So how good is the Tamaqua girls’ basketball team?

That’s the question many are going to ask. And it might be one Dieruff can answer.

The Raiders posted a 63-24 non-league win over the Huskies on Friday in the second game of a doubleheader in the fourth annual Lady Tamaqua Raiders Tournament.

Emma Kuczynski opened her senior season with a super effort, scoring game-high 30 points, pulling down 18 rebounds and just missing a triple-double with nine assists.

It was a game of spurts – all of them by the Raiders. They zoomed away after the Huskies tied things at 9-9 with 2:56 to play in the first period, reeling off a 10-0 run to end the opening eight minutes.

Tamaqua proceeded to zip in front 26-15 to open the next quarter, and peeled off an 8-0 run before the Huskies interrupted the spurt with a bucket of their own. Then Tamaqua finished the half with another flurry, getting a foul toss by Baylee Reinhardt, a Kuczynski three-point play the old fashion way before Serena Jones polished off the respite with a bucket for a commanding 40-17 lead.

it’s something that Tamaqua coach Erika Davis has been building the team for the past four seasons.

“It’s kind of perform and play basketball,” Davis said.

The Raiders move into today’s 1:30 p.m. final against Pocono Mountain East, which defeated Catasauqua 41-37.

“It is something that we expect,” Davis said of the performance.

Emily Titus added 17 points while her team was hardly pressed.

“That’s our (plan),” Davis continued about the quick pace her team runs.

“We want that aggressive style; we want to pressure end-to-end and run the floor very time we get the opportunity.”

Dieruff committed eight first quarter turnovers, and had 11 more in the second period.

Tamaqua cashed in for 10 of its first quarter points off the turnovers and continued that right into the next eight minutes, led by Kuczynski’s three steals to take a 20-6 advantage.

“I thought we had pretty good balance, and Emma’s unselfish play allowed her teammates to finish,” Davis said.

“This is all about team work. Yes, Emma makes it go but we feed off her play and the other players get excited as you can see.”

Kuczynski sank a bucket off a put back before Becky Hromyak nailed two free throws for a 60-20 lead just before the buzzer sounded to end the third quarter.

“We’ve won the (tournament) the past three years … We want to make it four years,” Davis smiled.

ALL CYLINDERS … Tamaqua was in sync the entire game; this team may revolve around Kuczynski, but it has snippers. Don’t let Titus free from the baseline; pay attention to Jen Fredrickson and Reinhardt and don’t lose sight of quick-silver guard Jamie Zuber.

LET US COUNT THE WAY ... Zuber dished off five assists, while Titus moved into 23rd place on the all-time scoring list for the Lady Raiders with 667 points surpassing Kayla Hope, Wendy Willing and Bernadette Guy. Kuczynski has moved into fourth place with 1,455 points surpassing Lynne Titus.

DIERUFF

Szalacha 0-0-0-0, Gomes 2-0-1-4, Rivera 0-1-2-1, Rios 0-0-0-0, Cartagena 2-0-4-5, Scott 0-0-0-0, Rosa 1-1-2-3, Collazo 2-1-2-5, Urena 1-0-0-2, Davis 0-0-0-0, Sturdivant 2-0-0-4. TOTALS: 10-3-11-24.

TAMAQUA

Meckes 0-0-0-0, Kane 0-0-0-0, Zuber 1-0-0-2, Hromyak 0-2-2-2, Jones 1-0-0-2, Titus 8-1-2-17, Wingler 0-0-0-0, Hope 0-1-2-1, Frederickson 1-1-2-3, Kuczynski 12-3-4-30, Reinhardt 0-6-8-6. TOTALS: 23-14-20-63.

Dieruff 11 6 3 4 - 24

Tamaqua 20 20 20 3 - 63

Three-pointers: Dieruff - Cartagena 1; Tamaqua - Kuczynski 3.