Wyoming Area’s Dane Schutter and Anthony Macario and Pittston Area’s Daniella Ranieli were among the major award recipients when Wyoming Valley Conference basketball coaches voted on their all-star teams.
Schutter was named Most Valuable Player and Macario Coach of the Year in Division 2 boys after leading Wyoming Area’s rise to a first-place tie and a championship game where they fell to division powerhouse Holy Redeemer.
Ranieli was named Player of the Year in Division 1 girls.
Boys coaches name just one top player per division while the girls coaches choose an MVP and Player of the Year. Ranieli was MVP last year as a sophomore for leading Pittston Area to a championship.
Pittston Area’s Paul Jordan McGarry was a second-team Division 1 all-star while Wyoming Area’s Brady Noone was a second-teamer in Division 2.
There were no other Greater Pittston girls recognized.
Macario will join Nanticoke’s Josh Pientka in coaching one of the teams in the annual Dr. George P. Moses WVC Senior All-Star Games.
SEASON LEADERS
Ranieli led WVC Division 1 in 3-pointers and free throw shooting while ranking second in scoring behind division MVP Molly Walsh from Dallas, according to statistics compiled by the Times Leader.
The Pittston Area junior hit 60 times from beyond the arc in 22 regular-season games while shooting 82.9 percent from the floor and averaging 18.3 points.
Lili Hintze made 29 shots from 3-point range while finishing second on the team with 8.0 points per game.
Pittston Area allowed just 37.4 points per game, lowest in the division by five points.
Wyoming Area’s Addison Gaylord was among the top 10 in Division 2 in 3-pointers with 16.
McGarry was second in Division 1 boys with a 77.1 free throw percentage, third in 3-pointers with 51 and 10th in scoring at 11.0.
The Patriots allowed the third-fewest points in the division at 47.5 per game.
Wyoming Area had the highest-scoring Division 2 boys team with 62.1 points per game.
Schutter was third in the division with 17.6 points while Noone was 11th with 10.6.
Noone was eighth and Schutter 11th in free throw percentage at 68.0 and 65.0.
Anthony DeLucca was second in 3-pointers with 40.
ARENA BOUND
Pittston Area, Wyoming Area and Old Forge were each represented a year ago, but none were able to send a team to the Mohegan Sun Arena for this year’s championship games, which will be conducted Sunday, Monday and Thursday with quadrupleheaders.
Brycen Martin from Pittston and Maya Jenkins from Old Forge will lead the Scranton Prep boys and girls teams in their attempts to defend Class 4A titles.
Both players average in double figures in scoring.
Martin is the top scorer on the boys team. Jenkins was a third-team, Class 4A all-state selection last season as a sophomore.
Brycen Martin had a team-high 15 points and younger brother Brody Martin added six in Tuesday’s 65-40 quarterfinal win over Hanover Area. Brycen Martin had 20 in Thursday’s 76-60 semifinal win over Wyoming Area.
Scranton Prep had a bye in the girls bracket as the top seed after winning its seventh straight Lackawanna League Division 1 title. The Classics then pounded Berwick 54-15 in Friday’s semifinal, holding the Lady Bulldogs to five field goals.
Jenkins had all 11 of her points while Scranton Prep was building a 33-8 halftime lead. She hit two 3-pointers in the first quarter, then another along with making both her free throws in the second quarter.
Old Forge lost to Carbondale 61-39 in the Class 3A boys quarterfinals Wednesday. The girls defeated Forest City 50-39 in the quarterfinals, then lost to defending champion Montrose 38-31 in Class 2A.
Jewlya McCullon scored 12 points in the loss to Montrose.
ARENA HISTORY
The Scranton Prep boys have the most titles in the previous eight years that championship games have been held at the arena.
They take a 7-0 arena record into a rematch of last year’s final when they face Valley View Sunday at 3.
The two Scranton Prep teams are tied for second-most arena appearances with eight, behind only the Abington Heights girls, who kept their streak intact of playing in every set of arena finals when they defeated Dallas in overtime Friday night.
The Scranton Prep girls (18-5) also play against Valley View (13-11) in Monday’s 4 p.m. final. The Scranton Prep boys are 15-9, but have two wins over top-seeded Valley View (19-5).
Old Forge is 3-3, Pittston Area 1-2 and Wyoming Area 0-1 in girls championship games at the arena.
Old Forge is 2-1 and Pittston Area 1-0 in boys finals. Scranton Prep denied Wyoming Area a shot at its first boys appearance.
Pittston Area made the most of its only boys game at the arena. The 59-26 rout of North Pocono in the 2022 Class 5A boys final was the fourth-largest margin of victory ever at the arena.
The Old Forge girls made progress against Montrose.
The two teams met at the arena last season and the Lady Devils were tied for the fewest points ever there, losing 42-15 in the second-lowest scoring game to be played at the arena.