Patriots JJ Walsh (13) and Anthony Cencetti (33) avoid a collision with Abington Heights’ Will Marion (12) while going after a lose ball.
Tony Callaio | For Times Leader
Pittston Area’s Anthony Cencetti (33) gets by Abington Heights’ Will Marion (12) and Bryce Florey (35) to score two of his 13 points.
Tony Callaio | For Times Leader
Pittston Area’s Jack Locker scores on a easy layup against Abington Heights in a District 2 Class 5A semifinal game Friday night.
Tony Callaio | For Times Leader
Pittston Area’s Ethan Ghannam (14) scored two points against Abington Heights during Friday’s District 2 Class 5A semifinal game.
Tony Callaio | For Times Leader
Pittston Area head coach Al Semenza looks up at the scoreboard and clinches his fist with seconds left in the game as the Patriots defeated Abington Heights 43-36 in a District 2 Class 5A semifinal game Friday night.
Tony Callaio | For Times Leader
YATESVILLE — A big key to Pittston Area’s success this season has been finding the hot hand each game.
Usually, it has been 1,000-point scorer J.J. Walsh, although the other four starters have taken their turns in the forefront.
Dominic Jannuzzi was the guy Friday night.
Jannuzzi scored a game-high 14 points – with six coming on a personal run in the second quarter – as Pittston Area held off Abington Heights, 43-36, in a District 2 Class 5A boys basketball semifinal.
“It makes it extremely difficult,” Jannuzzi said of having so many capable scorers. “Obviously, they have to put their best defender on our leading scorer, J.J. He’s something different. Everybody is talking about these other guys, but he’s the real deal.
“Then (Anthony) Cencetti, Jack (Locker), we can all score. But it’s whoever’s night. Tonight, I was feeling it. Cencetti had some layups. Jack hit that big three when we needed it. Even Ethan (Ghannam), he hit the game-winner against Hazleton Area. Anybody can score.”
Jannuzzi did more than score Friday night. He was also the game’s leader in rebounds (nine) and assists (five).
“Awesome. Awesome,” Pittston Area coach Al Semenza said. “I told hi at halftime, ‘they can’t stop you. Just start shooting the ball with two hands instead of that scoop shot’.”
The top-seeded Patriots (19-4) used their ninth straight win to advance to the district final Friday at 8 p.m. at Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza. They’ll face the winner of Saturday night’s game between Wallenpaupack and North Pocono, a team the Patriots beat, 36-33, in the Conference Challenge at Lackawanna College in December.
The district championship game berth puts Pittston Area in the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association state tournament because District 2 gets two spots in Class 5A.
Fourth-seeded Abington Heights ended its season at 15-8. The Comets made it to the title game last season, only to have to forfeit to Crestwood because of COVID-19 issues.
Abington Heights had been to 13 straight state tournaments before missing three in a row. Pittston Area knocked the Comets out of contention two of those years and the COVID issue took care of the other.
While Abington Heights won eight consecutive district championships from 2012 through 2019, Pittston Area has not won any since its only district championship in 1978. The school was founded in 1966.
Pittston Area took the lead for good as Cencetti’s three-point play result in a 5-3 lead with 4:44 left in the first quarter. Abington Heights knocked the deficit down to one midway through the second quarter, but Jannuzzi scored the next six points. The first two came on a short inside cut to the basket, something the Patriots exploited several times while shooting better than 50 percent for the game.
“They’re a good 3-point shooting team and didn’t even have to shoot threes,” Abington Heights coach Ken Bianchi said. “They were getting all layups.”
Another burst in the third quarter, where Jannuzzi scored twice and fired a pass inside to Cencetti for another bucket, made it 34-25. Cencetti’s points also came on a quick inside move.
“I thought we executed the offense really well tonight,” Semenza said. “We had a couple different sets we ran that were really effective.”
The Patriots looked like they were going to take control with 3:35 remaining in the game when Ghannam scored inside off a pass from Walsh for a 39-29 advantage. Abington Heights, though, put on one final burst to try to save its season.
A 3-pointer by Jamison Bessoir moved the Comets within 39-36 with 1:26 to play.
Pittston Area, though, worked the clock and scored the game’s final four points.
Cencetti scored 13 points and grabbed five rebounds in the win.
Ghannam blocked four shots.
Will Marion led Abington Heights with 13 points and Bessoir added 11.
Pittston Area 49, Valley View 47
Pittston Area’s playoff opener was even closer.
J.J. Walsh scored 20 points to lead the Patriots past the visiting Cougars in Tuesday’s District 2 Class 5A semifinals.
Walsh went 12-for-14 from the line.
Anthony Cencetti scored nine of his 12 points to help Pittston Area to a 19-17 lead at halftime.
Walsh scored 16 of his points in the second half, including 10 in the third quarter. He made two of the four 3-pointers the team used to score 18 points in the third quarter and take a six-point lead.
Walsh made all six of his fourth-quarter free throw attempts.
