The celebration of a successful conclusion to the basketball season continued last week when Montrose’s Dallas Ely and Forest City’s Carly Erdmann were selected by sports writers from around the state for the Pennsylvania girls’ basketball all-state team.

Ely was a first-team selection in Class AA while Erdmann made the second team in Class A.

Montrose advanced to the state semifinals. Forest City was eliminated in the second full round after taking a halftime lead on defending and eventual champion Steelton-Highspire.

Ely, a 5-foot-8 senior guard who is headed to West Chester University, averaged 22.4 points and more than two 3-pointers per game. She helped the Lady Meteors win 25 straight before losing to York Catholic in the state semifinals.

Montrose was 26-3, including the Lackawanna League Division 3 title and the District 2 Class AA championship.

Ely became Montrose’s all-time leading scorer during the regular season and was a big part of the state tournament run. She averaged 32 points in the three state victories.

Ely had 28 points and five steals in a 57-41, opening-round win over Wyalusing. She had 19 of her career-high 41 points in the fourth quarter of a 55-49 over Philadelphia Carver Engineering & Sciences. Ely then hit her final 15 free throws while scoring 27 points in a 52-50 win over Delone Catholic.

Erdmann, a 5-foot-8 sophomore, averaged 17.6 points per game. She helped Forest City (14-13) tie for the second-best record in Lackawanna Division 3, finish second in District 2 Class A and pull off two state tournament wins.

After hitting two first-half 3-pointers to send the team on its way to a 40-21 preliminary round win over Hershey Christian, Erdmann had a big finish against Delaware County Christian. Erdmann scored 15 points in the 45-42 upset of the District 1 champions and went 4-for-5 from the line in the final minute, including two free throws for the game’s final points with 11 seconds left.

After escaping the upset bid by Forest City, Steelton-Highspire’s Malia Tate-DeFreitas was named Player of the Year in Class A while Jeff Chisholm was named Coach of the Year.

Ely and Erdmann were among three Lackawanna League and five District 2 goals to receive all-state honors.

Mid Valley’s Danielle Terranella was a second-team choice in Class AA.

Wyoming Valley West’s Tara Zdancewicz was a second-teamer in Class AAAA and Pittston Area junior Mia Hopkins was a second-teamer in Class AAA.

One coach and four players from the Lackawanna League were recognized in the boys’ all-state selections.

Al Callejas of Holy Cross was named Class AA Coach of the Year. Junior Josh Kosin was picked for the first team after helping the Crusaders reach the semifinals.

Riverside’s Jerry Kincel made the second team in Class AA, Scranton’s Malik Draper the first team in Class AAA and Abington Heights sophomore J.C. Show the third team in Class AAA.

Another District 2 player, Eugene Lewis of Wyoming Valley West, made the second team in Class AA.

WEEK IN REVIEW

Construction crews began mobilizing Friday in an anticipation of the finalization of a sales agreement that will allow for the start of stadium reconstruction and the return of professional baseball to northeastern Pennsylvania in 2013.

“We’re getting prepared,” Lackawanna County commissioner Corey O’Brien said Friday. “We’re comfortable now that we’re that far along.”

Lackawanna County has been in negotiations with SWB Yankees LLC, a joint venture of the New York Yankees and the Mandalay Entertainment Group. Under the proposed agreement, the county-owned Triple-A baseball franchise would be sold the SWB Yankees LLC, which would agree to lease PNC Field in Moosic as part of the sales term. The money from the $14.6-million sale would cover part of the costs of stadium reconstruction, which needs to start soon in order to be completed in time for the 2013 season.

A press release issued by Lackawanna County director of communications Joe D’Arienzo Friday said the parties were “on the verge of an agreement.”

“We are very close to a deal,” commissioner Jim Wansacz said in the release.

“Demolition will not begin until after the public review of the proposed agreement’s material terms and consideration by the stadium authority,” O’Brien said.

The Yankees are spending the entire 2012 season away from home. They will play “home” games at six different sites.

The team started with three straight losses, including two shutouts. It managed just one hit in Thursday’s 3-0 loss to the Lehigh Valley IronPigs in the opener in Allentown.

Center fielder Rich Thompson, a Montrose graduate, again opened the season with the IronPigs.

Through a 3-1 start by Lehigh Valley, Thompson was 1-for-5 with an RBI in two appearances.

The Binghamton Mets dropped their first two games before using a strong pitching performance by Darin Gorski to pick up a 2-1 Eastern League win over the Akron Aeros Saturday.

Gorski, last year’s Florida State League Pitcher of the Year, allowed just one hit and struck out seven in six scoreless innings.

In high school sports, Blue Ridge and Montrose each got off to 2-0 starts in the Lackawanna League in both baseball and softball.

The two schools were tied at the top of Division 3 with Susquehanna in softball and Lackawanna Trail in baseball.

Elk Lake took the lead in Division 3 of the Lackawanna Track Conference in both boys’ and girls’ action with 2-0 starts.

Blue Ridge is one of two 1-0 teams in boys.

COLLEGE CORNER

Dustin Barton, a sophomore from Susquehanna, shot a 78 Tuesday for the team’s second-best score when Lackawanna College finished first out of 13 teams in the Burlington Invitational in New Jersey.

Barton shot an 88, tied for second-best on the team, in the season-opening, 348-355, win over College of Southern Maryland.

THE WEEK AHEAD

Susquehanna is home against Montrose in softball Thursday.

The Lady Sabers were scheduled to open the week with Blue Ridge Tuesday. The three teams were 2-0 in the division coming into the week.

In professional hockey, the American Hockey League season comes to an end this weekend. The Binghamton Senators, trying to avoid a last-place overall finish a year after winning the Calder Cup, are at the playoff-bound Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins Friday in their next-to-last game.

TOM ROBINSON writes a weekly local sports column for the Susquehanna County Transcript. He can be reached online at RobbyTR@aol.com or followed on Twitter at @tomjrobinson.

JUNIOR’S STOCK IS ON THE RISE

Dale Earnhardt Jr. without a doubt has turned the corner.

The 135-race winless streak remains intact. But its end has become a case of when rather than if. Junior has become a story not for where he’s been but rather where he’s going straight toward the top of the points standings.

A third-place finish at Martinsville Speedway, his third top-five of the season, shot Earnhardt out of a third-place traffic jam and within six points of leader Greg Biffle.

Dale Earnhardt Jr., Martinsville, 2012

How well is Junior doing?

He’s one of two drivers with three top-five and four top-four finishes. The other is Greg Biffle.

Three of the past four races have seen the No. 88 Chevrolet head the field.

Earnhardt is the highest ranked of Hendrick Motorsports’ four drivers.

His second-place ranking in points is his best at this stage of the season since 2008, the year he won his last race at Michigan International Speedway.

Martinsville, a track where Earnhardt collected his fourth consecutive top-10 finish, is indicative of the progress his Steve Letarte-led team has made. He’s passing, and passing champions like teammate Jeff Gordon.

The last time Earnhardt held the points lead was after the Talladega Superspeedway race on Oct. 3, 2004.

For Stewart-Haas Racing, the beat goes on.

Ryan Newman’s victory at Martinsville Speedway was the organization’s third of the 2012 season and eighth trip to Victory Lane over the past 16 races.

Batting .500 ain’t bad especially in an environment as competitive as the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series.

It’s fair to say SHR has few - if any - weaknesses. The team’s recent run of victories includes wins on short track (two), mile, intermediate tracks (five) and a two-mile layout.

Newman had been winless since last summer’s race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. Teammate Tony Stewart had been doing the heavy lifting, a point not lost on Newman, who collected his 16th victory.

“Just glad I finally contributed,” said Newman, smiling, following the race.

Heading to Texas Motor Speedway, Stewart, winner of last November’s Texas race, stands third in points. Newman, also a Texas winner, is eighth.

Matt Puccia is the crew chief of the No. 16 3M team at Roush Fenway Racing. You may even have heard driver Greg Biffle credit him with the team’s success so far this season. But according to one story, he may have saved Carl Edwards’ life?

Puccia and Edwards worked together at Ken Schrader’s race shop in the mid-90’s as mechanics and general help to the team. One day the two of them were working on putting a rear-end cooler in a truck which was suspended on the team’s new car hoist just high enough for Edwards to work under it.

As Puccia put his weight on the top of the truck to help with the project from above, the hoist began to lower and crushed Edwards under the truck. Puccia immediately ran to the control and raised the hoist to lift the truck. He rushed Edwards to the hospital where it was determined that Edwards would live.

“Carl’s version of the story is a little different,” said Puccia. “He tells people I intentionally lowered the truck on him to try to kill him but that obviously isn’t what happened. I told him he was being a baby about it and I actually saved his life by raising the hoist and getting him to the hospital.”

Edwards obviously doesn’t hold a grudge over the incident as the two have remained friends over the years and continue to argue over whose version of the story is correct.

“I just keep my distance in the shop!” said Edwards.

Camping World Truck Series Notes:

Timothy Peters and Justin Lofton are the only drivers to post top-five finishes in each of the season’s first two races. Lofton failed to score a top five in 2011. … What a difference a year also makes for Buescher, who finished third at Martinsville. Buescher failed to qualify for last season’s second race at Phoenix International Raceway.

Kevin Harvick’s third Martinsville victory was his first driving a Richard Childress Racing truck. The organization has won a race in all eight seasons (1995-99, 2010-12) in which it has competed full-time in the NCWTS.

The current points standings mark the second time in series history that Sunoco Rookie of the Year contenders - King and Dillon - have ranked among the top-five in overall points after race No. 2. The only time rookies occupied top-five positions at this stage of the season was in 1996 – the first year the award was made - when Bryan Reffner and Ron Barfield Jr. were third and fourth after the event at Phoenix International Raceway.

Weekend Racing: The Cup and Nationwide teams are at the 1.5-mile Texas Motor Speedway, just outside Ft. Worth. NASCAR returns to Rockingham Speedway after an absence of 12 years, with a truck race on Sunday.

“The Rock” opened as a flat, one-mile oval on October 31 1965. In 1969, the track was extensively reconfigured to a high-banked, D-shaped oval measuring slightly over one mile in length.

In 1997, it merged with Penske Motorsports, and was renamed North Carolina Speedway. It played host to two Winston Cup races each year through 2003. The final Cup race at Rockingham was held on February 22, 2004 with Matt Kenseth, the winner.

Fri., Apr. 13, Nationwide O’Reilly 300, race 6 of 33; Starting time: 8 pm ET; TV: ESPN2.

Sat., Apr. 14, Sprint Cup Samsung 500, race 7 of 36; Starting time: 7 pm ET; TV: FOX.

Sun., Apr. 15, Truck Series Carolina 200, race 3 of 22; Starting time: 12:30 pm ET; TV: SPEED.

Racing Trivia Question: Who won the inaugural Texas Motor Speedway Cup race?

Last Week's Question: NASCAR does not race on two Sunday's during the racing season. One is Easter Sunday. What is the other? Mother’s Day.

You may contact the Racing Reporter at hodges@race500.com.

Old Forge’s five-time defending champions had cut a Susquehanna lead from 11 to two in a span of a little more than 2 1⁄2 minutes of the fourth quarter of the March 2 District 2 Class A championship game in Scranton.

The Sabers tried to stabilize and had the lead back to three points when they went back on defense.

Andrzej Tomczyk prevented the Blue Devils from shooting at a tie. The junior made a steal and took the ball the length of the floor for a 44-39 lead with less than two minutes remaining.

Tomczyk finished with a team-high 15 points and provided the stabilizing play that allowed the Sabers to pull away again, 53-45, for the school’s first district boys’ basketball championship in 51 years.

“We played up all season long so our record didn’t really give an accurate prediction of who we were,” Tomczyk said of the Sabers, who lost 10 straight at one point to fall to 3-12.

The Sabers began playing better as the playoffs approached, eventually finishing 8-16. Their mark improved with the chance to play other Class A schools in the postseason.

As the playoffs approached, Susquehanna players knew Old Forge was the likely obstacle to the long-awaited district title.

Susquehanna finished February with a 41-38 district semifinal victory over Freeland MMI behind 20 points from Tomczyk.

Tomczyk then had 15 points, including 4-for-4 from the foul line late, in the win over Old Forge. His two free throws with 12 seconds left ended any remaining hope for the Blue Devils.

“We stepped it up on the defensive end,” Tomczyk said.

For his efforts, Tomczyk is the Susquehanna County Transcript Athlete of the Month for March.

Tomczyk led the team in scoring in each postseason game, including the other contest in March. He helped the Sabers to a five-point halftime lead and finished with 17 points in a 57-41 loss to Faith Christian in the first round of the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association Class A tournament.

“Going into districts, I wanted to utilize my teammates more,” said Tomczyk, who averaged 19.9 points and nearly two 3-pointers per game while pushing his career scoring total past 1,000 points with another year to play. “I tried my best to make the best decisions I could and slow my game down.”

Tomczyk continues to play basketball year-round as a member of the Southern Tier Rage AAU team from Binghamton. He is a three-year starter with the Sabers.

Andrzej, who lives in Susquehanna, is the son of Andrzej and the late Christina Tomczyk.