Pictured above: Molly Murphy
Molly Murphy’s fast start toward a 21-point night got host Valley View out to a comfortable lead early on the way to a 53-37 victory over Lakeland Monday night in one of two opening round games of the Lou Camoni Memorial Girls Basketball Tournament.
Mid Valley defeated Carbondale, 51-25, in the opener and will face Valley View in Wednesday’s 6:30 final.
Lakeland and Carbondale will meet Wednesday at 5 to decide third place.
Murphy opened the scoring with a 3-pointer, hit another on her next attempt, then added a putback as she scored the first eight Valley View points.
The Cougars ran off an early streak of nine points to go up 12-2 on a floater in the lane by Ella Cooper and a post move by Alexa Evangelista.
Murphy closed the first-quarter scoring with another 3-pointer for a 15-4 lead. She was 4-for-5 from the floor, with three 3-pointers, for 11 points in the quarter.
The Cougars did not stop there.
Murphy and Lucy Loftus each scored a basket and grabbed an offensive rebound that they used to assist a teammate’s basket during an 8-2 start of the second quarter to open a 23-6 lead.
Cooper’s 3-pointer extended the lead to 28-10 and Valley View carried that margin into the half at 30-12.
Murphy made one of two free throws to open the second half for the game’s biggest lead.
Kaylyn Davis made five second-half 3-pointers while scoring all of her 16 points for Lakeland to cut into the deficit.
Davis had 10 points in less than 5 minutes to open the half, pulling the Lady Chiefs within 35-22. Her 3-pointer to begin the fourth quarter made it 41-30, but Lakeland could not get any closer.
Giada Costa, who finished with 11 points for Valley View, made four straight free throws and Evangelista kicked a rebound out to Murphy for her final 3-pointer in a 7-0 run that restored Valley View’s biggest lead at 51-32 with 2:49 left.
Evangelista chipped in eight points and Cooper seven for Valley View (5-3).
Elizabeth Pittsman had seven points and Alexia Bauer six for Lakeland (2-4).
Mid Valley 51, Carbondale 25
Krista Cortazar scored 11 points to lead a balanced attack that carried Mid Valley past Carbondale in the Camoni Memorial opener at Valley View.
Emily Tomsak added 10 points, Abbie Larson 9 and Natalie Barrett 8.
Caitlyn Burns scored seven points and Ashley Escott had six for Carbondale.
Cortazar hit the game’s only 3-pointer and scored five points while five teammates got involved in the scoring early during a 16-7 first quarter by the Spartanettes (2-4).
Tomsak had six points in the third quarter when Carbondale extended a 24-15 halftime lead to 37-20.
Cortazar had four more points and Mid Valley again got baskets from six different players during the fourth quarter.
Carbondale fell to 1-4.
MORE MONDAY NIGHT BASKETBALL COVERAGE
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Taylor Lions Girls Tournament: Abington Heights, Riverside girls reach Taylor Lions championship – NEPA Sports Nation.
Honesdale Jaycees Boys Tournament: ‘Paupack boys make Jaycees final – NEPA Sports Nation.
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