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The Dawgs have their day

Pens ready to face the AHL’s best

<p>WRIGHT TWP. - The final seconds couldn&#8217;t disappear from the clock fast enough for Mackenzie Yori.</p><p>So the diminutive point guard helped that time tick away, cutting short her final dribble of the night by tossing the ball high.</p><p>When it came down, Hazleton Area was still holding onto its district title dream.</p><p>Barely.</p><p>Yori scored 30 points Thursday, including five pivotal free throws in the final quarter as top-seeded Hazleton Area held off a furious rally by Wyoming Valley West and escaped the Crestwood High School gym with a 60-49 victory that sent the top-seeded Cougars to the Mohegan Sun Arena next Friday for the District 2/4 Class 4A championship game.</p><p>&#8220;Our dream was go get to the Arena this year,&#8221; Yori said. &#8220;We&#8217;re living a dream right now. We have to continue the dream.&#8221;</p><p>Valley West nearly turned it into a nightmare for the Cougars.</p><p>Their 22-point lead late in the third quarter dwindled all the way down to three with just under two minutes remaining, thanks to a furious Spartans rally led by a pair of 3-pointers from Gabby Smicherko and the inside dominance of Jordan Reilly.</p><p>But Yori hit five foul shots down the stretch as Hazleton Area stretched its lead back to a comfortable margin.</p><p>&#8220;Toward the end, you tighten up a bit,&#8221; said Yori, a senior who averaged 18 points per game in Wyoming Valley Conference play. &#8220;We just had to stay composed and regroup.&#8221;</p><p>The 20-3 Cougars gathered enough resolve to hang on and force a third meeting with Pittston Area in the District 2 Class 4A title game. Hazleton Area handled the Patriots in both previous meetings during the regular season to win the Wyoming Valley Conference Division 1 championship.</p><p>The Cougars appeared to be cruising to a third straight win over Valley West, another league foe.</p><p>Yori scored six points in the first quarter as Hazleton Area hit the game&#8217;s first nine points and took a 16-12 lead into the second quarter.</p><p>That&#8217;s when Yori really caught fire, firing home four jumpers and a 3-pointer to send the Cougars into halftime with a 16-point advantage.</p><p>&#8220;She was feeling it,&#8221; Hazleton Area coach Joe Gavio said of his senior scoring star. &#8220;I was waiting for one of those games. She hasn&#8217;t been shooting the ball to her status. She was phenomenal.&#8221;</p><p>The Cougars lead climbed to 20 points when Maddie Mrochko hit her only basket in the third quarter, and bumped it to 22 points when Yori drove the lane for a layup.</p><p>&#8220;We wanted to get a good start,&#8221; Gavio said. &#8220;It&#8217;s tough to beat a team three times. We got a great start, had a great run, then another run. It (the lead) is 22, it looks like it&#8217;s over.&#8221;</p><p>The Spartans were just getting started.</p><p>Erin Gibbons dropped a 3-point field goal and followed with a three-point play near the end of the third quarter, cutting the Valley West gap to 15 points with a quarter to play.</p><p>That looked harmless enough to Hazleton Area at the time, but led to a real scare from the Spartans.</p><p>Smicherko swished one 3-pointer and banked home another as Valley West pulled within 48-41. Then Reilly took over. She hit 10 of her team-high 21 points in the fourth quarter &#8212; including a layup off a sweet pass from Smicherko as the Spartans closed within 49-45 with 1:48 to play.</p><p>&#8220;I&#8217;m so proud of them,&#8221; said Wyoming Valley West coach Gary Ferenchick, whose team finished at 8-16. &#8220;To come back like that against a great team like Hazleton, and the great players they have, and a great coach like Joe (Gavio), I can&#8217;t ask for any more. Great year for Wyoming Valley West girls basketball. It was a great comeback on our part.</p><p>&#8220;We just couldn&#8217;t get it finished on this day.&#8221;</p><p>Mainly because Yori wouldn&#8217;t allow it.</p><p>When she wasn&#8217;t helping Hazleton dribble down the clock, she was coolly canning free throws to seal victory for the Cougars.</p><p>Yori&#8217;s two foul shots with 1:04 to play gave the Cougars a little breathing room with a 53-45 lead. With Valley West surrounding her on the next two possessions, it opened a path for two quick layups by Kendra Pfeil that re-opened a double-digit lead for Hazleton Area. And Yori&#8217;s final two free throws brought the Cougars a sigh of relief, setting the final score at 60-49 with 16 seconds remaining.</p><p>&#8220;I just had to relax,&#8221; Yori said. &#8220;I knew my team needed me in that moment. I thought, &#8216;Just stroke it.&#8217; That&#8217;s what I did.&#8221;</p><p>And when the final stroke of the clock hit zero, her vision of attaining a district title for Hazleton Area was still alive.</p><p>&#8220;It was fun,&#8221; Gavio said. &#8220;It was a great game. You&#8217;ve got to win and advance. Doesn&#8217;t matter how you do it. We gutted it out. We&#8217;re going to the Arena.</p><p>&#8220;Let&#8217;s not stop there.&#8221;</p><p><strong>Hazleton Area 60, Wyoming Valley West 49</strong></p><p><strong>WYOMING VALLEY WEST (49) &#8212;</strong> Erin Gibbons 4 2-2 11, Amanda Scarcella 0 0-0 0, Kiersten Wiedwald 0 0-0 0, Gabby Smicherko 3 0-0 8, Jordan Reilly 8 5-8 21, Grace Giza 2 1-2 5, Natalie Gruver 2 0-2 4, Andi Blaski 0 0-0 0.<strong>Totals 19 8-14 49.</strong></p><p><strong><strong>HAZLETON AREA (60) &#8212; </strong></strong>Maddie Mrochko 1 0-1 2, Ashley Martincek 2 0-0 4, Kendra Pfeil 7 2-2 16, Alyssa Shamany 0 3-6 3, Mackenzie Yori 10 9-9 30, Ally Yale 1 0-0 3, Alexis Sheeto 0 0-0 0.<strong> <strong>Totals 21 14-18 60.</strong></strong></p><p><strong>Wyoming Valley West`12`6`13`18`&#8212;`49</strong></p><p><strong><strong>Hazleton Area`16`18`12`14`&#8212;`60</strong></strong></p><p><strong>Three-point goals</strong> &#8212; WVW 3 (Smicherko 2, Gibbons); HAZ 4 (Pfeil 2, Yale, Yori).</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">Hazleton Area&#8217;s Kendra Pfeil, center right, chases down a loose ball ahead of Wyoming Valley West&#8217;s Kiersten Wiedwald in a District 2/4 Class 4A subregional semifinal in Wright Township on Thursday night. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/web1_Hazleton-WVW_GBB_1.jpg</photo0><caption0>Hazleton Area&#8217;s Kendra Pfeil, center right, chases down a loose ball ahead of Wyoming Valley West&#8217;s Kiersten Wiedwald in a District 2/4 Class 4A subregional semifinal in Wright Township on Thursday night. </caption0><photoCredit0>Bill Tarutis | For Times Leader </photoCredit0></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/web1_Hazleton-WVW_GBB_2.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Hazleton Area&#8217;s Maddie Mrochko, right, drives past Wyoming Valley West&#8217;s Andi Blaski in a District 2/4 Class 4A subregional semifinal in Wright Township on Thursday night. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo1>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/web1_Hazleton-WVW_GBB_2.jpg</photo1><caption1>Hazleton Area&#8217;s Maddie Mrochko, right, drives past Wyoming Valley West&#8217;s Andi Blaski in a District 2/4 Class 4A subregional semifinal in Wright Township on Thursday night. </caption1><photoCredit1>Bill Tarutis | For Times Leader </photoCredit1></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/web1_Hazleton-WVW_GBB_3.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Hazleton Area&#8217;s Alyssa Shamany, right, passes the ball under pressure from Wyoming Valley West&#8217;s Erin Gibbons in a District 2/4 Class 4A subregional semifinal in Wright Township on Thursday night. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo2>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/web1_Hazleton-WVW_GBB_3.jpg</photo2><caption2>Hazleton Area&#8217;s Alyssa Shamany, right, passes the ball under pressure from Wyoming Valley West&#8217;s Erin Gibbons in a District 2/4 Class 4A subregional semifinal in Wright Township on Thursday night. </caption2><photoCredit2>Bill Tarutis | For Times Leader </photoCredit2></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/web1_Hazleton-WVW_GBB_4.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Hazleton Area&#8217;s Alyssa Shamany, left, puts up a shot as Wyoming Valley West&#8217;s Gabby Smicherko goes for the block in a District 2/4 Class 4A subregional semifinal in Wright Township on Thursday night. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo3>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/web1_Hazleton-WVW_GBB_4.jpg</photo3><caption3>Hazleton Area&#8217;s Alyssa Shamany, left, puts up a shot as Wyoming Valley West&#8217;s Gabby Smicherko goes for the block in a District 2/4 Class 4A subregional semifinal in Wright Township on Thursday night. </caption3><photoCredit3>Bill Tarutis | For Times Leader </photoCredit3></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/web1_Hazleton-WVW_GBB_5.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Hazleton Area&#8217;s Mackenzie Yori, right, hugs teammate Maddie Mrochko after the Cougard defeated Wyoming Valley West 60-49 to advance to the District 2/4 Class 4A subregional championship game. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo4>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/web1_Hazleton-WVW_GBB_5.jpg</photo4><caption4>Hazleton Area&#8217;s Mackenzie Yori, right, hugs teammate Maddie Mrochko after the Cougard defeated Wyoming Valley West 60-49 to advance to the District 2/4 Class 4A subregional championship game. </caption4><photoCredit4>Bill Tarutis | For Times Leader </photoCredit4></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><subheadMeta>Yori&#8217;s 28 points lead Cougars to District 2 Class 4A title game</subheadMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Paul Sokoloski</p><p>psokoloski@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><factboxMeta></factboxMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Paul Sokoloski at 570-991-6392 or on Twitter @TLPaulSokoloski</p></shirttailMeta></div>

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Mackenzie Yori pours in 28 points as Hazleton Area holds off Wyoming Valley West in District 2 Class 4A girls basketball semifinal