Pittston, PA — From the Standard Speaker How well is the Hazleton Area girls’ basketball team playing? Freshman Kaitlyn Bindas, the team’s leading scorer, netted seven points, well below her season average, against a recent Lady Cougars’ nemesis on Friday night. Hazleton Area still raced past Pittston Area 65-33 on the Patriots’ home floor for its eighth straight win, third in the Wyoming Valley Conference. Sophia Benyo, another freshman, led a quartet of Lady Cougars in double figures with 13 points and Olivia Williams, Alexis Reimold and Sophia Shults tossed in 10 apiece to keep their team humming along. Hazleton Area again imposed its will and its harassing, full-court pressure defense on an opponent, using both to fuel a 20-6 first-quarter run. Williams was hot early with seven points, but Benyo and Shults were right behind with six each. Although Pittston Area managed to keep the Lady Cougars from running away even more in the second quarter — thanks mainly to triples by Daniella Ranieli, Rowan Lazevnick and Lili Hntze — the Patriots still trailed 35-20 at halftime. Seven Hazleton Area players shared in the scoring in the quarter, none with more than three points. Reimold and Bindas then stepped up in the third quarter with six and five points, respectively, as the Lady Cougars stretched their lead to 49-28. Both teams emptied their benches by midway through the fourth quarter, as another seven Hazleton Area players contributed at least two points. Ranieli led the Patriots with nine points, with no more than three in any quarter. No Pittston Area player finished in double figures. The Lady Cougars’ next test will come Monday evening when Crestwood visits Hughie McGeehan Gymnasium. The Comets also are unbeaten in league play.