Western Wayne girls basketball team comes up one win short of states

VARDEN — Western Wayne's girls basketball team has closed out yet another successful season, but thanks to a heartbreaking loss to Lake Lehman, came up one win short of a trip to the PIAA state tournament.

The Lady 'Cats amassed 15 wins on the year and put together a nice run at the District 2 tournament.

Sadly for local fans, though, Coach Mike Judge's girls saw their dreams of a trip to states dashed when Molly Jenkins hit a buzzer beater for Lake Lehman in the Class AAA consolation contest. The final score was 36-34.

“Unfortunately it just wasn't our night,” said the veteran skipper. “Our kids fought hard right down to the final buzzer, but we came up a little bit short.”

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With the loss, Western Wayne finished up the 2023-24 campaign with an overall record of 15-10.

“I'm very proud of this team,” Judge said. “They're a great group of kids. They worked really hard every day and always gave me everything they had during every game.”

Heartbreaking loss

Western Wayne put together a solid season in the always-rugged Lackawanna League.

The Lady 'Cats posted a 7-6 record in Division II, finishing second in the standings behind a 10-3 North Pocono squad.

That performance earned them a three seed at this year's district tournament. There, the Lady 'Cats notched a quarterfinal win over Wyoming Seminary before falling into the consolation bracket via a loss to Dunmore.

That left them facing a do-or-die situation against the Knights Thursday night at the venerable Varden Garden.

Lake Lehman entered the tournament seeded fifth and wound up in the third place game after a lopsided loss at the hands of eventual champion Holy Redeemer.

Emily Romanowski had the fans on their feet in the early going. The Lady 'Cat senior attacked the basket from all angles and played aggressive defense against the Knights' top scorer Ella Wilson.

Romanowski rattled the rims for a team-best 16 points on the strength of seven field goals and a 2-for-3 stint at the free throw line. She also carded eight steals, four assists and seven rebounds.

“Emily did a great job for us all season,” Judge said. “She stepped up as a leader in pretty much all phases of the game. Emily was our top scorer and really defended at a high level night-in and night-out.”

Western Wayne trailed 12-9 after one quarter and 19-17 at halftime. However, thanks in large part to big plays from Khloe Mistishin and Raegan Palmer, the Lady 'Cats took the lead late in regulation.

A sophomore forward, Mistishin powered her way to 10 points and eight boards in the post. She also provided non-stop hustle at both ends of the court.

“From Day 1, Khloe has worked extremely hard to get better,” Judge said. “She's young and a little bit undersized for her position, but she is tough and fearless out there.”

Palmer is a junior guard who runs the floor in transition, handles the ball well and can knock down the occasional big trey.

“Raegan has done a really good job embracing her role on the team,” Judge said. “She works hard to get to the basket and plays solid defense. Raegan always gives 100 percent every time she steps on the court.”

Palmer drained a three-pointer from the wing to pull Western Wayne within a point late in regulation. Romanowski then added an acrobatic basket in the lane to give the Lady 'Cats the lead.

Unfortunately for the big home crowd, Jenkins muscled her way to the game winner as time expired, ending Western Wayne's season in heartbreaking fashion.

Over and out

Kellogg and Pauler contributed key plays all season long, helping propel the Lady 'Cats into the district playoffs.

“Those two girls did everything we asked of them and more,” Judge said. “Brooke really provided us with a lot of leadership. She played with a ton of intensity and heart. Allie hit some really big shots for us this year. When she was confident, Allie was just deadly from the perimeter."

While Western Wayne will suffer key losses to graduation, Judge believes that the future looks bright for his Lady 'Cats next season and beyond.

“We have some great kids coming back,” he said. “Plus we have some strong young players on the JV team and in junior high. “I'm definitely looking forward to next year.”

This article originally appeared on Tri-County Independent: Western Wayne girls lose at the buzzer to Lake Lehman