Dunmore Lady Bucks’ Unsung Hero is Senior Mia Blume

Posted on January 5, 2022 by The Dunmorean

By Steve Svetovich

The Dunmore Lady Bucks are always known for a team-oriented approach.

And one of its biggest team players and leaders is senior Mia Blume.

Daughter of Teddy and Grace Blume, Mia is the team’s third option after junior center Ciera Toomey, a Division-I recruit, and senior guard Moriah Murray, who will play basketball at Drexel University next year.

However, the senior guard is making a name for herself as Dunmore’s unsung hero.

Mia scored nine points and added four key assists in Dunmore’s 65-30 win over Scranton High School in the Lynett Girls Memorial Tournament semifinal Monday, Dec. 27, at Lackawanna College Student Union. Toomey scored 30 and Murray added 20 in the semifinal.

Mia contributed four points in Dunmore’s 46-17 win over Scranton Prep to help the Lady Bucks regain the Lynett Tournament title Wednesday, Dec. 29, at Lackawanna College Student Union.

Murray scored 17 and tournament MVP Toomey added 15 points in the Lynett title win.

Mia drew praises for her leadership and poise on the court in both games.

A four-year member and three-year starter on the Lady Bucks, the senior guard is averaging over seven points and about four assists per contest.

Enthusiastic and team-oriented, Mia also is an excellent softball player at Dunmore. She is a second baseman and two-year member of the Dunmore softball team.

The senior scholar-athlete has an impressive 3.7 academic average and is a member of the National Honor Society. She is a member of the Spanish Club, French Club, TACT and SADD.

Mia, with great energy, said she and her teammates were “super excited” in recapturing the Lynett Tournament crown.

Mia plans on attending Newmann University in Aston, PA where she will major in sports management and play basketball.

“I am looking forward to continuing my basketball career there,” she said. “I love the school, too. I am looking forward to the sports management classes too. I want to manage players someday. I want to branch off into that. We worked hard and turned in the right direction.”

Mia praised her parents for influencing her towards basketball. “My parents are huge influences as to why I always played basketball,” she said. “They shaped me into who I am today. They are the reason I started playing basketball. They got me into it at an early age. And I love the game.”

The well-spoken senior said Dunmore basketball coach Ben O’Brien has also taught her a lot. “He is a great coach and we all love him,” she said. “He brings the best in us. He helps us all play to our full potential.”

A consummate team leader, Mia said playing with Toomey and Murray rubs off on her game and makes the team more successful. “Obviously, it is a great experience playing with two elite players like Ciera and Moriah,” she said. “We all have roles on the team. It just helps us come together and have success as a team. We all work together to make a true team. It’s all about teamwork in the end.”

Mia said she enjoys country music and would like to see Morgan Wallen in concert.

She talked about what it takes to excel at the guard position. “It takes a lot of hard work on and off the court,” she said. “You need to put in the extra time. You need to work hard when no one is watching.”

Mia was an honorable mention for basketball at the guard position in her sophomore and junior years.

She is enjoying her senior year at Dunmore. “Our hard work is paying off. Things are going in the right direction for us. I love it here at Dunmore.”

Toomey Helps Lead Dunmore to Lynett Tournament Title

Posted on January 5, 2022 by The Dunmorean

By Steve Svetovich

With tournament MVP Ciera Toomey leading the way, the Dunmore Lady Bucks recaptured the Lynett Memorial Girls Basketball Tournament title with a 46-17 win over Scranton Prep on Wednesday, Dec. 29, at Lackawanna College Student Union.

Prep defeated the Lady Bucks in 2019 for the Lynett title.

Dunmore senior guard Moriah Murray, selected to the all-tournament team, led the Lady Bucks with 17 points and hit three 3-pointers in the Lynett title win. Dunmore freshman Sophia Talutto had two 3-pointers.

Ciera, regarded as one of the top 10 high school girls basketball players in the nation, scored 15 points, hauled down 10 rebounds and had some key blocks in the title win.

The 6-4 junior center, who is being recruited by numerous top Division-I colleges, scored 30 points and added nine rebounds and four assists in Dunmore’s 65-30 win over Scranton High School in the Lynett Tournament semifinal contest on Monday, Dec. 27, at Lackawanna College Student Union.

Murray, who will play basketball next year at Drexel University, added 20 points and four assists in the semifinal win. Dunmore senior guard Mia Blume added nine points and four assists. Talutto added four assists.

Daughter of Carrie and Patrick Toomey, Ciera’s sister Victoria Toomey was an all-state center at Dunmore and now plays basketball at Rider University.

Her mom, the former Carrie Bowen, was a Dunmore basketball standout named 1989 female athlete of the year. She started for four years at Franklin and Marshall University and played two years of professional basketball in England. She is currently one of the Dunmore assistant coaches under veteran Ben O’Brien. She is a member of the Northeastern Chapter of the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame.

“We were all excited with the Lynett title win,” said Ciera. “It was a great moment that we were able to bring the Lynett Tournament title back to Dunmore. It made the holiday so much better for everyone.”

Articulate and well-spoken, Ciera has an impressive 3.8 grade point average at Dunmore. Her best subject is mathematics. She is a member of TACT, the Health Careers Club and the French Club.

Ciera’s basketball accolades include first-team all-state and two-time All Regional selection and twice first-team Lackawanna League all-star. More honors of the same are expected this year.

The Division-I recruit is also a two-year member of the Dunmore golf team. She was an All Regional selection both years, finishing fourth in the state her first year and sixth in the state in her second season.

The junior standout said she has learned much from Coach O’Brien. “He teaches us to never overlook any team. You can easily win or lose any game. The most prepared team wins. You can never do enough research. It is all about the details.”

The hard-working scholar-athlete said her parents are huge mentors. “They always teach me and my sister to work hard all the time. Hard work pays off. Few things go wrong when you work hard.”

Ciera enjoys listening to music in her spare time and would like to see Olivia Rodrigo, a pop artist, in concert.

She talked about what it takes to excel at the center position in girls high school basketball.

“I’m very fortunate to be gifted with good height,” she said. “I use it in ways to score and find the right moves. I try to make it hard for an opponent my size or smaller to guard me. I closely watched my sister play. I watched her moves and learned a lot from her. I try to apply what I learned from her to my own game.”

Ciera talked about her future goals. “Number one, I want to help Dunmore win as many games and titles as possible. Then I want to work hard to become an All American college basketball player in Division I. I want to graduate with an engineering degree. Then the ultimate goal would be to play in the WNBA.”

Ciera is averaging over 27 points and more than 10 rebounds per game this season and is closing in on 800 career points as a junior.

She absolutely loves Dunmore.

“Dunmore is great,” she said. “I love it all. I have been here going to school since early childhood. I have never had one bad experience.

“Dunmore is a very unique town. We all support each other. Everyone has your back.

“It’s a small sized community and you definitely feel the love.”

Athlete of the Month: Moriah Murray

Posted on May 6, 2020 by The Dunmorean

By Steve Svetovich

After an outstanding freshman season, what does Dunmore Lady Bucks sophomore guard Moriah Murray do for an encore?

She gets named to the Class 3A All-State first-team.

Daughter of Joseph Murray and Lynn Plotkin, the sophomore standout was one of five Lackawanna League players who earned berths on the Pennsylvania Sports Writers All-State girls’ basketball team.

The 5-9 sophomore guard averaged 15.7 points per game in her sophomore season for coach Ben O’Brien and the Lady Bucks.

Moriah was the only player to mount a challenge for Player of the Year honors which was won again by Neumann-Goretti senior Diamond Johnson.

In two state playoff games, Moriah picked it up and averaged 28 points per game. She scored a career high 33 points, including seven 3-pointers, on 10-of-15 shooting in the 65-51 win over Neumann-Goretti. Moriah added six rebounds and three assists. She was 18-for-27 shooting in the two PIAA playoff games. She scored 23 points and totaled five assists in the win over Constitution.

Moriah had a hot hand and hit 11-of-17 from 3-point range in the PIAA playoffs before Covid-19 stifled Dunmore’s bid at a state title.

Moriah humbly accepted the news of first-team All-State recognition. “I am so happy about it,” she said. “This is a huge honor. It is great for this team.

“Both last year and this season were nice. I could not do it without my coaches and teammates. The coaches always had us prepared.

“And I am so happy our freshman Ciera Toomey was recognized as a third-team All-State selection. We play well together and have so much fun. We definitely have a chemistry.

“I enjoyed playing with Ciera’s sister Victoria last season, too. I am looking forward to playing at Dunmore in the future with Ciera. She has a bright future and we have such great chemistry together.”

Moriah, 16, said she has been keeping busy during the Covid-19 pandemic playing “hoops” in the backyard with her brother Matt, 23, who played four years of basketball at Dunmore.

Moriah is a member of TACT and the French Club at Dunmore. Her future goal is to play Division I college basketball.

For now, she loves going to Dunmore and playing basketball there. “Going to Dunmore and playing basketball is such an amazing experience,” she said. “It is such a small, close-knit community. The community is totally amazing. The basketball experience starts in the biddy leagues and with our parents. I always looked up to the Lady Bucks and now I am one. Our coach is great and he always puts us in a position to win. Coach O’Brien always has us prepared and ready.”

Moriah said her parents always teach her to be herself. “They just tell me to be my own person.”

The basketball stalwart likes listening to music in her spare time and would like to see Roddy Rich, a rap artist, in concert. She has a 90 academic average and her best subject is history.

She talked about what it takes to be a good guard in high school basketball. “It takes a lot of practice. You need to train by yourself. You need to eat right and take care of your body. And a lot of stretching in the gym helps.”

Moriah talked about the effect of Covid-19 and how it ended the team’s run in the state playoffs. “We were very upset, because in the beginning of the year everybody said we were a young team. No one knew how far this team could go. But we put the time and work in and were playing really well. After we beat Neumann, our attitude was that we could win it all. So it was upsetting in the beginning when we had to stop playing due to Covid-19.

“We did stay in touch though. We did three zoom calls with our teammates and coaches. We all are staying in touch on social media.

“We really wanted to win it all this year for our two seniors, Nora Haggerty and Katherine Hopkins. It was a bummer not to win for them.

“Dunmore is so amazing. I always wanted to be a Lady Buck and always wanted to play for these coaches.”