The Hazleton Area Cougars waltzed into their matchup Monday with eight straight wins but they left with nine. They walked away with a 58-51 victory over Crestwood. Given Hazleton Area's advantage in MaxPreps' Pennsylvania basketball rankings (they are ranked 14th, while Crestwood is ranked 279th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Hazleton Area got their win on the backs of several key players, but it was Kayla Lagowy out in front who scored 12 points along with six rebounds. Lagowy is absolutely dominating the steal category: she's posted at least two every time she's taken the court this season. Sophia Benyo was another key contributor, dropping a double-double on ten points and 12 rebounds.
Hazleton Area's win was their third straight at home, which pushed their record up to 11-1. Those good results were due in large part to their offensive dominance across that stretch, as they averaged 68.0 points per game. As for Crestwood, they are on a four-game losing streak that has dropped them down to 1-4.
Hazleton Area will head out on the road to face off against Wilkes-Barre at 7:15 p.m. on Thursday. As for Crestwood, they will be playing in front of their home fans against Berwick at 7:15 p.m. on Thursday. Berwick is coming into the contest on a three-game losing streak.
