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Holy Redeemer’s Rebecca Prociak earns Times Leader Player of the Year by ruling the paint to near perfection

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Happy birthday to Abbigail Schultz!

<p><strong>Taryn Ashby</strong></p><p><strong>Pittston Area</strong></p><p>The Wyoming Valley Conference&#8217;s premier defender, Ashby once again made a shutdown game her mastery while adding a few new phases to her already game. The junior jumped into the point guard position this season and handled it flawlessly, averaging more than three assists per game while regularly controlling the tempo and the flow of the game. She also broke out as a scorer this season, leading the Patriots with an average of 10.3 points through the 13 league games she played in. Her relentless effort at both ends of the floor rallied Pittston Area to a second-place finish in Division 1. She scored a combined 30 points in the team&#8217;s first two playoff games, leading Pittston Area back to the District 2 Class 4A title game for the second straight year.</p><p><strong>Kayla Aufiero</strong></p><p><strong>Nanticoke Area</strong></p><p>The dependable junior developed into arguably the best clutch shooter in the conference this season while sparking Nanticoke Area&#8217;s first Class 3A state playoff appearance in five seasons. Aufiero made a smooth transition this season from shooting guard to point guard and took Nanticoke Area to a 22-2 start while leading an impressive press defense. She averaged 14.5 points and finished second in the Wyoming Valley Conference with 30 3-point field goals in 13 games. Her uncanny knack to make critical shots at crucial times was on display during a second-round District 2 victory over Crestwood, when Aufiero broke open a tight game by scoring nine points in little more than a minute. She scored 21 points despite a slight hamstring pull in a double-overtime victory that took the Trojanettes to states. </p><p><strong>Sarah Holweg</strong></p><p><strong>Wyoming Area</strong></p><p>The junior guard became a major force while putting the Warriors on her back and nearly taking them to a state playoff berth. Holweg ignited the team&#8217;s run to the edge of a PIAA appearance by averaging 20.6 points (third-best in the WV C) and leading the league with 34 3-point field goals in 12 games. Then she exploded in the District 2 Class 3A playoffs by scoring a career-high and school-record 44 points in a second-round victory. She later followed that up by scoring 41 points in a double-overtime loss to Nanticoke Area in the district&#8217;s third-place game where she sent the game into overtime by sinking two foul shots, hit eight 3-pointers and scored all five of Wyoming Area&#8217;s points in the second overtime.</p><p><strong>Asdone Hooper</strong></p><p><strong>Hanover Area</strong></p><p>A slick ball handler with the moves to match, Hooper has always been a natural scorer. This year, the prolific shooting guard took it to another level, finishing her senior season as the Wyoming Valley Conference&#8217;s second-leading scorer by averaging 21.9 points through 12 games for a team that played hard despite falling out of league title contention early in the second half of the season. Hooper scored at least 20 points in eight games, including a season-best 35-point performance. She scored a team-high 16 points in her final playoff game. Hooper was also the WVC&#8217;s eighth-best free throw shooter, hitting 67 percent.</p><p><strong>Lydia Lawson</strong></p><p><strong>Holy Redeemer</strong></p><p>The Royals&#8217; pint-sized point guard was delighted by dispersing points to her teammates throughout her career. But the 5-foot-5 Lawson scored a little herself as a senior, averaging 11.2 points through the regular season. She also added 2.6 steals per game as the leader of Redeemer&#8217;s dominating press defense and dished out an average of 4.6 assists. In the playoffs, she played even bigger, leading the Royals to a District 2 Class 2A title and to their third straight PIAA quarterfinal appearance. Lawson had six assists among Holy Redeemer&#8217;s 13 baskets in a second-round state victory, and used deft dribbling and timely passing to navigate the team&#8217;s near-upset of heavily-favored and eventual state champ Neumann-Goretti in the state quarters.</p><p><strong>Maddie Ritsick</strong></p><p><strong>Crestwood</strong></p><p>Despite recovering from ACL surgery, Ritsick barely skipped a step in her final high school season. The power forward broke Crestwood&#8217;s 31-year-old all-time scoring record with 1,486 career points, netting 481 of them as a senior. She averaged 19.4 points (fourth-best in the WVC); connected on 79 of her 108 foul shots (73 percent, fifth best in the WVC); and dropped 21 3-pointers (tied for seventh-best in the WVC). She scored in double figures 23 times in 24 games, had 11 double-doubles (in points and rebounds), and scored over 20 points in 12 games. Ritsick was also selected to represent the state in the upcoming Pennsylvania vs. Maryland Girls Basketball All Star Game.</p><p><strong>Gianna Roberts</strong></p><p><strong>Nanticoke Area</strong></p><p>The senior center was right in the middle of the Trojanettes&#8217; charge to the school&#8217;s second straight WVC Division 2 title and first state playoff appearance in five seasons. Roberts averaged 15.5 points and 7.4 rebounds per game, sparking Nanticoke Area&#8217;s 15-game winning streak and the league&#8217;s only unbeaten regular season. The soul of an explosive offense, Roberts scored her 1,000th career point in a 38-34 state playoff loss to Danville. She finished that game with a team-high 13 points, with seven of them coming in the game&#8217;s final six minutes. That came after Roberts scored 29 points in a double-overtime victory over Wyoming Area. She scored in double figures during all five of Nanticoke Area&#8217;s postseason games.</p><p><strong>Nikki Wren</strong></p><p><strong>Dallas</strong></p><p>Maybe the most determined player in the whole league, Wren refused to settle for second-best, and gave the Mountaineers hopes of finishing first for the longest while. Although Dallas didn&#8217;t quite get to the top of Division 1, Wren gained the reputation of being the best rebounder in the conference, averaging nearly 10 per game. The senior center averaged 15.5 points to finish among the top 10 scorers in the WVC and was the sixth-best free throw shooter, hitting 70 percent. Wren&#8217;s toughness and tenacity instilled a winning attitude in a young Mountaineers team that promises to benefit from her leadership for seasons to come.</p><p><strong>Mackenzie Yori</strong></p><p><strong>Hazleton Area</strong></p><p>The 5-foot-4 senior point guard left as one of the most prolific players in Hazleton Area&#8217;s rich girls basketball history. Yori averaged 18.1 points during the regular season to finish seventh in the WVC while scoring her 1,000th career point. She averaged nearly three steals while propelling Hazleton Area to a Division 1 league title and to its first District 2 Class 4A championship in six seasons. The glue that held together an inexperienced team, Yori finished as the WVC&#8217;s top foul shooter by hitting 41 of her 48 free throws (85 percent) while knocking down 19 3-point goals. She scored game-highs of 23 points in Hazleton Area&#8217;s District 2 championship victory and 20 of the team&#8217;s 41 points in a 50-41 first-round state playoff loss.</p><p><strong>SECOND TEAM</strong></p><p><strong>Name`School`Grade`Pos.`PPG</strong></p><p>Brenna Babcock`Northwest`Fr.`G`13.5</p><p>Erin Gibbons`Wyoming Valley West`Jr.`G`12.9</p><p>Maddie Kelley` DallasJr.`G`13.8</p><p>Maya Kornfeld`Wyoming Seminary`Jr.`G`18.2</p><p>Taylor Montana` Berwick`Sr.`C`11.5</p><p>Maddie Mrochko`Hazleton Area`So.`F`14.6</p><p>Kendra Pfeil` Hazleton Area`Jr.`G`11.5</p><p>Christine Rossi`Tunkhannock`Jr.`G`12.6</p><p>Gianna Skaff` Meyers`Sr.`G`11.9</p><p>Marie Skrepenak`GAR`Sr.`C`18.5</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">Sarah Holweg </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/web1_TTL033016Sarah-Holweg-1-.jpg</photo0><caption0>Sarah Holweg </caption0><photoCredit0></photoCredit0></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/web1_TTL033016Asdone-Hooper-1-.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Asdone Hooper </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo1>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/web1_TTL033016Asdone-Hooper-1-.jpg</photo1><caption1>Asdone Hooper </caption1><photoCredit1></photoCredit1></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/web1_LydiaLawson-1-.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Lydia Lawson </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo2>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/web1_LydiaLawson-1-.jpg</photo2><caption2>Lydia Lawson </caption2><photoCredit2></photoCredit2></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/web1_MaddieRitsick-1-.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Maddie Ritsick </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo3>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/web1_MaddieRitsick-1-.jpg</photo3><caption3>Maddie Ritsick </caption3><photoCredit3></photoCredit3></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/web1_GiannaRoberts-1-.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Gianna Roberts </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo4>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/web1_GiannaRoberts-1-.jpg</photo4><caption4>Gianna Roberts </caption4><photoCredit4></photoCredit4></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/web1_MackenzieYori-1-.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Mackenzie Yori </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo5>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/web1_MackenzieYori-1-.jpg</photo5><caption5>Mackenzie Yori </caption5><photoCredit5></photoCredit5></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/web1_TTL033016Nikki-Wren-1-.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Nikki Wren </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo6>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/web1_TTL033016Nikki-Wren-1-.jpg</photo6><caption6>Nikki Wren </caption6><photoCredit6></photoCredit6></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/web1_TTL033016Taryn-Ashby.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Taryn Ashby </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo7>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/web1_TTL033016Taryn-Ashby.jpg</photo7><caption7>Taryn Ashby </caption7><photoCredit7></photoCredit7></div></div>

2016 Times Leader Girls Basketball All-Stars