EXETER – Pittston Area was headed down a path eerily similar to the Lady Patriots’ first loss of the girls basketball season.
If they continued down that road to defeat Wednesday night in the District 2 Class 5A quarterfinals, it would have been their last loss of the season.
Taryn Ashby and Alexa Noone made sure Pittston Area altered its course and continued on into Saturday’s district semifinals by defeating North Pocono, 58-44, at Wyoming Area High School.
Ashby, who finished with 22 points, nine rebounds and three assists, hit five straight free throws in the fourth quarter.
The last of those free throws was the 1,000th point of Ashby’s career. That shot ended the scoring with 55.4 seconds left and led to North Pocono coach Corey Valvano calling timeout to both remove his starters and join in the cheering for Ashby.
“I’m so thankful for having the team we’ve had since my freshman year,” Ashby said after receiving gifts and posing for photos to mark the milestone accomplishment.
Pittston Area scored the first 13 points of a December game at North Pocono and led by 14 midway through the third quarter only to have the game get away late.
Wednesday, the Lady Patriots ran off the first 17 points, yet the Lady Trojans once again mounted an improbable comeback.
“I honestly know my kids’ faces and I felt they were OK,” Pittston Area coach Kathy Healey said. “I’ve seen them panic before and I didn’t see panic on their faces.”
North Pocono cut the deficit to 21-11 after one quarter and 30-26 at halftime.
The Lady Trojans made it 43-42 early in the fourth quarter before Pittston Area put together another run.
“We kind of just had to stay composed, say, ‘come on, we’re fine, we’ve got this’,” Ashby said. “Our coaches did the same.”
Noone, who had nine of her 18 points during the 17-0 start, hit a 3-pointer with 5:50 left to begin a game-ending, 15-2 run.
“I think we kept our cool, and we didn’t send them to the foul time as much as we did last time,” Healey said. “Last time, they shot 17 foul shots in the fourth quarter.”
Freshman center Leah Hodick played through significant foul trouble to contribute eight points and 10 rebounds.
“At that point, we needed her,” Healey said. “Coach Mark (Casper) talked to her about staying calm and not fouling out.
“For a freshman in a game like this, I thought she stepped up, held her ground and did a lot of good things.”
Chloe Pehanick, the leader of North Pocono’s early comeback win, had 16 points. She, however, fouled out with 4:34 left and Pittston Area ahead, 50-42.
