Wilkes-Barre Area boys hold off Old Forge in title game

PLAINS TWP. — Wilkes-Barre Area’s David Jannuzzi went from a scary moment to start Saturday’s game to closing out a victory at the end.

Jannuzzi sank five free throws in the final 25.8 seconds as the Wolfpack defeated Old Forge 51-43 in the Wilkes-Barre Area Tip-Off Tournament championship game.

Jannuzzi finished with a team-high 13 points — the only WBA player in double figures — and was named the tournament MVP. The Times Leader Wyoming Valley Conference Player of the Year a season ago, Jannuzzi played with a painful left shoulder for most of the game.

Jannuzzi was injured just 64 seconds into the game as he landed hard on his shoulder during a melee for a loose ball. He sat about two minutes before returning and said the shoulder was a bit of an issue the rest of the way.

“You have to have trust in your guys,” Jannuzzi said. “I didn’t do enough of that early, but I did do that later as we went on. They really stepped up. You just got to fight through that pain. “

Others played a key role in the Wolfpack improving to 2-0.

Mike Keating and, at times, Camrin Shovlin gave up size to Old Forge’s 6-foot-6 center Logan Fanning, but made him work for his four field goals. The Fuentes brothers — Achilles and Robert — flew around the court enough that it was tricky on occasion two determine who was who.

Then there was the smallest guy on the court in both height and weight — WBA freshman Orlando Williams. Williams, who is listed at 5-6, nailed a pair of 3-pointers to get the Wolfpack’s lead back to double digits after Old Forge cut the deficit to five early in the fourth quarter.

“That zone was killing us and against the zone he hit those two shots,” WBA coach Jim Lavan said. “He didn’t hesitate, he didn’t flinch. Orlando, for his size, he’s not scared of any moment.”

Up 46-38 with just over three minutes remaining, the Wolfpack decided to kill clock instead of continuing their fast pace. That allowed Old Forge to get within 46-42 with 1:16 left when Cameron Parker, a Class 2A all-state third-team selection last season, scored inside.

“You’re trying to balance the fact that you’re winning the game by a decent amount and you want to limit their possessions,” Lavan said. “But at the same time, you don’t want to be so passive that you get out of your thing.”

Parker nearly got the Blue Devils into a one-possession game, but his drive with 44 seconds left rolled across the rim. Old Forge also left plenty of points at the foul line, shooting just 11-of-23.

Although WBA’s PIAA enrollment is over seven times that of Old Forge, the Class 6A Wolfpack knew they were getting a quality opponent. The Blue Devils won the District 2 Class 2A championship last season and advanced to the state quarterfinals while finishing 21-6.

Wilkes-Barre Area 51, Old Forge 43

OLD FORGE (43) — Ryan DeMarco 5 4-7 14, Cameron Parker 5 2-4 13, Camren Krushnowski 1 0-0 3, Logan Fanning 4 5-12 13, Ayden Aversa 0 0-0 0, Robby Solfanelli 0 0-0 0, Nick Salerno 0 0-0 0, Arthur Askew 0 0-0 0, Chris Ramus 0 0-0 0. Totals 15 11-23 43.

WILKES-BARRE AREA (51) — Orlando Williams 3 0-0 9, Jacob Johnson 0 0-0 0, David Jannuzzi 4 5-6 13, Zion Magee 0 0-0 0, Mike Keating 3 0-2 6, Camrin Shovlin 1 0-0 2, Luciano Jannuzzi 2 0-0 6, Robert Fuentes 3 1-2 7, Achilles Fuentes 3 1-1 7. Totals 19 7-11 51.

Old Forge`6`12`13`12 — 43

Wilkes-Barre Area`14`12`12`13 — 51

Three-point goals — OF 2 (Parker, Krushnowski). WBA 6 (Williams 3, Shovlin, L.Jannuzzi).