WILKES-BARRE TWP. — Hazleton Area took the ball away.

Then, the Cougars kept it.

By the end of the first quarter, Hazleton Area had turned all its possession time into a 21-point advantage on the way to pounding Scranton 67-30 in the District 2 Class 6A girls basketball championship game Friday night at Mohegan Arena.

Hazleton Area forced nine first-quarter turnovers, many resulting in easy baskets. The first seven times the Cougars missed, they got the ball back six times.

The extra chances added up to a 16-0 start and a 23-2 lead after one quarter.

“We caught them early,” Cougars coach Joe Gavio said after his team’s third straight title and seventh in a record-tying 10 trips to the arena. “That was the key.

“We didn’t give them a chance.”

Scranton improved from there, but the Knights never got closer than 19 again.

Kaitlyn Bindas led the Hazleton Area offense with 24 points despite being done for the night well before the third quarter ended. She was 10-for-15 from the floor, including 3-for-6 on 3-pointers.

“We all played together, played as a team and came out strong,” Bindas said.

Sophia Benyo did a little bit of everything early and finished with 11 points, eight rebounds, six assists and five steals.

“I know I have to get the rebounds and pass to my teammates when they’re open,” Benyo said.

Alexis Reimold also scored 11 points and grabbed five of her six rebounds on the offensive end.

The pace at which the Cougars earned additional shots slowed somewhat, but they were prominent again in a 9-0 run in the middle of the second quarter for a 36-8 lead.

Reimold hit both free throws after an offensive rebound, then chased down her own mid-court deflection for a steal and three-point play to account for the last five points.

Scranton’s final bright spot was forcing Hazleton Area coach Joe Gavio to call a timeout in the first minute of the second half. The Knights scored six straight points, including a Chrissy Jacklinski 3-pointers to end the half. Jacklinski had five points in the streak.

The Cougars responded to the brief talk with their coach.

Bindas scored five points in the next 29 seconds on a 3-pointer, steal and drive. She added a three-point play in an 11-2 run.

Benyo’s tip in with 5:24 left in the third quarter capped the run invoked the running clock with a 51-20 lead.

Mariah Marolo also had six assists while Molly Temchatin came off the bench to provide seven points and four steals in the win.

Hazleton Area forced 21 turnovers while improving to 24-2 going into the PIAA state tournament. The Cougars came within one point of the largest win in arena history, a record their 2016 team holds for a 70-32 victory over Pittston Area.

Jacklinski led Scranton with 15 points and three blocked shots.

District 2 Class 6A Championship

Hazleton Area 67, Scranton 30

SCRANTON (30) — Chrissy Jacklinski 6 2-3 15, Bianca Perez 0 1-2 1, Jaelyn Alers 0 1-2 1, Abigail Stalica 1 0-0 2, Rhylee Bell 2 0-0 5, Johanelys Paulino Baez 2 1-2 6, Emma Sweeney 0 0-0 0, Johalci DeLeon Almonte 0 0-0 0, Ava Yearing 0 0-0 0, Molly Sweeney 0 0-0 0, Jahiya Parker 0 0-0 0, Ava Yearing 0 0-0 0, Caylee Pettus 0 0-0 0. Totals 11 5-9 30.

HAZLETON AREA (67) — Mariah Marolo 1 1-2 4, Sophia Benyo 5 1-2 11, Kaitlyn Bindas 10 1-1 24, Kayla Lagowy 0 0-0 0, Alexis Reimold 4 3-3 11, Addison Fritz 2 2-2 7, Molly Temchatin 3 0-0 7, Juliana Silva 0 0-0 0, Miranda Chupela 0 0-0 0, Sofia Rodgers 1 1-2 3, Hannah Matyas 0 0-0 0, Meadow Pavlick 0 0-0 0, Alexandra Santiago 0 0-0 0, Janette Veliz 0 0-2 0, Aleeyah Blanyar 0 0-0 0, Anna Shafer 0 0-0 0, Celine Betances 0 0-0 0. Totals 26 9-14 67.

Scranton`2`13`11`4 — 30

Hazleton Area`23`18`19`7 — 67

Three-point goals – SCR 3 (Jacklinski, Bell, Paulino Baez), HAZ 6 (Bindas 3, Marolo, Fritz, Temchatin).