Wyoming Area’s Anna Wisnewski (44) and Tunkhannock’s Sable Stephens get ready to go up for a rebound in Friday’s game.
Tom Robinson | Sunday Dispatch
Wyoming Area’s Halle Kranson and Tunkhannock’s Lexi Corby battle on the floor for a loose ball. Wyoming Area’s Anna Wisnewski (44), Joselyn Williams (11) and Rosalind Tart (3) and Tunkhannock’s Hailey Long (23) and Alaina Ritz (22) look on.
Tom Robinson | Sunday Dispatch
TUNKHANNOCK – Wyoming Area was playing its first girls basketball game in 15 days and facing a 15-point halftime deficit Friday night.
The Lady Warriors recovered to lead late in the game, but wound up losing in overtime, 52-50, after Tunkhannock tied the game with two seconds remaining in regulation.
“We talked at halftime,” Wyoming Area coach Chad Lojewski said. “We’ve been off for pretty much two weeks. We knew that we couldn’t use that as an excuse, but, obviously, we had some jitters and we just weren’t as comfortable as we normally would be.
“When we went into the COVID pause, we were hitting on all cylinders early in the season, so we just have to get back to that point.”
When Wyoming Area last played, it took over sole possession of the Wyoming Valley Conference Division 2 lead. In their return Friday night, the Lady Warriors had the chance to do the same, but instead fell one-half game behind Nanticoke, the division’s only unbeaten.
Wyoming Area is 3-1 in the division and 3-2 overall.
Sable Stephens and Anna Williams led Tunkhannock to the victory.
Stephens finished with 22 points 15 rebounds, five steals and three assists. Her basket with two seconds left forced overtime.
Williams, who scored 14 points, had a busy final minute of overtime. During that time, she blocked two shots, grabbed two offensive rebounds, made a steal and hit the front end of a one-and-one.
Their efforts spoiled a big game by Wyoming Area’s Morgan Janeski.
Janeski led the Lady Warriors back after they trailed by 17 points once late in the second quarter and twice early in the third quarter.
After working her way inside to make eight out of nine shots during one stretch of the second half, Janeski finished with 20 points, nine rebounds and four blocked shots.
Halle Kranson added 11 points, six assists and three steals for Wyoming Area. Maria Amato grabbed 11 rebounds and blocked five shots.
Tunkhannock did not score in the first 12 minutes of a loss at Wyoming Area earlier this season.
The Lady Tigers came out and shot better than 50 percent (14-for-27) in the first half while building their lead.
“This is the second time they saw us, they’re on their home floor and a couple of their girls played lights out,” Lojewski said. “They played lights out in the first half and then at the end of the game when you have to produce.”
Janeski had six points, Joselyn Williams came off the bench to add four and Anna Wisnewski hit a 3-pointer during a streak of 13 straight Wyoming Area points to close within 33-29 late in the third quarter.
After Wyoming Area held Tunkhannock to one basket for a stretch of 10:08, the teams began trading baskets in the final five minutes.
In one 76-second flurry, they combined to hit six straight shots.
Amato put Wyoming Area ahead for the first time with 2:32 left when she converted a rebound of her own miss in the middle of a seven-point streak.
The Lady Warriors led by three twice, including when Kaitlyn Slusser opened overtime with a 3-pointer.
