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District 2 Boys Game Recap (Hazleton Area vs. Whitehall)
 

District 2 Boys Game Recap (Hazleton Area vs. Whitehall)

Written by: Jon K on December 18, 2022

 

 

December 17, 2022

 

Zephyrs Rally to Defeat Cougars in OT

 

By Jon K.

HAZLE TOWNSHIP – Hazleton Area hosted Whitehall, one of the Lehigh Valley’s premier 5A teams, on Saturday evening.  There were plenty of question marks for both coaches coming into this one as the Cougars were coming off a 91-57 drubbing to 6A state-powerhouse Reading while the Zephyrs suffered a lopsided loss to Emmaus, 69-39.  Despite those December setbacks, both teams displayed excellent balance and delighted fans with an instant classic.  This one went into overtime where Whitehall got to the charity stripe often, scoring 11 of their 13 points to secure a hard-fought 69-66 victory.  Not to be over-shadowed, the other clear winner on the evening were the spectacular new video scoreboards at Hughie McGeehan Gymnasium.  On-floor player stats (points and fouls) are listed along with a video celebration burst every time a Cougar player scores.  Overall, very well done.  Listing the remaining team timeouts was probably there somewhere, but definitely was not as easily seen.

Hazleton Area stormed out to an 8-0 lead via triples by juniors Luke Gennaro (point guard) and Junior Coste along with a fast-break layup by Gennaro.  The Cougars had several nine-point advantages through the first period (11-2, 13-4, 18-9, and 20-11) as their 3-point barrage continued with triples by junior playmaker Sammy Guzman and versatile senior forward Chris Catrone.  But, despite their near-perfection on offense, Whitehall quickly began to show their talent and resilience as standout sophomore AJ Hines, junior guard Luke Keppel, and junior Ethan Ringenberger kept the Zephyrs right in this one as a Keppel trey and Hines layup reduced the gap to 20-16.  Junior 6-4 forward Joe Marshall would then get a layup off a nifty feed by Guzman followed by a steal and layup by Gennaro.  Keppel would score before the buzzer as Whitehall cut the deficit to 24-18.

Teams would trade triples to start the second stanza before Hines scored on a layup to cut the gap to four points (27-23).  Then, over the next three minutes, Hazleton Area went on a 9-0 run to take their largest lead of the game, 36-23.  That spurt was keyed by some great hustle by Marshall (following his triple and to convert a layup), Gennaro hitting a pair of free throws plus a score inside, and Marshall making a 3-point play on a reverse layup.  Everything was going the Cougars’ way.  The Zephyrs then made a big statement over the final three minutes of the first half, holding HA scoreless and getting a triple from Ringenberger and 3-point play from Hines to cut the gap to seven points (36-29) at the break.

Whitehall continued their rally into the third quarter, cutting it to 36-32 as they got a Hines foul shot and driving layup by Keppel.  Despite their shooting cooling off a bit, the Cougars got a timely triple by Catrone for a 40-32 lead.  Guzman then made a sensational move to score followed by another fast break layup (off a great feed by junior guard Rich Rossi) for a 45-38 advantage with 1:23 left in the stanza.  Once again, in the closing minutes of the period, Whitehall stormed back with an 8-0 run to take their first lead of the game, 46-45.  That run was keyed by freshman Seth Hoderewski getting a 3-point play and triple wrapped a score by Keppel off a Cougar turnover.  Momentum immediately swung back the other way as Marshall swished a triple at the buzzer to give Hazleton Area a 48-46 lead heading into the final eight minutes.  The modest sized crowd had the spacious gym buzzing at that point.

A score by Keppel and spinning layup by junior Gavin Roberts gave the lead back to the Zephyrs, 50-48.  However, a score by Gennaro followed by a trey by Coste put the Cougars back on top 53-50 with 4:30 remaining.  Hoderewski converted a pair of free throws and then Roberts scored inside to give Whitehall a 54-53 edge.  Catrone gave the lead right back to the Cougars at the 2:30 mark, 55-54.  Keppel then scored for the Zephyrs (56-55 lead) followed by a Cougars’ miss on a drive to the basket.  Hazleton Area, with only 4 team fouls, eventually put Hines at the line with 37 ticks left.  The missed front-end foul shot gave the Cougars a chance for the win.  They continued the action off the missed free throw, not calling timeout and running the clock down before getting fouled with 0.4 second left, trailing 56-55.  Catrone converted the first shot, but missed the second, sending this one into overtime.

In the extra period, a reverse layup by Keppel and pair of free throws by Roberts gave Whitehall a 60-56 lead.  Despite Hazleton Area getting triples from Marshall and Gennaro, the Zephyrs would maintain their advantage by hitting 11 of their 14 overtime free throw opportunities to secure the 69-66 victory.

Hazleton Area was led by Luke Gennaro with 21 points and Joe Marshall with 19 points.  Sammy Guzman and Chris Catrone each netted 9 points while Junior Coste added 8 points.  The Cougars hit 10 triples and were 6 of 9 free throws.

Whitehall was led by Luke Keppel with 25 points, AJ Hines with 16 points, and Seth Hoderewski with 12 points (all in the second half and OT).  Gavin Roberts and Ethan Ringenberger each netted 8 points.  The Zephyrs had 5 triples and converted 16 of their 23 opportunities from the charity stripe.

Hazleton Area will entertain Tunkhannock in their Wyoming Valley Conference opener on Thursday.  Whitehall will travel to play at Allentown Dieruff on Tuesday.  Both of these teams should expect to be in contention for league and district championships this season.       

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