WRIGHT TWP. — Had the Crestwood Comets played in the first half like they did in the second half, perhaps the outcome would have been different Monday night.
That first half was when Hazleton Area did too much damage to allow a recovery.
Hazleton Area took a 17-point lead at halftime and then held off a comeback attempt by Crestwood for a 63-53 win in a Wyoming Valley Conference Division 1 girls basketball game.
A capacity crowd watched Hazleton Area (3-0 Div. 1, 10-1 overall) hand Crestwood (3-1, 12-1) its first loss.
Hazleton Area led 34-17 at halftime as Kaitlyn Bindas scored 17 of her game-high 24 points and Sophia Benyo grabbed half of her game-high 18 rebounds. The Cougars also forced 10 second-quarter turnovers with its frantic pace.
“We forced them into that,” Hazleton Area coach Joe Gavio said. “They’re not used to doing that, but they showed they can do that. We got a little sloppy there a little bit, but we made plays when we had to. Make plays, that’s what we ask for.”
Consecutive 3-pointers by Molly Temchatin and Bindas and a basket by Temchatin off a Benyo block allowed Hazleton Area to open its first double-digit lead, 30-13 midway through the second quarter.
Crestwood, though, forced a couple turnovers to start the third quarter, with Keira Dougherty and Jackie Gallagher converting them into layups. Dougherty had a huge quarter, scoring nine of her 19 points.
“We knew they were going to come out hard,” Bindas said. “We tried to keep our composure. Everybody just like stepped up and we kept our composure.”
The rebounding of Benyo and Alexis Reimold and Kayla Lagowy helped. The trio allowed several second-chance opportunities. Reimold finished with 14 points and was a rebound shy of a double-double.
Crestwood moved within 61-51 with 3:11 left in the fourth quarter on a 3-pointer by Dougherty and a jumper by Gallagher. The Comets then missed two shots that would have cut the lead under 10 for the first time since early in the second quarter.
“It’s almost like a repeat of what happened last year in the WVC championship tournament,” Crestwood coach Mary Mushock-Namey said. “One bad quarter unfortunately cost us. And then when we get down early like that like the first-half deficit, we try to get it all back at once.”
Hazleton Area 63, Crestwood 53
HAZLETON AREA (63) — Mariah Marolo 3 1-4 9, Sophia Benyo 4 0-0 8, Kaitlyn Bindas 10 2-3 24, Kayla Lagowy 0 0-0 0, Alexis Reimold 5 4-4 14, Juliana Silva 0 0-0 0, Sofia Rodgers 0 0-0 0, Addison Fritz 0 0-0 0. Totals 25 7-11 63.
CRESTWOOD (53) — Cameron Vieney 0 0-0 0, Charlie Hiller 5 1-3 11, Jackie Gallagher 8 2-4 20, Jordan Andrews 1 0-0 3, Keira Dougherty 8 1-3 19, Addison Korpusik 0 0-0 0, Norah Sklarosky 0 0-0 0. Totals 22 4-10 53.
Hazleton Area`20`14`18`11 — 63
Crestwood`11`6`21`15 — 53
Three-point goals: HA 6 (Marolo 2, Bindas 2, Temchatin 2). CRE 5 (Gallagher 2, Andrews, Dougherty 2).
