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KINGSLEY — Holy Cross’ torrid 3-point shooting enabled it to build a nine-point lead early in the third quarter of its District 2 Class 2A girls basketball semifinal, forcing Mountain View coach Corey Gesford to call timeout.
His message to his team in the huddle: Relax. We’ve been here before.
The Lady Eagles did just that. They leaned on their experience and their defense to rally past the upset-minded Lady Crusaders, 50-44, before a spirited crowd Friday night at Mountain View’s J. William McLaughlin Gymnasium.
Second-seeded Mountain View (18-6) held No. 3 seed Holy Cross to eight points over the final 14 minutes to return to the Class 2A final at Mohegan Arena on Feb. 27 at 4 p.m. against No. 1 seed Wyoming Seminary, which was a 45-25 winner over No. 4 Elk Lake in the other semifinal.
“I told them it was deep-breath time, that there was plenty of ball game left,” Gesford said. “We just had to buckle down and do the things we talked about doing. That was not allowing their shooter to catch and shoot, making them make plays off the floor. The girls responded to that. That’s our signature, our defense.”
Addison Kilmer led the Lady Eagles with 25 points, 15 rebounds, five steals and two blocks. Emily Trichilo added 11 points.
Aniya Osgood hit four 3-pointers and finished with 14 points for Holy Cross (13-11). Mollie Urban followed with 12 points and Lila Kolcharno chipped in 10 points.
With Osgood hitting three of the team’s five 3-pointers in the first half, the Lady Crusaders led at halftime, 25-23. Then to open the third quarter, Kolcharno, Ava Schmidt and Osgood all hit from behind the arc on the first three possessions.
“It’s something we’ve been working on all year. We have five kids who can knock down shots,” Holy Cross coach Lindsay Howard said. “We made the shots we needed to make to be in a position to win the game.”
McKinley Griffiths then had a steal, was fouled and hit both free throws following Mountain View’s timeout to give Holy Cross a 36-27 lead with 6:07 left in the third.
But Mountain View held the Lady Crusaders scoreless for the next five-plus minutes and scored on four straight possessions to get back into the game.
“They were making every single shot. It was absolutely crazy,” Kilmer said. “We just really dialed in, had to run them off the line and trust our help defense.”
Trichilo hit a 3-pointer to ignite things. Kilmer made a steal and fed Aubrey Sanders for a basket. Sanders returned the favor to Kilmer before the East Stroudsburg University commit put back her miss to tie the game at 36. She then hit two foul shots to cap a 12-0 run and put the Lady Eagles in front, 38-36, with 1:13 left in the third.
“We just needed to pick up the intensity and everyone needed to lock in, which we did,” Trichilo said. “We got the right mindset and took it from there.”
Urban scored off a drive to end Holy Cross’ drought. She then sank two free throws with 10.7 seconds left to send the Lady Crusaders to the fourth quarter with a 42-40 lead.
Emma Thatcher and Urban traded baskets to begin the fourth. However, Holy Cross again would go scoreless for almost the next six minutes.
With 5:16 left, Sanders found Trichilo open in the right corner and the junior nailed a 3-pointer to put the Lady Eagles in front to stay, 43-42.
“I knew we needed something big. I was open and took the shot and it went in,” Trichilo said. “It’s what we needed. I think it was a big energy booster for the rest of the game.”
Two minutes later, Kilmer hit a 3-pointer to extend the lead to four. Thatcher hit two free throws with 1:21 left to make it a six-point game. Urban scored with 44.7 seconds left to cut Holy Cross’ deficit to 48-44. But Sanders sealed the victory with two free throws with 10.4 seconds left.
Howard thought Mountain View’s postseason experience showed down the stretch.
“Mountain View’s a battle-tested team,” she said. “They’ve been in these high-stakes situations consistently over the last couple of years. They were able to create the plays in the crucial moments to get the win.
“I thought our girls displayed togetherness and leadership. I’m very proud of the effort that they gave.”
The district final against Wyoming Seminary is a rematch of last year’s semifinal which Mountain View won in overtime, 45-38.
Also, the Lady Eagles are assured of a PIAA Class 2A playoff berth. Last season, they reached the state semifinals before losing to eventual champion Berlin Brothersvalley. In 2024, they made it to the Class 1A final and in 2023 advanced to the Class 1A semifinals.
“We’ve worked so hard all season,” Kilmer said. “Our first goal was league champs and now we’re in the hunt for the district championship. It means a lot.”
Wyoming Seminary 45, Elk Lake 25: At Wyoming Seminary, Ella Stambaugh continued her strong start to the Class 2A district tournament with a game-high 27 points to lead the Blue Knights to victory over Elk Lake.
Wyoming Seminary (17-6) led, 9-4, at the end of the first quarter, then continued its defensive intensity by allowing just one point in the second quarter to take control.
Stambaugh scored 12 points in the third quarter and has now scored 67 points in two district playoff games this week.
Stella Ruiz finished with 12 points on four 3-pointers. The Blue Knights have allowed 39 points in their last two games.
Kylie Shingler led Elk Lake (15-9) with nine points. Madisyn Casselbury and Piper Keeney each scored six.
Class 3A
At Dunmore, Leena Conte scored 15 points to lead the top-seeded Lady Bucks to a 48-28 win over No. 4 Riverside in a District 2 Class 3A semifinal game Friday.
Janaya Martin contributed seven points, while Janeessa Martin and Ava Walsh each had six for the Lady Bucks (21-3).
Dunmore will play Holy Redeemer in the championship game Feb. 28 at noon at Mohegan Arena. The No. 2 Lady Royals beat No. 3 Lake-Lehman in the other semifinal, 61-44. The Dunmore-Holy Redeemer game is a rematch of last year’s final, won by the Lady Bucks, 49-44.
Michelle Nidoh scored four points in the first quarter when the Lady Bucks took a 14-7 lead. Janaya Martin and Conte each scored five in the second to push the lead to 26-14 at the half.
In the third, Conte scored six points as Dunmore put the game away. Walsh had all six of her points in the fourth quarter.
Faith Pavalonis and Caitie Beecham each scored eight points, and Kiley Williams had seven for Riverside (14-10).
Class 6A
At Scranton, Chrissy Jacklinski led a balanced scoring attack as the No. 2 Lady Knights rolled into the District 2 Class 6A final with a 72-43 semifinal win over No. 3 Delaware Valley.
Jaelyn Alers scored 19 points and Rhylee Bell had 16 for the Lady Knights (11-12), who will play in the championship game against top-seeded Hazleton Area on Dec. 27 at 6 p.m. The Lady Cougars beat No. 5 Wyoming Valley West in their final, 54-23. Last year, Hazleton Area beat Scranton, 62-47, in the district final.
Jacklinski, Alers and Bell helped Scranton build a 24-15 lead by combining for 22 points.
In the second quarter, Jacklinski and Johanelys Baez each scored five points to extend the lead to 42-23. Scranton scored 25 points in the third quarter, with Jacklinski leading the way with 12.
Leah Bird scored eight of her team-high 13 points in the first quarter. Brianna Waldron finished with nine points for the Lady Warriors (12-12).
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His message to his team in the huddle: Relax. We’ve been here before.
The Lady Eagles did just that. They leaned on their experience and their defense to rally past the upset-minded Lady Crusaders, 50-44, before a spirited crowd Friday night at Mountain View’s J. William McLaughlin Gymnasium.
Second-seeded Mountain View (18-6) held No. 3 seed Holy Cross to eight points over the final 14 minutes to return to the Class 2A final at Mohegan Arena on Feb. 27 at 4 p.m. against No. 1 seed Wyoming Seminary, which was a 45-25 winner over No. 4 Elk Lake in the other semifinal.
“I told them it was deep-breath time, that there was plenty of ball game left,” Gesford said. “We just had to buckle down and do the things we talked about doing. That was not allowing their shooter to catch and shoot, making them make plays off the floor. The girls responded to that. That’s our signature, our defense.”
Addison Kilmer led the Lady Eagles with 25 points, 15 rebounds, five steals and two blocks. Emily Trichilo added 11 points.
Aniya Osgood hit four 3-pointers and finished with 14 points for Holy Cross (13-11). Mollie Urban followed with 12 points and Lila Kolcharno chipped in 10 points.
With Osgood hitting three of the team’s five 3-pointers in the first half, the Lady Crusaders led at halftime, 25-23. Then to open the third quarter, Kolcharno, Ava Schmidt and Osgood all hit from behind the arc on the first three possessions.
“It’s something we’ve been working on all year. We have five kids who can knock down shots,” Holy Cross coach Lindsay Howard said. “We made the shots we needed to make to be in a position to win the game.”
McKinley Griffiths then had a steal, was fouled and hit both free throws following Mountain View’s timeout to give Holy Cross a 36-27 lead with 6:07 left in the third.
But Mountain View held the Lady Crusaders scoreless for the next five-plus minutes and scored on four straight possessions to get back into the game.
“They were making every single shot. It was absolutely crazy,” Kilmer said. “We just really dialed in, had to run them off the line and trust our help defense.”
Trichilo hit a 3-pointer to ignite things. Kilmer made a steal and fed Aubrey Sanders for a basket. Sanders returned the favor to Kilmer before the East Stroudsburg University commit put back her miss to tie the game at 36. She then hit two foul shots to cap a 12-0 run and put the Lady Eagles in front, 38-36, with 1:13 left in the third.
“We just needed to pick up the intensity and everyone needed to lock in, which we did,” Trichilo said. “We got the right mindset and took it from there.”
Urban scored off a drive to end Holy Cross’ drought. She then sank two free throws with 10.7 seconds left to send the Lady Crusaders to the fourth quarter with a 42-40 lead.
Emma Thatcher and Urban traded baskets to begin the fourth. However, Holy Cross again would go scoreless for almost the next six minutes.
With 5:16 left, Sanders found Trichilo open in the right corner and the junior nailed a 3-pointer to put the Lady Eagles in front to stay, 43-42.
“I knew we needed something big. I was open and took the shot and it went in,” Trichilo said. “It’s what we needed. I think it was a big energy booster for the rest of the game.”
Two minutes later, Kilmer hit a 3-pointer to extend the lead to four. Thatcher hit two free throws with 1:21 left to make it a six-point game. Urban scored with 44.7 seconds left to cut Holy Cross’ deficit to 48-44. But Sanders sealed the victory with two free throws with 10.4 seconds left.
Howard thought Mountain View’s postseason experience showed down the stretch.
“Mountain View’s a battle-tested team,” she said. “They’ve been in these high-stakes situations consistently over the last couple of years. They were able to create the plays in the crucial moments to get the win.
“I thought our girls displayed togetherness and leadership. I’m very proud of the effort that they gave.”
The district final against Wyoming Seminary is a rematch of last year’s semifinal which Mountain View won in overtime, 45-38.
Also, the Lady Eagles are assured of a PIAA Class 2A playoff berth. Last season, they reached the state semifinals before losing to eventual champion Berlin Brothersvalley. In 2024, they made it to the Class 1A final and in 2023 advanced to the Class 1A semifinals.
“We’ve worked so hard all season,” Kilmer said. “Our first goal was league champs and now we’re in the hunt for the district championship. It means a lot.”
Wyoming Seminary 45, Elk Lake 25: At Wyoming Seminary, Ella Stambaugh continued her strong start to the Class 2A district tournament with a game-high 27 points to lead the Blue Knights to victory over Elk Lake.
Wyoming Seminary (17-6) led, 9-4, at the end of the first quarter, then continued its defensive intensity by allowing just one point in the second quarter to take control.
Stambaugh scored 12 points in the third quarter and has now scored 67 points in two district playoff games this week.
Stella Ruiz finished with 12 points on four 3-pointers. The Blue Knights have allowed 39 points in their last two games.
Kylie Shingler led Elk Lake (15-9) with nine points. Madisyn Casselbury and Piper Keeney each scored six.
Class 3A
At Dunmore, Leena Conte scored 15 points to lead the top-seeded Lady Bucks to a 48-28 win over No. 4 Riverside in a District 2 Class 3A semifinal game Friday.
Janaya Martin contributed seven points, while Janeessa Martin and Ava Walsh each had six for the Lady Bucks (21-3).
Dunmore will play Holy Redeemer in the championship game Feb. 28 at noon at Mohegan Arena. The No. 2 Lady Royals beat No. 3 Lake-Lehman in the other semifinal, 61-44. The Dunmore-Holy Redeemer game is a rematch of last year’s final, won by the Lady Bucks, 49-44.
Michelle Nidoh scored four points in the first quarter when the Lady Bucks took a 14-7 lead. Janaya Martin and Conte each scored five in the second to push the lead to 26-14 at the half.
In the third, Conte scored six points as Dunmore put the game away. Walsh had all six of her points in the fourth quarter.
Faith Pavalonis and Caitie Beecham each scored eight points, and Kiley Williams had seven for Riverside (14-10).
Class 6A
At Scranton, Chrissy Jacklinski led a balanced scoring attack as the No. 2 Lady Knights rolled into the District 2 Class 6A final with a 72-43 semifinal win over No. 3 Delaware Valley.
Jaelyn Alers scored 19 points and Rhylee Bell had 16 for the Lady Knights (11-12), who will play in the championship game against top-seeded Hazleton Area on Dec. 27 at 6 p.m. The Lady Cougars beat No. 5 Wyoming Valley West in their final, 54-23. Last year, Hazleton Area beat Scranton, 62-47, in the district final.
Jacklinski, Alers and Bell helped Scranton build a 24-15 lead by combining for 22 points.
In the second quarter, Jacklinski and Johanelys Baez each scored five points to extend the lead to 42-23. Scranton scored 25 points in the third quarter, with Jacklinski leading the way with 12.
Leah Bird scored eight of her team-high 13 points in the first quarter. Brianna Waldron finished with nine points for the Lady Warriors (12-12).
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