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D.C. lawyer helping New Jersey residents fight gas pipeline speaks in Back Mountain

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District Boys Basketball: Pittston Area stuns No. 4 Crestwood, 42-39

WILKES-BARRE &#8212; Out of nowhere, a girl from Scranton threw a punch.And almost instantly, it put the fight right back into Wyoming Valley West.Erin Gibbons scored 12 points in less than two minutes right after her teammate Colleen Cwalina was ejected from the game for fighting Tuesday as Valley West turned a six-point deficit into a 55-49 victory over Scranton in a District 2 Class 4A girls basketball playoff opener at Holy Redeemer High School.&#8220;You know, me and Colleen are really close,&#8221; Gibbons said. &#8220;We saw what that girl did to her.&#8220;We came back and won it for her.&#8221;The victory sent the 15-8 Spartans into Thursday&#8217;s District 2 semifinals against top-seeded Hazleton Area (19-3) at a time and site to be determined. Valley West won&#8217;t have Cwalina for that game, since Tuesday&#8217;s ejection also carries a one-game suspension.Like most of the game, the fight was pretty one-sided.While the two were wrestling for a rebound, Scranton&#8217;s 5-foot-7 forward Georgia Miller let loose with a hard hook that caught the 6-foot Cwalina flush in the face. Cwalina responded with a slap that missed the mark, and &#8212; perhaps realizing her size disadvantage in the skirmish &#8212; Miller quickly scurried to the other side of the court while teammates held Cwalina back.Since they both threw punches, both players were given double-technical fouls and ejected from the game with 6:25 remaining, and Scranton in command with a 35-29 lead at the time.&#8220;I&#8217;ve seen it all this first year,&#8221; said rookie Valley West head coach Gary Ferenchick. &#8220;They both threw punches, and there were double-technicals on both of them.&#8221;It seemed to inspire the sluggish Spartans.Gibbons came right down and buried a 3-point field goal, and when Tahliah Dillon answered with a trey for the Knights, Gibbons didn&#8217;t go away.She converted a three-point play to close Valley West&#8217;s gap to four points with 4:48 to play. She cut that deficit to three points with a 3-point shot with 4:17 remaining. Then she used her third 3-pointer to tie the score at 41-41 with 3:56 on the clock.&#8220;She was ready to go after the incident,&#8221; Ferenchick said. &#8220;When she starts knocking them down, she could be one of the best players in the league when she&#8217;s on like that.&#8221;Her teammate Gabby Smicherko took it from there.The Valley West junior converted a pair of foul shots and followed with a regular bucket to give the Spartans a 45-41 lead with just over three minutes left. Then she hit three more free throws down the stretch, with the final two extending Valley West&#8217;s advantage to five points with 40 seconds to go.That late-game rally may not have happened without the brief melee.&#8220;I got that sense,&#8221; Ferenchick said. &#8220;On the bench, they were noticing what was going on. They just wanted to play basketball. It really picked us up. They wanted to win this one &#8212; for their teammate and for their team.&#8221;For the longest time, the Spartans didn&#8217;t seem as if they&#8217;d get what they wanted.Super-quick Scranton point guard Ciaira Loyd poured in 21 of her game-high 26 points through the first three quarters, giving the Knights leads of 19-17 at halftime and 35-29 entering the final quarter. Meanwhile, Valley West struggled mightily while trying to establish any kind of offensive rhythm.&#8220;You know, we weren&#8217;t boxing out very well,&#8221; said Gibbons, who finished with a team-high 22 points. &#8220;We weren&#8217;t getting rebounds and letting them control the game.&#8221;Then, in a flash, Scranton lost control &#8212; and the game.All because Gibbons found the perfect way to stand up for her friend who got lost in a fight.&#8220;It just got us hyped up,&#8221; Gibbons said. &#8220;I started getting really hyped. I think it showed we are a good team. My team was doing a good job of getting me the ball when I was open. We knew what we had to do and it brought us victory.&#8221;Wyoming Valley West 55, Scranton 49SCRANTON (49) &#8212; Ciaira Loyd 9 6-9 26, Tahliah Dillon 3 6-6 13, Georgia Miller 0 0-0 0, Kristi Hart 1 0-0 2, Meghan Padden 0 2-2 2, Shelby Funchess 1 0-3 2, Erin Barrett 0 0-0 0, Jasmine Moody 1 0-0 3, Victoria Yatko 0 0-0 0. Totals 15 14-20 49.WYOMING VALLEY WEST (55) &#8212; Erin Gibbons 8 2-3 22, Gabby Smicherko 2 5-6 9, Amanda Scarcella 2 0-0 4, Jordan Reilly 3 1-2 7, Kiersten Wiedwald 3 2-4 8, Natalie Gruver 0 0-2 0, Colleen Cwalina 1 3-3 5, Grace Giza 0 0-0 0, Andi Blaski 0 0-0 0.Totals 19 13-20 55.Scranton`10`9`16`14`&#8212;`49Wyoming Valley West`13`4`12`26`&#8212;`55Three-point goals &#8212; SCR 5 (Loyd 2, Dillon 2, Moody); WVW 4 (Gibbons 4).<style>
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<div class="neCaption">Wyoming Valley West&#8217;s Erin Gibbons (3) drives past Scranton defenders during the opening round of the District 2 Class 4A Girls Basketball Tournament on Tuesday at Holy Redeemer. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/web1_TTL021716WVW-Basketball1.jpg</photo0><caption0>Wyoming Valley West&#8217;s Erin Gibbons (3) drives past Scranton defenders during the opening round of the District 2 Class 4A Girls Basketball Tournament on Tuesday at Holy Redeemer. </caption0><photoCredit0>Aimee Dilger|Times Leader </photoCredit0></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/web1_TTL021716WVW-Basketball2.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Wyoming Valley West&#8217;s Gabby Smicherko (33) drives to the basket against Scranton during the opening round of the District 2 Class 4A Girls Basketball Tournament on Tuesday at Holy Redeemer. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo1>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/web1_TTL021716WVW-Basketball2.jpg</photo1><caption1>Wyoming Valley West&#8217;s Gabby Smicherko (33) drives to the basket against Scranton during the opening round of the District 2 Class 4A Girls Basketball Tournament on Tuesday at Holy Redeemer. </caption1><photoCredit1>Aimee Dilger|Times Leader </photoCredit1></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/web1_TTL021716WVW-Basketball3.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Wyoming Valley West&#8217;s Amanda Scarcella (22) tries to grab a rebound during Tuesday night&#8217;s game. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo2>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/web1_TTL021716WVW-Basketball3.jpg</photo2><caption2>Wyoming Valley West&#8217;s Amanda Scarcella (22) tries to grab a rebound during Tuesday night&#8217;s game. </caption2><photoCredit2>Aimee Dilger|Times Leader </photoCredit2></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/web1_TTL021716WVW-Basketball4.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Wyoming Valley West&#8217;s Amanda Scarcella (22) takes a shot during Tuesday night&#8217;s district game. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo3>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/web1_TTL021716WVW-Basketball4.jpg</photo3><caption3>Wyoming Valley West&#8217;s Amanda Scarcella (22) takes a shot during Tuesday night&#8217;s district game. </caption3><photoCredit3>Aimee Dilger|Times Leader </photoCredit3></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><subheadMeta>Flurry of shots from Erin Gibbons sparks Valley West comeback</subheadMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta>By Paul Sokoloskipsokoloski@www.timesleader.com</bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><factboxMeta>DISTRICT 2 GIRLS BASKETBALL GLANCENote: Teams in Class A, 2A and 3A were seeded based on divisional championships and conference regular-season record. Numbers in parentheses are overall records.CLASS 4A(one team to states)QuarterfinalsTuesday, Feb. 16No. 1 Hazleton Area (19-3) &#8211; byeNo. 4 Wyoming Valley West 55, No. 5 Scranton 49No. 3 Pittston Area 53, No. 6 Williamsport 37Wednesday, Feb 17No. 2 Wallenpaupack (16-6) vs. No. 7 Delaware Valley(3-19), 6 p.m. North Pocono HSSemifinalsThursday, Feb. 18(sites &amp; times TBA)Hazleton Area (19-3) vs. Wyoming Valley West (15-8)Pittston Area (17-6) vs. Wallenpaupack/Delaware Valley winnerChampionshipFriday, Feb. 26Semifinal winners, 6:30 p.m. Mohegan Sun ArenaSunday, Feb. 28Possible District 2 championship(If Williamsport wins 4A title)Top 2 remaining District 2 teams, time and site TBACLASS 3A(three teams to states)First RoundWednesday, Feb. 17No. 16 Coughlin (2-20) at No. 1 Nanticoke Area (20-2), 6 p.m.No. 9 Crestwood (10-12) at No. 8 Hanover Area (14-8), 7 p.m.No. 12 Western Wayne (8-14) at No. 5 West Scranton (15-7), 7:30 p.m.No. 13 Honesdale (5-16) at No. 4 Scranton Prep (12-10), 6 p.m.No. 14 Valley View (6-16) at No. 3 Wyoming Area (14-8), 7 p.m.No. 11 Lake-Lehman (5-16) at No. 6 Dallas (16-6), 7 p.m.No. 10 Berwick (12-10) at No. 7 North Pocono (10-11), 6 p.m.No. 15 Tunkhannock (6-16) at No. 2 Abington Heights (17-5), 7 p.m.QuarterfinalsFriday, Feb. 19(Sites &amp; times TBA)Couglin/Nanticoke Area winner vs. Crestwood/Hanover Area winnerWestern Wayne/West Scranton winner vs. Honesdale/Scranton Prep winnerValley View/Wyoming Area winner vs. Lake-Lehman/Dallas winnerBerwick/North Pocono winner vs. Tunkhannock/Abington Heights winnerSemifinalsMonday, Feb. 22(Sites &amp; times TBA)Winners first two quarterfinals listed aboveWinners of last two quarterfinals listed aboveThird-Place GameWednesday, Feb. 24Semifinal losers, site &amp; time TBAChampionshipSaturday, Feb. 274 p.m. Mohegan Sun ArenaCLASS 2AFirst RoundTuesday, Feb. 16No. 1 Holy Redeemer (19-3) &#8211; byeNo. 9 Carbondale 55, No. 8 Northwest 32No. 7 Riverside 58, No. 10 GAR 40No. 9 Carbondale 55, No. 15 Northwest 32No. 2 Dunmore (22-1) &#8212; byeWednesday, Feb. 17No. 12 Wyoming Seminary (9-13) at No. 5 Blue Ridge (8-14), 7 p.m.No. 13 Mid Valley (2-10) at No. 4 Elk Lake (10-2), 6 p.m.No. 14 Mountain View (1-19) at No. 3 Holy Cross (21-2), 6 p.m.No. 11 Meyers (7-15) at No. 6 Lakeland (16-6), 6 p.m.QuarterfinalsThursday, Feb. 18(Sites &amp; times TBA)Carbondale (15-9) vs. Holy Redeemer (19-3)Blue Ridge/Wyoming Seminary winner vs. Mid Valley/Elk Lake winnerHoly Cross/Mountain View winner vs. Meyers/Lakeland winnerRiverside (15-8) vs. DunmoreSemifinalsMonday, Feb. 22(Sites &amp; times TBA)Winners first two quarterfinals listed aboveWinners of last two quarterfinals listed aboveThird-Place GameWednesday, Feb. 24Semifinal losers, site &amp; time TBAChampionshipFriday, Feb. 264:30 p.m. Mohegan Sun ArenaCLASS A(one team to states)QuarterfinalsWednesday, Feb. 17No. 5 Old Forge (2-20) vs. No. 4 MMI Prep (0-20), 6 p.m. Wyoming Area HSSemifinalsFriday, Feb. 19(Sites &amp; times TBA)No. 1 Forest City (14-10) vs. Old Forge/MMI Prep winnerNo. 3 Lackawanna Trail (3-19) vs. No. 2 Susquehanna (6-15)ChampionshipSaturday, Feb. 27noon, Mohegan Sun Arena</factboxMeta></div>

Erin Gibbons rallies Wyoming Valley West past Scranton in fight-marred District 2 girls basketball playoff opener