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District 2 Boys Game Recap (Scranton Prep 62, Wallenpaupack 61)
 

District 2 Boys Game Recap (Scranton Prep 62, Wallenpaupack 61)

Written by: Jon K on January 21, 2023

 

 

January 20, 2023

 

Cavs Erase Deficit and Overcome 40-Point Performance

 

Scranton Prep 62, Wallenpaupack 61

 

by Phil T.

SCRANTON – Scranton Prep and Wallenpaupack both entered Friday night looking to right their ship as both teams were in the midst of a losing streak.  Neither team was willing to back down and the intensity on the court could be felt throughout the Xavier Center. 

Wallenpaupack would begin to establish control when they opened the second half on a 12-4 run giving them their first double-digit lead of the night.  With only three minutes gone in the second half and their current gameplan not working, Scranton Prep’s coach, Andrew Kettel, made a mass substitution and replaced four of the players on the court.

The Cavaliers would get a quick bucket, but before you knew it, the Buckhorns were on another 8-2 that expanded their advantage to 46-29 with less than two minutes remaining in the third stanza.

At this point the story usually goes, ‘they played out the final quarter with nothing significant happening’.

Well, that’s not the story that unfolded on this night as Kettel’s gamble paid dividends. 

Prep would end the quarter on a 6-0 run, keeping them competitive, but the true shocker came when the Cavs scored the first 20 points of the final period to, not only take the lead but, give them enough of an advantage to claim a most unlikely 62-61 victory.

Fans knew they were in store for something special after Wallenpaupack’s Jack Holbert scored 22 points in the first half.  Holbert would keep the offensive momentum going throughout the game on his way to a 40-point performance.

Prep found success early on by working the ball into the paint and allowing their inside players to play big.  It wouldn’t take long for the Cavs to sprint out to a 12-6 lead thanks to the post moves from Kellen Casey, Ambrose Rossi and Keith Pritchyk.  Scranton would score 10 of their first 14 points in the paint.

Wallenpaupack would claw back in part to Holbert’s lethal shooting.  He would go 4-5 from 3 from beyond the arc in the opening stanza.  Holbert would go on to score all of Paupack’s 18 points in the quarter, including a 9-3 run to give them a slim one-point after the first horn, 18-17.

Neither team was satisfied with their defense in the first period, as both squads set out with high-pressure defenses to start the ensuing frame.

After watching nearly two minutes of the same scoreline, Justin Hocker would finally get a new name on the Buckhorns’ scoresheet with a layup.  Prep would continue to struggle from the field as well as holding onto the ball as Wallenpaupack forced their opponent into 11 turnovers in the stanza.

Although Prep would only score four more points, including one field-goal, before the half, their tight defense (along with and poor free throw shooting by Paupack) would keep them in the game as both teams headed off for the locker rooms with the Buckhorns leading 26-21.

A mid-range jumper from Justin Blanding and a buzzer-beating layup from Holbert would see Wallenpaupack in the halftime lead, but they were unable to convert any of their four chances from the charity stripe in the half that would have given them plenty more breathing room.

Quick triples from Hocker and Holbert give Paupack a double-digit lead, 32-21, to start the second half.  Pritchyk and Rossi would each get buckets in the paint to pull the Cavs within reach once again.

Wallenpaupack didn’t want to let Prep stick around as they fired back with an 8-2 run that pushed their lead again to double-digits, 40-27.  The run caused mass substitutions on the Cav’s bench forcing a four-man rotation.

The Buckhorns would maintain the pressure as they would go on another 6-0 spurt and flirt with a 20-point lead, 46-29, with less than ten minutes remaining in the game.

A 1 for 2 Jordan Odom trip to the foul line would end the Paupack run and back-to-back buckets from Pritchyk to end the third quarter would breathe renewed vigor into Scranton Prep.

Facing an 11-point deficit heading into the final period (46-35), the Cavaliers gave it all they had – and they had a lot left.

Brycen Martin started the final frame with back-to-back triples.  Odom would then recover his teammate’s missed shot and score on the putback that cut (the once 17-point) deficit down to single score, forcing the Buckhorns into a timeout.

The 60 second break wasn’t enough to cool off the Cavs as Chase Scanlan would come up with a steal on Paupack’s ensuing possession and take it back for the finish three-point opportunity for being fouled on the layup attempt.

The once-thought unsurmountable deficit was quickly eroded with Scanlan’s successful foul shot and fans were amazed to see the scoreboard knotted.  Prep was now squarely in possession of all the momentum as they rode a 17-0 run to tie the game.

The Buckhorns would make another miscue as their possession ended in the hands of Scanlan again.  Scanlan would then be fouled give the lead to Prep after a successful one-and-one trip to the charity stripe.

Following yet another defensive stop by Scranton Prep, the run appeared to be over when they  missed a shot, however, Rossi would take control in the paint, grab the offensive carom and convert the putback bucket to keep the Cavs rolling.

Blanding would have an opportunity to halt Scranton Prep’s run at 21 with a one-and-one trip to the foul line, but a miss on his first attempt gave Prep the ball once again.

Rossi would score two more points, to cap the Cavaliers’ improbable, game-changing run at 23 points.

In between Kevin Wortmann’s layup in the third quarter and Blanding’s triple in the fourth, the scoreboard changed from Wallenpauck leading (46-29) to Scranton Prep leading (52-49).

Roman Valvano would respond with a triple of his own, but with points from Holbert and another Blanding triple, Paupack would pull themselves to within one point.  Although the Buckhorns were only a point away, they would miss four chances at the charity stripe that would’ve given them the lead.

Late in the game, with both teams in the double-bonus, the game clock began to move very slowly with most scoring opportunities coming from the foul line.  Either team could’ve taken the advantage at this junction, but neither would as both teams combined to go 3-15 from the foul line over the final two minutes of the contest.

With under a minute to play, Wallenpaupack would have two possessions in which they trailed by a single score.  Nothing opportunity would result in a score as an errant pass would turn the ball over and a missed triple would allow Prep to extend their lead to four points ultimately finishing out their 62-61 comeback victory.

In a tight affair, every moment matters.  A quick look at scorebook easily reveals where either team could have put away this game.  With a 6 of 19 (32%) free throw percentage from Wallenpaupack and a 13 of 24 (54%) performance from Scranton Prep, both teams will head home knowing this could’ve been a different outcome. 

Keith Pritchyk led the Cavs to victory with 14 points in the game.  Ambrose Rossi recorded a double-double in the victory with 13 points and 12 rebounds to go with 3 steals.

The undeniable superstar of this game goes to Wallenpaupack’s Jake Holbert who put on a performance with 40 points, 7 rebounds and 3 steals in the contest.  On a night when your teammate can’t miss, you’ve got to take a backseat in scoring and contribute elsewhere and Justin Blanding did just that.  He would reach double-digit points, but made his presence known throughout the court as he finished with 6 rebounds, 5 assists and 5 steals in the contest.

Scranton Prep won’t have time to soak in the victory as they host another strong non-conference opponent, Pocono Mountain West, on Saturday.  The Cavs will then return to league play when they travel to play West Scranton on Tuesday.

Wallenpaupack will look ahead to Tuesday where they’ll try to end their four-game skid when they make the drive back to the Electric City where they’ll face Scranton High School.

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