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WILKES-BARRE — GAR guard Will Johnson didn’t hesitate. He wasn’t going to force a teammate to make a pressure shot. He saw an opening — however brief — and took it.
Quite a decision for a freshman. Quite an ending to the Wyoming Valley Conference Division 2 boys basketball championship game.
Johnson drove through the lane for what proved to be the winning basket with 23 seconds left in the third overtime as the Grenadiers outlasted Nanticoke 58-57 Saturday afternoon at Wilkes University.
“His confidence is unbelievable,” GAR coach Jerry Altavilla said of Johnson, who scored 12 points. “He has tremendous composure. To be honest with you, he had the flu last night and came in a little tired. He gutted it out. He was something.”
GAR (12-2 Div. 2, 15-8 overall) won the divisional title for the fourth consecutive season. The Grenadiers will be the second seed in the District 2 Class 3A playoffs next week. Nanticoke (11-3, 18-5) will be either the third if North Pocono loses Sunday or the fourth seed if North Pocono wins. The Trojans were seeking their first divisional crown since the 2002-03 season.
The game was tied 44-44 after regulation when GAR’s Dajon Rush scored on a drive with 2.2 seconds left. Nanticoke missed shots to end the first and second overtimes, leaving the score at 51-51 and 53-53.
Nanticoke then opened the third overtime with a 3-pointer by Luke Butczynski and later broke a 56-56 tie on a free throw by Cody Piestrak with 37.4 seconds left. That left more than enough time for Johnson’s game winner.
After a timeout and minus two starters who fouled out, GAR’s Tino Altavilla inbounded the ball to the other side of midcourt to Johnson. Johnson took a couple dribbles and slashed into the lane behind a screen by sophomore Aaron Hyppolite, who likely wouldn’t have been on the court if the Grenadiers hadn’t lost two starters.
Johnson made a dip move and lofted up a floater that banged high off the rim before dropping in for a 58-57 lead.
“They were sagging on our shooter Tino (Altavilla),” Johnson said, “so we had to get to the rim. They were sagging to him, so the lane was open.”
Nanticoke had three cracks at taking the lead, but like the first two overtimes couldn’t get a shot to drop.
The Trojans immediately pushed the ball down court after Johnson’s basket, but Butczynski’s drive through traffic came up empty. GAR’s Justin Crosby-Smith was fouled, but missed the front end of a 1-and-1 situation. Nanticoke’s Brent Piontkowski grabbed the rebound and the Trojans called a timeout with 8.5 seconds remaining.
Scott Stout took the first shot, a quick 3-pointer from the right side that hit off the front of the rim. Ben Sersen couldn’t get the rebound and instead slapped it to Ed Lukowski, who was well beyond the 3-point arc. Lukowski had to grab-and-fling — his only hope — and the off-balance, desperation shot sailed well right of the hoop.
“We were looking to get the ball off a rub, off a screen, and get the ball to Stout or in Luke Butczynski’s hands,” Nanticoke coach John Beggs said. “And then it was up to them. Scott was going to try to get it to the rim, and we were good with that, and Brent (Piontkowski) was going to roll.
“But we’re confident with Scott making the decision there and shooting the ball.”
Perhaps lost in the three overtimes was Nanticoke’s free-throw shooting. The regulars shot 70 percent from the line during the regular season. The Trojans were 5 of 18 (28 percent) on Saturday
Nanticoke also missed a chance to open a bigger lead in the second quarter when GAR was 1 of 11 from the field. Instead, the Trojans took a 25-20 lead into the locker room.
GAR straightened out its shooting by the fourth quarter yet trailed 42-36 with 52 seconds left in regulation. GAR, though, got 3-pointers from Rush and Altavilla. Altavilla, who is listed at a suspicious 5-foot-11, made his over the 6-6 Piontkowski.
“That was a big shot,” Altavilla said. “They’re all big shots, but down the line they mean a little bit more.”
Altavilla led GAR with 15 points, all coming from behind the 3-point line. The senior perimeter shooter had 10 3-pointers in a game earlier this season, but only one in the last three games. Crosby-Smith added 10.
Butzczynski and Stout had 15 apiece for Nanticoke. Piontkowski had 13.
WVC Div. 2 Championship
GAR 58, Nanticoke 57 3OT
GAR (58) — Keyshawn Palmer 1 4-4 6, Marquan Kemp 4 0-0 8, Dajon Rush 3 0-0 7, Will Johnson 4 3-4 12, Justin Crosby-Smith 4 1-3 10, Tino Altavilla 5 0-1 15, Aaron Hyppolite 0 0-0 0. Totals 21 8-12 58.
NANTICOKE (57) — Ed Lukowski 1 3-8 6, Scott Stout 6 1-2 15, Brent Piontkowski 6 0-4 13, Luke Butczynski 6 0-0 15, Justin Casey 2 0-2 4, Ben Sersen 1 0-0 3, Alec Norton 0 0-0 0, Rich Wiateroski 0 0-0 0, Cody Piestrak 0 1-2 1, Nate Kreitzer 0 0-0 0. Totals 22 5-18 57.
GAR`16`4`10`14`7`2`5`—`58
Nanticoke`15`10`8`11`7`2`4`—57
Three-point goals — GAR 8 (Rush, Johnson, Crosby-Smith, Altavilla 5), NAN 8 (Lukowski, Stout 2, Piontkowski, Butczynski 3, Sersen).
