D2 GIRLS BASKETBALL: Scranton Prep wins another Class 4A title

Posted by author February 28, 2025 Basketball

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Scranton Prep’s Maeve Haggerty keeps the ball from Valley View’s Ava Gazoo during the PIAA District 2 Class 4A basketball championship game at the Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza in Wilkes-Barre Twp. Thursday, Feb. 27, 2025. (SEAN MCKEAG / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)

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WILKES-BARRE TWP. — For a seven-minute stretch of the third quarter Thursday night, Scranton Prep looked human. It missed 11 straight shots and committed a turnover, allowing Valley View to creep back into the District 2 Class 4A girls basketball final.

However, you can only contain the Classics for so long. They scored the final five points of the quarter to get the machine rolling again and pull away to a 62-36 victory over the Cougars at Mohegan Arena at Casey Plaza.

Jenna Hillebrand scored 21 points and Maya Jenkins added 15 points and five assists for Scranton Prep (23-1), which captured its third straight district title and seventh in eighth years.

“We might have fallen asleep a little bit and they took advantage of that. They’re a great team,” Hillebrand said. “We just had to not worry, not get anything in our heads, we still had it under control. We just had to assert ourselves again and we were able to do that.”

Cora Castellani and Maggie Pegula had 10 points apiece for Valley View (20-5). Three of its losses have been to the Classics.

“They’re such a good team. So efficient on offense, so many weapons that can score,” Valley View coach Rob Martin said. “For a couple minutes there, they didn’t make many shots. But it’s only a matter of time before they heat up. Credit to them. They just keep coming at you.”

Hitting six 3-pointers in the first half — two each by Dennebaum, Jenkins and Claire McGrath — Scranton Prep built a 31-12 halftime lead. McGrath opened the third quarter with a 3 to extend the advantage to 34-14 with 7:07 left.

But the Classics didn’t score again until 20.2 seconds were left in the third. In between, Valley View reeled off 12 straight points.

Castellani scored on a drive, then hit two free throws. Giada Costa sank a pair of foul shots, Castellani hit two more before Sadie Cardoni hit a shot from the left corner and Ava Gazoo a foul-line jumper to cut the deficit to 34-26 with 2:04 left and get their fans excited about a possible comeback.

Jenkins, though, righted things for Scranton Prep. She drove to the basket, scored, got fouled and completed the three-point play.

“We know Valley View is a great team, so we knew they were going to go on a little bit of a run,” Jenkins said. “Once we started getting rebounds and stops, we were able to run the floor a little more. One of my teammates just gave me a great pass in transition.”

Then, after a Valley View miss, McGrath fed Dennebaum for a basket in transition before the third-quarter buzzer to give the Classics a 39-26 lead heading to the fourth. Hillebrand opened the fourth with a 3-pointer and Jenkins scored off a feed from McGrath to boost the lead to 44-26 with 6:31 to play.

“Credit Valley View. They’re a proud group and have a great record for good reason,” Scranton Prep coach Bob Beviglia said. “We were able to withstand that. Jenkins made a huge play, going to the basket and getting fouled. Hillebrand made a three and we were able to breathe again.

“The key for us is when we were able to get out in transition, I didn’t think they really had answers for us. When it became a half-court game, we became a little stagnant and they hit some shots and we didn’t make some that we were making in the first half.”

A 3-pointer by Pegula with 4:58 left got Valley View within 46-31. The senior was a bright spot for the Cougars, going 4 of 5 from the field with two 3-pointers and grabbing six rebounds.

“All year long, Maggie Pegula has been our spark off the bench,” Martin said. “Today, she came to play. Her senior leadership, tough as nails, hustled and played defense. She just came out and gave 110 percent.”

Scranton Prep, though, put the game away with a 14-0 run. Hillebrand started it with a 3-pointer and a basket. Jenkins scored off a steal, Hillebrand had a fastbreak basket, Bella Dennebaum nailed a 3-pointer and Jenkins capped it with a runner in the lane to make it 60-31 with 2:29 remaining.

Beviglia was happy for his five seniors — Jenkins, Hillebrand, Dennebaum, McGrath and Ashlyn Moore — to go out with a third straight district title. They echoed their coach’s sentiment.

“It means the world to take this momentum into the state tournament and cap off our (district) careers off this way,” Jenkins said. “It means a lot.”

Added Hillebrand: “Being our senior year, we wanted this really bad. I don’t think we could have gone out in a better way.”

More still lies ahead as both teams are headed to the PIAA Class 4A tournament, which begins March 8. In the first round, Scranton Prep will face Delone Catholic (19-7), the No. 4 seed from District 3, who lost the third-place game Thursday to Northern Lebanon, 47-32. Valley View draws the District 11 runner-up, either Palmerton or Allentown Central Catholic. Those teams meet Saturday at 2 p.m. in their district final.