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Boys Basketball: Dallas outlasts Wyoming Valley West in a thriller

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District 2 boys basketball glance

NANTICOKE &#8212; On one magical night, where everything finally seemed to go right, a season steeped in heartbreak suddenly became full of hope.Reese Mensinger made sure of it.Mensinger hit everything in sight, and hit a new career high by scoring 34 points Tuesday while leading Berwick past Valley View, 54-38 in a District 2 Class 4A girls basketball quarterfinal game at Nanticoke Area High School.&#8220;From the start, I felt it,&#8221; Mensinger said. &#8220;Usually, if I miss my first shot, I lean back a little bit.&#8221;She didn&#8217;t miss many.Mensinger buried her first four 3-point field goal attempts, including three of them in the first quarter, as the Bulldogs took control early.The junior point guard added two more treys in the second half to finish 6-for-10 from behind the arc, and swished all 12 of her foul shots to finish with her highest point total in three high school varsity seasons.That smooth shooting performance came at a perfect time for 15-8 Bulldogs, as it guaranteed them at least two more games and a shot at states. Second-seeded Berwick will face No. 3 Scranton Prep in a district semifinal Friday. From there, the Bulldogs will either advance to the March 3 District 2 title game at Mohegan Sun Arena, or play a third-place, state-qualifying game next Tuesday.&#8220;We&#8217;re all really excited,&#8221; Mensinger said. &#8220;That was one of our goals in the beginning of the season.&#8221;It somehow turned into a season of shell-shocking finishes.After winning their first five games of their Wyoming Valley Conference schedule, the Bulldogs lost in overtime to Wyoming Valley West, lost a late lead against Hazleton Area, lost by three points to 22-1 Nanticoke Area and lost at the final buzzer to Holy Redeemer.All those teams are seeded first or second in their District 2 tournament classes, and all those devastating defeats sent Berwick to a third-place finish at 10-6 in the WVC Division 2.Time to forget about that snake-bitten past, right?&#8220;No we don&#8217;t,&#8221; Berwick coach Bill Phillips said. &#8220;We remind our kids every day, those games are making us stronger. Playing close games against quality teams has made us stronger. After we beat Wyoming Area (two weeks ago), these kids said &#8216;We are not losing again.&#8217; And we&#8217;ve won four straight.&#8221;Largely because Mensinger hit four straight.Seventh-seeded Valley View, which finished 5-18, was intent on making a game of it &#8212; and the Cougars showed that by making four of their first five field goals 3-pointers.That only revved up Mensinger, though.A 31 percent 3-point shooter who knocked down 64 treys during the season, Mensinger drilled three 3-pointers in the first eight minutes &#8212; and gave the Bulldogs their first lead, 12-11, with a steal and layup nearly six minutes into the evening.&#8220;I was like, &#8216;If they&#8217;re going to shoot the 3, I&#8217;ll shoot the 3 as well,&#8217; &#8221; Mensinger said. &#8220;We just got a shooting machine at the school, I&#8217;ve been using that. It&#8217;s been helping me.&#8221;She kept helping Berwick build on the 17-11 advantage it took into the second quarter.After Tori Talanca converted a pair of three-point plays in the second period, Mensinger strung together a layup and two foul shots to give the Bulldogs a 27-18 lead. Then Mensinger added her fourth 3-pointer of the first half 53 seconds before intermission to boost Berwick&#8217;s lead to 34-21.She hit quick catch-and-shoot 3 from the left corner in the third quarter and buried her final trey early in the fourth quarter to thwart a small run by Valley View.&#8220;She shot very well from the field,&#8221; Phillips said. &#8220;She&#8217;s a very good player. She didn&#8217;t miss a foul shot. That&#8217;s why she&#8217;s first-team (WVC coaches) all-conference.&#8221;And when the Cougars carved down their deficit to 12 points on Cali Craig&#8217;s 3-pointer, Mensinger made things easier for the Bulldogs by hitting six free throws to keep the Bulldogs breathing easy.No more frustration at the finish for Berwick.&#8220;We take it as a lesson learned,&#8221; Mensinger said of those earlier, last-minute losses that haunted the Bulldogs, &#8220;when you think about those games that didn&#8217;t go our way. We just know we don&#8217;t want to be playing in close games like that.&#8221;Dallas 66,Wyoming Area 40Maddie Kelley scored 20 of her game-high 29 points after halftime to help the No. 5 Mountaineers take control in a Class 4A quarterfinal at Pittston Area.Lydia Edwards led the No. 4 Warriors with 11 points while Addison Orzel added 10.Nanticoke 56,Honesdale 35Top-seeded Nanticoke opened up a 41-12 lead at halftime en route to a Class 4A quarterfinal win at Wyoming Valley West. Kayla Aufiero and Lisa Radziak scored 15 apiece to down the No. 8 Hornets.Nanticoke will take on Dallas in Friday&#8217;s semifinals.GIRLS BASKETBALLClass 4A quarterfinalBerwick 54, Valley View 38VALLEY VIEW (38) &#8212; Tori Duffy 1 0-0 2, Olivia Chieffallo 2 0-0 6, Jenn Nguyen 2 0-0 4, Quinn Kelley 0 0-0 0, Cali Craig 4 0-2 10, Abby Pidgeon 3 3-4 9, Arianna Nardelli 1 0-2 3, Mackenzie MaHale 0 0-0 0, Hannah Yanoski 2 0-0 4. Totals 15 3-8 38.BERWICK (54) &#8212; Reese Mensinger 8 12-12 34, Tori Talanca 3 2-2 8, Abbey Burt 0 0-0 0, Mikayla Davis 1 0-1 2, Roni Isenberg 3 0-0 6, Megan Dalo 0 2-2 2, Mallory Pinterich 1 0-0 2. Totals 16 16-1754.Valley View`11`10`4`13`&#8212;`38Berwick`17`17`9`11`&#8212;`54Three-point goals &#8212; VV 5 (Chieffallo 2, Craig 2, Nardelli); BER 6 (Mensinger 6).Class 4A quarterfinalDallas 66, Wyoming Area 40DALLAS (66) &#8212; Maddie Kelley 12 4-7 29, Hanna Johnson 2 0-0 5, Sara Lojewski 2 0-0 4, Kendra Saba 1 0-0 2, Lauren Charlton 3 3-4 9, Morgan MacNeely 0 0-0 0, Olivia Johnson 1 0-0 3, Gianna Centrella 3 2-4 8, Samantha Kern 0 0-0 0, Maria Bednar 1 4-4 6, Hannah Doran 0 0-0 0. Totals 25 13-19 66.WYOMING AREA (40) &#8212; Aleah Kranson 1 0-0 2, Sarah Holweg 0 0-0 0, Lydia Edwards 3 2-2 11, Katie Wolfgang 3 0-1 6, Addison Orzel 4 2-4 10, Jalen Rhodes 0 0-0 0, Nicole Silinskie 2 0-0 6, Kari Melberger 0 0-0 0, Cassidy Orzel 2 1-1 5, Kristi Skok 0 0-0 0, Brandi Sorokin 0 0-0 0. Totals 15 5-11 40.Dallas`13`15`23`15 &#8212; 66Wyoming Area`8`16`6`10 &#8212; 40Three-point goals &#8212; DAL 3 (Kelley, H. Johnson, O. Johnson); WA 5 (Edwards 3, Silinskie 2).Class 4A quarterfinalNanticoke 56, Honesdale 35HONESDALE (35) &#8212; Faith Howell 0 0-0 0, Caroline Tuman 2 5-6 9, Corinne Casazza 1 0-2 2, Riley Barton 2 0-2 4, Emily Theobald 5 1-2 11, Camden Bannon 1 0-0 3, Courtney Varcoe 0 0-0 0, Sara Keast 0 2-2 2, Alexa Jones 2 0-0 4, Nicole Longman 0 0-0 0. Totals 13 8-14 35.NANTICOKE (56) &#8212; Riley Klepadlo 4 3-4 13, Kayla Aufiero 5 3-6 15, Alexis Pyzia 1 0-0 2, Lisa Radziak 5 4-6 15, Katie Butczynski 2 1-2 5, Alyssa Lewis 1 0-0 2, Amiah Lukowski 2 0-0 4, Brinley Sobeck 0 0-0 0, Maddie Grilz 0 0-0 0, Jill Baron 0 0-0 0, Bella Czeck 0 0-0 0. Totals 20 11-18 56.Honesdale`6`6`12`11 &#8212; 35Nanticoke`18`23`12`3 &#8212; 56Three-point goals &#8212; HON 1 (Bannon); NAN 5 (Klepadlo 2, Aufiero 2, Radziak).Winner xx, Loser xxVISITOR (XX) &#8212; Name x x-x x, Name x x-x x. 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<div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/web1_TTL022217berwick1-3.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Mallory Pinterich looks for a shot against Valley View in a District 2 Class 4A girls basketball quarterfinal. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/web1_TTL022217berwick1-3.jpg</photo0><caption0>Mallory Pinterich looks for a shot against Valley View in a District 2 Class 4A girls basketball quarterfinal. </caption0><photoCredit0>Aimee Dilger|Times Leader </photoCredit0></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/web1_TTL022217berwick2-3.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Berwick&#8217;s Mikayla Davis looks to pass the ball against Valley View in a District 2 girls basketball quarterfinal Tuesday at Nanticoke Area High School. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo1>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/web1_TTL022217berwick2-3.jpg</photo1><caption1>Berwick&#8217;s Mikayla Davis looks to pass the ball against Valley View in a District 2 girls basketball quarterfinal Tuesday at Nanticoke Area High School. </caption1><photoCredit1>Aimee Dilger|Times Leader </photoCredit1></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/web1_TTL022217berwick3-3.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Berwick center Roni Isenberg tries to shoot the ball over Valley View&#8217;s Abby Pidgeon in a District 2 girls basketball playoff game at Nanticoke Area High School. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo2>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/web1_TTL022217berwick3-3.jpg</photo2><caption2>Berwick center Roni Isenberg tries to shoot the ball over Valley View&#8217;s Abby Pidgeon in a District 2 girls basketball playoff game at Nanticoke Area High School. </caption2><photoCredit2>Aimee Dilger|Times Leader </photoCredit2></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/web1_TTL022217berwick4-3.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Reese Mensinger goes up for the shot during her career-high 34-point night against Valley View while leading Berwick into the District 2 Class 4A semifinals. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo3>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/web1_TTL022217berwick4-3.jpg</photo3><caption3>Reese Mensinger goes up for the shot during her career-high 34-point night against Valley View while leading Berwick into the District 2 Class 4A semifinals. </caption3><photoCredit3>Aimee Dilger|Times Leader </photoCredit3></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/web1_TTL022217berwick5-3.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Berwick&#8217;s Tori Talanca drives to the net against Valley View. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo4>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/web1_TTL022217berwick5-3.jpg</photo4><caption4>Berwick&#8217;s Tori Talanca drives to the net against Valley View. </caption4><photoCredit4>Aimee Dilger|Times Leader </photoCredit4></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><subheadMeta>Mensinger and Berwick ring up a spot in Class 4A semifinals</subheadMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta>By Paul Sokoloskipsokoloski@www.timesleader.com</bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><factboxMeta>VIDEOTo watch video of Reese Mensinger&#8217;s 34-point night, please visit timesleader.com.</factboxMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta>Reach Paul Sokoloski at 570-991-6392 or on Twitter @TLPaulSokoloski</shirttailMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><videoMeta><table style="border:none;width:98%;" class="mceItemTable"><tbody><tr><td style="font-weight:bold;font-size:100%;vertical-align:top;text-align:right;border:none;">VideoID:</td><td id="videoid" style="width:50em;font-size:90%;"> f3fBgD4skLA</td></tr><tr><td style="font-weight:bold;font-size:100%;vertical-align:top;text-align:right;border:none;">VideoType:</td><td id="videotype" style="font-size:90%;"> YOUTUBE</td></tr><tr><td style="font-weight:bold;font-size:100%;vertical-align:top;text-align:right;border:none;">URL:</td><td id="url" style="font-size:90%;"> https://youtu.be/f3fBgD4skLA</td></tr><tr><td style="font-weight:bold;font-size:100%;vertical-align:top;text-align:right;border:none;">Video Embed String:</td><td id="videoembedstring" style="font-size:90%;"> </td></tr><tr><td style="font-weight:bold;font-size:100%;vertical-align:top;text-align:right;border:none;">Video Caption:</td><td id="videocaption" style="font-size:90%;"> Reese Mensinger rings up a 3</td></tr><tr><td style="font-weight:bold;font-size:100%;vertical-align:top;text-align:right;border:none;">Video Credit:</td><td id="videocredit" style="font-size:90%;"> Paul Sokoloski</td></tr><tr><td style="font-weight:bold;font-size:100%;vertical-align:top;text-align:right;border:none;">Video Position:</td><td id="videoposition" style="font-size:90%;"> </td></tr></tbody></table>(use the &#8220;for files&#8230;&#8221; link above to associate attached files with this source)</videoMeta></div>

Reese Mensinger’s 34 points put Berwick girls in District 2 basketball semis