D2 Girls Basketball: Dallas knocked out by North Pocono in 5A semis

DALLAS TWP. — Four shots in the final five seconds. Two which potentially could have sent the game into overtime.

Dallas couldn’t get any of them to drop Saturday afternoon in a heartbreaking loss in the District 2 Class 5A girls basketball semifinal game.

Instead, North Pocono took the lead with a 3-pointer with 2:29 left and hit a pair of free throws two minutes later to end Dallas’ season with a 44-41 victory.

Second-seeded Dallas finished its season at 20-4 with the four losses coming against teams which will be playing for district titles — North Pocono (20-4) and its championship game opponent Crestwood (22-3) and Hazleton Area (23-2) twice.

The Mountaineers missed a corner 3-pointer and a rebound follow-up with 4.7 seconds left. After retaining possession after the ball went out of bounds, the same scenario played out as time expired.

“We had the opportunities at the end and in the last minute and 30 seconds,” Dallas coach Vince Bucciarelli said. “Then we get a turnover on the other end and still had an opportunity and we turned over the ball again.

“But you can’t let someone score 23 points on you. She had a hot night. She didn’t miss anything.”

That someone was North Pocono junior Ella Clementoni. She nailed a corner 3-pointer — her fifth make from behind the arc — to give the Trojans a 42-41 lead with 2:29 to play.

Clementoni’s sister Anna made a steal with 1:15 left that allowed North Pocono to whittle down the time until Ella hit two free throws with 29 seconds remaining.

Dallas took a 41-39 lead on a rebound basket by Odessa Kanton at 3:07 of the fourth quarter. The Mountaineers didn’t score again as North Pocono withstood a frenzied final seconds.

“Coach just keep telling us to play defense,” Ella Clementoni said. “We only had to play defense for a couple seconds, so we had to play hard. She got off a good shot, but we got a hand in her face.”

North Pocono’s game plan was like many against Dallas this season — curtail high-scoring Molly Walsh and 6-foot-3 Kanton.

“I thought Anna Clementoni did a great job inside banging,” said North Pocono first-year coach Joe Ferguson, a long-time high school coaching veteran. He led the Trojans from 1999-2004 before making numerous stops elsewhere.

“Kanton is a good player and Walsh is an outstanding player. That one little span when she was out we took advantage of it.”

Walsh finished with a team-high 15, but nearly half her points came from the foul line. Kanton had eight points as Anna Clementoni battled her tough despite being four inches shorter.

“She’s very aggressive and very strong,” said Anna Clementoni, who had a game-high 11 rebounds. “She’s probably two feet taller than me. But I knew I had to front post and not get in foul trouble, which I did.”

The Clementoni sisters played nearly the final four minutes with four fouls each.

Both teams seized momentum at times, albeit very briefly. North Pocono’s Julia Bilko ended the third quarter with a 3-pointer for a 36-35. Dallas cut the deficit to one within the first minute of the fourth quarter as Riley Samanas canned a 3-pointer and Mia DelGaudio made a layup off a turnover.

North Pocono will play Crestwood at 6 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 28, at Mohegan Arena for the title. North Pocono will be seeking its first championship since 2005. Both teams locked up PIAA Class 5A state berths with Saturday’s victories.

District 2 Class 5A Semifinals

North Pocono 44, Dallas 41

NORTH POCONO (44) — Ella Clementoni 7 4-4 23, Julia Biko 4 2-4 12, Aleah Quinn 0 0-0 0, Celia DeCesare 0 0-0 0, Anna Clementoni 2 2-4 6, Alexis Silva 0 0-0 0, Trinity Litts 1 0-0 3. Totals 14 8-12 44.

DALLAS (41) — Caitlyn Mizzer 1 0-0 3, Mia DelGaudio 3 0-0 7, Odessa Kanton 2 4-4 8, Brianna Casey 0 2-2 2, Molly Walsh 3 7-8 15, Riley Samanas 1 1-2 4, Lyla Wydra 0 0-0 0, Malasia Shaw 1 0-0 2. Totals 11 14-16 41.

North Pocono`12`10`14`8 — 44

Dallas`12`9`9`11 — 41

Three-point goals: NP 8 (E.Clementoni 5, Biko 2, Litts). DAL 5 (Mizzer, DelGaudio, Walsh 2, Samanas).