web1_web1_Gavel-5.jpg

Sentencing set for former Pennsylvania Congressional aide in indecent assault

web1_ErinGibbonsWinterAS.jpg

TL Girls Basketball Player of Year Erin Gibbons changed WVW’s fortunes

<p style="text-align: center;"><strong>TARYN ASHBY</strong></p><p style="text-align: center;"><strong>Pittston Area</strong></p><p style="text-align: center;"><strong>5-8 Sr. G</strong></p><p style="text-align: left;">Known throughout her career as a lock-down defender who regularly stymied the league&#8217;s leading scorers, Ashby took her offensive game to new levels this season. She averaged 16.5 points while leading the Patriots to the District 2 Class 5A semifinals, scoring 85 points over a three-game stretch &#8212; including her season-high 40-point night late in the season. Ashby then scored 47 points in two district playoff games, and single-handedly forced overtime in a district semifinal loss to Valley West by scoring 25 points.</p><p style="text-align: center;"><strong>KAYLA AUFIERO</strong></p><p style="text-align: center;"><strong>Nanticoke Area</strong></p><p style="text-align: center;"><strong>5-7 Sr. G</strong></p><p>Aufiero led the Trojans to a 26-2 record, a third consecutive Wyoming Valley Conference Division 2 title, a District 2 Class 4A championship and to a first-round state victory by averaging 16.2 points, swiping 73 steals and knocking down 48 3-point field goals at a 40.2 percent clip. Aufiero scored her 1,000th career point and set the school record with eight 3-pointers in a single game and scored 31 points in a victory over Hazleton Area after hitting 30 in the previous game. She hit every shot she took in a regular-season win over Holy Redeemer, where she went 9-for-9 from the floor &#8212; hitting all four of her 3-point attempts and all three of her foul shots during a 25-point night.</p><p style="text-align: center;"><strong>BRENNA BABCOCK</strong></p><p style="text-align: center;"><strong>Northwest</strong></p><p style="text-align: center;"><strong>5-5 So. G</strong></p><p style="text-align: left;">The WVC&#8217;s overall scoring champion, Babcock averaged 19.3 points while sparking the Rangers to their first girls basketball division championship with the Division 3 title. Babcock scored in double figures during 18 of the team&#8217;s 22 games this season and hit her season high of 32 points in a victory over Wyoming Seminary. She scored at least 20 points nine times on the year and was the leader of an aggressive defense that regularly transitioned turnovers into points.</p><p style="text-align: center;"><strong>SARAH HOLWEG</strong></p><p style="text-align: center;"><strong>Wyoming Area</strong></p><p style="text-align: center;"><strong>5-6 Jr. G</strong></p><p style="text-align: left;">Sacrificing some of her explosive scoring punch for team play when the Warriors developed more of an inside game this season, Holweg still found a way to regularly put the ball in the basket. Her average of 17.2 points per game was second in the WVC, and her 3-point field goal average of 2.8 per game was also second in the league. Holweg hit at least 25 points in eight of Wyoming Area&#8217;s 22 games, and she attained her season high of 31 points twice while leading Wyoming Area into the District 2 Class 4A playoffs for a second consecutive season.</p><p style="text-align: center;"><strong>IRELYN JANNUZZI</strong></p><p style="text-align: center;"><strong>Holy Redeemer</strong></p><p style="text-align: center;"><strong>5-10 Jr. G</strong></p><p style="text-align: left;">After the Royals got off to a relatively slow start, their fortunes changed when they moved Jannuzzi to point guard. The smooth ballhandler with one of the truest outside shots in the conference led Redeemer with 31 3-point field goals. After a relatively quiet regular season in which Jannuzzi averaged 10.4 points to finish second in a very balanced scoring offense, she scored a team-high 37 points over three state games, including a 19-point game in a second-round PIAA Class 3A game that proved Redeemer&#8217;s playoff high.</p><p style="text-align: center;"><strong>RILEY KLEPADLO</strong></p><p style="text-align: center;"><strong>Nanticoke Area</strong></p><p style="text-align: center;"><strong>5-8, Sr. G</strong></p><p>After missing her junior season with a torn ACL, Klepadlo returned to the court with a vengeance and picked up right where she left off as a sophomore. She averaged 15.1 points, 4.4 steals per game, and 6.2 assists per game. She also led the Trojanettes&#8217; on the boards averaging 8.4 rebounds per game. That included an 18-rebound effort where she pulled down 10 in the final quarter of the season finale. Her all-around game helped Nanticoke Area finish 26-2 and with WVC and District 2 Class 4A championships, and to Nanticoke Area&#8217;s first opening round PIAA tournament victory in five years.</p><p style="text-align: center;"><strong>JULIA MAKOWSKI</strong></p><p style="text-align: center;"><strong>Crestwood</strong></p><p style="text-align: center;"><strong>5-5 Jr. G</strong></p><p style="text-align: left;">The hot-shooting guard put the Comets on her back late in the season and drove them straight to a share of second place in the WVC Division 1 and into the District 2 Class 5A semifinals. Makowski averaged 16.4 points over 23 games and knocked down 21 3-pointers while leading the Comets by hitting 73 percent of her foul shots. She sparked the Comets with 152 rebounds, including 107 from the defensive end, and her 63 steals also led Crestwood. Makowski also made 56 assists to finish second on the squad.</p><p style="text-align: center;"><strong>REESE MENSINGER</strong></p><p style="text-align: center;"><strong>Berwick</strong></p><p style="text-align: center;"><strong>5-7 Jr. G</strong></p><p>Her phenomenal shooting paced a surprising Berwick team to a late-season six-game winning streak that took the Bulldogs to the District 2 Class 4A championship game and to the school&#8217;s first state playoff victory since 2006. Mensinger led Berwick by averaging 17.1 points and led the WVC by hitting 79 3-pointers at a 31 percent clip. She opened the District 2 playoffs by hitting four 3-pointers in the opening quarter and finishing with six treys for the night. Mensinger led Berwick with 14 points in the first round of states, hitting a 3-pointer and then making a steal to set up teammate Tori Talanca&#8217;s game-winning shot at the buzzer to rescue Berwick from a four-point deficit in the final five seconds.</p><p style="text-align: center;"><strong>KENDRA PFEIL</strong></p><p style="text-align: center;"><strong>Hazleton Area</strong></p><p style="text-align: center;"><strong>5-7 Sr. G</strong></p><p style="text-align: left;">The smooth-shooting guard was once again one of the top-10 scorers in the WVC, averaging a team-best 16.2 points. Most importantly, she provided tremendous leadership and experience for a young team that made a late-season run to wind up tied for second place in the WVC Division 1. Pfeil hit 52 3-pointers to lead the Cougars, including her final trey that gave Hazleton Area an early lead in a District 2 Class 6A championship loss to Scranton.</p><p style="text-align: center;"><strong>JOHN JEZORWSKI</strong></p><p style="text-align: center;"><strong>Holy Redeemer</strong></p><p style="text-align: center;"><strong>Coach of the Year</strong></p><p>A highly-successful AAU coach, Jezorwski turned his first high school head coaching job into a magic carpet ride. He took a Holy Redeemer team that lost 90 percent of its star power from three previous runs to two the PIAA quarterfinals (and two state semifinal appearances) and molded a young and inexperienced Redeeemer team into a ball-sharing and point-spreading unit that reached the state quarterfinals for a fourth straight season. Eight different players were top scorers in games for Redeemer this season..</p><p style="text-align: center;"><strong>Second Team</strong></p><p style="text-align: left;"><strong>Name`School`Grade`Pos.`Avg.</strong></p><p style="text-align: left;">Victoria Benning`Hanover Area`Jr.`F`14.0</p><p style="text-align: left;">Kirsten Durling`Pittston Area`Sr.`G`13.9</p><p style="text-align: left;">Sarah Hopkins`Crestwood`Sr.`G`10.8</p><p style="text-align: left;">Maddie Kelley`Dallas`Sr.`C`13.8</p><p style="text-align: left;">Maddie Mrochko`Hazleton Area`Jr.`G`14.5</p><p style="text-align: left;">Lisa Radziak`Nanticoke Area`Jr.`G`10.2</p><p style="text-align: left;">Sam Rajza`Jr.`Holy Redeemer`G`12.1</p><p style="text-align: left;">Gabby Smicherko`Valley West`Sr.`G`11.8</p><p style="text-align: left;">Tori Talanca`Berwick`Sr.`F&#8220;13.9</p><p style="text-align: left;">Sam Yencha`Holy Redeemer`Fr.`C`9.0</p><style>
.neFileBlock {
	margin-bottom: 20px;
}
.neFileBlock p {
	margin: 0px 0px 0px 0px;
}
.neFileBlock .neFile {
	border-bottom: 1px dotted #aaa;
	padding-bottom: 5px;
	padding-top: 10px;
}
.neFileBlock .neCaption {
	font-size: 85%;
}
</style>
<div class='neFileBlock'>
<div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/web1_gbb-ashby-1-.jpg">
<div class="neCaption"><p style=&quot;text-align: left;&quot;><strong>TARYN ASHBY</strong> </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/web1_gbb-ashby-1-.jpg</photo0><caption0><p style=&quot;text-align: left;&quot;><strong>TARYN ASHBY</strong> </caption0><photoCredit0></photoCredit0></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/web1_gbb-aufiero-1-.jpg">
<div class="neCaption"><p style=&quot;text-align: left;&quot;><strong>KAYLA AUFIERO</strong> </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo1>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/web1_gbb-aufiero-1-.jpg</photo1><caption1><p style=&quot;text-align: left;&quot;><strong>KAYLA AUFIERO</strong> </caption1><photoCredit1></photoCredit1></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/web1_BreannaBabcock-1-.jpg">
<div class="neCaption"><p style=&quot;text-align: left;&quot;><strong>BRENNA BABCOCK</strong> </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo2>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/web1_BreannaBabcock-1-.jpg</photo2><caption2><p style=&quot;text-align: left;&quot;><strong>BRENNA BABCOCK</strong> </caption2><photoCredit2></photoCredit2></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/web1_TTL040617AllStar-Sarah-Holwey.jpg">
<div class="neCaption"><p style=&quot;text-align: left;&quot;><strong>SARAH HOLWEG</strong> </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo3>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/web1_TTL040617AllStar-Sarah-Holwey.jpg</photo3><caption3><p style=&quot;text-align: left;&quot;><strong>SARAH HOLWEG</strong> </caption3><photoCredit3></photoCredit3></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/web1_Jannuzzi-1-.jpg">
<div class="neCaption"><p style=&quot;text-align: left;&quot;><strong>IRELYN JANNUZZI</strong> </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo4>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/web1_Jannuzzi-1-.jpg</photo4><caption4><p style=&quot;text-align: left;&quot;><strong>IRELYN JANNUZZI</strong> </caption4><photoCredit4></photoCredit4></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/web1_gbb-klepado-1-.jpg">
<div class="neCaption"><p style=&quot;text-align: left;&quot;><strong>RILEY KLEPADLO</strong> </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo5>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/web1_gbb-klepado-1-.jpg</photo5><caption5><p style=&quot;text-align: left;&quot;><strong>RILEY KLEPADLO</strong> </caption5><photoCredit5></photoCredit5></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/web1_TTL040617AllStar-Julia-Makowski.jpg">
<div class="neCaption"><p style=&quot;text-align: left;&quot;><strong>JULIA MAKOWSKI</strong> </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo6>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/web1_TTL040617AllStar-Julia-Makowski.jpg</photo6><caption6><p style=&quot;text-align: left;&quot;><strong>JULIA MAKOWSKI</strong> </caption6><photoCredit6></photoCredit6></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/web1_TTL040617AllStar-Reese-Mensinger.jpg">
<div class="neCaption"><p style=&quot;text-align: left;&quot;><strong>REESE MENSINGER</strong> </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo7>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/web1_TTL040617AllStar-Reese-Mensinger.jpg</photo7><caption7><p style=&quot;text-align: left;&quot;><strong>REESE MENSINGER</strong> </caption7><photoCredit7></photoCredit7></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/web1_Jezorwski-1-.jpg">
<div class="neCaption"><p style=&quot;text-align: left;&quot;><strong>JOHN JEZORWSKI</strong> </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo8>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/web1_Jezorwski-1-.jpg</photo8><caption8><p style=&quot;text-align: left;&quot;><strong>JOHN JEZORWSKI</strong> </caption8><photoCredit8></photoCredit8></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/web1_gbb-pfeil-1-.jpg">
<div class="neCaption"><p style=&quot;text-align: left;&quot;><strong>KENDRA PFEIL</strong> </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo9>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/web1_gbb-pfeil-1-.jpg</photo9><caption9><p style=&quot;text-align: left;&quot;><strong>KENDRA PFEIL</strong> </caption9><photoCredit9></photoCredit9></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><factboxMeta><p style="text-align: center;"><strong>Second Team</strong></p><p style="text-align: left;"><strong>Name`School`Grade`Pos.`Avg.</strong></p><p style="text-align: left;">Victoria Benning`Hanover Area`Jr.`F`14.0</p><p style="text-align: left;">Kirsten Durling`Pittston Area`Sr.`G`13.9</p><p style="text-align: left;">Sarah Hopkins`Crestwood`Sr.`G`10.8</p><p style="text-align: left;">Maddie Kelley`Dallas`Sr.`C`13.8</p><p style="text-align: left;">Maddie Mrochko`Hazleton Area`Jr.`G`14.5</p><p style="text-align: left;">Lisa Radziak`Nanticoke Area`Jr.`G`10.2</p><p style="text-align: left;">Sam Rajza`Jr.`Holy Redeemer`G`12.1</p><p style="text-align: left;">Gabby Smicherko`Valley West`Sr.`G`11.8</p><p style="text-align: left;">Tori Talanca`Berwick`Sr.`F&#8220;13.9</p><p style="text-align: left;">Sam Yencha`Holy Redeemer`Fr.`C`9.0</p></factboxMeta></div>

Times Leader’s 2017 Girls Basketball All-Stars