Mason Deakin led two big finishes and a strong start that carried first-half champion Susquehanna to the top of the second-half Lackawanna League Division 4 boys’ basketball standings.

Deakin combined for 48 points in a pair of wins last week.

Susquehanna moved into a tie for first place Feb. 6 with a 56-38 win over Elk Lake, then took over sole possession of the lead Friday night when it combined a 58-45 victory over Lackawanna Trail with Mountain View’s 41-36 loss to Montrose.

Deakin had 16 of his 21 points in the second half of the win over Elk Lake. The junior guard then scored 13 in the first quarter, before hitting his last six foul shots in an eight-point fourth quarter to finish with 27 in the victory over Lackawanna Trail.

Susquehanna improved to 13-8 overall, including 9-1 in Division 4 games, plus another win in a first-half division playoff. The Sabers swept the division games with defending champion Elk Lake after falling to the Warriors in the Community Foundation of the Endless Mountains Susquehanna County Christmas Tournament.

The Sabers took leads of 17-8 after one quarter, 27-14 at halftime and 47-23 after three quarters against Elk Lake.

Bryce Baldwin had 10 of his 14 points in the first quarter. Adam Rockwell scored five of his 10 in the second quarter. Eric Lee had six of his 11 in the third quarter when Deakin scored nine.

Rierdan Reyan had 21 points, but Susquehanna limited the rest of the Elk Lake team to five field goals.

Deakin hit two 3-pointers in the 13-point first quarter than got Susquehanna out to a 20-13 lead over Lackawanna Trail.

Baldwin finished with 14 points and Rockwell had 11.

The Sabers took a 44-40 lead into the fourth quarter then held the Lions to five points over the last eight minutes.

WEEK IN REVIEW

The Susquehanna girls remained perfect in Lackawanna League Division 4 basketball play heading into the final week of the season, pounding two opponents by more than 40 points.

Susquehanna handled Elk Lake, 64-21, Feb. 5, then routed Lackawanna Trail, 65-24.

Taylor Huyck led the way with 20 points, 7 steals and 3 blocked shots against Elk Lake. Mackenzie Steele added 11 points. Bethany Maby had nine points, nine rebounds and six assists. McKenzie Rhone grabbed a team-high 13 rebounds.

The Lady Sabers hit eight 3-pointers and placed four players in double figures in scoring against Lackawanna Trail.

Maby and Steele had 12 points each while Huyck and Mackenzie Heath had 11 against Lackawanna Trail.

The Lady Sabers used a 21-2 second quarter to open a 33-8 halftime lead.

Both Montrose teams finished the week 4-1 and in second place in the second-half standings. The Meteors finished in a first-place tie before losing a playoff to Susquehanna in the first half and the Lady Meteors placed third in the first-half standings.

COLLEGE CORNER

Zach Mead, a freshman distance runner from Montrose, is part of the first track and field team at the University of Scranton.

The Royals made their debut in the sport with their first indoor meet in December.

Mead finished 15th out of 42 runners in the mile Feb. 3 at the Susquehanna University Challenge. He was fifth out of 10 in his heat with a time of 4:38.66.

THE WEEK AHEAD

The Lackawanna League basketball schedule comes to a conclusion this week with girls’ play wrapping up Wednesday and boys’ action finishing Thursday. If playoffs are needed, they will likely be held on the weekend.

Depending on the results of Monday and Tuesday games, Susquehanna teams could be in position to wrap up all-season titles. The Lady Sabers are home Wednesday against defending champion Forest City. The Sabers finish at Forest City Thursday.

FURTHER AHEAD

District 2 has set the schedule for its third set of basketball championship games to be held at the Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza in Wilkes-Barre Twp.

There will be two or three games played Thursday, March 1, followed by three or four on March 2, then five on March 3.

A year ago, both Susquehanna teams won District 2 Class A titles in games that opened the daily schedules at the Mohegan Sun Arena.

However, the participation of those teams in the District 2-11 Subregional makes it uncertain whether the schedule for the District 2 game can fit.

If it is being played at the arena, the Class A girls championship between Susquehanna and Forest City will open the schedule March 1 at 4 p.m.

The games that are definite for March 1 are Class 4A girls at 6 p.m. and Class 3A boys at 8. Montrose is part of the Class 3A boys field, but it would take upsets for the Meteors to end up at the arena.

As the only Class A boys teams in District 2, Susquehanna and MMI Prep will again play for the title. If that game fits the arena plans, it will be the opener of the March 2 schedule at 2 p.m.

The remaining games on March 2 are Class 2A girls at 4, Class 6A girls at 6 and Class 5A boys at 8. Mountain View, Elk Lake and winless Blue Ridge are 2A girls teams that will be trying to advance to the arena.

The March 3 schedule is set with Class 3A girls starting the action at noon, followed by Class 2A boys at 2 p.m., Class 4A boys at 4, Class 5A girls at 6 and Class 6A boys at 8. Montrose will be part of a strong field in Class 3A girls. Based on ratings used for the seeding race, Elk Lake appears to have a strong chance of returning to the arena in Class 2A boys where Mountain View, Forest City and Blue Ridge will also be part of the field.

The Class A games were part of the arena schedule last year because the Susquehanna and Forest City girls met in the subregional semifinal that also served as a district championship game and the Susquehanna boys had already been eliminated from the subregional. Both scenarios made it possible for those games to fit in with the other District 2 finals at the arena.

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.

Keselowski And Fords Sweep “THE Clash”

Keselowski and Fords Sweep "The Clash"

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla.--Michael Waltrip said Fords will be the car to beat this year. If' the Ford domination in last Sunday's NASCAR Clash is an indication of their power and speed, then it will be a long year for the other manufacturer's.

Brad Keselowski won the 75-lap non-points race in his No. 2 Penske Ford, with his teammate Joey Logano, a close second. Kurt Busch was third in a Stewart-Haas Ford, while Ryan Blaney came home fourth in a third Penske Ford.

Overall, Fords led 49 laps, with Keselowski leading 43.

Keselowski started the race from the tail end of the field, but gradually worked his way forward.

“What a way to start the season,” said Keselowski. “It was a great race. The guys gave me a really great car. They made a couple adjustments, and if I hadn't won, we would all have been disappointed.”

Joey Logano, who finished second attempted to pass his teammate during the last lap, but was blocked by Keselowski.

“I don't know if I could have passed Brad or not,” said Logano. “I made a move there at the end, but it didn't work out.”

Kurt Busch, driver of the No. 41 SHR Ford was third.

Ryan Blaney, driver of the No. 12 for Penske Racing was running second with two laps to go. He dropped down to go under Keselowski, but no one followed him. He lost a position and was lucky to finish fourth.

Austin Dillon, Denny Hamlin, Kyle Busch, Erik Jones, Kevin Harvick, and Kyle Larson were the remaining top-10 finishers.

For the seventh year in a row Jimmie Johnson failed to finish the Clash. He was bumped from the rear by Kyle Larson on the last lap, and sent spinning into the wall. There were three other drivers caught up in the accident, Kyle Busch, Kasey Kahne, and Martin Truex Jr. Only Kyle Busch was able to finish the race.

Meanwhile Alex Bowman, who took over Dale Earnhardt Jr's. Ride in the No. 88 Hendrick Chevrolet won the pole for Sunday's Daytona 500.

In his first official season as the full-time driver of the No. 88, Bowman sped around the 2.5-mile speedway in 46.002 seconds, a time that translated to an average speed of 195.644 mph.

Bowman knew from the outset he had a car capable of winning the pole. The pressure was squarely on his shoulders to fulfill the potential of his equipment.

“It was a little nerve-wracking,” said Bowman, who won his second career pole in his last three Cup Series starts, dating back to November 2016 at Phoenix, where he was subbing for an injured Earnhardt. “All the guys back at the chassis shop, body shop, and the Hendrick engine shop have been top-notch. They’ve all worked so hard. And we knew we were going for the pole. That’s what we’re here to do.”

Under a format in which the only the two front-row qualifiers are locked into their starting positions for the 500, Bowman topped second-place Denny Hamlin, the 2016 Daytona 500 winner, who covered the distance in 46.132 seconds (195.092 mph).

The remainder of the starting spots will be determined by the two Can-Am Duel races on Thursday.

DRIVER CHANGES for 2018

The following drivers have switched teams for 2018.

Aric Almirola: 2017 team: Richard Petty Motorsports No. 43. 2018 team: Stewart-Haas Racing No. 10.

Ryan Blaney: 2017 team: Wood Brothers Racing No. 21. 2018 team: Team Penske No. 12.

Alex Bowman: 2017 team: Substitute and test driver. 2018 team: Hendrick Motorsports No. 88.

William Byron: 2017 team: JR Motorsports Xfinity Series No. 9. 2018 team: Hendrick Motorsports No. 24 Cup.

Jeffrey Earnhardt: 2017 team: Circle Sport-TMG No. 33. 2018 team: StarCom Racing No. 00.

Erik Jones: 2017 team: Furniture Row Racing No. 77. 2018 team: Joe Gibbs Racing No. 20.

Kasey Kahne: 2017 team: Hendrick Motorsports No. 5. 2018 team: Leavine Family Racing No. 95.

Corey LaJoie: 2017 team: BK Racing No. 23. 2018 team: TriStar Motorsports No. 72.

Michael McDowell: 2017 team: Leavine Family Racing No. 95. 2018 team: Front Row Motorsports No. 34.

Paul Menard: 2017 team:  Richard Childress Racing No. 27. 2018 team: Wood Brothers Racing No. 21.

Danica Patrick: 2017 team: Stewart-Haas Racing No. 10. 2018 team (Daytona 500 only): Premium Motorsports No. 7.

Darrell Wallace Jr.: 2017 team: Roush Fenway Racing Xfinity No. 6. 2018 team: Richard Petty Motorsports No. 43. 

Meanwhile NASCAR announced they will no longer park a driver for the remainder of an event if a team has too many crewmembers over the wall doing repairs on a crashed vehicle.

The penalty, which pretty much knocked Matt Kenseth out of playoff contention at Kansas last year, when a team miscommunication had an extra person go over the wall while the car was under the damaged vehicle policy, has been changed from parking the car to a two-lap hold.

Teams can also adjust the amount of time a crew can spend working on the car, increasing the limit from five minutes to six minutes. One of the reasons for the change is that teams will be limited to five crew members over the wall this year instead of six.

Racing Joke: A ten-year old boy was at the center of a North Carolina courtroom drama last week when he challenged a court ruling over who should have custody of him.
The boy has a history of being beaten by his parents and the judge initially awarded custody to his aunt, in keeping with child custody law and regulations requiring that family unity be maintained to the highest degree possible.
The boy surprised the court when he proclaimed that his aunt beat him more than his parents and he adamantly refused to live with her.
When the judge then suggested that he live with his grandparents, the boy cried and said that they also beat him.
After considering the remainder of the immediate family and learning that domestic violence was apparently a way of life among them, the judge took the unprecedented step of allowing the boy to propose who should have custody of him.
After two recesses to check legal references and confer with the Child Welfare officials, the judge granted temporary custody to Danica Patrick, whom the boy firmly believes is not capable of beating anyone.

Weekend Racing: This weekend's racing marks the opening of NASCAR's 2018 regular season. There will be daily racing starting on Thursday and culminating on Sunday with the 60th Daytona 500.

Thursday: Can-Am Cup Duels (Two races to determine the remainder of the Daytona 500 starting grid); Starting time: 7 pm ET; TV: Foxsports1.

Friday: Truck Series race 1 of 23; Starting time: 7:30 pm ET; TV: FS1.

Saturday: Xfinity Series race 1 of 33; Starting time: 2:30 pm ET; TV: FS1.

Sunday: Daytona 500 race 1 of 36; Starting time: 2:30 pm ET; TV: Fox.

Racing Trivia Question: Who is currently the oldest Cup Series driver?

Last Week's Question: Which driver has the most wins at Daytona? Answer. Richard Petty leads all drivers with 10 wins.

Gerald Hodges is a syndicated NASCAR writer and author. You may contact him by e-mail at: hodges@race500.com.

Race  Date Day         Location                      Network     Start time

1.    2/16  Fri   Daytona Int'l. Speedway                   FoxSports1  7:30 pm

2.    2/24  Sat.  Atlanta Motor Speedway              FS1         4:30 pm

3.    3/2   Fri. Las Vegas Motor Speedway                  FS1         9:00 pm

4.    3/24  Sat.  Martinsville Speedway                     FS1         2 pm

5.    5/4   Fri.  Dover Speedway                      FS1         5 pm

6.    5/11  Fri.  Kansas Speedway                     FS1         8:30 pm

7.    5/18  Fri.  Charlotte Motor Speedway                  FS1         8:30 pm

8.    6/8   Fri.  Texas Motor Speedway                      FS1         9 pm

9.    6/16  Sat.  Iowa Speedway                             FS1         7 pm

10.   6/23  Sat.  Gateway Motorsports Park                  FS1         8:30 pm

11.   6/29  Fri.  Chicagoland Speedway                      FS1         9 pm

12.   7/12  Thurs.      Kentucky Speedway                   FS1         7:30 pm

13.   7/18  Wed.  Eldora Speedway                     FS1         9 pm

14.   7/28  Sat.  Pocono Raceway                      FS1         1 pm

15.   8/11  Sat.  Michigan Int'l. Speedway                  FS1         1 pm

16.   8/15  Wed.  Bristol Motor Speedway                    FS1         8:30 pm

17.   8/26  Sun.  Canadian Tire Motorsports Park                  FS1         2:30 pm

18.   9/14  Fri.  Las Vegas Motor Speedway                  FS1         9 pm

19.   10/13 Sat.  Talladega Superspeedway             Fox         1 pm

20.   10/27 Sat.  Martinsville Speedway                     FS1         1 pm

21.   11/2  Fri. Texas Motor Speedway                      FS1         8:30 pm

22.   11/9  Fri.  Phoenix, Arizona                    FS1         8:30 pm

23.   11/16 Fri.  Homestead, Fla.                           FS1         8 pm

All times are Eastern

Taylor Huyck has turned the double-double into a frequent occurrence

Huyck reached double figures in both scoring and rebounding in six of the Susquehanna girls’ basketball team’s 10 games during January.

With Huyck leading the way, the Lady Sabers went 9-1 overall during January and won the first-half title in Division 4 of the Lackawanna League where they were still perfect entering this, the final week of the regular season.

For her efforts, Huyck is a Susquehanna County Transcript Athlete of the Month for the second straight year. She is a month ahead of schedule after earning honors in February a year ago.

“Taylor is really the engine that drives us,” Susquehanna coach Errol Mannick said. “When we need something to happen, we can always count on her to make something happen.”

The sophomore is an athletic, all-around player who has increased her scoring output to 16.5 points per game during league play.

“She’s really starting to shoot without hesitation and run the break superbly,” Mannick said. “Plus, her offensive and defensive rebounds are a major factor in our success.”

Huyck averaged 16.2 points, 9.6 rebounds, 3.1 steals, 1.6 assists and 1.4 blocked shots during January. On the season, she has helped the Lady Sabers go 16-3 by contributing 15.0 points, 8.6 rebounds, 3.3 steals, 1.6 assists and 1.2 blocked shots.

Susquehanna is on a 12-game winning streak since the only January loss, in a non-league game when the defending District 2 Class A champions moved up to test themselves against Nanticoke, the defending District 2 Class 4A champions who are both the defending champion and current leader in Division 2 of the Wyoming Valley Conference.

“We’re running the floor,” Huyck said of the team’s success. “And, I think it’s mostly that we’re working as a team and everyone’s involved.”

Much of the young team has remained together – and still has time ahead in the future – after breaking through last season with a first-half divisional title and first-ever championships in District 2 and in the state tournament.

“We go into every game trying to play our hardest,” Huyck said.

Huyck has been a big part of both the accomplishments to date and possibilities of new achievements in the future.

“She’s a great kid, really easy to coach, because she’s always looking to improve and make our team better,” Mannick said.

Huyck is a three-sport athlete, showing her versatility as a runner as one of the team leaders running distances in the fall in cross country, then as a sprinter on the track team in the spring.

Taylor is the daughter of Wayne and Stacy Huyck from Susquehanna.