WILKES-BARRE – The last major change in District 2 small school basketball created an opening for both Old Forge teams.
The Lady Devils made sure the latest change did no damage to their status.
Old Forge took advantage of the merger of private schools and the loss of competition that had included Seton Catholic in Pittston, among others. The Lady Devils had won six out of seven District 2 Class A titles in the old four-class system and had reached the 2014 and 2015 state championship games before falling short of the final last year, the first time it was held at Mohegan Sun Arena.
When the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association’s move to six classes this season gave Old Forge a new and larger set of postseason obstacles, the Lady Devils responded.
“I told the girls at the beginning of the year that I thought we were the best team in Double-A,” Old Forge coach Ron Stachiotti said after his team proved it Friday by completing a three-game run through the District 2 Class 2A girls basketball tournament with a 42-35 championship game victory over Elk Lake.
Old Forge is no longer grouped with the smallest schools in the district and state. One thing that did not change is the Lady Devils spent the regular season preparing by playing nothing but larger schools in its Lackawanna League Division 3 schedule that includes unbeaten Dunmore, the second-ranked Class 3A team in the state.
“Even out of the league, we played some tough teams this season,” Stachiotti said. “That prepared us for this point in the year.”
The Lady Devils finished the regular season 6-16 for the fourth seed in the seven-team tournament. They earned the title shot by beating Wyoming Seminary, 44-27, in the quarterfinals and taking out top-seeded Northwest, 49-44, in the semifinals.
For a while Friday, Old Forge made it seem easy, forcing 18 first-half turnovers and making it past the midway point in the second quarter with a 19-5 lead.
“We got a little sloppy there in the second half,” Stachiotti said. “We didn’t play very smart, but our defense carried us.”
Elk Lake closed to within 38-34 with 2:39 left in the game.
That’s when Kierstyn Breig, one of the few District 2 players with experience in venues larger than the Mohegan Sun Arena, took over.
Breig, the first playing off the bench for the 2015 final at the Giant Center in Hershey, made two straight bold drives up the right side, driving through Elk Lake’s attempts at pressure to quickly double the lead with 2:16 left.
“Now, looking back I do,” said Breig, who didn’t think the moves were potential game-deciding plays when she made them. “Obviously, that pulled us away from four points.”
There was only one more point scored.
Breig finished with 17 points and was one of four Old Forge players with at least three steals.
Freshman Lindsey Welsh had 11 points, eight defensive rebounds and three steals. Alexandra Nocera had 10 points and three steals.
Maya Florovito added six rebounds and four steals while Julia Kuckla blocked three shots to contribute to the strong defensive effort.
Justine Johns, who also had 15 rebounds, five steals and four assists, and Keri Jones scored 13 points each for Elk Lake.
Old Forge (9-16) continues into the state tournament Friday at a District 2 site against District 4 runner-up East Juniata.
