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Life Deconstructed: What does Nanc —, um, Anthony, think of his wife’s musings?

H.S. sports: Scott Stout scores 24 in Nanticoke win

<p>NANTICOKE &#8212; A lot has changed in 25 years.</p><p>Casey Comoroski moved to Missouri.</p><p>Ellen Bartuska beat breast cancer.</p><p>Tia Hornlein had twin daughters and Lori Scally&#8217;s busy raising three kids.</p><p>Their perfect run together at Nanticoke Area 25 years ago?</p><p>That will always remain the same.</p><p>&#8220;It&#8217;s one of those once-in-a-lifetime experiences,&#8221; said Holly Kozlowski-Udzella, a forward on that 1989-90 Nanticoke Area team who now resides in Bloomingdale, Pennsylvania and works as a senior financial advisor for CVS Health. &#8220;When you have that much of a successful and dominant season, it&#8217;s like it&#8217;s forever going to stand still in time in everyone&#8217;s memory.&#8221;</p><p>The memories of Nanticoke Area&#8217;s 30-0 season came rushing back to the Nanticoke Area gym during a ceremony Wednesday night that celebrated the 25th anniversary of the school&#8217;s last state championship team and the Wyoming Valley Conference&#8217;s last Class 3A girls PIAA title team, which ended with a 10-point victory over Beaver Falls in the PIAA Class 3A title game.</p><p>Many of the old heroes from that storybook season returned to their old gym, which overflowed with adoring fans and shook with deafening applause straight out of that state title run.</p><p>&#8220;The fan support in Nanticoke is unbelievable,&#8221; said Scally before turning her attention to a well-wisher. &#8220;You see this guy? This guy has the same seat now that he did when I was playing. It&#8217;s crazy.&#8221;</p><p>Those die-hard Nanticoke Area basketball fans went wild over the stars who once brought them a delight that will never age, even if those girls have different names through marriage these days.</p><p>It&#8217;s Tia Hornlein Callahan and Renee Pionkowski Hornlein now, sharing the stage with Holly Ryncavage Scarbrough and Nichole Getts Carey.</p><p>They were all there re-living the times of their lives Wednesday, along with Comoroski Hunt and Scally Zaleski, forming a pack of 15 former players enjoying a victory reunion on the court.</p><p>And at the end of the introductions, Comoroski Hunt grabbed that 1990 state championship trophy, walked it out to center court, then prodded the rest of her old teammates to come join her in holding it high.</p><p>&#8220;Twenty-five years ago, we did the exact same thing,&#8221; Scally Zaleski said. &#8220;We held it and we walked around Hersheypark Arena with that trophy in our hands. After 25 years, it makes you appreciate it so much more.&#8221;</p><p>That team is still held in high regard around Nanticoke.</p><p>Comoroski Hunt, who&#8217;s spent the past 13 years as the senior associate athletic director and senior women&#8217;s administrator at Missouri State University, senses it immediately when she returns to her hometown.</p><p>&#8220;When I&#8217;m here and go to the grocery story,&#8221; Comoroski Hunt said, &#8220;there&#8217;ll be somebody behind us saying, &#8216;Hey mom, that&#8217;s Casey from the state championship team.&#8217;</p><p>&#8220;And I come in once a year!&#8221;</p><p>The years that have past since that 1990 state championship success certainly didn&#8217;t get lost on today&#8217;s Nanticoke Area players, Scally Zaleski noticed.</p><p>&#8220;It was nice, when we came out, to see the young Trojanettes crying,&#8221; Scally Zaleski said. &#8220;They had tears in their eyes.</p><p>&#8220;And these girls weren&#8217;t even <em>born </em>when we won.&#8221;</p><p>They didn&#8217;t know it at the time, but a legend for the ages was born with that unparalleled 1989-90 Nanticoke Area season.</p><p>The Trojanettes scored at least 100 points five times, and regularly destroyed league opponents while often deciding the outcome by halftime - if not the end of the opening quarter.</p><p>Four players from that team - Bartuska, Comoroski Hunt, Scally Zaleski and Kozlowski Udzella - were inducted into the Luzerne County Sports Hall of Fame.</p><p>And while their lives took them in different directions, to this day, they remain tightly bonded by what very well may be the best girls basketball season in Wyoming Valley Conference history.</p><p>&#8220;The best thing is, you have a great memory,&#8221; Kozlowski Udzella said, &#8220;but you have great friends. Lifetime friends.&#8221;</p><p>They stay in touch, one way or another.</p><p>&#8220;The big thing that has helped is Facebook,&#8221; Kozlowski Udzella said. &#8220;We do a lot of socializing on Facebook.&#8221;</p><p>And when they come face to face, it&#8217;s as if they never left one another.</p><p>&#8220;I haven&#8217;t seen the majority of my teammates in 25 years,&#8221; Comoroski Hunt said. &#8220;And it&#8217;s like it&#8217;s yesterday.&#8221;</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">Lori Scally Zaleski, center, holds the 1990 PIAA Class 3A girls basketball state championship trophy with her Nanticoke Trojanette teammates during a 25th anniversary ceremony honoring their season in Nanticoke on Wednesday night. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/web1_NanticokeGBB_1-1.jpg</photo0><caption0>Lori Scally Zaleski, center, holds the 1990 PIAA Class 3A girls basketball state championship trophy with her Nanticoke Trojanette teammates during a 25th anniversary ceremony honoring their season in Nanticoke on Wednesday night. </caption0><photoCredit0>Bill Tarutis | For Times Leader </photoCredit0></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/web1_NanticokeGBB_2-1.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">The PIAA Class 3A state basketball champion Nanticoke Trojanettes run between the current girls varsity basketball team during a ceremony honoring the 25th anniversary of their 30-0 season Wednesday night. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo1>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/web1_NanticokeGBB_2-1.jpg</photo1><caption1>The PIAA Class 3A state basketball champion Nanticoke Trojanettes run between the current girls varsity basketball team during a ceremony honoring the 25th anniversary of their 30-0 season Wednesday night. </caption1><photoCredit1>Bill Tarutis | For Times Leader </photoCredit1></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/web1_NanticokeGBB_3-1.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Ellen Bartuska of Wilmington, Del., right, reacts to being introduced with her teammates during a ceremony honoring the PIAA Class 3A girls state champion Nanticoke Trojanettes Wednesday night in Nanticoke. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo2>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/web1_NanticokeGBB_3-1.jpg</photo2><caption2>Ellen Bartuska of Wilmington, Del., right, reacts to being introduced with her teammates during a ceremony honoring the PIAA Class 3A girls state champion Nanticoke Trojanettes Wednesday night in Nanticoke. </caption2><photoCredit2>Bill Tarutis | For Times Leader </photoCredit2></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/web1_NanticokeGBB_4-1.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Casey Comoroski Hunt addresses the packed gymnasium during a ceremony honoring the 25th anniversary of the Nanticoke Trojanettes winning the PIAA Class 3A girls basketball championship. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo3>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/web1_NanticokeGBB_4-1.jpg</photo3><caption3>Casey Comoroski Hunt addresses the packed gymnasium during a ceremony honoring the 25th anniversary of the Nanticoke Trojanettes winning the PIAA Class 3A girls basketball championship. </caption3><photoCredit3>Bill Tarutis | For Times Leader </photoCredit3></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/web1_NanticokeGBB_5-1.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Members of the 1990 PIAA Class 3A champion Nanticoke Trojanettes girls basketball team unveil a poster-sized team photo in Nanticoke on Wednesday night. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo4>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/web1_NanticokeGBB_5-1.jpg</photo4><caption4>Members of the 1990 PIAA Class 3A champion Nanticoke Trojanettes girls basketball team unveil a poster-sized team photo in Nanticoke on Wednesday night. </caption4><photoCredit4>Bill Tarutis | For Times Leader </photoCredit4></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/web1_NanticokeGBB_6-1.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Casey Comoroski-Hunt of Springfield, Mo., hold the 1990 Class 3A girls basketball championship trophy with her Nanticoke Trojanette teammates. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo5>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/web1_NanticokeGBB_6-1.jpg</photo5><caption5>Casey Comoroski-Hunt of Springfield, Mo., hold the 1990 Class 3A girls basketball championship trophy with her Nanticoke Trojanette teammates. </caption5><photoCredit5>Bill Tarutis | For Times Leader </photoCredit5></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/web1_NanticokeGBB_7-1.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">The state championship banners of the 1990 Nanticoke Trojanettes hang in the high school gymnasium. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo6>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/web1_NanticokeGBB_7-1.jpg</photo6><caption6>The state championship banners of the 1990 Nanticoke Trojanettes hang in the high school gymnasium. </caption6><photoCredit6>Bill Tarutis | For Times Leader </photoCredit6></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><subheadMeta>Nanticoke Area celebrates 25th anniversary of 1990 state championship girls basketball team</subheadMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Paul Sokoloski</p><p>psokoloski@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Paul Sokoloski at 570-991-6392 or on Twitter @TLPaulSokoloski</p></shirttailMeta></div>

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Nanticoke Area’s 1990 state championship girls basketball team bonded by lasting memories