Lady Knights end 88-game league winning streak by Classics

SCRANTON – Scranton avenged its only loss of this season, ended Scranton Prep’s Lackawanna League winning streak of nearly seven years and created the likelihood of a fourth meeting between District 2’s top two girls basketball teams for the Lackawanna Division 1 title all with one splendid, home-court performance Feb. 2.

Freshman sensation Zya Small went 8-for-12 from the floor on the way to 21 points, 12 rebounds, seven assists, two blocked shots and two steals, all game-high totals, as the Lady Knights rolled to a 63-42 victory.

Small, a 6-foot-2 forward who is already collecting National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I scholarship offers from major programs, had plenty of help.

Maggie O’Shea was 4-for-5 from 3-point range and 6-for-9 overall, along with making both her free throws. She finished with 18 points, six rebounds and six assists, four of which came in the first quarter.

Chrissy Jacklinski, Scranton’s other freshman starter, returned from an injury. Playing with a heavy brace to protect her left knee, Jacklinski chipped in nine points, four assists and four rebounds and was the only player in the game to match Small’s two steals.

The win improved Scranton to 9-1 in the division and 17-1 overall, putting the Lady Knights a half-game in front in the division race with three games left.

Scranton Prep fell to 8-1 and 13-5. The Classics started an 88-game Lackawanna League winning streak late in the 2016-17 season, produced six straight Division 1 championships with unbeaten league records and went through more than half this season before finally losing once.

If the teams finish tied for first, a playoff will determine the division championship. Scranton has won two out of three meetings, including its victory in the Lynett Memorial Tournament.

Bella Dennebaum worked through foul trouble to produce 17 points and five rebounds in the loss. She made all six of her shots from the floor, including two 3-pointers, and was 3-for-4 from the line.

Jenna Hillebrand, who leads the Classics with nearly 15 points per game, added 11 points.

Scranton Prep’s only lead was at 2-0.

Small, who is averaging more than 20 points and 8 rebounds in her first high school season, went 4-for-4 in the first 6:08 to give Scranton a 16-9 lead.

The Lady Knights shut out the Classics over the final 4:20 of the first half. Jacklinski and O’Shea hit 3-pointers as Scranton scored the final eight points for a 32-20 halftime lead.

Scranton blew the game open by outscoring Scranton Prep, 21-6, in the first 5:26 of the fourth quarter as O’Shea scored seven points and Kamryn Alers hit two 3-pointers.

Finley Bittenbender also made two 3-pointers in the game.

Scranton made more than 40 percent of its 3-point attempts, more than 50 percent of its shots inside the arc and had a 29-20 rebounding advantage. It also committed only six turnovers, just one in each of the first three quarters.