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Hazleton nips Scranton, the team that KO’d Cougars the prior 2 years.
Alyssa Flanagan of Hazleton Area drives past a Scranton defender during the District 2 Class 4A title game at Wilkes University.
Don Carey/the times leader
WILKES-BARRE—Melanie Palko is one of the deadliest shooters in the Wyoming Valley Conference, especially from three-point range. But on Saturday, the most important play from her came on defense.
With Hazleton clinging to a three-point lead, Palko stole the ball with six seconds left, helping salt away the Cougars’ 48-44 victory over Scranton in the District 2 Class 4A championship game at Wilkes Univerity.
In the process, she helped Hazleton (22-2) get a monkey off its back. The Cougars were eliminated from the playoffs by Scranton (16-6) the last two seasons.
Hazleton will play Central Dauphin East, the No. 6 seed from District 3, on Friday at a site to be determined. Scranton will take on District 1 ninth-seed Great Valley on Tuesday at a site to be determined in a play-in contest.
“I couldn’t believe it,” said Palko, who stepped in the way of a Scranton pass. “I just raised my hand up and the ball wound up in it, and my only thought was not to let them have it back.”
Palko alertly passed it cross court to Alyssa Flanagan, who was fouled with 2.5 seconds remaining. She missed the first free throw, then hit the second one, to put the championship trophy in Hazleton’s hands.
“I just tried to pretend we were in practice rather than playing for the district championship,” said Flanagan. “When Melanie stole the ball, I ran up the court as quick as I could and she hit me with a perfect pass.”
Senior forward Maddy Ludwig, who fouled out with less than two minutes remaining, said Palko’s steal was stunning.
“It gave me an amazing feeling, because I knew we had won the championship. It was hard sitting on the bench, because I felt like running onto the court.”
Junior guard Brianna Dudeck also played a key role in the Cougars’ victory. She hit a 10-foot runner on a remarkable shot past the overstretched arms of two defenders, giving Hazleton a 45-41 lead with 1:30 left in the game.
Hazleton trailed 24-23 at halftime, but the Cougars forged a 27-24 lead on two straight baskets by Dudeck. Palko followed with a trey, extending the lead to 30-24.
“That was a circus shot that Brianna hit in the fourth quarter,” said coach Joe Gavio. “She probably shouldn’t have taken it, but it worked out OK. Her two baskets in the third quarter gave us a big confidence boost.”
Palko led Hazleton in scoring with 14 points, including 11 points in the first half on three NBA range three-point shots. Dudeck finished with 13 points.
The Cougars built a 21-12 lead on a layup by Cristy Doyle midway through the second quarter. However, the Knights rallied for a one-point halftime lead, propelled by Sara Corbett’s two three-point baskets.
Hazleton took a 37-31 lead into the fourth quarter, following a steal and three-point play by Dudeck, and a free throw by Christine Sereta.
The Knights cut the lead to 45-43 on a basket by Terika Turner with 1:21 remaining. Scranton had a chance to tie the score when Turner went to the line for two free throws with 21 seconds left, but she made only one shot.
After Flanagan made two free throws to give Hazleton a 47-44 lead, Scranton regained possession with 15 seconds to go — setting the stage for Palko’s dramatic steal.
“We just wanted to play tough defense for 10 seconds, but we were prepared to foul if it got under five seconds,” Flanagan said. “We didn’t want to let them put up a three-point shot. Fortunately, Melanie took care of that.”
Corbett paced Scranton with 11 points. Turner added nine points and notched her 1,000th career rebound in the second quarter.
Flanagan said finally being on the winning side against Scranton in the district playoffs is very rewarding. “Being on the losing end really sucks.”
SCRANTON (44): McCarthy 0 2-2 2, Corbett, 4 1-3 11, Gatto 0 0-2 0, Borgia 3 0-1 6, Bailey 1 0-0 3, Turner 2 5-8 9, McGuire 0 1-4 1, Baldacci 5 0-0 12. Totals 15 9-20 44.
HAZLETON AREA (48): Dudeck 6 1-1 13, Palko 5 1-3 14, Lisnock 1 4-4 6, Flanagan 1 3-4 5, Doyle 1 0-0 2, Seketa 3 2-5 8. Totals 17 11-17 48.
Scranton
9
15
7
13
—
44
Hazleton Area
13
10
14
11
—
48
3-point field goals: SCRAN 5 (Corbett 2, Bailey, Baldacci 2); HAZ 3 (Palko 3).