Lackawanna League Senior Basketball All-Star Games: Lady Comets, Lady Lions team up in victory

SCRANTON – Two players each from Abington Heights and Lackawanna Trail helped the Blue defeat the Red 73-67 in the girls opener to the Lackawanna League Senior All-Star Basketball Doubleheader March 25 at Scranton High School.

Emily McDonald from Abington Heights joined team Most Valuable Player Erika Badner from Wallenpaupack as the only double-figures scorers for the Blue.

Peyton Houlihan from Abington Heights and Gretchen Rejrat from Lackawanna Trail shared the team rebound lead while Mackenzie Schirg from the Lady Lions also contributed to the win.

Badner hit her last seven shots, four of them 3-pointers, and scored all 18 of her points in the second half.

McDonald was 5-for-8 from the floor with 10 points, four rebounds, an assist and a blocked shot. She scored six points in a span of 1:35 late in the first half, erasing the last Red lead and breaking the last two ties to put the Blue ahead to stay.

Houlihan, who grabbed six of her rebounds on the defensive end, scored two points.

Rejrat was 4-for-8 from the floor for eight points. She had five of her rebounds on offense and also contributed three assists and three steals. The assist total tied for the team lead.

Schirg hit a 3-pointer and finished with five points, two rebounds, two steals, an assist and a blocked shot.

McDonald won the Free Throw Contest and Badner the 3-Point Shootout prior to the game.

The winning Blue team, coached by Mountain View’s Bill Simons, also featured players from Valley View, Holy Cross, Dunmore, Mountain View and Elk Lake.

The Red, coached by Scranton’s P.J. Hughes, had four of his players along with players from North Pocono, Western Wayne, Honesdale, Riverside and Carbondale.

Scranton’s Canyah Randle was Red MVP with 11 points, 14 rebounds, three steals and two blocked shots.

Kylie Mastillo from North Pocono led the Red with 14 while Scranton’s Finley Bittenbender added 11.

Riverside’s Lillie Pon had six assists and Honesdale’s Elyse Montgomery had six blocked shots for the Red.

BOYS GAME

Ryan Nealon from Abington Heights arrived in time to join the Red team in the fourth quarter of the boys game.

The Red erased a 14-point deficit in the fourth quarter, completing a comeback from 21 down to defeat the Blue 115-112.

Chris Ogden from West Scranton hit the winning 3-pointer with five seconds left.

Nealon contributed a 3-pointer, four defensive rebounds and two assists to the win.

The Red had seven players score in double figures and Ogden, the team’s MVP, add nine points.

Delaware Valley’s Tommy Parker led with 16 points.

Mike Fazzi from West Scranton coached the team, which also included players from Valley View, North Pocono, Wallenpaupack and Honesdale.

Scranton had two players on each team and West Scranton had one on each.

The Blue, coached by Blue Ridge’s Wes Parks, was led by 25 points from Mid Valley’s Ricky Vinansky.

Team MVP Chris Chandler from Scranton had 12 points, seven rebounds, four assists, two blocks and a steal.

The team also included players from Carbondale, Lakeland, Old Forge, Dunmore, Blue Ridge and Susquehanna.