Morgan Janeski (25) hits a three-point basket in the first half for the Warriors. Janeski poured in a team high 12 points.
Tony Callaio | For Sunday Dispatch
Presenting the Thomas Tigue Memorial MVP award for the Battle of the Hoops between Pittston Area and Wyoming Area is Patriot senior Kallie Booth. Presenting the trophy are, left to right: Kendall Tigue, Booth, Ashton Ashby, Rowan Lezevnick. The three girls presenting are granddaughters of Tom Tigue.
Tony Callaio | For Sunday Dispatch
Kallie Booth (3) scores on a running lay up for Pittston Area against Warriors at Wyoming Area. Booth scored a game high 17 points for the Patriots.
Tony Callaio | For Sunday Dispatch
Three Pittston Area seniors accepted the Tigue Denisco Game trophy defeating Wyoming Area 26-23 at Wyoming Area. Left to right: Taylor Baiera, Kallie Booth, Ava Callahan.
Tony Callaio | For Sunday Dispatch
Morgan Janeski was choosen the Wyoming Area MVP named after the late Tony Denisco. Left to right: Janosky, Anthony Capozucca, Cara Capozucca-Joyce, Aaron Joyce, grandchildren of Tony Denisco.
Tony Callaio | For Sunday Dispatch
EXETER – On a night when points were at a premium, Kallie Booth scored more than half of those her team managed and more than one-third of the total produced by both teams in the seventh annual Tigue/Denisco Cup Game.
Booth also scored the points that mattered most, lifting Pittston Area over host Wyoming Area, 26-23, while claiming her third straight Pittston Area Most Valuable Player Award in the series.
“It’s very nice,” Booth said of the MVP honor. “I just like to win. I like seeing my team happy, like ‘we beat WA’.
“Everybody just gets so hyped after that, just because it’s the rivalry game.”
Booth and Wyoming Area’s Morgan Janeski have been their team MVPs each of the last three seasons in three different types of games.
Janeski led a win as a sophomore. Pittston Area won comfortably last season.
Pittston Area, the defending Wyoming Valley Conference Division 1 champion, faced its first challenge in a 3-0 start and struggled to get past upset-minded Wyoming Area.
Booth, who finished with 17 points, eight rebounds and four steals, said the team showed some nerves at times.
“You just need that first one to get thrown at you, then you’re fine after,” she said.
Janeski led Wyoming Area with 12 points and seven rebounds.
Pittston Area limited Janeski to one shot in the fourth quarter when Wyoming Area managed just four points.
That made seven points by Pittston Area enough to pull out the win.
Booth scored the first six.
After Krea Bonita hit a 10-footer in the lane to create Wyoming Area’s last lead, Booth put Pittston Area ahead to stay, 22-21, on a 3-pointer a minute into the fourth quarter.
Booth drew a foul on a drive and hit both shots for a three-point lead with 4:26 left.
Anna Wisnewski lofted a pass over the defense on a sideline in-bounds play for a Janeski layup to reduce the lead to 24-23 with 2:13 left.
Booth and Daniella Ranieli each hit the front end of a one-and-one in the final 40 seconds, but when they combined to miss three other tries, Pittston Area could not pull away.
The Lady Patriots needed a blocked shot and a tie up for a held ball with the arrow advantage by Ava Callahan and a steal by Ranieli in the last 1:10 to limit Wyoming Area’s late shots.
“On a night when she just didn’t have a good night, she played through it and made good plays for us,” Pittston Area coach Jeff Gregory said of Callahan.
