The Wyoming Area boys basketball team, which is off to a 4-0 start, was represented at Coaches vs. Cancer Media Day in Scranton by, from left: Liam Meier, Bruno Pizzano, Drew Keating, head coach Anthony Macario, Luke Kopetchny, Mitchell Rusinchak, and Shane Pepe.
Tom Robinson | For Sunday Dispatch
Luke Kopetchny continued his early-season scoring spree with 37 points Friday night, but Wyoming Area needed clutch plays by Drew Keating in the last second of regulation and Shane Pepe in the last minute of overtime to remain undefeated.
The Warriors became the first District 2 boys basketball team to reach 4-0 when they handed host Lakeland its first loss in three games this season with a 66-63 victory.
Keating had an odd night. He led all players in the game with eight offensive and 16 total rebounds and two blocked shots as well as leading the Warriors with five assists. At the same time, however, he was 0-for-9 from the floor going into the closing seconds with several close range shots rolling around the rim before falling away.
When Kopetchny missed a shot at the potential winning 3-pointer, Keating just beat the final buzzer with a tip in to force a 57-57 tie and overtime.
“He got the most important one,” Warriors coach Anthony Macario said.
The putback that forced overtime was the second hustle play by the Warriors in the closing seconds to salvage their perfect record.
Kopetchny’s first attempt at a possible game-winner glanced off the rim and bounced away. The ball appeared to be going out of bounds when Bruno Pizzano jumped, his body already well beyond the base line when fired the ball back off a Lakeland player and out of bounds to maintain possession with 6.4 seconds left and set up the winning sequence.
“Both Bruno and Drew are doing so many things right now outside of scoring that are impacting winning,” Macario said. “They’re rebounding the ball at a really high level on both ends of the floor. They’re doing a lot of that dirty work that sometimes doesn’t show up in boxscores, but man do we need it.
“They’re keeping plays alive; they’re diving on loose balls. Again, with Drew tonight, he has the biggest rebound of the night to send the game into overtime. It was awesome.”
Kopetchny had 13 rebounds while Pizzano and Pepe had seven each to help Wyoming Area to a 50-40 advantage on the boards.
Pepe had 18 points, many of them of the timely variety. He had the first five points of the second quarter for a 21-13 lead, but just as importantly hit a 3-pointer late in the half to quiet a Lakeland surge and get Wyoming Area to halftime in a 28-28 tie.
Lakeland had streaks of nine straight points in the second quarter and 10 straight in the third. When the Chiefs opened the fourth quarter with a 12-2 run to a 50-42 lead, it was Pepe who stopped the momentum with a floater in the lane.
Pepe then created the last of the game’s 16 lead changes with a 3-pointer from the top of the key for a 65-63 lead with 41 seconds left in overtime. He followed that up by beating a group of bigger players to a rebound on the defensive end and hitting one of two free throws with 25 seconds to finish with the game’s final four points.
“He was aggressive tonight,” Macario said. “He had a great second half.
“ … That was great to see him playing with a lot of confidence and coming in to take a little pressure off of Luke as well by hitting a big shot when we needed one.”
Kopetchny still handled much of the offense, increasing his season scoring average to 29 per game.
“Luke is special,” Macario said. “He’s so gifted as a player. It’s one of those crazy things where we expect it; he expects it; not to the degree of 37 where he finished tonight.
“It’s something we don’t take for granted. He’s such a skilled player, but even more importantly, too, he’s such a great teammate. We needed every bit of what he was able to do tonight. He played like a league MVP; he played like an all-state player tonight. And, that’s what he is.”
Lakeland’s defense was effective in keeping Wyoming Area from penetrating, resulting in the Warriors launching 37 shots from beyond the arc and only 29 from inside.
Kopetchny, who usually does much of his work closer to the basket, showed off excellent range. He finished 7-for-18 on 3-pointers, 14-for-30 from the floor overall and 2-for-4 from the line.
After making fewer than one 3-pointer per game last season, Kopetchny is averaging 2½ so far this season.
“He’s really expanded his game,” Macario said. “There were a couple tonight that for many guys aren’t really a good shot, but when Luke gets in rhythm, he can score from anywhere.
“His versatility is a strength of his and it’s really fun to watch.”
Chase Rosenkrans led Lakeland with 24 points, eight rebounds, five assists and two steals.
Wyoming Area 54, Mid Valley 43
Luke Kopetchny poured in 34 points Wednesday night as Wyoming Area won its home opener with a non-league victory over Mid Valley.
Kopetchny had eight of Wyoming Area’s 10 first-quarter points and had 19 by halftime to help the Warriors to a 27-16 lead.
Mid Valley cut the deficit to 39-35 going into the fourth quarter, but Mitchell Rusinchak led a strong finish by hitting two 3-pointers and going 3-for-4 from the line while scoring nine of his 11 points in the fourth quarter.
Mid Valley (1-1) got 16 points from Zach Buza and 12 from Jeremy Cali.
Wyoming Area 55, Pocono Mountain East 51
Luke Kopetchny scored 13 of his 24 points in the fourth quarter to help Wyoming Area pull out the second win in as many nights Nov. 29 to begin the season at North Pocono in what was originally scheduled to be the James Akens Tip-Off Classic.
Kopetchny was 5-for-6 from the line in the fourth quarter when the Warriors went 10-for-14. Bruno Pizzano made all four of his free throws in the quarter for his only scoring.
Mitchell Rusinchak had three 3-pointers in the first quarter and finished with 12 points.
The Warriors led 16-10 after one quarter and 26-17 at halftime before being outscored 15-7 in the third quarter to make it a one-point game.
Christian Varkanis hit four second-half 3-pointers to finish with 14 points and lead three Pocono Mountain East scorers in double figures.
