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District 2 Boys Recap (Dallas vs. Scranton Prep)
 

District 2 Boys Recap (Dallas vs. Scranton Prep)

Written by: Jon K on December 13, 2022

 

 

December 13, 2022

 

Mounts Stay Flawless, Cavs Suffer First Defeat

 

Dallas 62, Scranton Prep 50

 

by Phil T.

DALLAS – It’s early in the season, we know, but both Dallas and Scranton Prep came into Tuesday night’s game with a chip on their shoulder.  Dallas overcame strong, out-of-district opponents East Stroudsburg North and Boys’ Latin Charter to begin their season while Scranton Prep fended off Williamsport and a revamped Tunkhannock team to begin their season.

Scranton Prep found their stroke from beyond the arc in the second period, but couldn’t maintain that momentum, allowing Dallas to go on a 7-0 and 13-0 run in the first half, allowing them to finish out the remainder of the game and walk away with a 62-50 victory.

The talent level was never in doubt between these teams as both sides came out of the gate with pressure and forcing turnovers.  Neither side could find their offensive footing to start the game, but it would be Mounts who would seize control with a 7-point spurt to end the first stanza.

Michael Bufalino started the run with his second field-goal of the frame and Jude Nocito put his stamp on the period finishing it off with a drive to the hoop and a triple in the dying seconds.

Facing a nine-point deficit after the opening eight minutes, Prep would answer back with triples from Chase Scanlan, Daniel Santaniello and James Pettinato to open the second quarter.  A Darius Wallace layup, sandwiched between the first two Prep buckets, would be the only advantage Dallas had remaining.  Scanlan’s run would not last long as the next bucket they made would have them trailing 30-18.

After the Cavalier’s run, Dallas would regroup with Wallace and Nocitio each hitting a 3-point field-goal.  The Mounts would go all-gas, no-brake with Wallace converting another shot and Cameron Faux making two buckets of his own to put the exclamation point on the Mount’s 13-0 run.

A triple by Pettinato and a bucket from Kellen Casey pulled Scranton Prep to within 10, but they would get any closer.

As both teams retook the court for the second half, Prep’s gameplan was to find their stroke from beyond the arc.  After missing their three attempts, Brycen Martin would finally drain Prep’s first 3-point shot in the half, but the subsequent run wouldn’t follow as Martin’s shot would be the only field-goal for the Cavs in the frame.

Following an average first half, sinking only two shots, Bufalino would put his Mountaineer teammates on his back by scoring his team’s first seven points of the third quarter.  Nicholas Williams would follow him with two trips to the foul, but couldn’t convert any of the four chances.  Nick Farrell then took his trip, converting both of his opportunities and pushed the Dallas lead to 18 points.

Prior to Farrell’s trip to the charity stripe, neither team was able to convert a free throw with Williams and Keith Pritchyk missing all of their chances.

Santaniello would end Prep’s third quarter scoring with three points from the charity stripe and putback bucket, but Dallas took a 45-28 advantage into the final period.

The Cavaliers turned up the pressure in the final stanza, playing aggressive defense and taking quick shots.  The high-paced attack would see them reduce their deficit, but it wouldn’t get any closer than 10 points.

Darius Wallace led all scorers in the game with 18 points.  Wallace’s contributions were felt all throughout the court as he finished with two rebounds, three assists (leading to 9 points) and forcing two steals.  Michael Bufalino’s two-game run of scoring 20 points came to an end on the night, scoring 16 points before fouling with 4:07 left to play.  Two other Mounts would reach double-digit scoring with Cameron Faux scoring 12 points and Jude Nocito adding 10.

Chase Scanlan and Daniel Santaniello led the Cavaliers with 10 points apiece.  After not seeing much of the court in the first half, Santaniello made a claim for more court time, scoring seven of his points, pulling down six rebounds and blocking a shot after halftime.

Dallas will look to keep their hot start rolling as they host another out-of-district opponent, Athens, on Saturday.

During this time of year, many coaches are still tweaking their rosters and a loss (especially to a good opponent) feels more of a learning moment than anything else.  Prep will be looking to build from tonight’s loss and get back to winning ways when they host Wyoming Valley West, who is elevated to the 6A classification, on Wednesday.

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