Dallas guard Austin Finarelli was selected the co-MVP of the Times Leader All-WVC boys basketball team.
Fred Adams file photo | For Times Leader
Holy Redeemer guard Justice Shoats was selected the co-MVP of the Times Leader All-WVC boys basketball team.
Fred Adams file photo | For Times Leader
Here is the Times Leader All-Wyoming Valley Conference boys basketball team.
All statistics are from regular-season games only.
Austin Finarelli
Dallas
Guard – Senior
Co-Player of the Year
Finarelli was selected as the Co-Player of the Year after an outstanding season where he led Division 1 in scoring with a 20.3 average while hitting 58% of his free throws and connecting on 38 3-pointers. The 6-foot 1,000-point scorer combined quickness and ballhandling to beat opponents and had an uncanny knack of finding rebounds despite his size. Played most of the postseason with a broken finger.
Justice Shoats
Holy Redeemer
Guard – Senior
Co-Player of the Year
Shoats earned his third All-WVC selection and second Player of the Year honors. He was POY as a sophomore. Incredible fast on both ends of the court, Shoats was excellent at beating opponents off the dribble while preventing the same at the other end of the court. He led Division 2 with a 20.3 scoring average and hits 82% of his free throws. He finished with over 1,500 career points.
Ben Chilson
Tunkhannock
Forward – Junior
Chilson was one of the best pure scorers in the WVC. He finished second in Division 1 in scoring with an 18.4 average, was the division’s top free-throw shooter at 83% and his 52 3-pointers tied for the most in the entire WVC. His 404 points were the third-most in the conference and his 38-point game vs. Dallas was the most by a WVC boys player in a game.
Josian Guerra
Hazleton Area
Guard – Senior
Guerra carried over a late surge his junior season right into his final campaign with the Cougars. He finished third in Division 1 in scoring with a 16.4 average, shot 67% from the foul line and netted 21 3-pointers. He scored in double figures in all but one regular-season game. His quickness to the hoop made him difficult to guard.
Jaidyn Johnson
Nanticoke Area
Forward – Sophomore
One of the top newcomers in the WVC, Johnson flashed signs of potentially being one of the top big men over the next two seasons. At 6-foot-4 and a solid 220 pounds, he was a force in the paint for the Trojans. He was third in Division 2 in scoring with a 16.0 average and hit on 66% percent of his free throws. He finished off the regular season with a 34-point game vs. West Scranton.
Nick Nocito
Dallas
Guard – Senior
A two-time All-WVC selection, Nocito could get into shooting grooves where he couldn’t be stopped. The four-year starter scored 15.0 points per game, shot 87% (40-of-46) from the foul line and nailed 36 3-pointers during the regular season. Also an excellent ballhandler, he finished over 1,000 career points.
Matt Prociak
Holy Redeemer
F/C – Senior
Prociak was an All-WVC selection for a second consecutive season. At 6-foot-6, he wasn’t a typical big man as he could shoot from anywhere on the court. He placed second in Division 2 in scoring with a 16.4 average, connected on 66% of his free throws and recorded 23 3-pointers. Prociak also scored his 1,000th career point this season.
JJ Walsh
Pittston Area
Guard – Senior
Walsh concluded an outstanding four-year career by adding his name to the school’s 1,000-point scorer list. After a slow start because of an illness, he went right back to being a scoring force. He averaged 15.5 points, was second in Division 1 in free throws by hitting them at an 81% clip and finished with 33 3-pointers. He had a great sense for when to pull up for a shot or attack the rim.
Mark Belenski
Dallas
Co-Coach of the Year
The last WVC coach to win a state title back in 2005, Belenski nearly got the Mountaineers there. They lost in the PIAA Class 4A state semifinals, but not after setting a school record in wins by finishing 27-4. The team’s District 2 championship was the first since 1984. Dallas averaged 69.5 points and surrendered just 49.6 during the regular season.
Paul Guido
Holy Redeemer
Co-Coach of the Year
Guido guided the Royals within a game of playing for the PIAA Class 3A state championship. They lost 73-72 in overtime in the semifinals to eventual state champ Devon Prep. Redeemer won the WVC Division 2 and District 2 Class 3A titles, its fourth district championship in the program’s history. The team finished 24-5 overall with only one loss coming to a WVC opponent.
Times Leader All-WVC Second Team
Mike Cumbo, Dallas, So.
Zayne Dunsmuir, Crestwood, Sr.
Dominic Jannuzzi, Pittston Area, Sr.
Jon Mann, Wyoming Valley West, Sr.
Elijah Noe, Hanover Area, Jr.
Zach Perta, Holy Redeemer, Jr.
Nyquon Santos-Hollman, Wilkes-Barre Area, Sr.
Dane Schutter, Wyoming Area, So.
