EXETER – Wyoming Area coach Chad Lojewski sent a pretty strong message.
Sarah Holweg and the rest of the Lady Warriors received it, loud and clear.
Then they came back from the sluggish start for a 52-40 victory over Wyoming Seminary in Thursday night’s Wyoming Valley Conference Division 2-3 girls basketball crossover game.
Holweg scored 20 points as Wyoming Area ran its record to 7-0 for what is believed to be the first time in school history.
“I feel great that we’re 7-0,” Lojewski said. “We did talk about that. But we have a lot to work on.
“The first seven games don’t mean as much as the last seven.”
The first six points turned out to not do too much damage Thursday.
Wyoming Seminary scored those first six points, prompting Lojewski to pull his entire starting lineup from the game and replace it with five substitutes.
“After the first 30-second timeout, they did not respond,” Lojewski said. “They just didn’t come out with focus right off the bat. That’s why I called the first timeout when we were down two.
“They went back out, gave up two more baskets, ‘you’re out’. We’ve been there before.”
The Wyoming Area starters didn’t take kindly to the benching, but they didn’t complain.
“It’s not a good feeling,” Holweg said. “As you saw, our coach benched the starting five. We weren’t doing what he wanted us to do. He’s done it to us before, and we knew why. No questions, no words of anger, we just took it.
“It motivated us.”
Then, they took over the game.
When the starting unit returned to the floor, it caught up. Eventually, Holweg got going offensively and Wyoming Area slowly, but surely, found some breathing room.
Holweg scored her first five points in the second quarter when the Lady Warriors stretched their lead from 12-10 to 24-16 at halftime.
After Wyoming Seminary’s Paige Parsons scored four straight points midway through the third quarter to make it a four-point game, Holweg scored seven more for a 37-24 lead going into the fourth.
The Blue Knights got as close as nine in the fourth quarter, but Holweg scored eight more points to keep the Lady Warriors in control.
“This was the quietest we’ve been after a win,” Holweg said. “We knew we weren’t playing our best.”
Aleah Kranson added nine points and Ellie Glatz had eight. Addison Orzel blocked three shots.
Wyoming Area improved to 3-0 in the WVC to match Nanticoke, Holy Redeemer and Lake-Lehman for the division lead. The 7-0 record left it close behind Dallas, also 7-0, in second place in the 10-team race for eight District 2 Class 4A playoff berths.
Wyoming Area 54
Meyers 52
Sarah Holweg had 18 points and Aleah Kranson added 12 Tuesday when Wyoming Area survived its closest game of the season to remain unbeaten with the WVC Division 2-3 crossover win at Meyers.
Ellie Glatz scored five points and four teammates added four each in the first quarter when the Lady Warriors took a 21-12 lead.
Wyoming Area was 7-for-11 from the foul line, including Kranson hitting both of her attempts, while holding on to the lead in the fourth quarter.
Allycia Harris led Meyers with 21 points.
Pittston Area 52
Coughlin 17
Pittston Area’s Alexa Noone hit six 3-pointers while scoring 20 points in Tuesday’s WVC Division 1 road win.
Leah Hodick had 16 of her 18 points in the first half to help build a 29-4 lead.
BOYS BASKETBALL
Wyoming Seminary 44
Wyoming Area 34
Wyoming Seminary opened a 10-point lead in the first quarter Friday night, let it get away, then rebuilt it down the stretch.
The WVC Division 3-leading Blue Knights knocked the visiting Warriors out of a share of the Division 2 lead by spoiling their perfect season record.
Jeremy Callahan scored 15 points to lead Wyoming Seminary (2-1 in the WVC, 6-2 overall) to the win.
Sam Greenfield had nine points to lead Wyoming Area, including a 3-pointer to open the second half and start a streak of 12 straight points. Aaron Zezza’s steal and layup capped the streak and put the Warriors in front, 25-21, with 4:24 left in the third quarter.
Wyoming Seminary regained the lead for good before the third quarter was over, then held Wyoming Area (2-1, 6-1) scoreless over the final three minutes.
Pittston Area 53
Coughlin 47
Brennan Higgins scored 10 of his 16 points in the second half Wednesday when Pittston Area rallied for a WVC Division 1 victory over visiting Coughlin.
Tony Egidio scored 22 points for the Crusaders, who led 26-23 at halftime.
Higgins had six points in the fourth quarter when Pittston Area outscored Coughlin, 18-10.
Matt McGlynn hit 3-pointers in each of the first three quarters and had 13 points for the Patriots. Brian Miller added 10.
GIRLS SWIMMING
Wyoming Seminary 73
Pittston Area 21
Kaitlyn Connors and Kiersten Grieco each had a second- and third-place finish for Pittston Area in Wednesday’s road loss.
Dallas 98
Wyoming Area 40
Wyoming Area lost on the road Thursday.
BOYS SWIMMING
Dallas 87
Wyoming Area 30
Unbeaten Dallas won Thursday’s WVC home meet, taking all but the two freestyle relay events.
