DALLAS TWP. – Pittston Area took a run at overcoming an 11-point deficit and two players fouling out in the fourth quarter Thursday night before ultimately falling to host Dallas, 53-48, in the Wyoming Valley Conference Division 1 girls basketball opener for both teams.
Freshman guard Kallie Booth came off the bench to score a game-high 14 points for the Lady Patriots, including nine in a span of less than five minutes in the fourth quarter. During that time, Pittston Area cut a 46-35 Dallas lead to 51-48 with 1:24 remaining.
Pittston Area kept closing the gap despite having Lily Savoy and Hannah Getz out of the game with their fifth fouls with 3:48 still remaining and Dallas ahead by seven. Getz was the team’s leading rebounder in the game with seven.
Jada Sharp, who made three steals, and Emma Coles each added nine points each for Pittston Area.
Dallas, which has won five straight to improve to 7-1 overall, jumped to a 15-8 lead after one quarter on a pair of 3-pointers by University of Pennsylvania commit Lauren Charlton.
The Lady Patriots held Charlton scoreless the rest of the way while cutting into the deficit.
“After the first quarter, we didn’t give up; we just kept chipping away, chipping away,” Pittston Area coach Kathy Healey said.
Pittston Area did so behind a defense that recovered from allowing 21 second-quarter points to limit Dallas to six in the third quarter.
“We had a couple shots go in and out in the third quarter,” Healey said. “We just could not get to the top.”
The Lady Patriots limited the Mountaineers to just three second-half field goals, but Dallas made enough free throws to hold off the comeback attempt.
Dallas was 7-for-11 at the line in the fourth quarter and 11-for-17 in the second half.
Emily Weiland, Julia Kocher and Bella Hill, who all came off the bench, shared the Dallas scoring lead with nine points each.
After opening the season with three straight wins, Pittston Area has alternated losses with wins over the last five to drop to 5-3.
“We had a good talk after the game,” Healey said. “I think we lost our focus a little bit. … “Our focus is something we talked about getting better at.”
