Sam Greenfield scored 34 points Friday night when Wyoming Area defeated Wyoming Valley West, 71-61, in a Wyoming Valley Conference boys basketball crossover game to remain within a half-game of the Division 2 lead.

The Warriors seemed to have a shot at bypassing first-place Nanticoke, which trailed for much of the game Friday night before rallying for a win at Pittston Area.

Wyoming Area broke its game open early.

The Warriors led 24-11 after one quarter and 44-24 at halftime.

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Kyre Zielinski added 15 points in the win. Dylan Melberger hit three 3-pointers to add nine points.

Draig Ruff led the Spartans with 28 points.

Wyoming Area is 5-2 in the WVC and 9-2 overall. The Warriors used the win to pass Tunkhannock into second place in the six-team division. They are third out of 12 teams, trailing Scranton Prep and Nanticoke, in a tight race for the top seed in the District 2 Class 5A playoffs.

Nanticoke 56

Pittston Area 49

Nate Kreitzer scored half of his 30 points in a game-changing third quarter to rally WVC Division 2 leader Nanticoke past host Pittston Area in a crossover game.

Naseem Guillaume led Pittston Area’s upset bid. He hit three 3-pointers while scoring 11 of his career-high 27 points in the first quarter to get the Patriots out to a 17-7 lead.

Pittston Area still led 23-17 at halftime before Kreitzer hit three 3-pointers in the third quarter to key a 21-7 advantage that rallied the Trojans to a 38-30 lead.

Logan Booth added nine points for the Patriots.

Pittston Area fell to 1-5 in the WVC and 2-10 overall. The Patriots are in last place among nine teams and in danger of being the only Class 5A team to miss the eight-team District 2 tournament field.

Holy Redeemer 71

Wyoming Area 63

Nick Prociak, a junior forward/center from Jenkins Township, scored 15 points to lead Holy Redeemer to the Jan. 13 WVC crossover win.

Bryce Yencha hit three 3-pointers in the first quarter when the Royals, who were leading Division 3 until Friday night, opened a 19-12 lead after one quarter.

Aaron Zezza scored 19 points to lead four Warriors in double figures.

Sam Greenfield added 17 points while Kyre Zielinski and Matt Wright had 12 points each.

GIRLS BASKETBALL

Wyoming Area 55

Wyoming Valley West 49

Sarah Holweg scored 19 points, Cassidy Orzel added 12 and Ellie Glatz had 11 Thursday night when Wyoming Area bounced back from its first loss of the season to defeat the defending WVC Division 1 champions in a crossover game.

Glatz had nine points in the first half when the Lady Warriors took a 32-29 lead.

Holweg scored 12 in the second half.

Wyoming Area is 7-1 in the WVC and 12-1 overall. The Lady Warriors trail both Nanticoke and Holy Redeemer in the Division 2 race and are second to Nanticoke in the 10-team District 2 Class 4A playoff race for seeding in the eight-team tournament.

Nanticoke 57

Pittston Area 41

Nanticoke scored 10 straight points Thursday night for an early 10-3 lead and built the advantage to 28-10 by the end of the first quarter while remaining unbeaten in WVC play.

The Trojanettes, who stretched the lead to 42-19 at halftime and 53-27 going into the fourth quarter, hit seven 3-pointers.

Leah Hodick led Pittston Area with 17 points. Alexa Noone added 11.

Pittston Area is 3-4 in the WVC and 6-6 overall. The Lady Patriots currently rank sixth of eight teams in the seeding race for the District 2 Class 5A tournament.

Pittston Area 40

Berwick 30

Pittston Area’s defense held WVC scoring leader Reese Mensinger to three points Monday while winning the WVC Division 1-2 crossover game.

Mensinger, who hit the 1,000-point career milestone later in the week, was held scoreless in the first half while the Lady Patriots took leads of 9-4 after one quarter and 20-11 at halftime.

Alexa Noone hit 3-pointers in each of the first three quarters on her way to 21 points.

Noone had seven points each in the second and third quarters, pushing the lead to 31-19 going to the fourth quarter.

Leah Hodick added 15 points.

WRESTLING

Wyoming Area 48

Berwick 30

Tyler Martin and Corey Mruk posted pins in less than a minute at 145 and 171 pounds Friday night when Wyoming Area took second place in WVC Division 2 away from the visiting Bulldogs.

The Warriors are 2-1 in the division and dropped the Bulldogs to 2-2.

Alex Pierce also won by first-period pin at 160.

Aiden Dolak had Wyoming Area’s other pin at 220.

Line Mountain Duals

Pittston Area lost to Lewisburg (48-20), Huntingdon (70-7), Hickory (53-9) and Milton (66-12) Jan. 13.

Brandon Lopez, wrestling at 106 and 113, had wins against all four opponents, with three of the victories coming by pin.

Lopez improved to 9-8, giving him the Patriots’ only winning record.

GIRLS SWIMMING

Pittston Area 85

Nanticoke 85

Taylor Maas won the 500-yard freestyle, Juliet Lawler won the 100 backstroke and Pittston Area’s depth was enough to overcome Nanticoke taking nine of 12 events and force a tie in Friday’s WVC meet.

Pittston Area’s Alexa Noone catches a pass against the Nanticoke Area pressure defense Thursday night in Nanticoke.
http://www.psdispatch.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/web1_PAgirls1.CMYK_.jpg.optimal.jpgPittston Area’s Alexa Noone catches a pass against the Nanticoke Area pressure defense Thursday night in Nanticoke. Bill Tarutis | For Sunday Dispatch

Pittston Area’s Mary Silinskie, left, makes a pass as Nanticoke Area’s Kaite Butczynski Thursday night in Nanticoke.
http://www.psdispatch.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/web1_PAgirls2.CMYK_.jpg.optimal.jpgPittston Area’s Mary Silinskie, left, makes a pass as Nanticoke Area’s Kaite Butczynski Thursday night in Nanticoke. Bill Tarutis | For Sunday Dispatch

By Tom Robinson

For Sunday Dispatch

Reach the Sunday Dispatch newsroom at 570-655-1418 or by email at sd@psdispatch.com.