District 2 Boys 4A Quarter-Final (Dallas vs. West Philadelphia)
Written by: Jon K on March 16, 2022
March 15, 2002
Mountaineers Recover and Survive
Dallas 79, West Philadelphia 68 OT
By Phil T.
BETHLEHEM – After bolting out to a 10-point lead after the first frame and holding a 12-point advantage late into the first half, Dallas seemed destined for a date in their first-ever PIAA Boys’ Semifinal. But, a quick-strike offense by West Philadelphia would not only prevent the Mountaineers from enjoying any sort of second half victory cruise, it would put the District 2 champs into a four-point deficit as they trailed the Speedboys, 64-60, approaching two minutes to play.
Nick Nocito would come through late converting all four of his attempts at the foul line and then hitting the game-tying triple that would send the Mountaineers and Speedboys to overtime knotted at 65. In the extra period, Dallas would score early, and often, as they secured the pulsating win 79-68 to advance to Boys 4A state semifinals.
West Philadelphia quickly grabbed the upper hand with a Deyishon Miller triple to start the game as they displayed a strong defense that appeared to be everything the Mountaineers could handle. An empty trip to the foul line for Nasir Davis gave Dallas the chance to recover. And did they ever. A triple from Michael Bufalino tied the game, but Davis would grab his team’s miss and put the ball into the basket to put West Phila back up…momentarily.
Bufalino got the Mountaineer offense going as Michael Cumbo and Finarelli would follow up with triples of their own and key a Dallas 13-2 run that ended with Cumbo’s second triple of the period.
A Miller floater would give the Speedboys their first field-goal several minutes after Davis’s putback. Dallas was still feeling the touch as Nocito, Cumbo and Wydra would each score the next three field-goals in the paint giving Dallas a surprising 23-10 lead.
In the closing moments of the opening frame while Dallas was looking to score, John Fields would come up with a steal and feed a streaking Miller down the court. He would dunk the ball into the hoop before the buzzer. The bucket pulled West Philadelphia within ten points, 23-13.
After battling back from another 12-point deficit (34-22), the Speedboys would find themselves within striking distance heading into intermission, trailing 37-32.
Dallas would move out to a 54-45 lead in the third period before West Philly would again put together another rally. Back-to-back triples from Washington ended the third frame as the Mounts’ lead was down to a single possession, 54-51.
The Speedboys would continue their momentum entering the fourth quarter with buckets from Elijah Hester, Miller and another triple from Washington capped off a 13-0 run to take a 58-54 lead early in the stanza.
Dallas regrouped and would never trail by more than four points as they looked to stay within striking distance. After entering the one-and-one bonus, with more than four minutes left in the period, the Mountaineers would convert all eight of their foul shots to stay in the game. Dallas would only sink one field-goal in the fourth stanza, but it would be the biggest of the game, Nocito’s game-tying triple that sent the game into overtime tied at 65.
In overtime, a goaltending call gave Dallas the lead. A pair of free throws from Angelo Zarola was then followed by a fast-break by Nocito to put the Mounts up 71-65 with 2:24 remaining and they were headed for another playoff game on Friday night as they captured a pulsating 79-68 win.
Dallas had two players score 20+ points in the win, Nick Nocito finished with 23 while Michael Cumbo scored 20 and brought down nine rebounds. Austin Finarelli scored 13 points and generated five steals in the contest. Jackson Wydra would add ten points with six rebounds as his team advances into the semifinals.
Deyishon Miller led all scorers with 28 points to go with seven rebounds and five assists in the game. Nasir Williams added 24 points for the Speedboys.
Dallas will next face the perennial “King of the Mountain” in District 12 Champion Neumann-Goretti (21-4) on Friday evening. The Saints, winners of nine state championships competing in their 14 seasons, have a lofty 49-3 mark in PIAA playoff games.
Starting for West Philadelphia
1 Nasir Washington
2 Nasir Davis
3 Deyishon Miller
10 Elijah Hester
21 Jaden Williams pic.twitter.com/j1rWCVKDtb— Phillip Thrash (@ThrashPhillip) March 15, 2022
Starting for Dallas
1 Austin Finarelli
2 Nick Nocito
5 Jackson Wydra
13 Michael Bufalino
23 Michael Cumbo pic.twitter.com/bJBwabu9Fj— Phillip Thrash (@ThrashPhillip) March 15, 2022
After West Philadelphia held the ball for a minute, this was the final sequence with both teams having a chance to prevent overtime. https://t.co/TJ7vkhvDqC pic.twitter.com/hlUBImCf4O
— Phillip Thrash (@ThrashPhillip) March 16, 2022
PIAA 4A Boys’ Quarterfinal
Final
12-2 West Philadelphia 68
2-1 Dallas 79
Dallas advances to the PIAA 4A Boys’ Semifinals. pic.twitter.com/shqU8EBVZI— Phillip Thrash (@ThrashPhillip) March 16, 2022
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