BERWICK — "Sweet Caroline" never sounded so good, so good — so good! — to the Lourdes Regional girls basketball team.
Mike Klebmara has always had an impeccable read on his Lourdes Regional girls teams and the landscape ahead of them, be it in the Schuylkill League or the postseason.
Meadowbrook Christian’s historic season ended Saturday afternoon with cheers, tears and a scramble to book airline reservations.
EXETER — Meadowbrook Christian's first state quarterfinal game will be remembered for the thrilling last five minutes of regulation, the timeout that wasn't, and the otherworldly foul shooting by a freshman that ended the Lions' historic season.
MUNCY — One thing the Lourdes Regional girls have is an unmistakable aversion to losing.
HAMBURG — How ironic was it that the further Friday's game slipped from the Mount Carmel girls' reach, the more Lisa Varano appreciated what she was seeing?
MECHANICSBURG — Paityn Moyer had one job Wednesday night: Defend Shade superstar Jenna Muha as though Lourdes Regional's postseason life depended on it, because it probably did.
MECHANICSBURG — When Meadowbrook Christian's turnover issue carried over into the second half Wednesday, it threatened to undo the Lions' great start, if not sink them in the state second-round game.
LANCASTER — Alyssa Reisinger and her Mount Carmel teammates issued something of a Tornado warning midway through the third quarter Tuesday when they built a 19-point lead.
HAMBURG — The hurt on their faces was still apparent when the Line Mountain girls basketball walked out of the locker room at Hamburg High School on Tuesday night.
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WILLIAMSPORT — Kailey Devlin scored 18 points, Madalyn Fasnacht and Audrey Millett each added seven, and Meadowbrook Christian won the first girls basketball state playoff game in program history Saturday.
MOUNT CARMEL — Katie Witkoski resigned herself to the fact she would have more bruises than points Saturday. Whatever the physical toll, she and her Mount Carmel senior teammates were not about to lose their final game on their home floor.
MILLERSBURG – Emma Miller scored a game-high 17 points, and Millersburg dominated the fourth quarter to pick up a 44-33 victory over Tri-Valley in the first round of the PIAA Class A playoffs on Friday night.
SCRANTON — There were times Saturday when Lewisburg managed to trade baskets with Scranton Prep.
MANDATA — Sierra Klinger and her Line Mountain teammates weren’t just upset, they were downright angry.
Meadowbrook Christian’s district medals ceremony was part coronation and part memorial service.
If you weren’t at Danville’s Whitey McCloskey Center for Jersey Shore’s game-opening 14-0 run, or in Milton’s “Jungle” to see Shamokin go ahead by nine after three quarters, you may not understand how much the Lewisburg girls enjoyed their win Tuesday.
When the Mount Carmel girls advanced to the state semifinals last season, they became the first Valley team in three decades to do it consecutive years.
NEW TRIPOLI — Maddie Still was the last in a series of Lewisburg girls who frustrated Northwestern Lehigh, and its faithful Tuesday night.
Late in the first half of Saturday’s district third-place game, Lewisburg’s Sophie Kilbride spun around to track a long defensive rebound that sailed over her head and came down near the elbow.
Valley basketball fans will have plenty of opportunity to see local teams close to home when the PIAA playoffs begin this week.
MILTON — There was a measure of chaos to the end of Saturday's District 4 Class 3A girls' third-place game that allowed Lewisburg's Sophie Kilbride to thrive.
MILTON — They say sharks can detect a drop of blood in the water from a quarter-mile away.
MILTON — Madeline Evans scored a game-high 33 points for Bloomsburg in the District 4 Class 3A third-place game on Saturday afternoon at Milton High School as Bloomsburg knocked off Southern Columbia, 55-50.
MILTON — It's impossible to gauge if Meadowbrook Christian's degree of difficulty reached its peak Thursday, but it certainly wasn't too much for Kailey Devlin and her teammates to overcome.
MILTON — Ian Lundy acknowledged the difficult path his Line Mountain girls had to the District 4 Class 2A final, knocking off the third- and second-seeded teams.
COAL TOWNSHIP — Fittingly, Mount Carmel calls them Tornado shots since they come from the logos — a stride or two inside the midcourt stripe or roughly 40 feet from the hoop — and everyone practices them all the time just in case.
MONTGOMERY – It took nearly the entire first half for Lourdes Regional to get untracked, but when the Red Raiders finally did, they can punch another ticket to the PIAA playoffs.
DANVILLE — Brent Sample's second timeout of the opening quarter Tuesday had more of a calming effect than you'd guess considering his Lewisburg girls trailed by 14 points.
DANVILLE — For a long while Saturday, Lourdes Regional looked like the better team early in a District 4 Class A semifinal matchup with St. John Neumann.
CRESSON — When Blaire Balestrini made her third 3-pointer of the game, Shikellamy had shaved its deficit in the Districts 4/6 Class 5A girls basketball championship game by more than half. The Braves had the momentum, and they had 9 minutes and 33 seconds to complete a nearly miraculous comeback.
MILLERSTOWN — Kayla Arnold and Joi Brenite each finished with 11 points for Harrisburg Christian as the Kings ended Greenwood's season in the District 3 Class A consolation game.
COAL TOWNSHIP — Ella Shuck has drawn defenders like moths to a flame for the majority of her four varsity seasons in a Mifflinburg uniform.
MILTON — Kailey Devlin paced the Lions with 24 points and Audrey Millet added 11. Devlin and Millet nailed a pair of 3-pointers each.
SHICKSHINNY — Charleigh Miner exploded for 29 points to put Northwest in the District 4 Class 2A semifinals. Karsyn Miner was second on the team with 13 points.
MILLERSBURG — Emma Miller and Fallon McFadden scored 14 and 10 points, respectively, to lead Millersburg to the District 3 Class 2A championship game. Jana Strait and Reagan Hale added eight points apiece.
BLOOMSBURG — Alyx Flick and Caitlyn Weatherhill each scored 13 points to lead the Bluejays in the district quarterfinals.
COAL TOWNSHIP — Macie Reed scored 21 points to lead Lourdes Regional to the District 4 Class 1A semifinals. Reed also earned four steals, two rebounds and two assists.
SUNBURY — As the final half-minute of the first half ticked away Tuesday night, Lew Dellegrotti let everyone in Lockcuff Gymnasium and the surrounding community know he wanted Shikellamy to hold for the last shot.
Eleven Valley schools qualified both their boys and girls basketball teams for the district playoffs which begin this week.
NORTHUMBERLAND — Tournament Most Valuable Player Kailey Devlin scored 22 points to lead Meadowbrook Christian to its first Allegheny Christian Athletic Association title since 2015 with a 40-36 win over rival Northumberland Christian on Saturday.
SUNBURY — It was one of those nights for the Mount Carmel girls basketball team in the Pennsylvania Heartland Athletic Conference championship game Friday.
NORTHUMBERLAND — Kailey Devlin scored a game-high 14 points for Meadowbrook Christian in its ACAA Tournament semifinal win.
NORTHUMBERLAND — Jenika Krum hit five 3-pointers while scoring a game-high 19 points and also grabbed a career-best 12 rebounds to lead Northumberland Christian to a 60-24 win over Johnstown Christian in an Allegheny Christian Athletic Association Tournament semifinal game Friday.
SUNBURY — The Mount Carmel girls basketball team got off to a commanding start in its 41-18 win over Jersey Shore in the Pennsylvania Heartland Athletic Conference semifinals on Thursday at Phil Lockcuff Gymnasium.
NORTHUMBERLAND — Jenika Krum stayed hot from the outside, and the defending Allegheny Christian Athletic Conference Tournament champion Northumberland Christian rolled to a 55-16 win over Calvary Christian Academy in the quarterfinals of the ACAA Tournament at Northumberland Christian School.
MANDATA — Sophomore Tatum Klebon scored 12 of her career high 14 points in the first half for Southern Columbia in their non-conference victory over Line Mountain.
DANVILLE — Maddie Merrell, a freshman, did just about everything she could Tuesday night as Danville looked to honor its graduating seniors during the final home game of the season.
SOUTH WILLIAMSPORT — In a battle between two District 4 Class 2A playoff teams, Lacey Kreibel drained five triples and scores a game-high 18 points to lead South Williamsport.
