CARBONDALE – Susquehanna looked inside to find a way to win a Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association boys’ basketball state tournament game for the first time since 1999.
Bryce Baldwin scored 23 points and Eric Lee grabbed 11 rebounds as the Sabers dominated in the paint to withstand a series of charges by Conestoga Christian while winning, 58-54, Friday night at Carbondale Area High School’s Peter Turonis Memorial Gymnasium.
The Sabers improved to 4-10 in state play in school history. The other three wins all came in the 1999 run to the state semifinals.
“We had a game plan today where Bryce Baldwin, Eric Lee, C.J. Stone and Brock Blodgett needed to have at least 35 points,” Susquehanna coach Lawrence Tompkins said of his frontcourt, which combined for 44 points and 24 rebounds.
Conestoga Christian had two hot stretches from 3-point range, hitting three of four in a 24-point second quarter then making four in a row in a fourth-quarter comeback.
“Their guys just started making a lot of shots,” said senior Travis Craig, who took over at point guard and helped make sure the ball got where it needed to go. “There are a lot of good shooters on that team that were making shots that were contested.
“We just had to slow it down and run our offense.”
The Sabers controlled the glass and the lane in every measurable way.
They dominated the boards early on the way to a 38-20 rebounding advantage. The first 10 rebounds of the second half pushed the advantage to 28-10 at that point.
Susquehanna outscored Conestoga Christian, 34-21, in the paint, including, 15-2, on points off offensive rebounds.
The Sabers finally went ahead to stay when Baldwin scored on a rebound of a blocked shot with 1:02 left for a 56-54 lead.
Stone and Craig each hit one of two free throws in the final 10.9 seconds to move the Sabers into Tuesday’s scheduled second round game against Lancaster Country Day at Hazleton Area High School.
“We did make some mistakes, but we got through it,” said Stone, who finished with 13 points.
Stone moved into the starting lineup as part of the adjustment when the Sabers played two straight games without leading scorer and all-star point guard Mason Deakin, who was academically ineligible.
The first time with the new lineup on just one practice was disastrous for the Sabers, who did not hit the 20-point mark until the final shot of a District 2 championship game loss just five days earlier at the Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza.
Given four days to prepare this time, the Sabers looked like a different team.
“I challenged our team on Monday,” Tompkins said. “I challenged every single guy standing in that gym. I told them, ‘you’re the Division 4 champions; you’re the subregional champions; 18 of the 19 guys from that team are in this gym’.”
The Sabers played like champions against a team that hit 10 times from 3-point range in 23 attempts (43.5 percent).
“Coming into this game, we knew we had the ability and talent to get it done,” said Adam Rockwell, who hit two 3-pointers while contributing eight points and three assists.
Scoring points three at a time allowed the Cougars to turn it into a game of streaks.
“We’d lose the momentum, then just come right back at them with something better,” Lee said.
Lee also had eight points and three assists to go along with his 11 rebounds.
Baldwin went 6-for-8 from the floor in the first half and grabbed 9 rebounds.
“We came in well-prepared knowing exactly what they were going to do,” Baldwin said of the way the Sabers worked the ball through the Cougars zone. “We’ve tried to run that high-low a lot this year and it’s been really successful for us.”
Craig made sure the offense ran smoothly after a brief batch of sloppiness during the second quarter. The Sabers committed just five turnovers in the second half.
“That game (March 4) was a rough one and we knew without Mason this week, we’d really have to prep,” said Craig, whose emphasis is usually on the defensive end where he generally draws the toughest assignment. “The coaches this week made sure we were really prepared for the game.
“It feels good to come through, especially without one of our key guys.”
Craig got the Sabers through the stretch run. His defensive intensity forced a late turnover and he grabbed two defensive rebounds, one leading to his clinching free throw with 2.6 seconds left, in the final minute.
“I just knew that someone had to get them,” said Craig, who grabbed six of his seven rebounds on the defensive end and led the team with five assists. “Whoever goes the hardest is going to get them late in the game.”
Susquehanna looked ready to blow the game open early, answering Conestoga Christian’s game-opening basket with 11 straight points.
The Sabers got a put-back from Baldwin to finish the first quarter, then the first of three Stone 3-pointers and a Lee basket off a steal to open the second quarter and take an 18-5 lead.
The Cougars moved back in front with a 16-2 run fueled by a 3-pointer and two three-point plays, then took the lead three more times before halftime, twice on 3-pointers.
Anthony Dolfini gave the Sabers a lift by coming off the bench to a hit a 3-pointer of his own from the left corner with one second left for a 31-29 lead.
“Our team is full of really good players,” Tompkins said. “We’ve had moments this year where every single guy of our top seven or eight players has had big moments.
“Anthony Dolfini hit a really big shot there.”
Susquehanna opened a pair of eight-point leads in the third quarter, but three 3-pointers put Conestoga Christian back in front.
Stone’s spin move in the lane with 4:17 left erased the last deficit and Susquehanna allowed just two baskets in the final 5:10 to close with a 13-6 flurry.
The state win came two seasons after the Sabers won one game all season, going 1-22.
“Two years ago, we kind of felt like this group of seniors and juniors had what it took,” Tompkins said. “They put a lot of time and effort in.”
WEEK IN REVIEW
Lydia Ofalt placed fifth in the 100-yard breaststroke in 1:11.99 and was part of a sixth-place finish in the 200 freestyle relay when Elk Lake placed seventh in the girls’ standings at the District 2 Swimming Championships March 3 and 5 at the Wyoming Valley Catholic Youth Center in Wilkes-Barre.
Megan Bosscher, Lizzy Lyden and Sam Hunsinger joined Ofalt on the medal-winning relay.
Elk Lake scored 53 points.
Dallas outscored Wyoming Seminary, 268-255, for the title.
In boys’ swimming, Elk Lake finished sixth with 98 points.
Dallas beat out Tunkhannock, 269-196, for the championship.
Kale Decker finished sixth in the 500 freestyle in 5:17.26 and was part of two medal-winning relay teams.
Decker led off the 400 freestyle relay that took third in 3:45.16 with help from Zach Grosvenor, Noah Staff and Nathan Grosvenor.
Elk Lake was fourth in the 200 freestyle relay with the team of Decker, Staff, Justin Grosvenor and Nathan Grosvenor.
In wrestling, Scranton’s Willy Evanitsky gave the Lackawanna League its first state champion since 2010 by winning the Class 3A title at 152 pounds.
The Lackawanna League had five medalists, including Scranton Prep’s Ivan Balavage in fourth at 195 pounds in Class 2A.
The others: Jacob Burgette, Scranton, fifth, 3A, 160 pounds; Owen Hivner, Lackawanna Trail, seventh, 2A, 170 pounds; Cole Fuller, Western Wayne, seventh, 2A, 220 pounds.
In basketball, the first round of the state tournament was a success for Lackawanna League teams, which went 9-1, including 5-0 in boys’ games.
Abington Heights (Class 5A), Scranton Prep (4A), Valley View (4A) and Holy Cross (2A) joined Susquehanna as the boys’ winners. Abington Heights (5A), Scranton Prep (4A), Dunmore (3A) and Old Forge (2A) won in girls’ games where Mid Valley (2A) suffered the only loss.
COLLEGE CORNER
Allison Lewis, a senior from Montrose, helped West Chester University win the 4x800-meter relay title at the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Indoor Track and Field Championships with a time of 9:24.68.
Lewis was third in the 800 meters in 2:16.61 and also ran on the sixth-place 4x400-meter relay team.
Kenzie Jones, a Mansfield University junior from Elk Lake, was fourth in the mile in 5:09.97. She also took seventh at 3000 meters.
Chris Carlsen, a Mansfield senior from Blue Ridge, was 11th in the men’s triple jump.
Colin Mondi, a Shippensburg University freshman from Montrose, was 13th in the heptathlon.
THE WEEK AHEAD
The state basketball quarterfinals are scheduled for Friday.
If Susquehanna made it through the second round, scheduled for Tuesday, the Sabers would play the winner of the game between District 4 champion Shamokin Lourdes Regional (23-4) and District 12 champion Sankofa Freedom (18-7).
In high school swimming, the PIAA Championships are set for Bucknell University with the Class 2A competition set for Friday and Saturday.
FURTHER AHEAD
Home and away designations have been added to the football schedules that were previously set for the fall.
Susquehanna’s current schedule stands as: Aug. 25, GAR; Sept. 1, LACKAWANNA TRAIL; Sept. 7, at Old Forge; Sept. 15, MID VALLEY; Sept. 21, at Montrose; Sept. 29, at Meyers; Oct. 6, HOLY CROSS; Oct. 12, at Dunmore; Oct. 19, at Carbondale; Oct. 27, RIVERSIDE. One of the Sabers’ home games is likely to be moved up from Saturday afternoon to a Friday night game under temporary lights.
Montrose’s schedule is: Aug. 24, WYALUSING; Sept. 1, at Holy Cross; Sept. 7, LACKAWANNA TRAIL; Sept. 14, at Meyers; Sept. 21, SUSQUEHANNA; Sept. 28, at Carbondale; Oct. 5, DUNMORE; Oct. 12, HONESDALE; Oct. 19, at Riverside; Oct. 26, at Old Forge.
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.
Harvick Gets Third Win
Harvick Gets Third Win (Furnished by NASCAR)
PHOENIX, Ariz.--Kevin Harvick and his No. 4 Stewart Haas Racing team are off to a fabulous start. His win this past Sunday at Phoenix, means he has won three of the first four Cup Series races of the season.
And he has won all three in a convincing and dominated style. He led the most laps at Atlanta and Las Vegas, and while he didn't lead the most laps at Phoenix, all the other drivers in the garage knew beforehand, he was the driver they would have to reckon with.
He took the lead for the last time after a round of green flag pit stops on lap 290 and led the remaining 22 laps of the 312-lap race.
“I've been mad as all get-out about what happened last week,” Harvick said in victory lane.
Harvick was referring to penalties assessed his team by NASCAR after the Vegas win. His team was penalized for two car violations.
NASCAR found a rear-window malfunction and a problem with the right side rocker panel.
Harvick lost seven playoff points, crew chief Rodney Childers was fined $50,000, and car chief Robert "Cheddar" Smith was suspended for two races for the violation. The team was also docked 20 points and 20 owner points.
Childers said Harvick's Ford had a rear window brace fail, leading to a malfunctioning roof with an ominous shape some thought could have created an aerodynamically competitive advantage. He said the problem wouldn't aid the team at all.
NASCAR found in the teardown of the No. 4 car that the brace that supports the rear window failed and did not meet specifications for keeping the rear window glass rigid in all directions, at all times.
“This is a great team that works hard, and for them to do what they did to us last week is a slap in the face,” continued Harvick.
“Here we are back in victory lane again. It just goes to show what we're really about. The team could have gotten down after that deal, but they didn't. We held our head high, worked hard, and we're back again.”
Harvick ran near the front for most of the race, but it wasn't until near the end, that he was able to show his team's speed and power. Runner-up Kyle Busch, who led the most laps (128) tried to run him down for the last 25-30 laps, but at the end, he was still over a second behind.
“We couldn't have done anything different than we did preparing for this race,” said Busch. “We knew before the race started that the 4-car was the one to beat. I'm happy and surprised that we were able to finish where we did. We didn’t have a second-place car yesterday, so Adam (Stevens, crew chief) and the guys did a phenomenal job overnight of making some adjustments to this thing and getting it where we needed it in order to have a fast race car to keep up with the 4. Through much of the race today I actually managed to out-race the 4 and beat him. There with the 11 (Denny Hamlin), when the 11 was holding up the 4, I had an opportunity to get to his outside and make a three-way battle for the lead and take the 4 before the 4 got clear of traffic. Once the 4 gets clear of traffic and gets in his own air, it’s hard to beat that guy. I was trying to count on that happening again with the 9 (Chase Elliott), hoping that the 9 would hold him up just long enough for me to get there. I was rushing to get there, and I feel like I burned my stuff up by doing that, but once the 4 got out front, he was in his own air and just picking off traffic. There was nothing I could do with that, he was too fast to beat. I felt like if we were in his shoes and it was the other way around, we probably would have been the same way.”
Chase Elliott had a good run in the No. 9 Hendrick Chevrolet, finishing third.
“We had a good car, but we weren't able to hold off Kevin,” said Elliott.
Denny Hamlin, Martin Truex Jr., Clent Bowyer, Aric Almirola, Daniel Suarez, Erik Jones, and Kurt Busch rounded out the top-10.
Kyle Larson spun out on lap 107 after fighting a loose-handling car for most of the race.
Paul Menard lost control of his car about midways of the race and hit the outside wall.
Top-10 leaders after 4 of 36: 1. Harvick-168, 2. Kyle Busch-158, 3. Truex-156, 4. Logano-152, 5. Blaney-152, 6. Hamlin-137, 7. Keselowski-134, 8. Larson-131, 9. Bowyer-1125, 10. Almirola-123.
KESELOWSKI IS XFINITY WINNER
Brad Keselowski won Saturday's Xfinity Series race at Phoenix, ahead of Justin Allgaier, Kyle Busch, Christopher Bell, Jamie McMurray, Daniel Hemric, Matt Tifft, Cole Custer, Elliott Sadler, and Tyler Reddick.
Top-10 leaders after 4 of 33: 1. Sadler-151, 2. Reddick-150, 3. Allgaier-144, 4. Bell-143, 5. Hemric-130, 6. Gallagher-117, 7. B. Jones-115, 8. R. Truex-114, 9. Reed-107, 10. Tifft-103.
NASCAR 2019 HOF NOMINATIONS
NASCAR announced the 20 nominees for the NASCAR Hall of Fame's Class of 2019. They are: Davey Allison, won 19 times; Buddy Baker, won 19 times; Red Farmer, three-time Late Model Sportsman champion and1956 Modified champion; Ray Fox, legendary engine builder, crew chief and car owner; Harry Gant, winner of 18 races; Joe Gibbs, nine car owner championships; Jeff Gordon, four-time champion and winner of 93 NASCAR premier series races; John Holman, won two NASCAR premier series championships; Harry Hyde, 1970 championship crew chief; Alan Kulwicki, 1992 NASCAR champion; Bobby Labonte, two-time champion; Hershel McGriff, 1986 NASCAR West series champion; Ralph Moody, won two NASCAR premier series championships; Roger Penske, had four car owner championships; Larry Phillips, five-time NASCAR weekly series national champion; Jack Roush, five-time car owner champion; Ricky Rudd, won 23 times; Kirk Shelmerdine, winner of four NASCAR premier series championships as a crew chief; Mike Stefanik, winner of record-tying nine NASCAR championships; Waddell Wilson, won three championships as an engine builder.
Racing Joke of the Week: Clent Bowyer and Kurt Busch are changing clothes in the locker room. Clent takes off his driving uniform. He is wearing a bra and a lace garter belt.
“My gosh,” exclaims Kurt, “When did you start wearing women's underwear?”
“Ever since my wife found them in my glove compartment,” replied Clent.
Weekend Racing: The Cup and Xfinity teams will be at the 1.5-mile Fontana, California Speedway, which held its first race in 1997.
Sat., Mar. 17; Xfinity Series race 5 of 33; Starting time: 5 pm ET; TV: FoxSports1.
Sun., Mar. 18; Cup Series race 5 of 36; Starting time: 3:30 pm ET; TV: Fox.
Racing Trivia Question: What year did NASCAR hold the first race at Martinsville, VA?
Last Week's Question: How did Richard Childress break into NASCAR racing as a team owner? Answer. The rough track at Talladega in 1969 prior to the inaugural Cup race was a major concern to drivers. They wanted to postpone the race to wait for safer tires to be developed that could handle the surface, but officials refused. Most of the drivers loaded up their cars and went home. The first official drivers boycott in NASCAR history, led by Richard Petty had become a reality.
In order to fill the field for Sunday's big race, Bill France Sr. allowed the Xfinity drivers to race in it. Richard Childress, who drove an Xfinity Series car in the Saturday race was one of the drivers that elected to run it. Even though he finished 23rd in the event, his decision to support NASCAR gained him favor with the sanctioning body, and doors opened for him. He eventually formed his own Cup team, first as a driver then as a car owner. Dale Earnhardt Sr. first drove for him in 1982. He left in 1983, but returned a year later, and from then on the duo of Earnhardt and Childress was one of the most successful in NASCAR history.
Gerald Hodges is a syndicated NASCAR writer and author. You may contact him by e-mail at: hodges@race500.com.
Mason Deakin (Susquehanna Boys’ Basketball)
The Susquehanna boys’ basketball team began picking off its ambitious goals in February, winning its first Lackawanna League Division 4 championship and qualifying for a return to the state playoffs for the first time in six years.
Junior point guard Mason Deakin, the team leader throughout the season, increased his production during a perfect month in which the Sabers won all seven games they played, including the District 2-11 Class A Subregional semifinal.
For his efforts, Deakin has been selected as the Susquehanna County Transcript Athlete of the Month for February.
Deakin averaged 20 points, 5.4 assists, 5 rebounds and 2 steals for February. That pushed his season numbers to 16 points, 5 assists, 4 rebounds and 2 steals going into an anticipated return to the lineup Tuesday when the Sabers were scheduled to play in the second round of the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association state tournament for just the second time in school history.
“Going into the season, we all set three different goals before we ever started playing basketball,” Deakin said. “Those goals were to win the division, go to the subregional and win that and have a state playoff berth.
“Obviously, we accomplished all three of those goals, but when we went into the season, we never underestimated a team.”
The Sabers reached all those goals, just two years after many of the current players struggled together through a 1-22 season as a young lineup.
“We weren’t too confident or cocky,” said Deakin, who began March with a 31-point effort in the subregional championship game win. “But, we knew what we were capable of.”
Deakin showed those capabilities as a sophomore when he earned first-team Lackawanna Division 4 all-star honors in voting done by the division coaches.
A point guard from the time he started playing any organized basketball in fifth grade, Deakin started with the required ballhandling skills. While honing those through the years, he has also developed into a stronger scorer, both with the ability to hit outside shots and to take the ball to the basket.
“Growing up, I guess I developed more of a mentality that I’m going to go to the rim harder and I’m going to finish through some contact,” Deakin said. “When I’m coming up the floor and I see a one-on-one situation, I attack.”
Deakin is a three-sport athlete at Susquehanna.
After seeing some playing time as a sophomore as a wide receiver, defensive back and kick returner, Deakin moved into the starting football lineup as a junior and earned honorable mention on the NEPAFootball.com all-star team as an offensive athlete. He led the Sabers in receiving, punting, interceptions, and defensive touchdowns, tied for the lead in fumble recoveries and passes broken up and was second on the team in kicking points and overall scoring.
In track season, Deakin competed in the long and triple jump and as a sprinter on the 400-meter relay team as a sophomore. He medaled with a sixth-place finish in the long jump at the District 2 Class 2A Championships.
Deakin, the son of Diana Payne and John Dininny, lives in Susquehanna.
