Mar 15, 2025
MARK NANCE/Sun-Gazette Correspondent Loyalsock’s Lacey Kriebel (11), Alaina Dadzie (30) and Julie Ellis (2) congratulate each other after a big win over Dunmore in the PIAA Class AAA playoffs at Pottsville’s Martz Hall Friday.
A long-time honor roll student, Lacey Kriebel will start studying her major at Lock Haven next fall.
As much as she has excelled academically, though, her true high school major has been basketball. That passion has literally taken Kriebel throughout the Mid-Atlantic and Southeast regions the past four years. There, Kriebel has played against elite competition from across the country.
It has been a lot of traveling, a lot of work and, for long stretches, little sleep. And Kriebel would do it all over again.
From all those moments come unforgettable moments like the ones Kriebel experienced Friday night at Martz Hall. There, the Loyalsock senior put on a dazzling display, scoring 16 of her game-high 24 points in the third quarter while helping the Lancers defeat Dunmore, 60-36 in the Class AAA state quarterfinals.
“It feels good because I work my butt off. People don’t understand how much time I put into it,” Kriebel said. “I’ve had some rough patches this season, but this is when it matters most.”
Kriebel will follow her parents Dean and Amy, both who put together fabulous collegiate careers, to their alma mater. Playing at the next level was a life-long goal, but it goes beyond that. What has especially fueled Kriebel all these years is a relentless desire to win.
And, oh, how all that work came bursting out against Dunmore. Kriebel scored 21 second-half points and was strong in all facets. In addition to the points, Kriebel grabbed seven rebounds, dealt five assists and made three steals. Put it all together and she helped Loyalsock (28-2) earn a second straight Final 4 appearance against a marvelous team which had won 18 straight games.
“Playing against really tough competition, that is what prepares you for these moments,” Kriebel said. “Nothing is going to be easy once you keep advancing. That hard, tough culture I played against all summer has really helped me.”
Loyalsock held a 22-15 halftime advantage and the lead switched hands eight times in the first 11 minutes. But as Kriebel heated up like a microwave, Loyalsock caught fire and broke things open.
Kriebel opened the third quarter with consecutive 3-pointers. She then found Alaina Dadzie inside before attacking inside and hitting a running hook. In less than two minutes, the four-year starter had a hand in 10 straight points and Loyalsock held a 17-point advantage.
“I hit her for her first 3 and I was like, ‘Yeah, she’s going to be on fire from here,’ and she hit another two after that,” fellow senior Julie Ellis said. “I was like, ‘This is our game for sure.’”
She was right.
Neither Kriebel, nor her teammates slowed down. The Lancers outscored Dunmore, 27-7 in that third quarter, taking a 27-point lead into the fourth. After a Sophia Talutto 3-pointer pulled Dunmore within 34-20 in the third, Kriebel responded and drained her third 3-pointer.
This 3-pointer ignited an 11-0 run which served as a knockout blow against a staggered opponent. And after sparking that burst with a 3-pointer, Kriebel capped it with another, pushing the advantage to, 45-20.
“After the first two, I was like, ‘I don’t even have to rebound anymore.’ They were all going in,” Jaekairah Harden said after scoring 10 points and grabbing eight rebounds. “It’s really great when you see your teammates playing like that.”
Kriebel has excelled in big games before, helping South Williamsport capture a district championship two years ago and helping Loyalsock reach last year’s Final 4. What Loyalsock wanted from Kriebel against Dunmore, though, went beyond points or any stats for that matter. It was about simply playing with a mamba-like mentality.
That seemed to be missing in the second round against West Catholic, but Loyalsock came alive in the fourth quarter and pulled away for a 54-35 win. Challenged by her coaches, Kriebel stayed aggressive all night against Dunmore, and it paid huge dividends.
“I thought the first half of our last game she played really tentative. We just told her you have to put your foot on the ground, and you have to go downhill. You have to be a playmaker,” Loyalsock coach Curtis Jacobson said. “She attacked. She never seemed like she was on her heels.”
Kriebel put up extra shots prior to Friday’s game. Really, though, that’s no different than most days. Whether the shots or falling or not, Kriebel keeps working.
One does not earn the opportunity to play at the next level, nor in state tournament games without paying a price. Kriebel has paid that price time after time after time. Friday against Dunmore, she earned some mighty big profits.
“She was always on her toes, ready to make plays,” Jacobson said. “We need everyone at their best and tonight she was at her best.”
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