple (part of her 12 points in the period) to take a 3-point lead in the closing minute of the first half.  Alexis Reimold then got into the HA scorebook with 5 points wrapped around a pair of free throws by Caitlyn Mizzer to make this one 26-26 at intermission.

The Lady Cougars tried to put some distance between themselves and Dallas throughout the third period, but their advantage remained at four points as the Lady Mounts had a key response each time.  Hazleton Area grabbed a 30-26 lead 2:30 into the second half as Bindas scored on a fast break.  DelGaudio then scored inside followed by a basket by Viglone to tie things up at 30.  HA went back in front 34-30 via a Reimold score and Olivia Williams getting a fast break layup off a Dallas turnover in the backcourt.  DelGaudio and Reimold traded baskets before Mizzer and Shults did the same thing from 3-point land to make it 39-35.  Viglone brought Dallas within 39-37 heading into the final eight minutes.

Hazleton Area displayed some of their nifty passing skills in the final frame as they began with a give-and-go into Reimold followed by Kayla Lagowy scoring inside to give HA a 43-37 edge.  Viglone came up with a clutch triple before Benyo completed a pair of scores for the Lady Cougars, the second of which came via a sensational pass from Bindas that resulted in a 47-41 lead with 5:44 remaining and resulted in both player and coach displaying a confident fist pump.  But, it would be their last points of the game as Walsh, in many ways the heart and soul of this Dallas team, got going into high gear.  It began with a 3-point opportunity followed by a layup off a Hazleton Area turnover.  She then knotted things up at 47 before draining a triple a minute later to give Dallas the lead, 50-47, with 2:13 remaining in the game.  The Lady Cougars could not connect and then turned the ball back to Dallas approaching the 1:00 mark.  The Lady Mounts were able to secure the 52-47 division-clinching championship victory with a pair of free throws from (guess who?) Walsh who contributed 11 points in the final run.

Dallas (now 18-5 overall) was led by Molly Walsh with 25 points while Elizabeth Viglone added 10 points.  Caitlyn Mizzer, Mia DelGaudio, Brianna Casey, and Lyla Wydra combined for 17 points.  The Lady Mountaineers netted 7 triples and connected on 7 of their 13 free throws.

Hazleton Area (now 19-4 overall) was paced by Alexis Reimold and Sophia Shults who each scored 13 points.  Sophia Benyo added 10 points.  Kaitlyn Bindas, Kayla Lagowy, and Olivia Williams combined to contribute 11 points.  The Lady Cougars connected on 3 triples and surprisingly only went to the charity stripe one time (0-2).                        

Both teams advance to Tuesday’s (2/13) Wyoming Valley Conference Girls’  Tournament to be played at Pittston Area.  Hazleton Area will take on the Division 2 Champion, Holy Redeemer at 6 pm and Dallas will take on the Division 2 runner-up, Lake-Lehman, at 7:30 pm.  The WVC Championship Game will be played on 2/17 at Hazleton Area (2 pm).  Could there be another Dallas vs. Hazleton Area matchup down the road?  Stay tuned.    

LLhoops would like to note the terrific effort by the entire staff at Nanticoke Area in hosting playoff games.  The in-game PA announcing is outstanding.     

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