Kellen Kraky scores 13 points as Lakeland’s defense and family connection carry the Lady Chiefs past their archrival.
Originally published December 30, 2003, on Jeric’s Lackawanna Sports
By Jeric Yurkanin
Before the opening tip Monday night, Lakeland sophomore Kellen Kraky stood perfectly still, her chest facing the red, white and blue flag as the national anthem played.
She appeared calm and patient.
Then the game started—and the adrenaline took over.
Kraky’s quick feet, aggressive defense and ability to attack the basket helped lift the Lady Chiefs to a 49–30 victory over archrival Valley View.
Throughout the game, the Lady Cougars struggled to control the ball and find open shots because Kellen and her older sister, Brittany, were everywhere. The sisters combined for five steals, and when they weren’t taking the ball away, they were disrupting passes and challenging shots.
Kellen also made her presence felt offensively. She muscled her way toward the basket, knocked down two early 3-pointers and scored 10 first-half points before finishing with a game-high 13.
“My sister is just an awesome basketball player,” Brittany said. “There really isn’t anything else to say about her. She is awesome defensively and offensively. She can make plays when Lakeland needs them the most.”
Those 10 first-half points helped the Lady Chiefs take a 23–13 lead into the locker room.
“Kellen played really well tonight,” Lakeland coach Joseph Smith said. “In the second half, she was trying to work the ball inside so we could score and put the game away. She did her job, and she did a great job. That is the kind of player Kellen Kraky is.”
Basketball skill, heart, desire, dedication and natural ability usually describe a talented athlete.
Kellen preferred a much simpler explanation.
“I just shot when I was open,” she said. “I got lucky and made some baskets.”
Lucky?
Is it still considered luck when a player calmly knocks down two 3-pointers early in the first half? By that definition, Syracuse star Gerry McNamara must have built his reputation on luck, too.
Lakeland raced out to a 19–4 advantage with 6:42 remaining in the first half, but Valley View refused to surrender. The Lady Cougars tightened their defense and held Lakeland to only four points during the remainder of the half.
Valley View scored nine of its 13 first-half points during that stretch, preventing the Lady Chiefs from turning the game into an early blowout.
“We fall apart sometimes, and I don’t know why,” Brittany said. “We get down, and then we lose momentum.”
The Lady Cougars carried their momentum into the second half. With 1:57 remaining in the third quarter, they had trimmed Lakeland’s lead to six points, 29–23.
For a moment, Valley View had made it a game again.
Then the fourth quarter arrived.
Lakeland’s quick passing, size and relentless defense finally began to wear down the Lady Cougars. The Lady Chiefs erupted for 17 points in the quarter, including eight from Trina Carito during the final four minutes.
“We give away so much size, and we are young,” Valley View coach Lou Camoni said. “Lakeland is a nice, athletic team, and their size hurt us. We competed, but by the fourth quarter, we were tired.”
That combination of size, athletic ability and defense has helped Lakeland build an 8–3 record.
However, the victory also came down to something that cannot be measured by height, statistics or a scoreboard.
Family.
Senior Brittany Kraky, sophomore Kellen Kraky and freshman Lindsay Kraky combined to score 23 of Lakeland’s 49 points. Three sisters, representing three different classes, shared the court and contributed to the same victory.
They stood together for the national anthem.
They defended together.
They scored together.
And when the final buzzer sounded, they celebrated another Lakeland victory—not merely as teammates, but as a family.
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