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District 2 Boys Game Recap (Wyoming Valley West vs. Pittston Area)
 

District 2 Boys Game Recap (Wyoming Valley West vs. Pittston Area)

Written by: Jon K on February 10, 2023

 

 

February 9, 2023

 

Spartans Defeat WVC Playoff-Bound Patriots

 

Wyoming Valley West 57, Pittston Area 45

 

by Jon K.

PLYMOUTH – Despite their modest 5-15 record, Wyoming Valley West came into their home finale with plenty of optimism after winning two of their last four games.  And the losses were close decisions against surging Tunkhannock and Hazleton Area (a triple overtime defeat).  They were looking to improve their district playoff bottom seeding in the 6A classification.  Conversely, their opponent, Pittston Area, came into town riding a two-game losing streak – by double-digits in each defeat.  Yet, the Patriots had the assurance of having already locked up a Wyoming Valley Conference playoff position (as the Division 1 runner-up) in their pocket.  The Spartans controlled the second and fourth periods in this one outscoring Pittston Area 41-19 and coming away with a 57-45 victory.

 

Wyoming Valley West jumped out to a 7-4 lead five minutes into the game following a triple by Emmanuel Lewis, but Pittston Area then went on an 8-2 run to take a 12-9 lead into the second quarter.  Lamar Weatherspoon got things going with a nice feed into Navion Terry for a layup.  Zach Konopke converted a pair of free throws for an early WVW 4-0 lead.  The Pats would tie the game with a pair of free throws by Anthony Cencetti after he made a nice steal and got fouled on the layup followed by a layup by Ethan Clarke.  After the triple by Lewis, PA would take their first lead of the game (8-7) as Cencetti made a quick move driving in for a layup followed by another drive by Matt Walter.  Jack Long then added a pair of layups for Pittston Area wrapped around one by Konopke to give the Patriots a 12-9 lead after the first period.  While the Patriots were getting balanced scoring, neither team was hitting any outside shots and turnovers were piling up by both teams.

 

Pittston Area took a 15-14 lead 2:30 into the period, but then Valley West turned up their defense going on a 12-3 run to take an 8-point lead into the locker room.  Will Wojciechowski connected on a triple to knot the score at 12 and Maki Wells gave the Spartans the lead with a putback.  Turnovers continued to add up on both sides as play was getting a bit ragged and sloppy.  After trading a few free throws, a Konopke drive put WVW up 18-15 at the 3:45 mark.  Following a missed trey attempt by the Pats, the Spartans got a quick 5-0 flurry with a nifty drive and soft shot in close by Lewis followed by a corner triple by Konopke for a 23-15 advantage to the delight of the home crowd.  With 1:39 left in the first half, Silvio Giardina got his first points of the game on a pair of free throws.  Weatherspoon would then get a fantastic offensive and defensive combination as he netted a triple and then drew a charge on Cencetti.  Valley West went into the locker room with a ton of momentum and holding a 26-18 lead.  They played terrific defense in that stanza limiting the Patriots to a single basket while getting 5 players into the scoring column, with three of them hitting triples.

 

After trailing by as many as eight points in their third period, Pittston Area rallied to tie the game at 32 late in the period.  The Patriots continued to navigate through turnovers and missed shots, lowlighted by missing a wide-open layup opportunity.  Cencetti scored on a jumper and then added a basket on a drive down the lane cutting the Spartans lead to 28-24.  Konopke wrapped a pair of layups around one by Giardina at the 2:09 mark.  The Patriots continued to take the ball to the basket as Giardina and Concetti scored in the lane.  Long then notched a layup off another Valley West turnover to tie it up at 32. Weatherspoon would convert 1 of 2 free throws to give the Spartans a one-point edge, 33-32, heading into the final quarter.

 

After Cencetti made a layup to start the scoring and give PA a 34-33 lead, Valley West went on a 6-0 run getting baskets by Wells, Lewis, and Konopke.  Giardina would then hit a triple at the 4:50 mark to cut it to 39-37.  Konopke would add would add another layup before Walter again cut the deficit to two points (41-39) with a pair of free throws.  But, that’s as close Pittston Area would get as the Spartans went on a dominating 12-0 run over the next three minutes getting numerous scoring drives to the basket plus another triple by Lewis.  It was all part of a 24-point quarter by the Spartans as they went on for the 57-45 victory.  Giardina closed out the scoring by the Patriots with a pair of triples.

 

Wyoming Valley West was led in scoring by Zach Konopke with 24 points.  Emmanuel Lewis netted 14 points with a pair of triples.  The Spartans got 5 other players into the scoring column.  They hit 5 triples and were 8 of 11 from the charity stripe.

 

Pittston Area was paced by Silvio Giardina with 17 points (3 triples) and Anthony Cencetti with 14 points.  Jack Long and Matt Walter each contributed 6 points.  They had 3 triples and were 8 of 13 free throws.

 

Pittston Area advances to next week’s Wyoming Valley Conference playoffs where they will take on Division 2 champion Holy Redeemer on February 16 at Wilkes-Barre Area high school (time TBA).  Wyoming Valley West will complete their regular season with a non-league game at Scranton, also on February 16.       

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