HS ROUNDUP: Shults named MVP, Hazleton coasts to title

PUNXSUTAWNEY — Sophia Shults earned MVP as the Hazleton Area Cougars rolled to the championship of the Punxsutawney Tournament with a 86-34 victory over Marion Center on Saturday in girls basketball.

Shults finished with 12 points. Kaitlyn Bindas led Hazleton with 18 points and Kayla Lagowy was the third player in double figures with 12. Bindas and Alexis Reimold were also selected to the all-tournament team.

Brynnley Haggerty and Macie Miller each had 12 for Marion Center.

Pittston Area 69, Hanover Area 15: At Old Forge, Daniella Ranieli scored 12 of her 21 points in the first quarter and the Lady Patriots advanced to the title game of the Anthony “Badger” Marseco Memorial Tournament.

Lili Hintze added 10 points for Pittston Area, which will play Wyoming Area on Monday at 8 p.m.

Caitlin Vigorito led Hanover Area with seven points.

Wyoming Area 45, Old Forge 43: At Old Forge, Krea Bonita scored 16 points and Jailynn Park scored 12 to lead Wyoming Area to the championship game of the Anthony “Badger” Marseco Memorial Tournament.

Park added six rebounds in the win as Wyoming Area took the lead for good late in the first half on an Abby Sterba free throw.

Wyoming Area (2-6) will play Pittston Area in the title game Monday at 8 p.m.

Jewyla McCullon scored 18 points and Aryanna Harris added 12 points to pace Old Forge (5-2).

Dallas 53, Nanticoke Area 47: At Nanticoke, Dallas used a 21-point second quarter and held on for the nonleague victory Saturday.

Izzy Evans and Caitlyn Mizzer each scored 13 points to lead the Mountaineers.

Natalee Atkins and Kate Reed each had 11 to pace the Trojanettes.

Crestwood 73, Pleasant Valley 15: At Crestwood, the Comets scored 32 points in the first quarter and rolled to the nonleague win Saturday afternoon.

Four players scored in double figures — led by Jackie Gallagher’s 15 points. Charlie Hiller netted 14, Kendall Petrosky added 13 and Cameron Vieney finished with 10.

Annalisa Lanigan scored six of Pleasant Valley’s 13 points.

Holy Redeemer 44, Bethlehem Central (N.Y.) 36: In New York, the Holy Redeemer defense pitched a shutout in the first quarter and used a big game from McKenzie Chimock to pick up the nonleague win.

Chimock scored 12 of her 20 points in the second half, and Bella Boylan added nine points.

Notre Dame Green Pond 42, Lake-Lehman 41: At the Allentown Central Catholic Tournament, Lake-Lehman rallied in the fourth quarter, but fell one point short in the nonleague loss.

Ella Wilson scored 15 of her team-best 20 in the second half where the Black Knights outscored Green Pond, 13-5.

Emily Lessig had 10 points for Notre Dame Green Pond.

Mountain View 57, Berwick 31: At Mountain View, the Eagles jumped out to an eight-point lead after one quarter to pick up the nonleague win over Berwick.

Addison Kilmer hit 11 buckets for a game-high 25 points. Ryleigh Kilmer added 11 points in the win.

For Berwick, Abby Calarco scored 21 of the team’s 31 points.

Boys basketball

Wilkes-Barre Area 70, Thomas Edison 32: At the William Allen tournament, Wilkes-Barre Area scored 38 points in the first half as 12 players recorded points in the nonleague win during consolation play.

Mike Keating netted a game-high 18 points, and Nahsiem Ford hit six buckets for 13 points. Jacob Johnson was the third Wolfpack player in double figures with 10.

Kyon Brown and Ahmir Ponder led Edison with eight each.

Executive Education 55, Wyoming Valley West 54: At the Reading Tournament, Valley West outscored Executive Education by nine in the fourth quarter, but lost by one in the consolation game.

Navion Terry had 23 points to lead the Spartans. Jacob Stevens added 10, all in the second half.

Boys wrestling

Frank Wadas Memorial: Five District 2 wrestlers captured championships Saturday at the Frank Wadas Memorial Tournament held at Tunkhannock High School.

Wyoming Area crowned two champs as Connor Novakowski (133) and Nathan Obrzut (285) won their respective weight classes. Other District 2 champs included Hanover Area’s CJ Caines (114), Scranton’s Drew Leonori (127) and Lackawanna Trail’s Demitrius Douglas (127).

Southern Columbia won the team title with 234.5 points. Pleasant Valley (163.5), Benton (153), Hanover Area (136.5) and Dallas (133.5) rounded out the top five.

Novakowski opened his day with a third-period pin of Scranton’s Christopher Cordero, and in the final, the Warrior gutted out a 12-6 win over Pleasant Valley’s John Hargrave.

Obrzut improved to 16-1, picking up four pins over the course of the event including a first-period win in the semifinals and a fall in 4 minutes, 51 seconds to beat Brayden Benjamin of CMVT in the championship.

Caines, ranked top four in the state by PA Power Wrestling, dominated in his debut at 114. After two pins Friday, the freshman rolled to a 15-0 tech. fall over Pleasant Valley’s Shawn Radcliffe and followed it with a 21-1 tech of Tunkhannock’s Taylor Daniels.

Bethlehem Holiday Classic: Honesdale is in seventh place at the Bethlehem Holiday Classic at Liberty High School.

Nathan Schuman (107) and Levi Landry (215) reached the semifinals.

Five other District 2 wrestlers reached the semifinal round: West Scranton’s Connor Lagier (121) and Michael Turi (152), Valley West’s Louden Giza (133) and Gunner Giza (215) and Hazleton Area’s Mason Marolo (189).

Marolo started his day with an 18-second pin of Southern Lehigh’s Nicholas Michaylira, and followed it with a 16-1 tech of Wilson’s Kameron Koch. In the quarterfinals, the Cougar edged Blue Mountain’s Bradley Renninger, 8-4.

Louden Giza won three matches Saturday. He started with a major of Emmaus’ Tommy Fallstich, and edged out Saucon Valley’s Hector Mateo to reach the quarters. There, he defeated WPIAL wrestler, Gus Stedeford of North Allegheny, 6-1.

Gunner Giza had a more interesting road. He pinned Emmaus’ Ashir Choudhry to open his day, and followed it with a 40-second pin of Wilson’s Shawn Harkless. In the quarters, the Spartan won by disqualification over Stoudsburg’s Zion Essington.

PowerADE: Wyoming Seminary finished in sixth place at the powerful PowerADE Tournament in Pittsburgh.

Jude Correa, ranked No. 1 in the nation, was the lone Blue Knight to win the title. He had four pins at the event, and in the final, he edged out Muncy’s Austin Johnson, 4-0. Johnson is an Oklahoma State recruit.

Mathew Botello (133) was second, falling to Bishop McCort’s Jax Forrest in the championship. Dale Corbin (139) and Wyatt Spencer (114) finished fourth.

McCort won the team title, edging out Florida’s Lake Highland Prep by six points. New Jersey’s Delbarton, Malvern Prep and Ohio’s St. Edward rounded out the top five.

Turner Holiday Classic: Pittston Area finished 22nd as a team at the Turner Holiday Classic at Conestoga Valley High School.

Junior Brody Spindler (215) finished fifth, beating Exeter’s Kevin Oswalt by fall in 3:55. Two other Patriots finished in eighth: Tibor Toth (114) and Noah Gruber (285). Toth was majored by Salesianum School’s Gabe Campanelli, while Gruber lost in sudden victory against Tulpehocken’s Jack Heckman.

Wilkes-Barre Area, also at the event, finished in 28th. Gene Ardo (172) reached the championship quarterfinals, but lost in the consolation round Saturday.

Jim Thorpe Christmas Tournament: Berwick’s Carmen Malt captured the 114 title with three pins, one tech. fall and an injury default in the final, a match he led, 12-2, at the time of the default Saturday at the Jim Thorpe Christmas Tournament at Jim Thorpe High School.

Sawyer Keller (133) placed sixth as the Bulldogs finished 18th.

Girls wrestling

Emma Selfe (136) and Samara Bailey (235) each secured second place to lead Crestwood to a seventh-place finish Saturday at the Tony Iasiello Memorial Tournament at Bethlehem Catholic High School. Rachel Shoemaker (124) placed third and Jailah Gill finished sixth for the Comets.