WRIGHT TWP. — Dallas’ Elizabeth Viglone, the only senior on the roster, had a message for sophomore teammate Mia DelGaudio about playing a taller Crestwood team Monday night.
“I told Mia ‘You got to be big in there,’” Viglone said. “I have that mindset, too. You have to be bigger than them even though our height was different. You have to be big.”
Despite the obvious height difference, Viglone and DelGaudio each recorded double-doubles. Add that to division scoring leader Molly Walsh tossing in 20 points and Dallas measured up for a 60-48 victory in a key Wyoming Valley Conference Division 1 girls basketball game.
Dallas (11-2 Div. 1, 16-5 overall) will get a chance to tie for the Division 1 title when it plays at Hazleton Area (12-1 Div. 1, 19-2) on Wednesday in the WVC finale for both teams.
Crestwood (10-3 Div. 1, 14-7) fell out of contention for the division.
Viglone finished with a game-high 12 rebounds to go with 11 points. DelGaudio had 14 points and 10 boards. Both had key baskets in the second half.
Viglone started a 12-0 run in the third quarter with a 3-pointer as Dallas built its biggest lead, 42-23, with 1:23 left in the period.
Crestwood closed the third strongly and an early push in the fourth cut the deficit to 44-38. Crestwood, though, lost DelGaudio on an inbound pass and she scored an easy basket. Another inside basket by DelGaudio boosted the lead back to double digits with 2:20 remaining.
“We just relaxed too much,” Dallas coach Vince Bucciarelli said. “They’re young kids and it goes with the territory. But (Crestwood) hit some key threes to pull them back in. … But they hung in there and that’s all that counts.”
Crestwood trailed 31-16 at halftime, but a 3-pointer by Jackie Gallagher followed by baskets by Charlie Hiller and Keira Dougherty moved the Comets within 32-23 early in the third quarter. The offense then went cold and didn’t score for five minutes.
During the drought, Dallas ripped off 10 consecutive points with Walsh scoring the last five.
Three-pointers by Cameron Vieney and Gallagher got Crestwood back within striking distance in entering the final quarter.
“I don’t think we really saw Crestwood basketball until the second half and by that point we were already down 16,” Crestwood coach Mary Mushock-Namey said. “When you get yourself in that deep of a hole, it’s really, really tough to get out.”
Dallas lost to Hazleton Area 63-50 on Jan. 17. A Dallas win on Wednesday would force a playoff game for the Division 1 championship.
“We’ll talk about Hazleton tomorrow,” Bucciarelli said.
Dallas 60, Crestwood 48
DALLAS (60) — Caitlyn Mizzer 4 0-0 8, Mia DelGaudio 5 2-2 14, Brianna Casey 2 1-4 5, Elizabeth Viglone 3 4-8 11, Molly Walsh 6 6-8 20, Lyla Wydra 1 0-0 2, Carolyn Comitz 0 0-0 0. Totals 21 13-22 60.
CRESTWOOD (48) — Charlie Hiller 2 2-2 6, Kendall Petrosky 1 0-0 2, Jackie Gallagher 6 2-2 16, Kate Gallagher 1 0-0 2, Keira Dougherty 5 4-4 15, Cameron Vieney 2 0-2 5, Jordan Andrews 0 2-2 2. Totals 17 10-12 48.
Dallas`19`13`11`17 — 60
Crestwood`10`6`15`17 — 48
Three-point goals — DAL 5 (DelGaudio 2, Viglone, Walsh 2).
