Local youth hoops teams are officially embarking upon their championship quests this week at Lakeside Elementary School.

The 2009 Honesdale Missy Basketball Association regular season schedule is now in the books and play-offs are underway.

Breakin’ It Down
The Celtics ran the table in Junior Division action, finishing undefeated and alone atop the standings at 8-0. Coach Janine Edwards’ squad is the #1 seed for this year’s edition of the tournament.

The Bullets ended the season is second place overall, while the Sparks finished up third and the Jazz fourth.

On the Senior Division scene, the Belles earned a #1 tourney seed by virtue of their  6-2 record. The Kernals wound up second, while the Stars finished third and the Cardinals fourth.

The 2009 play-off schedule tips-off this evening at Lakeside.

Game One begins at 6:00 p.m. and pits the Celtics against the Jazz. Coach Jenna Kinzinger’s club earned its post season spot by defeating the Lakerettes in a “play-in” contest Monday night. Game Two features the Bullets against the Sparks at 7:00 p.m.

Stay tuned to TWI Sports for complete coverage of the Missy Basketball Association play-offs.

The Opener
In Saturday’s regular season finale, local hoops fans were treated to a pair of exciting Senior Division ballgames.

The opener saw the Kernals use a mix of suffocating defense and balanced offense to post a 23-13 victory over the Cards.

Tracy Brill’s girls leapt out to an early advantage in this one. Led by baskets from Marissa Diehl and Gabrielle Gardas, the Cards cruised to a 6-2 first quarter lead.

The Kernals rebounded quickly, scoring nine points in the second period to take a lead they’d never relinquish.

Jackie Gallik led the way by dialing up a long-distance trey. Kelly Smith added a pair of baskets, while Sararose Hnatko went 2-for-2 at the charity stripe.

Mary O’Neill and Natasha Hessling combined to pace the Kernals’ second half offensive attack. O’Neill scored four points in the third period and Hessling tallied four in the fourth quarter.

Diehl hammered home two more field goals in the second half and wound up with a team-best six points.

Smith led the Kernals with six, while Hessling, O’Neill and Leah Schweighofer added four points each.

Score by Quarters...
Kernals    (4-2)  2  9  6  6 - 23
Cardinals (2-4)  6  2  4  1 - 13

The Nightcap
Katie Miller turned in an explosive offensive performance in Saturday’s nightcap.

The talented young guard erupted for a game-high 13 points in leading the Stars to a 21-18 OT win over the Belles.

Miller did the majority of her damage in the second half. Katie tallied all 10 of her team’s points in the fourth quarter. She hit three baskets and a trey to force overtime.

Megan Benson and Jackie Knash added four points each for the Stars.

Kristen Schmale (six pts) and Stacey Hart (four pts) led a balanced Belles attack.

Score by Quarters...
Stars  (7-1)  2   4  1 10  4 - 21
Belles (5-3)  2  9  2  4   1 - 18