KINGSTON – On a night when it struggled from the floor, Wyoming Area found a way to still show off its shooting accuracy.
The Lady Warriors used free throws to get past host Wyoming Seminary, 48-38, in a Wyoming Valley Conference Division 2-3 girls basketball crossover.
Wyoming Area outscored Wyoming Seminary, 18-1, from the foul line where it also produced the game’s final six points to put the game away.
Wyoming Seminary kept fighting back and was within four before Wyoming Area held the Blue Knights scoreless for the final 3:20.
The Lady Warriors then sealed the win by going 6-for-8 from the line in the final 1:29. Sarah Holweg was 3-for-4, freshman Nicole Silinskie was 2-for-2 and Katie Wolfgang was 1-for-2.
The late shooting allowed Wyoming Area to finish 18-for-27 on foul shots while Wyoming Seminary was going 1-for-9.
“I feel good about where we are,” Wyoming Area coach Chad Lojewski said after the team improved to 2-1 in the WVC and 5-2 overall. “I think we’ve taken care of business, except for on a couple of occasions, quarter to quarter.
“Coaches like to be perfectionists, but we’re 5-2 and the Lady Warriors haven’t been there in a long time.”
In a week when both Wyoming Area and Pittston Area went 2-0, Wolfgang, Holweg and Addison Orzel helped get the Lady Warriors over the .500 level in the conference.
Wolfgang made six of eight foul shots while finishing with a game-high 20 points, along with 10 rebounds.
“She showed great leadership,” Lojewski said.
Holweg overcame a 2-for-18 game from the floor by hitting seven of eight foul shots and contributing in a variety of ways. She had 13 points and nine rebounds while leading the team with four assists and three steals.
“She’s a team player,” Lojewski said. “ … She makes everyone else better.”
Orzel finished with seven points, 22 rebounds and four blocked shots. She had 13 rebounds on the offensive end, helping Wyoming Area to a 54-47 rebounding advantage.
Mia Raineri had 15 points to lead Wyoming Seminary. Julia Gabriel grabbed 14 rebounds and Alex Wesneski had 10. Annemaaike Reitsma had five assists and three steals.
Wyoming Seminary fell to 0-3 and 3-5.
Wyoming Area had trouble breaking away while shooting just 20 percent from the floor (13-for-65) and under 15 percent on 3-pointers (4-for-27).
“When we played Meyers (Tuesday), we were 50 percent from 3-point range and then everyone feels good and it carries over,” Lojewski said. “If we’re not hitting 50 percent from 3-point range and we need to buckle down on defense, we get a little bit down on ourselves.
“We have to figure out a way to get a little traction on the defensive side, move our feet and get down the court.”
Lojewski said that, even on a night when they forced 22 turnovers, the Lady Warriors let the Blue Knights out of too many traps.
Holweg hit the game’s first shot, a 3-pointer in transition off her first steal, and Wyoming Area never trailed.
Wyoming Seminary tied the game once at 8-8.
The Blue Knights also got back within one five times – twice each in the first and second quarters and once in the third.
Wolfgang keyed the game’s two most important surges.
The senior forward/guard scored five points in a nine-point streak to the first of the game’s two double-digit leads, 24-14.
Wyoming Seminary answered with its own streak of nine straight points. Raineri had four points while Reitsma hit a 3-pointer and assisted two baskets.
After Reitsma broke the press to set up Raineri with a basket to open the second half and bring Wyoming Seminary back within a point for the final time, Wolfgang helped Wyoming Area take charge. She scored the next four points to start a six-point streak to a 32-25 lead midway through the third quarter.
Wolfgang hit a long 3-pointer and followed with a layup off a long Holweg pass for five more points in a row, completing a 12-4 stretch that made it 38-29.
“I told (Wolfgang) after the game, it was ‘great leadership’ in the second half,” Lojewski said. “It was very gritty. We’ve been talking about that at practice.
“I almost felt like she kind of put the team on her shoulders there for a few minutes. That was big for our team.”
The Lady Warriors finished the week rated third out of 10 teams fighting for the eight District 2 Class 4A playoff berths.
Wyoming Area 80
Meyers 42
Sarah Holweg scored 31 points and hit half her team’s 10 baskets from 3-point range Tuesday in the Wyoming Valley Conference Division 2-3 crossover victory.
Holweg started her scoring with two 3-pointers and had 10 points in the first quarter to help the Lady Warriors to a 26-11 lead.
Lydia Edwards hit four 3-pointers while adding 14 points. Addison Orzel had 13 points.
Meyers was led by Gianna Skaff’s 12 points, all of which came on 3-pointers.
Pittston Area 49
Dallas 41
Kirsten Durling scored 24 points Thursday night and Pittston Area held Dallas to 13 second-half points on the way to a victory in the WVC Division 1 game.
The Lady Patriots finished the week tied for first in the division at 3-0 while holding the best overall record (7-1) by any team in the division. They are also on top of the power ratings race that will determine the seeds for the eight District 2 Class 5A playoff teams.
Leah Hodick added 15 points.
Pittston Area opened leads of 10-4 after one quarter and 23-13 at halftime.
Sara Lojewski, the Wyoming Area coach’s daughter, led Dallas with 13 points.
Pittston Area 63
Coughlin 22
Pittston Area destroyed Coughlin Tuesday, opening a 30-point lead in the first quarter of the WVC Division 1 game.
Taryn Ashby led the way with 23 points.
Ashby and Alexa Noone, who finished with 11 points, each hit three 3-pointers.
Kirsten Durling added 10 points in the win.
The Lady Patriots led 32-2 after one quarter, 45-4 at halftime and 57-13 after three quarters.
The week ahead
Pittston Area has a big week ahead, meeting the defending champion, then the team with which it shares the division lead.
Hazleton Area, which also beat the Lady Patriots in last year’s District 2-4 Class 4A title game, is at Pittston Area Monday. The Lady Cougars are 1-2 in the division and 5-4 overall.
Pittston Area currently shares the division lead at 3-0 with Wyoming Valley West. The Lady Patriots travel to face the Lady Spartans (6-2 overall) Thursday.
Wyoming Area begins the week with a non-league home game Monday against unbeaten Montoursville. The Lady Warriors then play consecutive Division 2-3 crossover games, Wednesday at Hanover Area and Friday at home against GAR.
