Daniella Ranieli scored a game-high 14 points and Lili Hintze led a second-half run that carried Pittston Area over visiting Tunkhannock 40-31 Monday night in a Wyoming Valley Conference Division 1 game.
The Lady Patriots split their two games in the final week of the regular season to finish 5-9 and sixth of eight teams in Division 1. They went 12-10 overall to sit in seventh place in the District 2 Class 5A playoff power ratings setting up the likelihood of playing at either Dallas or Abington Heights in the quarterfinals.
To pick up their final win of the regular season, the Lady Patriots had to rally from a 10-4 deficit after one quarter.
The game was tied at halftime and through parts of the third quarter.
Hintze broke the final tie, starting a 12-3 run that put Pittston Area in control down the stretch. She had seven points in that run and 10 of her 12 in the second half.
Two free throws by Hintze with 1:29 left in the third quarter and two more by Ranieli with 22.2 seconds left broke the tie and gave Pittston Area a 26-22 lead.
Hintze then buried a 3-pointer just eight seconds into the fourth quarter.
After Erin Van Ness answered with a 3-pointer for Tunkhannock, Hintze hit a pull-up jumper from the right side and Maddie Karp hit a 3-pointer for a 34-25 lead with 3:37 remaining.
Ranieli then added Pittston Area’s final six points.
Karp finished with 10 points.
Van Ness made four 3-pointers, three of them in the second half, while leading Tunkhannock with 15 points.
Wyoming Valley West 69, Pittston Area 57
Mackenzie Perluke scored 24 points to help host Wyoming Valley West overcome seven 3-pointers and 28 points by Pittston Area’s Daniella Ranieli.
Perluke helped the Lady Spartans put up 27 second-quarter points to move in front 40-25 at halftime.
Anya Richet added 17 points and Thalia Irizzary 16 in the win.
Lili Hintze hit three 3-pointers and scored 11 points for Pittston Area, which outscored Wyoming Valley West in each of the other three quarters.
Maddie Karp added eight points in the loss.