Pictured above: Daniella Ranieli in file action photo from earlier this season.
Pittston Area and Wilkes-Barre Area remained unbeaten overall while Hazleton Area and Wyoming Valley West joined them as winners Tuesday night as all four teams reached 2-0 in Wyoming Valley Conference Division 1 girls basketball.
The list of divisional unbeatens will be trimmed from four to two Thursday night when the four 2-0 Division 1 teams, all also ranked among the best Big School girls teams in District 2, will square off in a pair of games.
Defending champion Pittston Area, 10-0 overall and the No. 2 Big School team in the Riverfront Sports Super Six Basketball Power Rankings of District 2 teams, is at No. 3 Hazleton Area (9-1) in one Thursday night game. No. 5 Wyoming Valley West (7-2) is at No. 6 Wilkes-Barre Area (10-0).
In Tuesday’s games:
Pittston Area 45, Crestwood 40
Daniella Ranieli scored 22 points and Kallie Booth joined her in a big second half that carried the host Lady Patriots to victory.
Crestwood led by a point at halftime.
Booth scored five points in the third quarter. Booth, Ranieli and Ava Callahan all hit 3-pointers as part of a 15-8 advantage that put the Lady Patriots in front, 34-28.
Ranieli and Booth were a combined 6-for-7 from the line in the fourth quarter when they did all of the Pittston Area scoring to keep the Lady Patriots in front.
In addition to hitting her fourth 3-pointer of the game, Ranieli made all four of her free throws in the fourth quarter.
Booth finished with 12 points, 9 of them in the second half.
Kiera Dougherty had 11 points to lead Crestwood.
Wilkes-Barre Area 39, Tunkhannock 20
Wilkes-Barre trailed for most of the first half, then limited Tunkhannock to one field goal and six points in the second half to pull out the victory.
Tunkhannock led 6-4 after one quarter and 11-8 midway through the second quarter.
Wilkes-Barre Area forced a 14-14 tie at halftime, then pulled away with a 13-4 third quarter that included five points by Mahogany Robinson.
Diamond Thornton led the Wolfpack with 12 points. Eternity Aiken scored all eight of her points in the second half, six of them in the fourth quarter.
Sable Stephens led Tunkhannock with nine points.
Wyoming Valley West 48, Dallas 26
Mackenzie Perluke hit a 3-pointer in each quarter while scoring 20 points to lead host Wyoming Valley West.
The Lady Spartans were already well in control, then held Dallas to two points in the fourth quarter to finish off the win.
Haylie Oliphant added three 3-pointers for nine points.
Molly Walsh led Dallas with 14 points.
Hazleton Area 53, Berwick 24
Hazleton Area used defense early and offense late at Berwick to post the lopsided victory.
The Lady Cougars led 10-2 after one quarter. They closed with a 20-5 fourth quarter, more than doubling the lead they took into the final eight minutes.
Alexis Reimold led Hazleton Area with 15 points. Sophia Shults and Brianna Kennedy added nine each.
Carly Ochs had nine points and Alyssa Lewis eight for Berwick.
