Anthony Cencetti scored 28 points Friday night to lead the way when Pittston Area defeated Hazleton Area, 58-48, in a Wyoming Valley Conference Division 1 boys basketball game.
The win kept the Pittston Area in a first-place tie with Dallas at 9-1 and improved the Patriots to 13-4 overall, good for third in a seven-team race for seeding position in the District 2 Class 5A playoffs.
Cencetti led a 22-for-24 free throw shooting night by the Patriots. He was 7-for-8 in the fourth quarter and 11-for-12 in the game.
Silvio Giardina was 5-for-6 from the line and Jack Long 4-for-4, all in the fourth quarter.
Matt Walter made his only two attempts earlier in the game.
The Patriots broke away from a 32-32 tie after three quarters with Cencetti scoring 10 points, Giardina eight and Long six in the fourth quarter.
Giardina finished with 14 points and Long had 10.
The Patriots have won five straight.
Wyoming Area 71, Lake-Lehman 46
Dane Schutter scored 23 points Friday night as Wyoming Area defeated visiting Lake-Lehman in a WVC Division 2 game.
The Warriors are 5-3 for third place in the seven-team division. They are 9-9 overall with the fifth-best playoff power rating out of 10 teams competing for eight spots in the District 2 Class 4A tournament.
Matthew Little made four 3-pointers and added 16 points for Wyoming Area, which was playing its first game in a week.
The Warriors have won three straight, all by at least 17 points.
Pittston Area 49, Crestwood 43
Silvio Giardina made three 3-pointers and scored 17 points when Pittston Area won on the road Tuesday night.
Anthony Cencetti and Matt Walter added 13 points each.
Pittston Area 51, Berwick 48
Silvio Giardina finished with 16 points and Pittston Area rallied in the fourth quarter to win at home Jan. 21.
Jack Long had 13 points and Anthony Cencetti had 12. Both were part of the fourth-quarter comeback.
Berwick led 38-36 before Long scored five points, Cencetti made four free throws and Ethan Clarke scored all four of his points in the fourth quarter.
Pittston Area led 49-43 with 1:20 left before Berwick scored five straight points to get within one.
Cencetti made two free throws with 11.6 seconds left for the final margin.
