The Hazleton Area girls’ basketball team displayed a commanding performance in their season opener, defeating Wyomissing 66-21 during the first round of the Lady Cougar Tip-off Tournament held on Friday evening at Hughie McGeehan Gymnasium. The Lady Cougars established an overwhelming lead, racing to a 32-0 advantage by the end of the first quarter.
Led by standout performances from Kaitlyn Bindas, who scored eight points, and Mariah Marolo and Sophia Benyo, who each contributed seven points, Hazleton Area capitalized on multiple turnovers. The team converted numerous steals into easy baskets, stretching their lead to 42-0 before Wyomissing’s Lily Paolini finally broke through with a layup at the 4:24 mark of the second quarter.
By that time, Hazleton Area’s head coach, Joe Gavio, had begun utilizing his bench extensively. With the score standing at 52-5 as the third quarter began, the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association’s (PIAA) mercy rule came into play, resulting in a running clock for the remainder of the game. Despite the lopsided score, Wyomissing outscored Hazleton Area 15-4 in the third quarter, as Gavio shuffled players in and out of the game with the frequency of a hockey coach changing lines.
Freshman Molly Temchatin made a notable impact in her varsity debut, finishing as the game’s top scorer with 13 points. Bindas contributed 10 points, bringing her within 44 points of reaching a career milestone of 1,000 points. Marolo and Benyo added nine points each, while Alexis Reimold chipped in eight. In total, eleven of Hazleton Area’s seventeen players scored at least two points.
On the opposing side, Addie Loeb led the Lady Spartans with twelve points, including four three-pointers.
The Lady Cougars will advance to face Nazareth in the tournament final on Saturday evening. The Blue Eagles secured their place in the title match with a strong performance against Lake-Lehman, finishing with a score of 60-34. Karly Leszcynski led Nazareth with 16 points, while Alexis Davis added 15 points.
In the consolation matchup, scheduled for 18:00, Lake-Lehman will compete against Wyomissing, followed by the championship game featuring Hazleton Area and Nazareth at approximately 19:15.
Overall, the Lady Cougars’ dominant performance sets a promising tone for the rest of their season as they strive for success in the upcoming games.