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LEHMAN TWP. — As a division runner-up, Lacie Kringe described her Hazleton Area team as somewhat of an overlooked underdog.

Kind of like the role she plays.

Yet, Kringe played her way off the bench and into two of the biggest moments of the second half Thursday, setting the stage for Hazleton Area’s 60-54 Wyoming Valley Conference league semifinal victory that snapped Holy Redeemer’s winning streak over Wyoming Valley Conference teams that lasted more than two years.

Kringe used a three-point play to give Hazleton Area some breathing room with an eight-point lead late in the third quarter, then popped a 3-point field goal to give the Cougars a seven-point margin with under two minutes to play in the quarter.

“It’s nice to be the underdog,” Kringe said. “No one really expected this.”

How could they?

Redeemer’s last loss to a WVC team came on Feb. 2, 2018 in a 52-40 defeat to Berwick. Since then, the Royals rattled off 36 consecutive victories in the conference and league playoffs, including last year’s inaugural WVC overall championship in a battle with Hazleton Area.

Thursday’s rematch was tight through most of three quarters.

Brooke Boretski hit a three-point play and a 3-point field goal in the first quarter as the Cougars climbed on top, 8-5, But Redeemer scoring star Sam Yencha got loose for six of her eight points in the second quarter to put the Royals in front, 21-20 at halftime.

With both teams muscling up on the inside and each having trouble producing points in the paint, Redeemer got a lift when Jillian DelBalso came off the bench with three 3-point field goals and a game-high 16 points. But Faith Grula got things going for Hazleton Area with 10 points in the second half, after she swished a 3-pointer in the first.

Marissa Trivelpiece added nine of her 12 in the second half and Olivia Wolk proved steady with a team-high 15 points.

“Wolkie finally came out of it, everybody did their job,” Hazleton Area coach Joe Gavio said.

Nobody, though, did a bigger job than Kringe.

The light-scoring, reserve guard proved a difference-maker, closing a 7-1 run with her three-point play that took Hazleton Area’s two-point lead to eight with 2:39 to play in the third quarter.

“When I hit that shot, I was feeling it,” Kringe said. “It was a really good feeling.”

So good, she took aim again.

After Redeemer closed within four over the next minute-and-a-half, Kringe fired in a trey that restored a seven-point lead for the Cougars — along with some confidence.

“Little Lexie comes in and hits a three,” Gavio whistled. “She can do that. All in all, good ballgame. We had a little step to us. I said, ‘Who wants it more?’ We made plays.”

Now, the Cougars will try to make a few more when they play for the overall WVC crown for the second straight season, this time against Division 2 runner-up Lake-Lehman at 6 p.m. Saturday at Berwick Middle School.

“It feels great,” Kringe said. “It feels awesome. We ended up pulling it together. We’re all excited.”

WVC Semifinals

Hazleton Area 60, Holy Redeemer 54

HAZLETON AREA (60) — Brooke Boretski 2 5-7 10, Olivia Wolk 6 2-2 15, Krya Antolick 2 0-0 4, Faith Grula 5 2-2 13, Marissa Trivelpiece 2 6-8 12, Lacie Kringe 2 1-1 6, Isabella Colyer 0 0-0 0, Jaya Franek 0 0-0 0, Carley Krizansky 0 0-0 0, Julia Mooney 0 0-0 0 Totals 19 16-20 60.

HOLY REDEEMER (54) — Karissa Spade 6 1-2 13, Alesha Pekarovsky 0 0-0 0, Faith Sekol 0 2-2 2, Sam Yencha 2 4-6 8, Liv Moore 1 3-6 6, Jillian DelBalso 6 1-2 16, Aubrey Curley 4 0-0 9, Aleia Atherton 0 0-0 0, Mia Ashton 0 0-0 0. Totals 19 11-18 54.

Hazleton Area`8`12`18`22 — 60

Holy Redeemer`5`16`8`25 — 54

Three-point goals — HAZ 6 (Trivelpiece 2, Boretski, Grula, Kringe, Wolk,); HR 5 (DelBalso 3, Curley, Moore).