By Steve Svetovich

Dunmore senior guard Sophia Talutto once again led the way for the Lady Bucks. The senior standout led the girls basketball team with 24 points in the a hotly contested District 2 AAA championship win 49-44 on March 1 at Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza, to help defeat Holy Redeemer, 49-44.

Her teammates Amanda Dempsey and Michelle Nidoh added nine points each. The Lady Bucks now advance to the PIAA Class eA tournament which begins on Friday (March 7).

Senior standout Talutto previously led the Lady Bucks with 17 points in Dunmore’s 58-17 win over Montrose in the semifinal round of the District 2 Class AAA playoffs Friday, February 21, at Dunmore. The Lady Bucks had a first round bye.

Michelle Nidoh scored 14 points for the Lady Bucks. Amanda Dempsey scored 11 points for Dunmore. Jackie Brown added eight points.

It marked Dunmore’s 15th consecutive win and 17th straight home victory.

The Lady Bucks started out the first quarter with a 24-4 lead, with Sophia scoring 11 of Dunmore’s points.

Daughter of Joseph and Lori Talutto, Sophia has already been a major part of two district title teams and a state championship for the Dunmore Lady Bucks basketball team.

Sophia is a two-time All Regional selection and Lackawanna League first-team all-star selection. She was named to the first-team All-Defensive team last season.

She won Player of the Year honors in Lackawanna League Division III in each of the past two seasons.

The highly talented senior averaged 18.1 points per game last season. She is averaging close to 18 points per contest this year. Sophia also averages over six assists and close to four steals a game.

She scored her 1,000th career point in the district championship game last season and now has over 1,400 career points.

The scrappy point guard was named Times-Tribune Athlete of the Week on January 21 after she scored 28 points in Dunmore’s 60-26 win over Holy Cross and 21 points in the Lady Bucks 59-48 win over Honesdale.

A member of the National Honor Society, Sophia has a highly impressive 3.85 grade point average at Dunmore. Her best academic subject is math.

She is a member of the Earth Club, SADD, Art Club, Bowling Club, treasurer of the French Club and coordinator of TACT.

She talked about the team’s success so far this season.

“We worked hard in the off-season,” she said. “We worked hard in the gym and did some heavy lifting with weights.

“Our team is playing great. We want to win the district title and go as far as possible in the state playoffs.”

The confident senior talked about what it takes to excel at the point guard position in high school basketball.

“It’s all about trusting my teammates,” she said. “You need to get the basketball to your open teammates.”

The scholar-athlete said she learned a lot from her parents.

“They tell me to stay humble and grounded. Always strive to improve yourself in life. Even with any accolades, continue to stay humble.”

The hard-working senior guard said Dunmore basketball coach Carrie Bowen Toomey taught her a lot.

“She teaches us to work hard. The focus should always be to get better, be disciplined, and have a strong work ethic. That’s the Lady Bucks way. If it’s not going your way, maintain your focus and keep working harder.”

Sophia’s sister, Anna Talutto, now 22 and a manager in the University of Scranton basketball program, was also a standout basketball player at Dunmore. She will be in the physical therapy program at the University of Scranton next year.

Sophia enjoys listening to music in her spare time and would love to see Bruno Mars in concert.

The talented senior said she will study business/marketing at the University of Scranton next year and will play basketball for the Lady Royals under former Dunmore basketball coach Ben O’Brien who coached Sophia as a freshman.

“I think it’s going to be fun playing for Coach O’Brien again,” she said. “I know a lot of the players there. It’s a big community. The Dunmore community supports the program and goes to the games. It’s going to be nice having that same community support. It’s a great basketball program. I’m looking forward to it.”

As she approaches the final months of her senior year, Sophia reflects on great memories.

“It’s been memorable here at Dunmore. We won a state championship. Coming to Dunmore was the best. It’s like a big community. Everybody has your back. I will cherish these memories forever and take them with me to college.”