YATESVILLE – Pittston Area got to 80 percent of the rebounds on the defensive end and half of them on the offensive end Dec. 3 when it opened the boys basketball season against Wyoming Area in the 18th annual Eugene R. DeMinico II Memorial Game.
With Anthony Cencetti, the team’s Most Valuable Player in the game, taking care the defensive end and a group of Patriots crashing the offensive boards, Pittston Area cruised to a 61-41 victory.
Pittston Area had a 44-26 advantage in total rebounds and a 17-6 lead in offensive rebounds.
The Patriots got 11 points off of putbacks and did not yield a basket off an offensive rebound until the final score of the game.
Cencetti had all 12 of his rebounds on the defensive end.
“Even last year, that was one of my specialties, rebounding,” Cencetti said. “I always play hard. I go for the ball. That’s one thing I’ve always done.”
Despite a height disadvantage, the Patriots went to the boards hard.
Silvio Giardina and Jack Long each had five offensive rebounds while Ciaran Bilbow came off the bench to add four. Matt Walter had two.
A detailed statistical look at the DeMinico Game, with full shooting stats, follows:
Pittston Area 61, Wyoming Area 41
WYOMING AREA (41) – Tyler Sciandra 1-3 0-1 2, Lukas Burakiewicz 0-5 0-0 0, Matt Little 3-7 0-1 8, Brady Noone 5-10 2-6 14, Dane Schutter 5-9 2-8 13, Matt Rusinchak 1-2 0-0 2, Anthony DeLucca 0-3 0-0 0, Skyler Pierce 0-0 0-0 0, Trevor Kruszka 0-1 0-0 0, Dylan Petrucci 0-1 0-0 0, Patrick Golden 1-1 0-0 2. Totals 16-42 4-16 41
PITTSTON AREA (61) – Jacob Burnett 2-7 0-0 6, Silvio Giardina 6-14 1-3 16, Jack Long 6-9 1-2 13, Matt Walter 1-3 0-0 2, Anthony Cencetti 9-22 4-6 24, Paul Jordan McGarry 0-3 0-0 0, Ciaran Bilbow 0-1 0-0 0, Arden Lynn 0-0 0-0 0, Stephen Barnic 0 0-0 0, Jacob Ivey 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 24-59 6-11 61.
Wyoming Area`9`7`12`13`—`41
Pittston Area`14`19`14`14`—`61
Three-point shooting – WA 5-16 (Noone 2-4, Little 2-6, Schutter 1-1, Rusinchak 0-1, DeLucca 0-1, Sciandra 0-1, Burakiewicz 0-2), Pittston Area 7-19 (Giardina 3-6, Cencetti 2-4, Burnett 2-7, McGarry 0-2). Shooting percentages – WA 38.1 on FG, 31.3 on 3PT, 25.0 on FT; PA 40.7 on FG, 36.8 on 3PT, 54.5 on FT). Team rebounds – WA 6, PA 3. Total rebounds – WA 26 (Schutter 9, Noone 6), PA 44 (Cencetti 12, Giardina 8, Long 8, Bilbow 6, Walter 5). Assists – WA 12 (Sciandra 4, Noone 3), PA 12 (Cencetti 4, Giardina 4, Long 3), Steals – WA 3 (Burakiewicz, Little, DeLucca), PA 7 (Giardina 3, Long 2, Cencetti 2). Blocked shots – WA 3 (Sciandra, Noone, DeLucca), PA 1 (Cencetti). Turnovers – WA 12, PA 10. Team fouls – WA 19, PA 16. Fouled Out – Sciandra.
