Connor M. Krushinski

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First Posted: 1/8/2014 PLYMOUTH &#8212; Backed into a corner, Crestwood guard Heather Muse simply floated a jump-ball toward one of her taller teammates.
Good idea.
Rebecca Rutkowski scored 24 points, Maddie Ritsick added 21 and Crestwood towered above Wyoming Valley West in a 54-39 victory Wednesday that left the Comets in early control of the Wyoming Valley Conference Division I.
&#8220;I think people underestimate us,&#8221; Rutkowski said. &#8220;We have a really good shot. But probably, we&#8217;re the underdog.&#8221;
In a battle for the Division I lead, Crestwood turned into the big dog.
Along with her 24 points, the 5-foot-11 Rutkowski pulled down 20 rebounds and blocked five shots in the Valley West gym, while her 5-10 teammate Ritsick added four blocks and 15 of her points in the first half.
&#8220;They&#8217;re pretty good,&#8221; said Crestwood&#8217;s first-year coach Pat Brogan, whose team improved to 2-0 in Division I play. &#8220;They both like to score and both are good scorers.&#8221;
Crestwood&#8217;s R&R combination also prevented some scoring.
They altered shots, passes and paths in the paint all night, making things nearly impossible under the basket for the Spartans, who were playing without 6-2 center Olivia Hoffman for the second straight game.
&#8220;She tweaked a knee,&#8221; Valley West coach Paul Appel said. &#8220;So we rested her one more night.&#8221;
The Comets didn&#8217;t ease up a bit on that big absence.
&#8220;I definitely think that, last year, we had more of a struggle inside,&#8221; Rutkowski said. &#8220;This year, it was a little easier because of her (Hoffman) being out.&#8221;
So Crestwood went right in.
Ritsick scored six points and Rutkowski added the other bucket in an eight-point run between the end of the first quarter and start of the second that left Crestwood in command, 12-7.
And Ritsick turned relentless in the second quarter, scoring 11 of her points to give Crestwood an 11-point halftime lead. Led by the intimidating inside presence of Rutkowski and Ritsick, the Comets blocked 11 shots in the opening half and held Valley West to single digits in each of the first two quarters.
&#8220;They&#8217;re talented big girls,&#8221; Appel said. &#8220;We had a rough second quarter. We got good looks, they just didn&#8217;t drop. That was our biggest thing.&#8221;
&#8220;Our coach has us working on defense,&#8221; Rutkowski said. &#8220;A lot of people say offense wins games, but defense wins championships. And blocking shots is one of my favorite things.&#8221;
Another, apparently, is putting the ball in the basket.
Rutkowski erupted for 12 points in the third quarter, triggering a charge that left the Comets with a 15-point lead by quarter&#8217;s end.
When the Spartans cut their deficit to 10, Rutkowski responded again.
With a couple of putbacks - two of her 20 rebounds - and a nifty turn-around jumper, Rutkowski sparked an 8-0 run that pretty much put the game away, 49-31, in the final quarter.
&#8220;Rebecca had 20 rebounds, she played a nice game,&#8221; Brogan said. &#8220;She&#8217;s getting better and better. As she continues to go to the boards and makes post moves, I don&#8217;t know anybody in the league who can really stop her.&#8221;
&#8220;Coach tells me all the time I should be averaging 20 rebounds a game,&#8221; Rutkowski said. &#8220;So 20 is right on the mark. With our new coach, he&#8217;s teaching us all the fundamentals. It&#8217;s like teamwork. We all really like each other.&#8221;
So far, there&#8217;s a lot to like with Crestwood, but a lot of season left.
&#8220;We have a long way to go,&#8221; Brogan cautions. &#8220;I don&#8217;t think they really realize how good they can be. Valley West is a good team, very aggressive, well-coached. Great win. Every win is a great win. Road wins are even better.&#8221;
Hazleton Area 59, Coughlin 27The Cougars scored 39 first-half points and held the Crusaders to only eight first half in their victory.Alyssa Sitch scored a game high 12 points for Hazleton Area.Berwick 45, Tunkhannock 20Behind 19 points from Taylor Monata, the Bulldogs picked up the win over the Tigers.Pittston Area 50, Dallas 44Eastin Ashby totaled 21 points as the Patriots knocked off the Mountaineers.Maggie Michael led Dallas with 20 points.***Crestwood 54, Wyoming Valley West 39CRESTWOOD (54) &#8212; Rebecca Rutkowski 12 0-0 24, Maury Cronauer 0 2-2 2, Taryn Wojnar 0 0-0 0, Maddie Ritsick 10 0-0 21, Dallas Kendra 1 0-0 3, Heather Muse 0 0-0 0, Abbie Macko 0 0-0 0, Kassie Ferdinand 1 1-2 4. Totals 24 3-4 54.
WYOMING VALLEY WEST (39) &#8212; Tara Judge 2 0-0 4, Cassie Smicherko 1 5-9 8, Cheyenne Reese 5 5-9 15, Megan Kane 2 1-2 5, Savannah Piaza 2 0-0 4, Erin Gibbons 0 0-0 0, Gabby Smicherko 1 1-3 3, Amanda Scarcella 0 0-0 0. Totals 13 12-23 39.
Crestwood`6`21`14`13`&#8212;`54
Wyoming Valley West`7`9`10`13`&#8212;`39
Three-point goals &#8212; CRE 3 (Kendra, Ritskick, Ferdinand); WVW 1 (Smicherko).
Hazleton Area 59, Coughlin 27COUGHLIN (27) &#8212;Casey Lello 0 0-0 0, Savannah Robinson 2 3-4 7, Keighlyn Oliver 0 1-2 1, Emily Cicon 0 0-0 0, Mary Tona 1 0-2 2, Breanne Georgetti 1 0-0 2, Kim Martinez 1 0-1 3, Sabrina Jara 0 00 0, Ashley Chell 0 0-0 0, Marissa Ross 4 1-2 9, Destiny Anderson 1 0-0 3. Totals 10 5-11 27.
HAZLETON AREA (59) &#8212; Mackenzie Yori 4 0-0 9, Lexi Wolk 0 1-2 1, Angie Marchetti 1 0-0 3, Becky Marchetti 2 0-0 5, Alyssa Sitch 4 0-0 12, Chrstine Kaschak 1 0-0 2, Renee Taylor 0 1-2 , Brianna Woznicki 4 0-0 8, Alyssa Shamany 0 0-0 0, Maria Trivelpiece 2 0-0 5, Sydney Walser 1 0-0 2, Francesca Matriccino 3 1-2 8, Rachel Reznick 1 0-0 3, Deanna Fox 0 0-0 0, Rachel Wech 0 0-2 0. Totals 23 3-6 59.
Coughlin`6`2`7`12`&#8212;`27
Hazleton Area`23`16`11`19`&#8212;`59
Three-point goals &#8212; COU 2 (Martinez, Anderson); HAZ 10 (Sitch 4, Yori, A. Marchetti, B. Marchetti, Trivelpiece, Matriccino, Reznick).
Pittston Area 50, Dallas 44PITTSTON AREA (50) &#8212; Allie Barber 2 5-6 10, Jamie Chisdock 1 0-0 2, Liz Waleski 3 1-4 7, Jacqueline Rabender 1 1-2 3, Marley O&#8217;Brien 0 0-0 0, Ali Brady 1 0-0 2, Taryn Ashby 2 0-0 5, Eastin Ashby 7 2-4 21. Totals 17 6-9 50.
DALLAS (44) &#8212; Sara Lojewski 1 2-2 4, Samantha Missal 3 0-0 8, Katy Comitz 3 2-2 8, Talia Kosierowski 1 0-0 2, Nikki Wren 1 0-0 2, Lindsay Jacobs 0 0-0 0, Steff Cybulski 0 0-0 0, Maggie Michael 6 8-13 20. Totals 15 12-17 44.
Pittston Area`10`7`16`17`&#8212;`50
Dallas`10`12`10`12`&#8212;`40
Three-point goals &#8212; PA 7 (E. Ashby 5, Barber, K. Ashby); DAL 2 (Missal 2).
Berwick 45, Tunkhannock 20TUNKHANNOCK (20) &#8212; Megan Wrubel 0 0-0 0, Amanda Hardy 0 0-0 0, Sydney Faux 0 0-0 0, Megan Manglaviti 0 0-0 0, Traci Kromko 2 1-2 7, Mya Toczyko 1 0-0 2, Brittney Sickler 1 0-0 2, Christine Rossi 3 0-2 6, Molly Hampsey 0 1-4 1, Ashley Knott 1 0-0 2, Adry Applby 0 0-0 0, Catherine Trexter 0 0-0 0. Totals 8 2-8 20.
BERWICK (45) &#8212; Ayrin Shortlidge 0 3-3 3, Tori Talanca 0 0-0 0, Gbaby Kishbaugh 0 1-2 1, Taylor Montana 6 10-7 19, Bri Florshak 0 3-8 3, Olivia Seely 1 0-0 2, Allie Katsock 0 0-0 0, Allison Rinehimer 3 0-1 7, Alexis Steeber 5 0-0 10, Karen Boone 0 0-0 0. Totals 15 14-23 45.
Tunkhannock`4`4`9`3`&#8212;`20
Berwick`13`8`16`8`&#8212;`45
Three-point goals &#8212; TUNK 2 (Kromko 2); BER 1 (Rinehimer).

Comets come up big in Division I battle