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By JOHN ERZAR; Times Leader Sports Writer
Sunday, March 06, 1994     Page: 8C QUICK WORDS: YOUNG GUNS

EXETER — The Wyoming Seminary girls basketball team is considered a year
away from contending in the Wyoming Valley Conference’s Division III, but on
Saturday afternoon it may have given a sneak preview to next season.
   
Behind sophomores Jami Layaou and Meg Dimond, Seminary ran away from Seton
Catholic in the fourth quarter on way to a 69-55 victory in a District 2 Class
A semifinal game at Wyoming Area High School.
    Seminary (11-12) will play Bishop O’Reilly (23-2) on Wednesday at 8 p.m. at
Wyoming Area High School for the district’s Class A title. Seton, which
defeated Seminary by eight points twice during the WVC season, ends its season
at 13-12.
   
Seton held a 49-48 lead with 5:35 to play, but Seminary outscored the Lady
Eagles 21-6 the rest of the way.
   
“There have been games we weren’t suppose to win, and there have been games
we lost that we weren’t suppose to,” said Seminary third-year coach Bernadette
Kozlowski. “That’s just trying to find yourself as a young team. We start
three sophomores and two juniors. I’m happy they stepped it up this week.
   
“Seminary has never been in a playoff game before. It didn’t faze the
girls.”
   
Layaou and Dimond in particular showed no signs of nervousness, at least on
the exterior. Layaou scored a game-high 25 points while Dimond added 21.
   
“It was the best performance of her career,” Kozlowski said of Layaou.
“Dimond is only a sophomore and she reacted well to the pressure even when
they went triangle-and-two on her.”
   
Layaou scored eight points in the second quarter, powering inside while
Seton was without sophomore center Tanya Pavlik. Pavlik, one of the better
defensive players in the WVC, had three fouls and sat out most of the quarter.
   
“I think it helped me more psychologically than physically,” the 6-foot-3
Layaou said of Pavlik’s absence. “It was just the fact that her presence was
no longer there.”
   
A 19-10 Seton lead was though after Frances Hergan drilled a 3-point goal
to end the first quarter. Jillian Dessoye added six points.
   
“I don’t think we panicked,” said Layaou. “We just pulled everything
together and played up to our potential.”
   
Seminary held the lead at halftime, 27-25, and stayed in front most of the
third quarter. Seton rallied to tie the score at 41-41 entering the fourth as
Pavlik scored seven points.
   
Seton took a four-point lead to start the fourth, but Dimond hit
consecutive baskets to tie the score once again. The lead changed hands four
times before Layaou tossed in a rebound to give Seminary the lead for good,
50-49 with 4:45 left to play. The basket started a 12-1 run.
   
Kiera Feeney, who led Seton with 14 points, ended the run with a 3-point
basket, moving the Lady Eagles within 60-53 with 1:17 left. Erin Brennan, who
closed out her Seton career with 12 points, then made a drive to the basket as
the Lady Eagles cut the deficit to five at 1:07.
   
But Seminary sealed the win with some strong free-throw shooting in the
final minute.
   
WYOMING SEMINARY (69)
   
McLaughlin 2 2-2 6, Fried 2 6-8 10, Ashley 2 3-4 7, Dimond 10 1-2 21,
Layaou 12 1-6 25, M.Lombardo 0 0-1 0, Roesen 0 0-2 0. Totals 28 13-25 69.
   
SETON CATHOLIC (55)
   
Brennan 5 2-4 12, Dessoye 3 3-8 9, Feeney 5 2-3 14, Reynolds 1 2-2 4,
Pavlik 4 3-5 11, Koval 1 2-2 5, Hergan 0 0-0 0, Tigue 0 0-0 0, Frew 0 0-0 0.
Totals 19 14-24 55.
   
Wyoming Seminary 10 15 16 28