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NANTICOKE — After spending nearly a month sidelined with symptoms of a concussion, Virginia Yurchak returned to the starting lineup.
So did some of that old Hazleton Area swagger.
Brooke Boretski hit a team-high 13 points Wednesday, Yurchak used three 3-point goals to score 11 and Hazleton Area handed Nanticoke Area just its second loss of the early going with a 50-40 victory at Nanticoke Area’s Syl Bozinski Gym.
“I was so excited to come back,” Yurchak said. “You don’t understand how excited I was. Most importantly, we won the game.”
Boretski played a big part in that.
The pint-sized junior guard, who normally plays the point, came off the bench to score all nine of the Cougars’ points in the third quarter to help Hazleton Area hold off a spirited comeback attempt by the Trojanettes — who trailed by eight points at halftime.
Nanticoke Area actually did catch up, 30-30, on a layup by Alyssa Lewis midway through the period. But the Cougars reclaimed the lead by the end of the quarter, 37-36, thanks in large part to Boretski.
“She went nuts,” Hazleton Area coach Joe Gavio said. “She just lit it up. Funny thing about Brooke, she’s a point guard. But she felt it. She really played well.”
Boretski scored three regular baskets and popped a 3-pointer that built Hazleton Area’s lead back to six points with 78 seconds remaining in the third quarter.
“I don’t know,” Boretski said. “I kept on thinking, ‘I have to do more, get my team to where we need to be.’”
Yurchak just needed to be back on the floor,
A Cougars team that stumbled to a 3-4 start without her suddenly came alive, even when Nanticoke Area pulled within a point entering the final quarter.
“I said, ‘We’re not giving up. We need to relax and play our game,’” Yurchak said. “That’s exactly what we did.”
The result was a dominant fourth quarter that overcame a game-high 16 points by Nanticoke Area’s Jilann Baron and produced a double-digit Hazleton Area victory that was bolstered by the last of Yurchak’s treys.
“Virginia’s back,” boasted Gavio, citing Yurchak’s senior leadership as a big factor in the game. “Typical us. We got the lead, let them come back to a one-point game. This time, we didn’t fold. They said, ‘We are winning this thing.’ We made plays. Every one of them made plays.”
That was missing for Hazleton Area through the first few weeks of the season, after Yurchak took a hard spill during preseason practice.
“I fell to the floor,” Yurchak said, “played at practice for a week and realized it was not good. We had our ups and downs. Today, we came together.”
The result was a statement win over a Nanticoke Area team that opened the season by winning six of its first seven games before falling to 6-2 with Wednesday’s loss.
“He (Gavio) kept saying this needs to be a signature win,” Boretski said. “I just told my team we have to get stops on defense, that’s the only way we can win.”
The win was far from pretty on either side.
With both trying to employ a press, it quickly turned into a turnover battle. Hazleton Area turned the ball over 19 times, Nanticoke Area had 17 turnovers and many of them were unforced on both sides.
But it left Hazleton Area at 2-1 in Wyoming Valley Conference Division 1 play, Nanticoke Area at 2-1 in Division 2 and both with bright hopes for the rest of the season.
“We think we’re a pretty decent team,” Gavio said. “We haven’t been showing it. We said we were waiting for a win against a really good team. To beat Nanticoke on the road is a pretty big win.”
Berwick 52, Wyoming Valley West 50
Katie Starr scored 20 points and Renny Murphy added 16 as Berwick slipped past Wyoming Valley West.
Megan Dalo added 13 foe the Dawgs.
Nicole Boutanos scored 26 points to lead Valley West.
Northwest 49, GAR 39
Brenna Babcock scored 25 points as Northwest defeated host GAR.
Reagan Harrison added nine for the Rangers.
Olivia Prato paced GAR with nine points. Madison Savage added eight.
Holy Redeemer 59, Coughlin 19
Julia Andrejko scored 19 points and Sam Yencho added 14 as the Royals rolled past Coughlin.
Asalaya Butts scored 16 for Coughlin.
Dallas 43, Wyoming Area 27
Lauren Charlton scored 16 points as Dallas defeated Wyoming Area.
Cassidy Orzel scored 17 to pace Wyoming Area.
Tunkhannock 46, Crestwood 40
Annaliese Verbeek scored 19 points, Abby Ritz had 16 and Rebecca Avery added 10 as Tunkhannock defeated Crestwood.
Kristen Andrews and Krista Papura scored eight each to pace Crestwood.
Lake-Lehman 59, Pittston Area 26
Madison Borum scored 18 points and Sarah Salus netted 14 more for the Black Knights.
Nicole Zambetti paced Pittston Area with 10.
Hanover Area 45, Meyers 42
Sarah Tuzinski scored 12 points and Tanisha Atherton and Kyleen McCance scored nine apiece as the Hawkeyes edged previously-unbeaten Meyers, which fell to 7-1.
Meyers’ Allycia Harris paced all scorers with 21 points.
GIRLS BASKETBALL
Holy Redeemer 59, Coughlin 19
COUGHLIN (19) — Arianna Brittiny 0 0-0 0, Asalaya Butts 6 0-0 16, LeJune Berry 0 0-0 0, Abby Cicon 0 1-2 1, Courtney Wartella 0 0-2 0, Moria Luna 0 0-0 0, Abigail Kush 0 0-0 0, Isabel Reyes 0 0-0 0, Milady Zabala 1 0-0 2, Amanda Barbario 0 0-0 0. Totals 7 1-4 19.
HOLY REDEEMER (59) — Karissa Spade 1 0-0 2, Lynzie Skoronski 2 0-0 4, Sarah Kuderka 1 0-0 3, Julia Andrejko 7 2-2 19, Sam Yencha 7 0-0 14, Anna Capaci 1 0-0 2, Aubrey Curley 1 2-2 5, Aleia Atherton 0 0-0 0, Alyssa Gushka 0 0-0 0, Faith Sekol 0 0-0 0, Jordan Cicon 1 1-2 4, Cameron Marcinkowski 3 0-0 6. Totals 24 5-7 59.
Coughlin`3`11`5`0 — 19
Holy Redeemer`16`8`21`14 — 59
Three-point goals — COU 4 (Butts 4). HR 6 (Kuderka, Andrejko 3, Curley), Cicon).
Dallas 43, Wyoming Area 27
DALLAS (43) — Morgan MacNeeley 1 4-4 6, Haley Habrack 1 0-0 2, Nadia Evanosky 0 0-0 0, Sydney Strickland 0 0-0 0, Gianna Centrella 1 2-4 4, Deanna Wallace 3 0-0 8, Emily Weiland 0 1-3 1, Lauren Charlton 7 0-4 16, Claire Charlton 0 0-0 0, Samantha Kern 3 0-0 6, Angelina Allen 0 0-0 0. Totals 16 7-15 43.
WYOMING AREA (27) — Mackenzie Nocchi 0 0-0 0, Kaitlyn Slusser 1 0-0 2, Nicole Silinskie 1 0-1 3, Aleah Kranson 0 0-2 0, Nicole Donvito 0 0-0 0, Erika Holweg 0 0-0 0, Maria Amato 2 0-0 4, Cassidy Orzel 5 4-6 17, Jessica Davis 0 0-0 0, Lauren Kelly 0 0-2 0, Rosalind Tart 0 1-2 1. Totals 9 5-13 27.
Dallas`15`10`10`8 — 43
Wyoming Area`5`8`8`6 — 27
Three-point goals — DAL 4 (Wallace 2, L.Charlton 2). WA 4 (Silinskie, Orzel 3).
Northwest 49, GAR 39
NORTHWEST (49) — Kennedy Yaple 1 1-2 3, Brenna Babcock 11 2-5 25, Lindsey Thomas 0 0-0 0, Reagan Harrison 4 0-0 9, Kendra Saxton 0 0-0 0, Maddie Melendor 1 2-2 4, Tess Edwards 2 4-8 8. Totals 19 9-13 49.
GAR (39) — Olivia Prato 2 5-9 9, Emily Engle 1 1-2 3, Hannah Cook 0 0-0 0, Vanessa Luna 3 0-0 7, Gloria Adjayi 3 0-0 6, Madison Savage 2 4-8 8, Erin Leonard 1 3-6 5, Jamese Holmes 0 0-0 0. Totals 12 14-27 39.
Northwest`12`10`12`15 — 49
GAR`5`14`10`10 — 39
Three-point goals — NWT 2 (Babcock, Harrison). GAR 1 (Luna).
Lake-Lehman 59, Pittston Area 26
PITTSTON AREA (26) — Kayleigh Walker 1 0-0 3, Hannah Getz 1 0-0 2, Sam Christian 0 0-0 0, Nicole Zambetti 4 0-2 10, Emily O’Brien 0 0-0 0, Mia DeMarco 0 0-0 0, Jada Sharp 1 0-1 3, Krista Maurizi 1 0-0 2, Lily Savoy 2 2-2 7, Megan Mihalka 0 0-0 0, Brooklyn Pedana 0 0-0 0, Bernadette Lieback 0 0-0 0. Totals 10 2-5 26.
LAKE-LEHMAN (59) — Hallie Jones 0 0-0 0, Jessica Salus 1 0-0 2, Madison Brdaric 1 0-0 2, Hunter Kline 0 0-1 0, Claire Dougherty 0 0-4 0, Sarah Salus 4 4-6 14, Corinna Scoblick 3 0-0 6, Jodie Salansky 2 1-3 5, Jessica Spencer 0 0-0 0, Savannah Purdy 3 3-4 10, Autumn Savitslly 0 0-0 0, Chase Purdy 0 1-2 1, Madison Borum 6 6-6 18. Totals 20 15-26 59.
Pittston Area`5`9`12`0 — 26
Lake-Lehman`22`12`8`17 — 59
Three-point goals — PA 4 (Zambetti 2, Sharp, Savoy). LL 4 (S.Salus 2, Purdy 2).
Hazleton Area 50, Nanticoke Area 40
HAZLETON AREA (50) — Katie Lipinski 0 0-0 0, Kyra Antolick 5 0-2 10, Faith Grula 3 0-2 6, Marissa Trivelpiece 0 2-2 2, Virginia Yurchak 4 0-0 11, Brooke Boretski 5 2-4 13, Olivia Wolk 1 0-0 3, Diane Garnett 2 1-1 5. Totals 20 5-11 50.
NANTICOKE AREA (40) — Lauren Casey 2 0-2 4, Emily Hauer 2 2-2 8, Jilann Baron 6 4-5 16, Bella Czeck 2 0-0 4, Amiah Lukowski 0 1-4 1, Alyssa Lewis 3 1-2 7, Jen Kurkoski 0 0-0 0, Riley Baird 0 0-0 0, Myla Vnuk 0 0-0 0. Totals 15 8-15 40.
Hazleton Area`12`16`9`13 — 50
Nanticoke Area`12`8`16`4 — 40
Three-point goals — HAZ 5 (Yurchak 3, Wolk, Boretski); NAN 2 (Hauer 2).
Tunkhannock 46, Crestwood 40
CRESTWOOD (40) — Riley Magin 1 0-0 2, Melanie Golden 0 0-0 0, Kristen Andrews 4 0-0 8, Krista Papura 3 2-8 8, Bella Termini 2 1-2 5, Julia Johnson 2 0-0 5, Jaden Weiss 2 0-0 5, Jill Taleroski 2 1-2 7, Alexis Armstrong 0 0-0 0. Totals 16 4-12 40.
TUNKHANNOCK (50) — Rani Shrivastava 0 0-0 0, Courtney Yuhas 0 0-0 0, Anna Brown 0 0-0 0, Annaliese Verbeek 7 2-5 19, Hailey Long 0 1-4 1, Abby Ritz 4 8-12 16, Rebecca Avery 4 2-5 10. Totals 15 13-26 46.
Crestwood`8`6`16`10 — 40
Tunkhannock`10`16`9`11 — 46
Three-point goals — CRE 4 (Teleroski 2, Johnson, Weiss); TUN 3 (Verbeek 3).
Berwick 52, Valley West 50
VALLEY WEST (50) — Aubrey Boyd 0 0-0 0, Nicole Boutonas 9 7-14 26, Trinity Johnson 3 2-3 8, Karaline Stelma 0 0-0 0, Lindsey Gruver 3 0-0 8, Toni Amato 2 0-1 4, Jessica Shaver 2 0-0 4, Kiara Kane 0 0-0 0. Totals 19 9-18 50.
BERWICK (52) — Renny Murphy 4 6-10 16, Emily Novak 0 0-0 0, Abby Burt 0 0-0 0, Sierra Miedaner 0 0-0 0, Katie Starr 6 8-10 20, Megan Dalo 6 1-3 13, Emily Ouimet 1 1-2 3. Totals 17 16-25 52.
Valley West`10`9`18`13 — 50
Berwick`13`15`10`14 — 52
Three-point goals — WVW 3 (Gruver 2, Boutonas); BER 2 (Murphy 2).
Hanover Area 45, Meyers 42
HANOVER AREA (45) — Sarah Tuzinski 3 4-6 12, Sara Whitesell 1 1-2 3, Tanisha Atherton 3 1-2 9, Madison Hooper 2 3-8 8, Kyleen McCance 2 4-4 9, Emilee Bobos 2 0-0 4. Totals 13 13-22 45.
MEYERS (42) — Bella Gray 0 0-0 0, Allycia Harris 9 3-10 21, Ashley Bruno 3 1-2 7, Bella Skaff 2 2-4 6, DaNayia Ballard 4 0-0 8, Kadijah Darboe 0 0-2 0. Totals 14 6-16 42.
Hanover Area`14`10`9`12 — 45
Meyers`15`6`5`16 — 42
Three-point goals — HAN 6 (Tuzinski 2, Atherton 2, McCance, Hooper).
