By Tom Robinson, NEPASportsNation.com
YATESVILLE – Pittston Area and Scranton combined to shoot 14-for-30 (46.7 percent) on 3-pointers in their Feb. 25 District 2 Class 5A girls basketball semifinal, with each team making seven.
But, Pittston Area got to the basket – and to the foul line – more often, allowing the Lady Patriots to advance to the championship game and secure a return to the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association state playoffs with a 49-42 victory.
Kallie Booth went 7-for-8 from the line while scoring 20 points and Daniella Ranieli was 6-for-8 while adding 16 in the win.
Pittston Area finished 14-for-18 from the foul line while Scranton was just 3-for-6.
Finley Bittenbender went 4-for-5 on 3-pointers while scoring a team-high 16 points and three Lady Knights teammates also connected from behind the arc.
“We were definitely concerned with their shooting,” Lady Patriots coach Jeff Gregory said. “We did the best we could to get hands up on them, but they came out hot.
“So, we were trying to guard the perimeter the best we could and, after that hot start, we slowed them down a little bit.”
After leading by just one at halftime, Pittston Area used a 19-11 third quarter to take a 42-33 lead into the fourth.
The Lady Patriots slowed the game down and Booth helped lock up the win by hitting five of six free throws in the final 52.1 seconds after Scranton got within five points.
Booth hit three times and Ranieli twice to help Pittston Area shoot 50 percent (7-for-14) on 3-pointers.
