The winter high school sports season came to an end for Susquehanna County athletes during the weekend when two basketball teams were eliminated from state play while wrestlers and swimmers were unable to take the last steps to qualify for state championship events.
A look at the various playoffs during the week:
BOYS’ BASKETBALL
Elk Lake started strong Saturday, but eventually fell to District 4 champion Danville, 70-63, in a Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association Class AA opening-round game at Shamokin High School.
The Ironmen used an extremely balanced attack, getting 15 points from three players and 14 from another to get past Elk Lake, which was playing without leading scorer Bailey Newhart.
Shane Kozick, a freshman who came off the bench, was one of the players with 15 points while another freshman, Peyton Riley, provided 14. Colton Riley and Jordan Bickhart also had 15 points.
Elk Lake led by many as six in the first quarter.
Bickhart’s 3-pointer to end the first cut the Warriors’ lead to 20-19 and Danville used it to start an 11-2 run to a 27-22 lead.
Danville expanded its advantage from there and Elk Lake was unable to get closer than the final margin of seven during the fourth quarter.
Hunter Watkins led the Warriors with 22 points and nine rebounds. Seth Tewksbury added 18 points. Sophomore guard Reirdan Reyan came off the bench to add 11 points.
Elk Lake, which won the Lackawanna League Division 4 title and reached the District 2 Class AA championship game, finishes 21-6.
Danville (16-10) will play Mastery Charter North from Philadelphia (24-3) in Wednesday’s second round.
GIRLS’ BASKETBALL
SCRANTON – Shamokin Lourdes Regional put Forest City in a big hole by scoring 17 of the first 19 points in Saturday afternoon’s PIAA Class A first-round game at Scranton High School.
Just when the Lady Foresters were starting to dig their way out, the Red Raiders put together an even more impressive run.
Lourdes scored 40 straight points on the way to a 71-19 rout that ended the season of the Lackawanna League Division 4 and District 2 Class A champions.
Carmella Bickel scored 17 of her career-high 25 points when the Red Raiders ran off the final 13 points of the first half and the first 27 of the second half for a 57-9 lead.
Freshman center Francis Czeponis hit every shot while adding her career-high of 14 points.
Skylar Fortuner tried to keep the Lady Foresters in the game with six rebounds in the first quarter. She finished with nine.
Forest City finished 16-11.
Lourdes (20-6) advances to face District 1 champion Jenkintown (21-4) in Wednesday’s second round.
WRESTLING
Jacob O’Brien was the only county wrestler to win a match at the Class AA Northeast Regional in Williamsport and he did so in impressive fashion.
O’Brien beat District 2 Outstanding Wrestler Jeffrey Bennett from Hanover Area, 10-5, in the first round of consolations on the way to a sixth-place finish at 120 pounds.
O’Brien lost, 10-6, to Muncy’s Angelo Barberio in Friday night’s quarterfinals.
After beating Bennett, O’Brien was pinned in 1:48 by Cole Rhone from team champion Benton.
Line Mountain’s Cole Hauck pinned O’Brien in 2:56 in the fifth-place match.
Joseph Hester (106) and Chuck Rohan (113) each lost two matches and were eliminated.
O’Brien scored four points for Montrose to put the Meteors tied for 33rd out of 36 teams that qualified wrestlers for regionals.
Blue Ridge’s Michael Kelly (145) and Elk Lake’s Jacob Hand (160) each went 0-2.
BOYS’ SWIMMING
WILKES-BARRE – Zach Mead and Mike Pettit each finished fifth in an individual event and were part of a fifth-place relay team to lead Elk Lake’s performances in the District 2 Championships Friday and Saturday at the Wyoming Valley Catholic Youth Center.
Elk Lake scored 94.5 points to finish seventh out 16 teams that scored in the meet and just 2.5 points behind sixth-place Wyoming Area.
Mead was fifth in the 200-yard individual medley. Pettit was fifth in the 200 freestyle.
They joined Chase Orlandini and Austin Dolaway on the 200 freestyle relay team.
GIRLS’ SWIMMING
WILKES-BARRE – Elk Lake finished 10th out of 19 teams that scored in the District 2 Class AA Championships at the Wyoming Valley Catholic Youth Center.
The Lady Warriors had their best finish when they took seventh in the closing 400 freestyle relay.
THE WEEK AHEAD
Practices for spring sports started Monday.
Teams in baseball, softball, track and field and boys’ tennis are allowed to begin scrimmaging Saturday.
Boys’ tennis is the only one that teams are allowed to move into non-league play as early as Monday, March 14.
In high school wrestling, the PIAA Championships are scheduled for Thursday through Saturday at the Giant Center in Hershey.
In high school basketball, the boys’ and girls’ state tournaments continue with games Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and Tuesday, March 15.
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.
PENSKE TEAMS DOUBLE DOWN AT VEGAS
Teammates Brad Keselowski and Joey Logano at Vegas
LAS VEGAS, Nev.--Penske Racers Brad Keselowski and Joey Logano finished 1-2 in Sunday's 267-lap Sprint Cup race.
Keselowski was running third on the race's last restart, with 35 laps to go, behind the leader Kyle Busch and teammate Logano. The three leaders maintained their position until Keselowski was able to move ahead of Logano on lap 254. Five laps later, Keselowski was able to slip by Busch for the lead, and went on to victory lane.
“I really liked the way the car handled,” said Keselowski. “You know we got that pit road speeding penalty and it put us behind, but the way the car was handling I knew we could make it back to the front.
“It's been a long time since we had a win, and this really feels good.”
Logano led 70 laps, but he was no match for Keselowski as the race neared its end.
“It was a great race,” said Logano. “I wasn't sure I had enough to catch Kyle, so there was no use in me trying to race Brad and hold him back, because he was faster than me. The team gave me a great car, and even though a win would have made me feel better, I'm happy that Brad could win.”
Jimmie Johnson, last week's Atlanta winner edged ahead of Busch's car just before the two crossed the finish line for third.
“It was a fantastic race for us,” said Johnson. “We had a fast car, not the fastest, but these kind of races keep you in the game.”
Kyle Busch led 38 laps, but the handling went away on his No. 18 Joe Gibbs Toyota with about 10 laps remaining, and he had to settle for fourth.
“I don't know what happened,” said Busch. “There was something about those last right side tires we put on, and I just couldn't get the job done.”
Austin Dillon finished a strong fifth, followed by Ryan Blaney, Kevin Harvick, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Kurt Busch, and Kasey Kahne.
There were five caution periods, but only two wrecks despite the high winds. The first wreck happened during lap 213 and involved Regan Smith and Kyle Larson. Both were able to continue.
A major pileup occurred on lap 224 after Matt Kenseth slipped up, causing a chain reaction behind him. The other cars involved were Chase Elliott, Carl Edwards, and Kurt Busch. Elliott and Kenseth were done for the day, while the others came back on the track after repairs were made.
Denny Hamlin, winner of the Daytona 500 finished 19th.
Danica Patrick was 21st.
Top-10 leaders after 3 of 36: 1. Kyle Busch-116, 2. Johnson-110, 3. Harvick-109, 4. Logano-104, 5. Kurt Busch-102, 6. Keselowski-98, 7. Edwards-96, 8. Hamlin-93, 9. Truex-90, 10. A. Dillon-90.
“ROWDY” KYLE DOMINATES VEGAS XFINITY RACE
Kyle Busch led 199 laps of Saturday's 200-lap Xfinity Series race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. He started on the pole and the only lap he did not lead was lap 55 when he pitted for fuel.
His two teammates, Daniel Suarez and Erik Jones finished second and third, respectively.
Chase Elliott, Austin Dillon, Brandon Jones, Ty Dillon, Elliott Sadler, Justin Allgaier, and Brendan Gaughan rounded out the top-10.
Top-10 leaders after 3 of 33: 1. Suarez-106, 2. Sadler-103, 3. T. Dillon-99, 4. B. Jones-99, 5. Allgaier-95, 6. Gaughan-91, 7. E. Jones-86, 8. Reed-79, 9. Sieg-73, 10. Burton-72.
WHO IS LANDON CASSILL
Landon Cassill is the driver of the No 38 Front Row Motorsports Ford in the Sprint Cup Series.
Like most of the lesser known drivers, Cassill is hardly a household name, but he has been involved in racing for over 13 years.
Cassill was born in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and began racing when he was three years old.
He finished second in the Pro Kart Tour at Atlanta at age 10. The following year, he earned his first of two Kart Series national championships.
At age 16, he became the youngest winner in American Speed Association history when he won at Lake Erie Speedway on June 9, 2006.
Cassill was signed by Hendrick Motorsports in December 2006. In 2007, he worked in the team's research and development program and drove during practices for the Hendrick pit crews. Cassill made his Nationwide Series debut at Gateway in July 2007. He was named Rookie of the Year in 2008.
In early February 2012, it was announced that Cassill would drive for Front Row Motorsports, in the Sprint Cup Series, but the deal fell through. Shortly afterwards, he started driving the No. 83 for BK Racing. He finished 31st in season points.
In the 2014 Cup season, he finished 12th at Daytona, and had his best career finish of 4th at Chicago.
On February 2, 2015, Snap Fitness returned to the No. 40 team for a second year, sponsoring the races at Daytona, Atlanta, the All-Star Showdown, Charlotte Motor Speedway, Michigan International Speedway, and Darlington. He ran very strongly at Daytona in July, but his underfunded car was involved in a massive crash on the last lap at the checkered flag, and he wound up 13th.
In 2016, Cassill joined Front Row Motorsports, driving the No. 38.
While his record is not too impressive, neither has been the quality of his equipment. While the 26 year old driver might not have set the racing world on fire with his finishes, he has certainly put his heart into it.
“Racing is all I know,” he said during a 2015 interview. “It's what I love and I don't ever think about life without driving a race car.”
Keep on, keeping on Landon. NASCAR needs a lot more drivers like you.
DOVER GETS $15-MILLION IN TV REVEUNUE PER RACE
Fans shouldn't feel sorry for those tracks that do not fill all of their seats at NASCAR races. If no one showed up, the amount of money received from television revenue would still allow them to turn a profit.
Dover Downs race track filed financial information with the Securities and Exchange Commission last week. The money Dover will get from the NASCAR television package will increase from 3.37 percent to 4.25 percent annually over the next five years. Dover will receive $30.7 million in television money for its two Sprint Cup weekends this season, and it will increase anywhere from $1.1 million to $1.4 million a year through 2020.
Now you might better understand why tracks and NASCAR don't panic when the stadiums are not filled.
NBC and Fox are taking care of them.
While the tracks might be taking money to the bank, television viewership is another story.
The 2016 Daytona and Atlanta races had less fans watching at home than in 2015, 2014, or 2013.
The Atlanta race scored its lowest rating since Fox acquired the television rights. Sunday's Sprint Cup race from Atlanta earned a 3.7 per cent overnight rating; down 27 per cent from last year and the lowest
overnight for the second race of the season since Fox began airing races in 2001.
Ratings for the Daytona 500 neared a record-low despite the closest finish in race history. This year's 500 was down 14 per cent from a year ago.
Weekend Racing: The Cup and Xfinity series' are at the 1-mile Phoenix International Raceway.
Sat., Mar. 12; Xfinity Series race 4 of 33; Starting time: 2:30 pm ET; TV: Fox.
Sun., Mar. 13; Sprint Cup Series race 1:30 pm ET; TV: Fox.
Racing Trivia Question: How many crew chiefs has Jimmie Johnson had in his Sprint Cup career at Hendrick Motorsports?
Last Week’s Question: What year did the Las Vegas Motor Speedway open? Answer.The first race was held March 1, 1998.
You may contact the Racing Reporter by e-mail at: hodges@race500.com.
Kendra Bendyk
WILKES-BARRE – Forest City found itself in two championship basketball games during February.
Whether the Lady Foresters needed clutch plays late or a jump start early, Kendra Bendyk delivered.
Bendyk guided Forest City through overtime in the Lackawanna League Division 4 all-season championship game and made sure the Lady Foresters took control early in the District 2 Class A final.
For her efforts in leading Forest City to a championship sweep, Bendyk is the latest Susquehanna County Transcript Athlete of the Month.
“It was pretty awesome winning our league, then coming in here and winning districts,” Bendyk said minutes after Forest City’s 40-29 victory over Lackawanna Trail in the district final at the Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza.
Forest City went 6-0 to win the first-half title in Division 4, but a single regular-season loss in the second half against Elk Lake meant the Lady Foresters wound up being pressed to the limit in producing their first title.
Elk Lake won a playoff with Forest City for the second-half title, forcing another game the next night, and a third game overall in four days for each team.
“We didn’t have it easy,” said Bendyk, a 5-foot-8 junior forward who led the team with more than 14 points per game on the season. “When we played Elk Lake, we played them one day after the other.”
It got even tougher from there when Forest City managed only two first-quarter points and had to fight just to get into overtime.
Bendyk led the comeback, hitting four 3-pointers in the middle two quarters and finishing with 23 points. She scored the only basket and four of her team’s five points during overtime to help pull out the 48-45 victory.
The Lady Foresters took the opposite approach in the district final, completing a three-game sweep of Lackawanna Trail and avoiding the need for a comeback that was part of the first two wins in that season series.
Bendyk opened the game with a 3-pointer, hit another for a 7-0 lead less than three minutes in and nailed a third for a 16-7 advantage at the quarter. After scoring 16 points in the first half to build a 25-12 lead, Bendyk did not take another shot from the floor and finished with 17 points.
“I have faith in my teammates to step up,” said Bendyk, whose scoring opportunities were taken away by a Lackawanna Trail box-and-one defense in the second half. “When defenses do that to me, I have faith in them that they’re going to go out there and score.”
Bendyk is also a three-year letter winner on the Forest City volleyball team where she was a starter the past two falls.
Kendra is the daughter of Joel and Patricia Bendyk from Pleasant Mount.
