January 21, 2021
Hazleton Area 56, Wyoming Valley West 46 (OT) (PIAA District 2)
320 days without being able to watch a high school game in any setting - regular season, team camp, summer/fall league, anything. While New York may still be on freeze, PIAA basketball is back in action, and my first high school game in the Keystone State had a flare for the dramatic. Defending PIAA District 2 Class 6A champion Hazleton Area overcame a 17 point 3rd quarter deficit, then took their first lead of the game while holding host Wyoming Valley West scoreless in overtime to complete an eye-opening comeback victory.
It looked like nothing of the sort would happen in the 1st half as WVW set the tone utilizing its noticeable size advantage. 6'2" Trinity Johnson (Wyoming Valley West 2022) and 5'11" Fatikha Tikhtova (WVW 2023) made their presence felt at both ends and on the glass early, splitting all 16 of WVW's 1st quarter points along with combining to make a formidable back tandem in their 3-2 zone. Their length & athleticism deterring anything around the rim coupled with cold perimeter shooting led to early trouble for Hazleton, as they fell behind 16-6 after one quarter. The visitors showed signs of life in the 2nd quarter, rattling WVW with the press and turning live ball turnovers into easy buckets - a sign of things to come later - but the hosts responded with a spurt of their own and extended their lead to 31-17 at the break after a pair of Tikhtova buckets.
Valley West extended their cushion to as much as 17 when Tikhtova put back her own miss to make it 36-19 early in the 3rd, but the tide would start to turn from there. Olivia Wolk (Hazleton Area 2021) knocked down a three - the first for either team - and the flood gates started to open. Another Wolk trey to end the 3rd cut Hazleton's deficit to 43-35, and they carried the energy & momentum into the 4th. Johnson ended a WVW spell of around 6:30 without a field goal with a layup to make it 45-39 with 4:10 left, but that would be their last made field goal of the game as Hazleton Area's pressure continued to take hold. Brooke Boretski (Hazleton Area 2021), who didn't score in the 1st half, knocked down her 2nd trey of the night to tie it at 46 with 1:26 remaining, and they'd continue on to overtime at that score.
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| Olivia Wolk (Hazleton Area 2021) turned it up as the game went on and was a driving force in their comeback, leading them in the scorebooks with 18 points. |
Like much of the 2nd half, the overtime session was all Hazleton Area. Carley Krizansky (Hazleton Area 2021) scored to give the visitors their first lead of the night, Wolk followed with a three and a pair of free throws, and Hazleton Area would hold Valley West without a point in the extra session, completing a monster comeback by outscoring the hosts 37-10 over the last 17 minutes of action.
Olivia Wolk led Hazleton Area with 18 points, 14 coming after halftime including three of their five treys. Brooke Boretski joined her in double figures with 10, and Carley Krizansky, Jaya Franck (Hazleton Area 2021), and Lacie Kringe (Hazleton Area 2023) added 8 apiece. For Wyoming Valley West, Trinity Johnson pumped in 19 points to lead all scorers and Fatikha Tikhtova was right behind her with 18.
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| Trinity Johnson (Wyoming Valley West 2022) had another big game Thursday, as she finished with a game high 19 points and was a consistent force on the glass. |
#ThoughtsFromTheBaseline
Hey, Pennsylvania! I've never been to a high school game in your state before, so this may be new to you. We've made it through the generic game detail stuff. This part, which I seem to rename every year, is where I verbalize my thoughts - from individuals to teams to the warmup CD to what was for dinner, it's all fair game. I'll try not to ramble, but fair warning that I won't succeed! A deeper look at what transpired Thursday:
- A MAJOR contrast of styles between the teams made this game interesting to watch from front to back, even when it looked like Wyoming Valley West may run away with it. Valley West has real size, not just 'listing' size, in 6'2" 2022 standout Trinity Johnson and 5'11" 2023 Fatikha Tikhtova. They're both long, run the floor hard and get off the ground decently well. When they were able to get those two the ball in an advantageous position - or even just get the ball on the rim when they were in a position to rebound - things generally went well for them. On the other side, Hazleton Area is very guard heavy with no one on the roster above a 5'9" listing. Their activity defensively and the ability to harass ballhandlers into poor decisions with the press was hugely important to their success - and as it showed as the game wore on, the ability to knock down some perimeter jumpers to stretch the D goes a long way too. And that leads to this...
- Hazleton Area's press REALLY bothered Valley West over the final 28 minutes. It didn't show up on the scoreboard until later in the game because it took a while for them to utilize it. As mentioned above, they had their own issues offensively with Valley West's 3-2 zone - couldn't get much around the rim with Johnson & Tikhtova on the back line, and they went 0-for-however many perimeter Js were taken in the 1st half. No made basket, no making them take it out of the net, no setting up the press. Olivia Wolk hit a couple jumpers in the 3rd and Brooke Boretski hit one as well, which not only allowed them to get up defensively - which often turned into steals & layups and greatly limited WVW bigs' meaningful touches, the old adage of your best post defense being to prevent post touches by making guards uncomfortable - but it also forced Valley West to stretch a little defensively, which opened up some different actions going toward the rim. They even did a better job with the press in the 2nd half & OT as they were able to keep it out of Johnson's hands - at 6'2" & skilled, she was an effective release early.
- Also a major difference in age between these two teams. Hazleton Area, a team that's 'been there before' as a defending champion in PIAA District 2 Class 6A play, started four seniors and I believe have seven on the roster. 48 of their 56 points tonight came from those seniors. Wyoming Valley West? No seniors in the starting lineup and I believe none on the roster at all. They rolled with a junior, three sophomores, and a freshman for starters. I'm usually the first to say age/experience is an overrated 'difference' in high school basketball, but it showed in the 2nd half & OT with Hazleton Area's resilience clawing back into the game. They looked like a team that had been down that road and dealt with some situations. When momentum shifted, Valley West got stagnant and looked a bit shocked. Age & experience; this experience could potentially be a worthwhile one going forward for them.
- Let's get to a couple individuals and start with Trinity Johnson. The scoreboard may not have ended in her team's favor, but she certainly made her presence felt. I had the chance to watch her several times in the COVID-limited summer & fall with the NEPA Elite AAU program, and she caught my eye as early as the first game watching her team at Spooky Nook. With them, it was her face-up game and ability to stretch that was most noteworthy. Here, she showed she's willing to take advantage of a size discrepancy and set up shop in the low post along with great mobility getting up & down the court. Out of her 19 points, I only remember two coming from a midrange jumper and three free throws along the way - the rest were around the rim, whether it came off a post move, offensive rebound, catch & finish, or layup in transition. She also got after it on the glass and with Hazleton not having anyone that could match up with her size & athleticism, she probably had about as many rebounds as points. At 6'2" with back-to-basket & face-up skill along with great physical tools, there's no question she'll be very actively recruited before all is said & done.
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| Lacie Kringe (Hazleton Area 2023), who finished with 8 points in the OT win, is a young, athletic guard that shows promise. |
- Always looking for who could be the best of tomorrow too, so here's some more. Hazleton Area was pretty heavily balanced offensively, but I like what I saw in Lacie Kringe at first look. 2023 guard with good size at around 5'8", good natural frame, made a difference defensively, found ways to get to the rim, and I thought her mind was in the right place with a lot of plays that she made. On the other end, I'll be interested to see how Wyoming Valley West's youngsters develop. They certainly have enough of them!
- The day's local food haul? Pierogies, because what else. Like 60 of them. Stocked up for the winter. All different fillings... I have a problem.
- Last but not least, a major thank you to Wyoming Valley West athletic administration for allowing me in the gym to check this game out. I've reached out to many athletic directors in northern PA between District 2 (LIAA & WVC) and District 4 (NTL), and to be honest, I haven't got more than a handful of 'yes' responses so far. I get it with COVID restrictions and me being a New York guy, but each 'yes' at this time means something to me. This was a first for me in a PA high school gym, and what a fantastic first it was! Quick turnaround though as I plan to make the trip across state lines again on Saturday for a twin bill, one in District 4 and a marquee District 2 matchup for the nightcap... stay tuned!
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