First Posted: 1/28/2015
YATESVILLE — Liz Waleski won’t have any issue remembering this past week.
The Pittston Area senior, coming off a week in which she scored her 1,000th career point, she continued to reek havoc on opposing Wyoming Valley Conference teams.
On her birthday, Waleski scored a career-high 32 points, including four 3-pointers, in a 59-53 win over Wyoming Valley West on Thursday. On Tuesday, Waleski led the Patriots to a 57-39 win over Crestwood. In that game, Waleski scored 27 points.
With the wins last week, Pittston Area improved to 17-1 overall and 10-0 in Wyoming Valley Conference Division 1 play. The closest team in District 2 Class AAAA is Hazleton Area at 14-3. Hazleton Area has one loss in the conference. The two teams will meet on Thursday.
Waleski buried four of her five 3-pointers in a pivotal second quarter Tuesday against Crestwood.
“I really just kept shooting,” Waleski said of her 3-point prowess. “When the first one went in, I couldn’t get too excited. They haven’t been falling for me lately. I had to keep shooting.
“That was kind of my job.”
She picked a perfect time to drop a few long-balls through the hoop against Crestwood.
Waleski’s first two treys opened things up for the Patriots with a 15-7 lead in the second quarter. And after Maddie Ritsick scored eight points to fuel an 11-2 spurt that gave Crestwood its only lead, 18-17, Waleski had an answer. Coming off the 1,000th point of her career two weeks ago, she came back with two more 3-pointers to put the Patriots back in control.
Her fourth 3-pointer of the period came just three seconds before halftime, and gave Pittston Area a 26-19 lead.
“I think Liz has settled down now that she scored her 1,000 points,” Pittston Area coach Kathy Healey said. “Before that, she was pressing a little bit.”
Pittston Area pressed the issue a lot with its defense — which harassed Crestwood’s taller players before they reached the paint and held the high-scoring Ritsick to 12 points, well under her season average.
“Taryn Ashby played an amazing defensive game, especially in the second half,” Healey said. “Taryn held her (Ritsick) to two points in the second half and played hard.”
That all helped Pittston Area continue a hard charge toward a division title.
After the win Tuesday, the Patriots improved to 9-0 in Division I play and to 16-1 overall after taking out last season’s WVC Division I champion for the second time this season.
“We really haven’t won anything yet,” cautioned Healey, whose team holds a slim lead over Hazleton Area in Division I.
Maybe not.
But Pittston Area put away a Crestwood team that fell to 5-4 in Division I play, after winning four straight divisional games give itself an outside shot of defending its crown.
That seems like a long-shot now.
“It means a lot,” Waleski said of a regular season that remained perfect for Pittston Area. “It’s a really big accomplishment. We just keep playing hard. We never really let up.”
Allie Barber kept the Patriots up with two straight baskets in the third quarter, after Crestwood closed within 26-25 by scoring the first two baskets of the second half. Pittston Area’s lead grew to 10 points by the end of the third quarter, thanks to four points from Marley O’Brien and some dogged defense that made shots difficult for the Comets.
And Waleski finished big, hitting nine points in the fourth quarter – including her fifth trey of the night – to keep the Comets from thinking about a comeback.
“We’ve played some great teams,” Healey said. “To be where we are is an unbelievable feeling.”
Holy Redeemer 82, Wyoming Area 39
Wyoming Area’s Sarah Holweg led the charge with eight points in a loss to Holy Redeemer on Thursday.
The Warriors hit six threes on the night. Holweg and Lydia Edwards each hit two, while Katie Wolfgang and Jordan Kelly hit one. Edwards, Jessica Sorick and Addison Orzel finished with six points. The Warriors were 11-of-18 from the free throw line.
Pittston Area 59, Wyoming Valley West 53
Liz Waleski turned in a strong performance with 32 points to lift the Patriots to a road win on Thursday.
Waleski hit four threes, while Jamie Chisdock finished with nine points. Pittston Area outscored the Spartans from the foul line, finishing 15-of-22 to Valley West’s 8-of-16.
The Patriots remain unbeated in Wyoming Valley Conference play.
Schedule
Wyoming Area’s game with Nanticoke on Monday was rescheduled for Saturday, Jan. 31. The Warriors will travel to Hanover Area on Monday and host Meyers on Thursday.
Pittston Area travels to Berwick on Monday and hosts Hazleton Area on Thursday.
