Pittston Area guard JJ Walsh gains control of a loose ball during Tuesday night’s game with Wyoming Valley West. Walsh finished with a season-high 30 points.
Fred Adams | For Sunday Dispatch
Wyoming Valley West’s Kahzir Wright (11) and Pittston Area’s Anthony Cencetti chase after a loose ball during the first quarter Tuesday night.
Fred Adams | For Sunday Dispatch
Wyoming Valley West’s Desmond Rhodes (10) trys to block a shot by Pittston’s JJ Walsh’s in the first quarter Tuesday night.
Fred Adams | For Sunday Dispatch
Wyoming Valley West’s Desmond Rhodes (10 ) falls in front of Pittston Area’s Anthony Cencetti during the first quarter Tuesday night.
Fred Adams | For Sunday Dispatch
Pittston Area’s Silvo Giardina (2) takes the ball down court with Wyoming Valley West’s Kenny Brown giving chase in the first quarter Tuesday night.
Fred Adams | For Sunday Dispatch
PLYMOUTH – Pittston Area entered Tuesday night’s game with plenty of incentive.
The Patriots were trying to keep their Wyoming Valley Conference Division 1 boys basketball title hopes — albeit no matter how slim — alive. They were also trying to remain atop the District 2 Class 5A playoff standings.
Then when Wyoming Valley West started five seldom-used seniors on Senior Night, it seemed Pittston Area was primed for a comfortable win. It didn’t quite start out that way.
“You’re thinking you got to jump on them, you got to get ahead of them,” Pittston Area coach Al Semenza said, “and you look up and it’s 4-2 after two and a half minutes.”
And it was a three-point lead after six minutes until J.J. Walsh started yet another big night. Walsh scored five consecutive points and continued scoring when Wyoming Valley West put its starters in as the Patriots went on for a 61-41 victory.
Walsh finished with 30 points, the most by a Patriot this season. The senior guard is averaging 22.9 points in his last eight games, including the Thursday win that followed. He is also 55-of-63 (87.3 percent) from the foul line in that span.
“The last three and a half weeks, he’s been playing as well as anyone around,” Semenza said. “He has taken over this team, he makes big baskets, his confidence is off the charts at this point. He was out with an illness that week and a half when we opened up the season and maybe didn’t recover that quick and took a little time to get his feet under him.”
Ethan Ghannam and Dom Jannuzzi added 10 points each and were Pittston Area’s top rebounders.
Pittston Area has since finished the Division 1 schedule at 11-3, a game behind Dallas at 12-2. Now, the Patriots are trying to hold off three teams for the top seed in the District 2 Class 5A playoffs.
Wyoming Valley West’s makeshift starting lineup gave Pittston Area trouble early on. But turnovers caught up with the group as Walsh finished off his personal 5-0 run with a layup and ensuing free throw off a steal.
The Wyoming Valley West regulars cut a double-digit deficit to 32-25 three minutes into the third quarter. Pittston Area, though, extended an 11-2 run into the fourth quarter to regain control.
Lake-Lehman 61, Wyoming Area 44
Cole Morio scored 26 points to lead host Lake-Lehman to the WVC Division 2 victory Friday night.
Dane Schutter led Wyoming Area with 23 points.
The Warriors finished the division portion of their schedule 5-7. They are 8-12 and sixth of 10 teams in the race for eight District 2 Class 4A playoff berths.
Pittston Area 68, Berwick 37
J.J. Walsh went 11-for-13 from the line while scoring 20 points Thursday night in a home victory over Berwick to extend its winning streak to six games.
The Patriots improved to 16-4 overall.
Ethan Ghannam and Dom Jannuzzi added nine points each in the win.
Holy Redeemer 78, Wyoming Area 41
Evan Melberger scored 17 points to lead Wyoming Area in Tuesday’s home loss to WVC Division 2 champion Holy Redeemer.
Pittston Area 47, Hazleton Area 46
Ethan Ghannam’s turnaround shot in the lane with six second left lifted the Patriots to the home-court win Feb. 5, knocking Hazleton Area out of the WVC Division 1 lead. J.J. Walsh helped set the stage for Ghannam’s win, completing a 25-point performance by twice hitting two free throws in the final 1:39 to pull the Patriots within a point each time.
The Patriots had gone nine minutes without a field goal before finding Ghannam for the winner off an in-bounds play under their own basket.
Walsh had eight points to help Pittston Area to a 16-14 lead after one quarter.
After Hazleton Area took a 24-23 halftime lead, Pittston Area move in front 37-33 with 1:07 left in the third quarter before running into its offensive struggles.
Walsh went 8-for-8 from the line
