Wyoming Valley West’s Gabbi Novitski (1) grabs a defensive rebound against Scranton Prep in a girls basketball game in Plymouth on Thursday, Dec. 4, 2025. BILL TARUTIS / CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHER
Scranton Prep’s Chloe Mamera (32) shoots against Wyoming Valley West in a girls basketball game in Plymouth on Thursday, Dec. 4, 2025. BILL TARUTIS / CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHER
Wyoming Valley West’s Ava Yancey, left, drives the baseline against Scranton Prep’s Eva Kaszuba in a girls basketball game in Plymouth on Thursday, Dec. 4, 2025. BILL TARUTIS / CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHER
Wyoming Valley West’s Jayla Campoverde, right, looks to shoot against Scranton Prep’s Carly Krzywiec in a girls basketball game in Plymouth on Thursday, Dec. 4, 2025. BILL TARUTIS / CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHER
Scranton Prep’s Eva Kaszuba (31) looks to pass against Wyoming Valley West in a girls basketball game in Plymouth on Thursday, Dec. 4, 2025. BILL TARUTIS / CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHER
Wyoming Valley West’s Thalia Irizarry, back, battles for the ball against Scranton Prep’s Ava Fenton in a girls basketball game in Plymouth on Thursday, Dec. 4, 2025. BILL TARUTIS / CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHER
Wyoming Valley West head girls basketball coach Gary Ferenchick, center, calls a play during a timeout in a game against Scranton Prep in Plymouth on Thursday, Dec. 4, 2025. BILL TARUTIS / CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHER
Wyoming Valley West head girls basketball coach Gary Ferenchick shouts instructions to his defense in a game against Scranton Prep in Plymouth on Thursday, Dec. 4, 2025. BILL TARUTIS / CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHER
Wyoming Valley West head girls basketball coach Gary Ferenchick, center, calls a play during a timeout in a game against Scranton Prep in Plymouth on Thursday, Dec. 4, 2025. BILL TARUTIS / CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHER
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Wyoming Valley West’s Gabbi Novitski (1) grabs a defensive rebound against Scranton Prep in a girls basketball game in Plymouth on Thursday, Dec. 4, 2025. BILL TARUTIS / CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHER
PLYMOUTH — Each new season presents a whole new set of different challenges. For Scranton Prep, Thursday night’s opener at Wyoming Valley West was more of a test for the Classics than a traditional start to a season.
The Classics sent five new starters on the floor against the Spartans, leaving Bob Beviglia a little unsure of what he was going to get.
But when the Classics started the initial possession of the season with a weave on the top of the key and an interior pass to Eva Kaszuba that resulted in a trip to the foul line 14 seconds into the game, they were off and running toward a 59-30 victory.
“We are so young, we graduated those five seniors,” Beviglia said. “I thought we would give them a couple of extra days and figure out how we want to play. It showed tonight especially in the second half.”
The Classics have a little more length this season than in previous years, and that helped limit the Spartans from having opportunities for second and third chances off missed shots. They were aggressive on defense, forcing 22 turnovers and making it difficult for Wyoming Valley West to get an uncontested shot.
Scranton Prep led ,15-10, at the end of the first quarter and Wyoming Valley West’s Thalia Irizarry kept her team close until the end of the second quarter when the Classics extended the lead to eight on a 3-pointer from Shannon Bestrycki on a designed play coming out of a timeout.
“I was happy with our execution on the set piece against the zone at the end of the half,” Beviglia said. “That gave us a huge lift. It went from five (points) to eight. They were hanging around. Irizarry was making shots. I thought she was making shots all night. I thought we made it difficult for her.”
Irizarry finished with 20 points and was one of four Spartans to score in the game. The Classics opened the second half with a 7-0 run to expand the lead to 15 points and used a 10-0 spurt to close the third quarter with a 47-28 lead.
While there is a long way to go for Scranton Prep this year and plenty of ways to improve, Beviglia was pleased with the results, particularly with such a young team. Of the group, Ava Fenton and Chloe Mamera have the most experience. Mamera led four Scranton Prep players in double figures with 16 points. Kaszuba and Fenton each had 13 while Bestrycki had 11.
The balanced offensive attack came in a variety of ways. When the Spartans played man-to-man, the Classics found a way to get some open looks or take the ball to the basket. When Valley West decided to pack in the zone, the Classics went to the mid-range jumper and played behind the 3-point line.
“We got some easy shots to get us going,” Beviglia said. “The biggest key for us is to get shots every time down the floor by not turning it over. I thought if we could get shots we would be fine. This is the first test and for the most part I thought we passed it.”