Bears, Lady Raiders in tourney finals

The Pleasant Valley boys and Tamaqua girls advanced to the championship games with wins in their tournament semifinals in local action on Tuesday night.

BOYS BASKETBALL

Hazleton Cougar Classic

Pleasant Valley-Hazleton

After trailing for three periods, Pleasant Valley saved its best for last and ended up escaping with a 51-47 win over host Hazleton in the Cougar Classic semifinals.

Richie Irving helped the Bears advance to tonight's championship game by netting 10 of his 11 points in the final frame. Teammate Eric Wild led all scorers with a game-high 15 points.

PLEASANT VALLEY

Blot 0-0-0-0, Franklin 0-0-0-0, Wright 3-0-0-6, Sharpe 4-0-2-8, Bok 0-0-0-0, Williams 0-0-0-0, Irving 2-6-8-11, Gerolimastus 0-0-0-0, Stanovick 3-1-3-9, Wild 5-2-2-15. TOTALS: 18-9-15-51.

HAZLETON

Espinal 1-0-0-2, Plaska 3-0-0-6, Biasi 1-0-0-3, Smith 0-2-4-2, Fogarty 4-0-0-12, Vito 0-0-0-0, Gilley 3-2-5-8, Hauze 1-1-2-3, Buckner 4-1-2-11. TOTALS: 17-6-13-47.

Pleasant Valley 11 15 9 16 - 51

Hazleton 17 14 6 10 - 47

Three-pointers: PV - Wild 3, Stanovick 2, Irving 1; Hazleton - Fogerty 4, Biasi 1.

Slatington Rotary Tournament

Palmerton-Lehighton

Palmerton out-scored Lehighton 21-8 in the fourth quarter and went on to win the consolation game of the Slatington Rotary Tournament, 57-38.

The Bombers' Ben Andrews led all scorers with 18 points. He knocked down four three-pointers on the night, with three of them coming in the second half. Teammate Jourdan Reinhart added 12.

Lehighton was led by Aaron Szacka's 14 points.

Down 27-18 at the break, the Indians fought back to within six by going on a 16-5 run in the third quarter.

PALMERTON

Horvath 1-0-0-2, Andrews 5-4-4-18, Tyahla 0-0-0-0, Svetik 4-1-2-9, Snyder 2-2-4-6, Leaver 0-0-0-0, Leon 0-0-0-0, Gutekunst 0-0-0-0, Saylor 0-0-0-0, Geist 3-4-5-10, Reinhart 6-0-6-12. TOTALS: 21-11-21-57.

LEHIGHTON

A. Rossino 4-0-0-8, D. Rossino 0-1-2-1, Farano 0-0-0-0, Kresge 1-2-2-4, Guyn 1-0-0-2, Scott 0-0-0-0, Gallager 0-0-0-0, Wall 4-1-5-9, Szacka 6-0-0-14, Jones 0-0-0-0, Evans 0-0-2-0. TOTALS: 16-4-11-38.

Palmerton 13 14 9 21 - 57

Lehighton 4 6 20 8 - 38

Three-Pointers: P - Andrews 4; L - Szacka 2.

Tom Fenney Tournament

Weatherly-West Side Tech

George Wallish and Kyle Harris both finished with double-doubles for Weatherly, but it wasn't enough as West Side Tech recorded a 68-57 victory in the consolation game of the Tom Fenney Tournament.

Harris led the Wreckers with 19 points and 18 rebounds while Wallish ended up with 16 points and 12 rebounds. Teammate Josh Reiner just missed double digits with nine points.

West Side Tech's Larry Andrefsavage netted five three-pointers on his way to a 22-point performance.

WEATHERLY

Rowen 1-0-0-3, Weichman 0-0-0-0, Ormiston 1-0-0-2, Stallone 0-0-0-0, Hollorgal 2-2-2-6, Reiner 3-0-0-9, Haganey 1-0-0-2, Wallish 7-2-8-16, Harris 8-3-8-19. TOTALS: 23-7-18-57.

WEST SIDE TECH

Klingef 4-3-6-12, Andrefsavage 7-3-5-22, Congdon 2-2-6-6, Girav 8-5-10-22, Avzurruzzag 1-1-4-3, Luttole 1-1-3-3. TOTALS: 23-15-34-68

Weatherly 9 26 11 11 - 57

West Side Tech 17 12 20 19 - 68

Three-pointers: Weatherly - Reiner 3, Rowen 1; WST - Andrefsavage 5, Girav 1, Klingef 1.

Tamaqua-Salisbury

A balanced scoring attack aided in Salisbury's 74-56 non-league win over Tamaqua.

Mike Schantz paced the Falcons (4-2) with 14 points and 13 rebounds.

The Blue Raiders' Mike Streisel led all scorers with 19 points. Spencer Bennett chipped in with 16 points.

Tamaqua slips to 2-5 on the season.

In the JV game, Salisbury rolled to a 68-15 victory.

TAMAQUA

Bachert 3-0-0-6, Fegley 1-0-0-2, Streisel 7-5-6-19, Bennett 4-6-6-16, Lakitsky 0-0-0-0, Rudy 0-0-0-0, Kurek 1-2-2-5, Ansbach 0-0-0-0, Reinhardt 4-0-0-8. TOTALS: 20-13-14-56.

SALISBURY

Maron 0-0-0-0, Heidecker 1-0-0-3, Baker 5-1-2-12, Aungst 0-0-0-0, Reichenbach 1-1-1-3, Brown 2-0-0-6, Ressler 2-0-0-6, Todra 1-4-7-6, Belletiere 0-2-2-2, Irons 4-0-1-8, Schantz 6-2-2-14, Cochrane 6-0-0-12, McDuffie 1-0-0-2, Newhard 0-0-0-0. TOTALS: 29-10-15-74.

Tamaqua 18 4 13 21 - 56

Salisbury 18 18 20 18 - 74

Three-pointers: Tamaqua - Bennett 2, Kurek 1; Brown 2, Ressler 2, Heidecker 1, Baker 1.

GIRLS BASKETBALL

So. Lehigh Christmas Tournament

Tamaqua-Emmaus

Amy Zehner scored a double-double for the Lady Raiders with 25 points and 13 rebounds as they advanced to the championship game with a 55-44 win over the Green Hornets.

Tamaqua will take on host Southern Lehigh, a 68-27 winner over Pottsgrove, for the title tonight.

Cassie Eroh added 19 for the unbeaten Lady Raiders (6-0). Leah Horton had 18 points for Emmaus (3-2).

TAMAQUA

Hope 0-0-0-0, Streisel, M. 2-0-1-4, Streisel, C. 2-0-0-5, Eroh 6-5-5-19, Zehner 10-5-6-25, Updike 0-2-3-2. TOTALS: 20-12-15-55.

EMMAUS

Gomez 0-0-0-0, Jackson 1-0-0-2, Gee 3-1-2-8, Wiseley 0-0-0-0, Gilley 3-5-6-11, Horton 8-2-4-18, Carraher 0-0-0-0, Basile 2-1-2-5, Baer 0-0-0-0. TOTALS: 17-9-14-44.

Tamaqua 9 13 21 12 - 55

Emmaus 9 9 16 10 - 44

Three-pointers: Tamaqua - Christine Streisel 1, Eroh 2; Emmaus - Gee 1.

Lady Indian

Holiday Classic

Jim Thorpe-Lehighton

Jim Thorpe rolled to a 61-37 victory over Lehighton in the consolation game of the Lady Indians Holiday Classic.

Celeste Robinson gave the Olympians the spark it needed in the second quarter and continued to do so in the third by scoring 24 of her game-high 32 points in the middle periods. Teammate Chelsea Smelas hit double figures with 11 points.

Jordyn Homyak led the Indians with 21 points.

JIM THORPE

McElmoyle 0-2-2-2, Batts 0-0-0-0, Lawrence 3-0-0-9, Holland 1-0-2-2, Robinson 15-2-6-32, Mosteller 2-0-0-5, Smelas 4-3-5-11. TOTALS: 22-7-15-61.

LEHIGHTON

Homyak 6-7-10-21, Green 1-2-3-4, Barclay 0-1-2-1, Yurasits 2-0-2-4, Evans 0-0-0-0, German 0-0-0-0, Klotz 1-0-2-2, Teno 2-1-2-5, Cordova 0-0-0-0. TOTALS: 12-11-21-37.

Jim Thorpe 12 19 13 17 - 61

Lehighton 16 8 6 7 - 37

Three-pointers: JT - Lawrence 3, Mosteller 1; Lehighton - Homyak 2.

Mahanoy Area Tournament

Shenandoah-Panther Vy.

Shenandoah Valley started off strong and never looked back on its way to a 53-25 win over Panther Valley.

Elysha Bolschi paced the Blue Devils with 16 points.

The Panthers' Trayvonda Rice, Breanna Cullen and Sam Zlock all finished with five points.

SHENANDOAH VALLEY

Hysok 4-4-5-13, DeAngelo 4-2-2-10, Norwich 2-0-0-4, Carduff 1-2-3-4, Huss 1-0-0-2, Gottshalk 0-2-2-2, Sacco 1-0-0-2, Bolschi 7-2-2-16, Kelly 0-0-0-0, Michalik 0-0-0-0, Weilkonsch 0-0-0-0, Grutza 0-0-0-0. TOTALS: 20-12-14-53.

PANTHER VALLEY

Blasko 2-0-0-4, Thomas 1-0-2-2, Rice 1-3-4-5, Markovich 1-0-0-2, Cullen 2-0-0-5, Cunfer 1-0-0-2, Zlock 2-1-2-5, Kehrli 0-0-0-0, Phillips 0-0-0-0, Jacobs 0-0-0-0, Jones 0-0-0-0, Paul 0-0-0-0. TOTALS: 10-4-8-25.

Shenandoah Valley 17 17 13 6 - 53

Panther Valley 7 6 8 4 - 25

Three-pointers: SV - Hysok 1; PV - Cullen 1.

WRESTLING

Jim Thorpe Christmas Tournament

Pennsbury captured the team championship at this year's Jim Thorpe Christmas Tournament.

Souderton finished as the tournament runners-up, while Whitehall walked away with third place.

The Olympians' Jon Fritz (160), Christian Gavornick (171) and Tyler Mangold (215) all finished in second place in their respective weight classes.

JR. HIGH

BASKETBALL

9th GRADE

Tamaqua-Blue Mt.

Tamaqua pulled out a 49-45 victory over Blue Mountain.

Brett Kosciolek had a game high 15 points for the Raiders (5-2). Mike Weinert and Chris Hartung added 11 and nine points respectively.

8th GRADE

Tamaqua-Blue Mt.

Tamaqua defeated Blue Mountain, 54-32.

Brett Kosciolek led the Raiders (7-0) with 14 points. Tyler Skripko and Zach Wargula had 10 points each.

7th GRADE

Tamaqua-Blue Mt.

Blue Mountain edged Tamaqua, 28-22.

Russell Blaker had 10 points for the Raiders.