Pittston Area’s defensive aggressiveness made it difficult for Wyoming Area to even get shots off in the early going of Monday’s Tigue-Denisco Cup girls basketball game.
The Lady Warriors turned the ball over four times before their first attempt and lost it twice more before taking their second shot.
As a result, Wyoming Area did not score for the first 7:03, and Pittston Area never trailed on the way to a 50-27 home-court victory.
“I thought defensively, we played very well,” Lady Patriots coach Jeff Gregory said. “That’s kind of our staple. That’s what has led to our success throughout the season, and it’s really what keeps us in games.”
Wyoming Area lost 10 turnovers in the first quarter while scoring just three points. The Lady Warriors finished with 23 turnovers, all but one of them in the first three quarters, compared to 14 by the Lady Patriots.
Bella Dessoye had five steals and Leah Drozginski three to lead the Pittston Area defensive effort. Jailyn Park and Kinley Park had two each for Wyoming Area.
Some other statistical highlights:
Pittston Area shot 20/44 (45.5 percent) from the floor, 4/15 (26.7) on 3-pointers, and 6/11 (54.5) from the foul line. Wyoming Area shot 11/33 (33.3) on field goals, 2/10 (20.0) on 3-pointer,s and 3/4 (75.0) on free throws.
The Lady Patriots had a 26-23 rebounding advantage. Giuliana Latona led with seven rebounds. Drozginski had four, matching the number by Abigail Francis, Wyoming Area’s leader.
Pittston Area’s Lili Hintze had four assists, and Latona had three. Addison Gaylord and Londyn Sobeck led Wyoming Area with two each, while Drozginski, Dessoye, and Julia Long each had two for the Lady Patriots.
Sobeck and Pittston Area’s Shawna Pugliese had the game’s only blocked shots.
