The Hazleton Area Cougars will head out on the road to face off against the Dallas Mountaineers at 7:15 p.m. on Wednesday. Hazleton Area is coming into the game hot, having won their last 11 games.
Hazleton Area scored the most points they've had all season to find success on Monday. They put the hurt on Wyoming Valley West with a sharp 83-59 victory. Hazleton Area has made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won ten contests by 23 points or more this season.
Hazleton Area's success was spearheaded by the efforts of Sophia Shults, who dropped a double-double on 16 points and 12 rebounds, and Kaitlyn Bindas, who scored 25 points along with four steals. That's the first time this season that Shults pulled down eight or more rebounds. The team also got some help courtesy of Sophia Benyo, who scored 14 points along with seven rebounds.
Meanwhile, Dallas didn't have too much breathing room in their contest against Pittston on Thursday, but they still walked away with a 51-47 win. The victory made it back-to-back wins for Dallas.
Hazleton Area's victory was their fourth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 13-1. Those good results were due in large part to their offensive dominance across that stretch, as they averaged 71.8 points per game. As for Dallas, they now have a winning record of 3-2.
Hazleton Area suffered a grim 63-41 defeat to Dallas in their previous matchup back in February of 2023. Can Hazleton Area avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
