EXETER — Family, friends and fans gathered in Wyoming Area Catholic’s gymnasium on Wednesday, March 9 for a pep rally to send off the girls basketball team to the Pennsylvania State Catholic Youth Organization (CYO) Basketball Tournament.
Wyoming Area Catholic will represent the Diocese of Scranton at this tournament. They won the diocesan championship by defeating St. Clare/St. Paul School of Scranton in the Diocesan Championship, 41-26, on Saturday, Feb. 20 at Holy Cross High School. The Cougars last won the diocesan championship in 1976.
Wyoming Area Catholic is the first Luzerne County team to win the Diocesan Championship since St. Nicholas-St. Mary School, Wilkes-Barre, won in 2005.
This year’s CYO Tournament will be held at Cardinal Wuerl North Catholic High School in Cranberry Township, hosted by the Diocese of Pittsburgh. The tournament will take place March 11-13. The Cougars will be seeking the Diocese of Scranton’s third girls state championship.
The Pennsylvania State CYO Basketball Tournaments have two divisions, grade school girls and grade school boys. The tournament is made up with one team from each Catholic diocese within the state of Pennsylvania. They include the Dioceses of Allentown, Harrisburg, Philadelphia, Scranton, Greensburg, Pittsburgh, Erie, and Altoona-Johnstown.
From left, Kendall Hadley, Stephanie Ulitchney, and Marissa Miller, all in fourth grade, cheer on the Wyoming Area Catholic School Cougars on their way to play for a state girls basketball championship during a pep rally at the school on Wednesday, March 9.
Cougar Head Coach Don Cassetori stands in front of a table of trophies the team collected in the 2016 season as he speaks at the pep rally for the Wyoming Area Catholic School girls basketball team on Wednesday, March 9.
The Wyoming Area Cathlolic School cheerleaders perform for the girls basketball team’s pep rally on Wednesday, March 9 in Exeter.
The Wyoming Area Catholic School band plays a number for the audience during the pep rally for the girls basketball team Wednesday, March 9 in Exeter.
Cougar Liv Moore hams it up as she’s introduced at the pep rally for the girls basketball team Wednesday, March 9 in Exeter. The team will play for a state championship this weekend.
The Cougar girls basketball team from Wyoming Area Catholic are heading to Cranberry Township to seek a state title. Shown with the cougar mascot, first row, from left, Courtney Iskra, Grace Holmes, Tess Romani, Lynzie Skoronski, Cameron Marcinkowski. Second row, Assistant Coach LeAnn Skoronski, Gabby Morgan, Makaylee Crake, Ann Bagnall, Cassie Bederavich, Jill Foley, Camryn Cassetori, Samantha Yencha, Liv Moore, Leanna Lombardo, Head Coach Don Cassetori. Third row, Assistant Coach Leo Skoronski, Chloe Morris, Assistant Coach Brian Marcinkowski.
WAC girls basketball off to states over the weekend
