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WRIGHT TWP. — Perhaps the Hazleton Area Cougars decided the capacity crowd at Crestwood had enough excitement for one night.
The junior varsity game, after all, was a double-overtime thriller. The varsity game, not so much.
Hazleton Area turned a perceived showdown with Crestwood into a rout by halftime, overwhelming the Comets on the boards for a 62-30 victory Friday in a Wyoming Valley Conference Division 1 boys basketball game.
Hazleton Area (3-0 Div. 1, 6-2 overall) took over sole possession of first place. Crestwood fell to 2-1 in the division and 5-3 overall.
“I’m really pleased,” Hazleton Area coach Mike Joseph said. “You come up here in this atmosphere and sometimes it’s easy to not play as well as you possibly can.”
That wasn’t a problem.
The two teams have combined to win the last five WVC Division 1 titles, with Hazleton Area winning the championship last season to end Crestwood’s two-season reign. So the game was viewed as an early-season measuring stick. Hazleton Area’s size prevailed.
The Cougars finished with a 35-17 rebound advantage as 6-foot-4 Joey Grula led the way with nine boards. Josh Samec, a 6-7 junior, added seven more and 6-8 Nolan Genasevich nabbed five more.
“Obviously, we needed to do a better job boxing out,” Crestwood coach Mark Atherton said, “but I give them credit. They played well, they attacked the offensive boards and their press — they’re very long — bothered us a lot tonight.”
Hazleton Area’s pressure was key in turning the game in the Cougars’ favor to start the second quarter. Jeff Planutis, another tall guy at 6-4, hit a 3-pointer and then made a steal and a dunk. The points gave the Cougars their first double-digit lead, 18-8, and Crestwood never recovered.
Grula closed out the half with a 3-pointer to push the lead to 32-15. Genasevich and Planutis opened the third with rebound baskets, Planutis added a couple drives a bit later and Grula added another bucket off an offensive board to push the advantage to 42-16 less than four minutes into the period.
The game started about 8:10 p.m. due to the long junior varsity game. Varsity games usually start between 7:15-7:30 depending on the length of the jayvee contest.
“We were trying to stay loose and we were getting really excited,” Planutis said of the unexpected delay. “Coach just kept going over stuff. So that was good. We were really prepared.”
Planutis, whose brother Bobby was the Times Leader Player of the Year last season, finished with 18 points. Grula had 14 and finished a rebound short of a double-double because Joseph began subbing freely early in the fourth quarter.
Kyle Richards paced Crestwood with 13.
Nanticoke 49,
Northwest 22
Zack Cardone finished with a team-high nine points and 10 different players scored for the Trojans in a victory over the Rangers.
Luke Butzcynski had a pair of 3-point field goals in the second quarter to help Nanticoke Area take a 33-18 halftime lead.
Sam Saxe wound up with a game-high 12 points for Northwest.
Wyoming Area 53,
Wyo. Seminary 36
Kyre Zeilinski scored 10 of his 14 points in the first half as the Warriors shot out to a nine-point halftime lead and coasted to victory.
Sam Greenfield poured in all 10 of his points during the second half for Wyoming area and Tony Saitta buried a pair of 3-point goals in the third quarter. Ryan Shuleski also finished with 10 points for the Warriors.
Dimitri Gnall scored a game-high 15 points for the Blue Knights.
Berwick 60,
MMI Prep 25
Alec Markle hit for 20 points and Ken Marshman and Damon Beckhorn combined for 20 more as the Bulldogs won going away.
Marshman and Beckhorn finished with 10 points apiece, while Matt Champ tossed in 13 — including 10 in the first half when Berwick built a 34-9 lead by intermission.
Philip Byriel led the Preppers with 13 points.
Wyo. Valley West 60,
Coughlin 31
Draig Ruff scored eight of his game-high 21 points in the opening quarter as the Spartans shot out to a 10-point lead and cruised past Coughlin.
Sean Judge scored all 14 of his points during the first half, including 10 in the second quarter to help Valley West build a 31-11 halftime lead.
Charles Cobbs and Anthony Hinkle led Coughlin with six points apiece.
GAR 71,
Lake-Lehman 37
Andrew Campbell led four Grenadiers who scored in double figures with 18 points and GAR built a 17-point halftime lead to end the suspense early.
Anthony Hawk scored nine points in the second quarter and finished with 13 for the game, while Will Johnson added 15 points for the Grenadiers and Keyshawn Palmer finished with 11.
Cole Spencer scored 10 points for the Black Knights.
Dallas 57,
Pittston Area 35
The Mountaineers jumped out to a 15-3 first-quarter lead and never looked back in a win over the Patriots.
Joey Parsons scored nine of his game-high 16 points in the first quarter, while Alex Charlton finished with nine.
Matt McGlynn led the Patriots with eight points.
Meyers 59,
Holy Redeemer 49
Juwane Buckner scored 14 points and Matt Dessoye chipped in with 13 points in the Mohawks’ win.
Levaugn Soules had 10 points for Meyers.
Holy Redeemer’s Joey Judge finished with 13 points and Collin Cook had 11 during the defeat.
Hazleton Area 62, Crestwood 30
HAZLETON AREA (62) — Josh Samec 1 2-2 4, Jeff Planutis 8 0-2 18, Michael Cusatis 0 2-2 2, Joey Grula 6 0-0 14, Nolan Genasevich 2 0-0 4, Isaac Perez 1 0-2 2, Sparky Wolk 0 0-0 0, Aaron Kellmer 1 0-0 2, Scotty Shamany 2 1-1 5, Da’Mir Faison 2 5-6 9, Nathan Begg 1 0-0 2, Frank Mussoline 0 0-0 0. Totals 24 10-14 62.
CRESTWOOD (30) — Kyle Gegaris 2 0-0 6, Lance Blass 1 0-0 2, Kevin Klusewitz 1 0-0 2, Kyle Richards 4 3-3 13, Noah Jackson 0 1-2 1, Frank Cesarella 0 0-0 0, Sean Murphy 0 0-0 0, Camden Boris 0 0-0 0, Nick Andrews 0 1-2 1, Adam Gegaris 0 0-0 0, Mike Ayala 1 0-0 3, Mike Kozelsky 1 0-0 2, Corey Chalk 0 0-0 0, Sean Foley 0 0-0 0. Totals 10 5-7 30.
Hazleton Area`13`19`13`17`—`62
Crestwood`8`7`7`8`—`30
Three-point goals — HAZ 4 (Grula 2, Planutis 2); CRE 5 (K. Gegaris 2, Richards 2, A. Gegaris).
Nanticoke Area 48, Northwest 22
NORTHWEST (22) — Sam Saxe 4 2-3 12, Tyler Stevens 2 0-0 5, Jaxson Yaple 1 0-0 2, Nick Levandowski 0 0-0 0, Mitchell Mazonkey 0 2-2 2, Walker Yaple 0 1-2 1, Caleb Diltz 0 0-0 0, Jesse Tarnowski 0 0-0 0, Bryce Koser 0 0-0 0. Totals 7 5-7 22.
NANTICOKE AREA (48) — Nate Kreitzer 2 0-0 6, Rich Wiaterowski 1 1-1 3, Cody Piestrak 3 0-0 8, Trahjan Krupinski 1 0-0 2, Luke Butczynski 3 0-0 8, Zack Cardone 4 0-0 9, Alec Divers 0 0-0 0, Tyler Thomas 0 3-5 3, Matt Piontkowski 0 1-6 1, Terrel Telesford 0 0-0 0, Justin Casey 2 2-4 6, Colby Butczynski 0 0-0 0, Jared Piontkowski 1 0-0 2. Totals 17 7-16 48.
Northwest`7`4`7`4`—`22
Nanticoke Area`10`13`13`12`—`48
Three-point goals — NW 3 (Sam Saxe 2, Stevens); NAN 7 (Kreitzer 2, Piestrak 2, Butczynski 2, Cardone).
Wyomign Area 53, Wyoming Seminary 36
WYOMING SEMINARY (36) — Noah Munley 1 1-2 3, Dimitri Gnoll 7 1-1 15, Todd Phillips 1 0-0 2, Jeremy Callahan 2 4-5 9, Johnny Kehl 1 0-0 2, Nick Bufalino 0 0-0 0, Sam Singh 0 0-0 0, Nick Ganter 1 2-2 4, Dan Paglia 0 0-0 0. Totals 13 9-12 36.
WYOMING AREA (53) — Anthony Nardell 3 0-0 8, Kyre Zeilinski 7 0-1 14, Sam Greenfield 4 1-1 10, Tony Saitta 2 0-0 6, Matt Wright 0 1-2 1, Kyle Muston 0 0-0 0, Dan Weidl 0 0-0 0, Mike Bonita 2 0-0 4, Cole Keating 0 0- 00, Ryan Shuleski 4 1-1 10. Totals 22 3-5 53.
Wyoming Seminary`6`10`10`10`—`36
Wyoming Area`9`16`10`18`—`53
Three-point goals — SEM 1 (Callahan); WA 6 (Nardel 2, Saitta 2, Shuleski, Greenfield).
Berwick 60, MMI Prep 25
MMI PREP (25) — Philip Byriel 5 2-4 13, George Palermo 0 0-0 0, Nick Young 0 0-0 0, Matt Marchetti 3 1-2 7, Kyle Williams 2 1-2 5, Marcus Kassick 0 0-0 0, Zach Young 0 0-0 0, Kisan Patel 0 0-0 0, Keefer Hoover 0 0-0 0. Totals 10 4-8 25.
BERWICK (60) — Justin Groshek 0 0-2 0, Ken Marshman 3 3-3 10, Matt Champ 5 0-0 13, Alec Markle 8 5-6 20, Damon Beckhorn 3 2-2 10, Joe Norce 2 1-2 5, Austin Markle 0 0-0 0, Kyle Pierce 0 0-2 0. Totals 21 10-16 60.
MMI Prep`4`5`10`6`—`25
Berwick`16`18`16`10`—`60
Three-point goals — MMI 1 (Byriel); BER 7 (Champ 3, Beckhorn 2, Marshman, Markle).
Wyoming Valley West 60, Coughlin 31
COUGHLIN (31) — Thomas Davis 1 2-2 4, Melvin Robinson 2 1-5 5, Charles Cobbs 2 1-2 6, Dylan Thomas 0 0-0 0, Anthony Hinkle 3 0-2 6, Nyseem Johnson 0 0-0 0, Marco Deluco 1 0-0 2, Dominique Flippen 1 1-2 3, Jesue Perdomo 0 1-2 1. Totals 12 6-15 31.
WYOMING VALLEY WEST (60) — Sean Judge 6 2-2 14, Noah Frace 3 0-0 8, Stephon Scottland 0 0-0 0, Tayshawn Moore 0 0-0 0, Savion Saunders 3 0-0 7, Draig Ruff 9 2-2 21, Alek Sokoloski 0 0-0 0, Amistad Hackett 2 0-0 5, Montel Jordan 2 0-0 5, Davis Weaver 0 0-0 0, Cortes Adams 0 0-0 0, Samuel Solomon 0 0-0 0. Totals 25 4-4 60.
Coughlin`6`5`12`8`—`31
Wyoming Valley West`16`15`16`13`—`60
Three-point goals — COU 1 (Cobbs); WVW 6 (Frace 2, Ruff, Hackett, Jordan, Saunders).
GAR 71, Lake-Lehman 37
LAKE-LEHMAN (37) — Walkker Shaw 0 0-0 0, Tyler Scharff 3 2-3 8, 3 2-3 8, Garret Weston 4 0-2 8, John Pelton 0 0-0 0, Don Thompson 0 1-2 1, Mahmoud Dabsheh 1 0-0 2, C.J. Cercone 1 2-4 4, Adam Motovidlak 1 2-4 4, Cole Spencer 2 6-6 10, Mike Sikora 0 0-0 0. Totals 12 13-21 37.
GAR (71) — Keyshawn Palmer 4 3-3 11, Will Johnson 5 4-6 15, Andrew Campbell 6 3-4 18, Herman Suazo 2 2-3 6, Kahlil White 1 0-0 3, Anthony Hawk 5 3-4 13, Eli Ruiz 0 0-0 0, Mufee Burney 0 0- 00, Jared O’Day 1 0-0 3, Cebastian Murray 1 0-0 2. Totals 25 15-20 71.
Lake-Lehman`6`12`4`15`—`37
GAR`12`23`18`18`—`71
Three-point goals — GAR 6 (Campbell 3, Johnson, White, O’Day).
Dallas 57, Pittston Area 35
PITTSTON AREA (35) — Chris Klein 1 0-1 2, Naseem Guillaume 2 0-0 6, Kolton Zaffuto 0 0-0 0, Keemar Woodruff 1 2-3 4, Brennan Higgins 0 0-0 0, Jimmy Pliska 1 0-0 3, Alex McAndrew 1 3-4 6, Matt McGlynn 2 2-2 8, Andrew Krawczyk 0 0-0 0, Mike Mazurkivich 1 0-0 2, Joe Cencetti 0 0-0 0, Patrick Mitchell 1 2-2 4. Totals 10 9-12 35.
DALLAS (57) — Collin Pertl 0 0-0 0, Alex Charlton 4 0-0 9, Nick Kocher 2 0-0 5, Joey Parsons 7 0-0 16, Matt Mathers 0 2-4 2, Ben Donahue 3 0-0 8, Zach Charlton 0 0-0 0, Jay Bittner 2 1-2 5, Ethan Szczencinski 4 0-0 8, Brody Strickland 0 0-0 0, Jacob Serafin 1 0-0 2, Michael Farrell 1 0-0 2. Totals 24 3-6 57.
Pittston`3`6`13`13`—`35
Dallas `15`11`16`15`—`57
Three-point goals — PA 6 (Guillaume 2, Pliska, McAndrew, McGlynn 2); DAL 6 (A. Charlton, Kocher, Parsons 2, Donahue 2).
Meyers 59, Holy Redeemer 49
HOLY REDEEMER (49) — Bryce Yeucha 0 4-4 4, Jason Stachokus 2 0-0 5, Joey Judge 3 6-8 13, Joe Layou 0 0-0 0, James Kosik 0 0-0 0, JD Turosky 2 0-0 4, Luke Nealon 1 0-0 2, Collin Cook 4 1-2 11, Nick Prociak 4 2-2 10. Totals 16 13-16 49.
MEYERS (59) — Yuri Covington 3 0-0 8, Omar Kelley 1 2-2 4, Robbie Formola 2 0-0 4, Matt Dessoye 5 2-2 13, Juwane Buckner 4 6-7 14, Steve Morel 0 0-0 0, Levaughn Soules 5 0-1 10, Ryan Gilgallon 3 0-0 6. Totals 23 10-12 59.
Redeemer`12`18`11`8`—`49
Meyers`25`11`10`13`—`59
Three-point goals — HR 4 (Stachokus, Judge, Cook 2); MEY 3 (Covington 2, Dessoye).
