PLAINS TWP. — Wilkes-Barre Area’s 3-point shooting the first half Friday night was, to put it bluntly, bad.
So the Wolfpack didn’t change a thing with its offensive strategy in the second half. And it worked.
WBA finally broke an 0-for-11 drought from behind the arc by hitting its first three 3-pointers in the third quarter. And just like that, the Wolfpack were able to distance themselves from Dallas for a 45-34 win in a Wyoming Valley Conference Division 1 girls basketball game.
Emma Krawczeniuk started and ended the third quarter with 3-pointers as WBA (6-2 Div. 1, 14-2 overall) turned a 18-17 halftime deficit into a 32-23 lead entering the fourth quarter.
“That was basically what we told them at halftime,” WBA coach Mary Mushock-Namey said. “I think we were like one for our first 12 threes. What we told them at halftime was, ‘Shooters keep shooting and eventually they will fall.’ If they don’t, then we were definitely going to have to switch our game plan and find another way to score.
“But they kept their confidence and kept shooting. As soon as Emma knocked that first one down, I think it really got her confidence up.”
Dallas (2-6, 6-9) had just one field goal in the third quarter. After Dallas’ Elizabeth Viglone scored on a steal to knot the score 20-20, the Wolfpack went on a 19-3 run that extended to midway through the final period.
While WBA was struggling from behind the arc in the first half, Eternity Aiken kept the offense going with her strong inside play. She scored eight points in the first quarter and four more in the second quarter. She finished with 19 and reached a double-double with an offensive rebound with 1:21 left in the game and the Wolfpack ahead 40-27.
“She was huge tonight,” Mushock-Namey said. “Rebounding, playing defense and even all her points inside. I think her defense leads to her offense the way she was playing (Victoria) Spaciano really well. It kind of gives her a little bit of energy on the other end.”
The Mountaineers tried the obligatory fouling in the final minutes in an effort to make some inroads. The strategy rarely works and Friday night was no exception. The Wolfpack hit five free throws in the final 1:21 as Dallas couldn’t get the deficit to less than 11 points. Aiken also grabbed her 11th rebound in the final minute.
Krawczeniuk opened the game with a 3-pointer, but then WBA missed their next 11 from behind the arc. Dallas, fresh off an upset win over Hazleton Area, took the lead four times in the first half. Spaciano and Megan Bryk scored the second quarter’s final two baskets as the Mountaineers took a one-point lead into the locker room.
Wilkes-Barre Area 45, Dallas 34
DALLAS (34) — DelGaudio 2 2-2 6, Porasky 0 0-0 0, Strobel 2 0-0 4, Bryk 1 0-0 2, Viglone 2 0-0 5, Walsh 3 1-4 7, Pevear 2 0-0 5, Spaciano 1 3-4 5. Totals 13 6-10 34.
WBA (45) — Credle 0 2-4 2, Thornton 3 1-2 8, Evans 0 0-0 0, Robinson 0 0-0 0, Aiken 9 1-2 19, Ardo Boyko 2 0-1 4, Krawzeniuk 3 3-4 12. Totals 17 7-13 45.
Dallas`10`8`5`10 — 34
Wilkes-Barre Area`13`4`15`13 — 45
Three-point goals — DAL 2 (Viglone, Pevear). WBA 4 (Thorton, Krawczeniuk 3).
