By Steve Svetovich
Dunmore junior Anna Talutto knows her role.
She comes off the bench for the Lady Bucks and sparks the team.
And she does more than a good job at that.
Daughter of Joe and Lori Talutto, the junior point guard came off the bench to hit five 3-pointers and score 19 points to lead the second-ranked Lady Bucks to a 68-28 win over Old Forge, Thursday, January 23.
Dunmore sophomore Moriah Murray added 15 points in the win.
Anna, 17, has helped the Lady Bucks to a 16-1 record at press time under veteran coach Ben O’Brien.
Anna is a three-year member of the Dunmore basketball team. She is also a member of the Dunmore soccer team and is a football cheerleader.
She is a member of the Spanish Club and French Club. The junior scholar-athlete has a 92 academic average. Her favorite subject is history.
Anna is averaging 8.0 points and 3.0 assists off the bench for Dunmore.
As the first girl off the bench, Anna said she has learned a lot from coach O’Brien. “He always tells me to keep sharp mentally and work hard. He says it will pay off in the end.”
Anna said her parents keep her focused too. “They tell me to be mentally tough and keep playing my game.”
The talented junior is not sure where she will attend college, but she would like to continue playing basketball or soccer and possibly major in physical therapy.
The two-sport athlete plays the wing on the Dunmore soccer team. This was her third year on the team. She was a second-team soccer all-star as a sophomore. She was a first-team all-star pick this year.
She said basketball is her favorite sport because of playing it longer. She has played in local AAU basketball leagues since age 12. She played for J.B. Hoops, the NE PA Flames and the NE PA Elite.
Anna praised the late John Bucci, the former Bishop Hannan basketball coach who started J.B. Hoops. “I learned a lot from him. He had me playing my game and working hard. He made me put a lot of time in. I was heartbroken when he died.”
Anna talked about her position, point guard. “You need to be assertive to play point guard. You can’t hold back from making the big play. You can’t be afraid of an open lane. You need to be confident.”
She enjoys being the sixth girl off the bench. “While on the bench, I focus on the game. So when I go in the game I can can be fresh and full of energy.”
Confident and full of energy, Anna said she enjoys listening to music and would like to see Post Malone in concert.
She talked about her goals. “The biggest one is that I want to be successful and never stop working hard.”
And her team goal. “We want to continue getting better and push our teammates to be the best.”
The team oriented spark plug said she loves Dunmore. “The community is the best by far. Dunmore is amazing. We get so much support from everyone. Without all this support, it just wouldn’t be Dunmore. I love the school, the people and the town.”
By Steve Svetovich
