EDITOR’S NOTE: The quarterfinals of the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association basketball tournament began Friday night. While NEPASportsNation.com compiles more complete reports, here is a quick recap of the night’s action.
By Tom Robinson, NEPASportsNation.com
SCRANTON – Dunmore and Montrose continued impressive postseason runs with victories in Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association state quarterfinal girls basketball games Friday night.
With Dunmore and Lake-Lehman facing off in one quarterfinal, District 2 entered the night guaranteed of at least one girls semifinalist.
Montrose handled a champion from a larger district for the second time in three days to join the Lady Bucks in advancing to Monday’s quarterfinals.
Dunmore avenged one of its three losses by pounding Lake-Lehman, 58-19, in Class 3A at Scranton High School.
Mia Snyder scored her 1,000th career point early and Montrose downed Faith Christian Academy, 45-29, in Class 2A.
District 2 girls teams are now 14-7 in the state tournament, including 13-6 – going 7-4 in the first round, 5-2 in the second and 1-0 in the quarterfinals – when not facing each other. Scranton Prep and Mountain View give the district two more shots at additional state semifinalists Saturday afternoon.
District 2 is down to one boys basketball team – Holy Cross, playing Saturday in Class 2A – following an Abington Heights loss Friday.
Nationally ranked Imhotep Charter was too much for the Comets, 65-38, in Class 5A while moving within two wins of its ninth state title since 2006.
Dunmore lost at Lake-Lehman in overtime in January when Ciera Toomey played less than three minutes while limited by the steps in her return from knee surgery.
Toomey played the entire first half for the first time and 26 minutes total in the rematch while leading Dunmore with 16 points, 8 rebounds, 9 blocked shots and 3 assists.
Tristan Canavan added 14 points, 11 rebounds and 4 steals.
Cadie Lewis went 3-for-4 on 3-point attempts in the second quarter and finished with 12 points.
Sophia Talutto chipped in nine points, four assists and three steals.
The rematch was also impacted by injury.
Lake-Lehman’s Lia Keefe, the Wyoming Valley Conference Division 2 Most Valuable Player, according to a vote of coaches, left the gym and did not return after suffering an apparent knee injury 1:55 into the game.
Snyder entered the night needing four points to get to 1,000, a milestone she made possible by leading Montrose’s postseason run. She hit a 3-pointer, then added two free throws with 4:06 left in the first quarter.
Snyder finished with 21 points, including 14 in the second half. She helped Montrose recover from having a 22-10 halftime lead cut to 28-24.
Paley Adams, who did all her scoring during an 18-7 first quarter, and Gracie Dalton, who came off the bench to score five points in the fourth quarter, each added seven points.
Kentucky commit Justin Edwards scored 12 of his 31 points in the first quarter to lead Imhotep Charter.
The Panthers outscored the Comets, 38-8, in the middle two quarters after leading just 18-14 after one.
Freshman Jordan Shaffer was the high scorer for Abington Heights with eight points, all in the fourth quarter.
MORE COVERAGE
Return to Basketball – NEPA Sports Nation more-detailed reports on Friday’s action and more upcoming coverage of the future rounds of the state tournament.
