After four seasons, Carrie Toomey stepped down as head coach of the Dunmore girls basketball team.

Toomey cited a desire to spend more time with family and friends as the reason for her decision. Specifically, she wants to watch her daughter Ciera play at the University of North Carolina.

“I was thinking about it throughout the season, going back and forth, weighing the pros and cons,” Toomey said. “Ciera has two years left and she is playing more and I want to be a part of that. Plus, the seniors who are graduating this year, I came in with them as freshmen. So it just felt like the right time.

“I want to see who I am without basketball.”

Since her oldest daughter Victoria was five years old, Toomey was involved with the Dunmore Biddy Basketball program as a coach or league official, as well as with the Lady Bucks. She was a volunteer for four years on coach Ben O’Brien’s staff before taking over at her alma mater in 2022-23 when O’Brien left to coach the University of Scranton women’s team.

Her coaching record is 96-15 with three District 2 Class 3A titles, one district runner-up finish and four trips to the PIAA Class 3A playoffs, including winning the state championship in her first season as coach and Ciera’s senior year.

“Being able to help Dunmore achieve that — and to do it with my daughter — was special,” Toomey said.

Also, this season she guided the Lady Bucks to their 13th consecutive Lackawanna League division title and extended their league winning streak to 108 games. Each of the past two seasons, Dunmore won the district title and reached the state quarterfinals.

“The winning streak is cool and the district championships the past two seasons were great,” Toomey said. “But more importantly, it was being able to help the girls not only become good people, but give them confidence to do more in the world.

“Basketball teaches you a lot.”

Toomey concluded by saying she appreciated the chance to coach a program that means so much to her.

“I’m thankful to the community and the school for the support they showed me, my daughters and the team,” she said. “It was nothing but a pleasure to do it.”