Pictured above: Team MVPs Halle Kranson from Wyoming Area, left, and Maddie Olshemski from Wyoming Seminary.
By Tom Robinson, NEPASportsNation.com
PLAINS TWP. – Maddie Olshemski didn’t feel out of place hoisting up nine 3-point attempts Friday night.
The results, however, felt a bit different.
“I shot a lot of 3s on the season,” Olshemski said. “I don’t know if I’ve made all of them, though.”
The future National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I field hockey player shined in one of her last chances to play basketball.
Wyoming Seminary’s Olshemski made five 3-pointers and scored a game-high 17 points as Team Grant routed Team Casper, 93-40, in the girls game to open the 54th annual Dr. George P. Moses Wyoming Valley Conference Senior All-Star Classic.
Olshemski was named Most Valuable Player of the winning team.
“I felt like it was just super fun and relaxed,” said Olshemski, who has signed an NCAA Letter of Intent to play at the University of Indiana. “When I was shooting, I was just relaxed.”
Olshemski was also the only Team Grant player with two steals.
Each team tried 52 shots from beyond the arc in the 40-minute game.
Olshemski took the most attempts and was the only player to make more than two. Team Grant made 15 of its 3-point shots while Team Casper struggled and made just 6.
Team Grant hit five 3-pointers, including two by Olshemski, while opening a 24-7 lead after one quarter. The lead steadily grew from there.
Game organizers had no plans for a Mercy Rule, but after Olshemski’s last 3-pointer made it 74-32, they began running the clock through some stoppages during the last 7:45.
Hailey Kline from Lake-Lehman did not arrive until halftime, but still managed 10 points and 9 rebounds.
Hayley Oliphant from Wyoming Valley West also scored 10 points.
Sophia Lukowski from Nanticoke and Eternity Aiken from Wilkes-Barre Area grabbed 11 rebounds each to lead Team Grant to an 85-53 dominance on the boards. The advantage was 29-13 in offensive rebounds, including seven by Lukowski.
Ed Grant from Nanticoke coached the winning team, which included players from Berwick, Holy Redeemer, Hazleton Area and Hanover Area in addition to Wyoming Seminary, Wilkes-Barre Area, Wyoming Valley West, Lake-Lehman and Nanticoke.
Wyoming Area’s Mark Casper coached the losing team, which included players from Wyoming Area, Pittston Area, Tunkhannock, Crestwood and MMI Prep.
Halle Kranson from Wyoming Area shared the team leads of five points and five rebounds and was named MVP for Team Casper.
Jocelyn Williams, another Wyoming Area player, also had five points.
Crestwood’s Julia Glowacki was the other player with five rebounds.
Notes
Lia Keefe used crutches to get into position under the basket before the opening tip.
Team Grant won the team and advanced the ball to Keefe uncontested for the game’s opening basket.
Keefe, the WVC Division 2 Player of the Year, was injured in the state quarterfinal when Lake-Lehman, the only conference team to make it that far, lost to Dunmore. She suffered a serious knee injury less than two minutes into the game.
Lake-Lehman coach Charlie Lavan was honored by WVC Basketball Officials with its Sportsmanship Award.
The finals of the 3-Point Shooting Contest were held at halftime and Wyoming Area’s Morgan Janeski won easily.
Janeski beat Wyoming Valley West’s Claudia Siegfried, 14-5.
The maximum point total was 18 with players taking 5 shots each from the right corner, top of the key and left corner in 45 seconds. The last ball from each spot was worth double.
Janeski made 11 of her 15 shots, including all three bonus balls. She made her last six attempts, hitting from the top of the key, then going to the left corner to make five straight.
