District 2 Boys Recap (Hazleton Area 51, Wilkes-Barre Area 45)

Written by: Jon K on January 17, 2026

January 15, 2026

Hazleton Area Rebounds for Big Road Win over Wilkes-Barre Area

Hazleton Area 51, Wilkes-Barre Area 45

WILKES-BARRE, PA – There is always plenty of excitement in the air when Hazleton Area and Wilkes-Barre Area get together on the hardwoods. And Thursday evening was no different. With both teams trailing Wyoming Conference Division 1 leader Dallas by two games, this matchup was leaning toward a must-win situation to have any chance to quality for the WVC Championship Tournament in February. And speaking of February, both of these squads are also competing in the tight race for the 6A District 2 playoffs with only 0.02 ratings points separating the top four teams. The Cougars entered this tilt coming off a pair of lopsided losses by a total of 43 points while the Wolfpack dropped a heartbreaker to frontrunner Dallas in OT on Tuesday. After a well-played first half, each team endured a second half scoring drought. Wilkes-Barre used an 8-0 run out of intermission to seize momentum and grab a 36-31 advantage as the Cougars went over 5 minutes without scoring. But Hazleton Area rebounded after WBA scored the first points of the final period and then blanked the Pack on the scoreboard the rest of the way to notch an important 51-45 victory.

Both of these teams feature one of the premier guards in all of District 2, junior Dylan Stish for Hazleton Area and senior David Jannuzzi for Wilkes-Barre Area. Their leadership, scoring ability, and pinpoint passing skills are fun to watch and this game delivered on that. Wilkes-Barre Area got off to a great start grabbing a 10-5 lead with triples by Camrin Shovlin and freshman Luciano Jannuzzi (who was also playing terrific defense). The Cougars then went on a 9-0 run as they used some crisp passing to get a pair of scores from Oscaudy Vasquez and a triple from Edison Macko. Shovlin stopped the Cougars run by scoring off a block, but the Pack continued to struggle to hit their shots. Macko nailed another triple, this one from long range before David Jannuzzi scored before the buzzer to cut the gap to six points, 20-14, heading into the second frame.

After Shovlin connected on a corner trey to cut it to 20-17, Stish made a great basket inside and then used an outside swish to take their largest lead of the game, 24-17. David Jannuzzi and Stish traded baskets before Mike Keating got into the offensive flow. He netted three scores wrapped around the Cougars getting an inside feed to Heck and a triple by Yo-Yo Moran. Tahir Bolden scored for WBA to make it a one-score game at the break, 31-28.

The Wolfpack used a 6-0 run over the next 4:30 to grab a 36-31 lead that had their fans cheering. Robert Fuentes keyed that offensive burst with a traditional 3-point play and another basket before Keating banked a score driving down the lane. Kenny Ortiz and Vasquez stopped the scoring drought cutting it to 36-35 before both teams traded triples (Shovlin for WBA and Macko for HA). David Jannuzzi scored and then hit a pair of free throws before Stish connected on a turnaround shot cutting it to 43-41 as the quarter ended.

The Pack used patience to grab a 45-41 lead on a score by Shovlin to open the final stanza. It proved to be their final points of the game as the Cougars slowly inched their way into a tie and then grabbed their own four-point lead, 49-45. Stish tied the game on a pair of scores, the first one via a strong drive down the lane. The Pack missed three consecutive scoring opportunities before Ortiz gave HA the lead and a feed to Heck driving down the lane put the Cougars up 49-45 with 2:10 remaining. Out of the timeout WBA may have rushed a long triple and then turned it over on their next possession. Vasquez netted the final points as Hazleton Area secured the 51-45 victory.

Hazleton Area was led by Dylan Stish with 17 points. Oscaudy Vasquez and Edison Macko (3 triples) each scored 9 points and Yo-Yo Moran added 8 points. Kenny Ortiz and Xavier Heck combined for 8 points. The Cougars connected on 5 triples, converted 2 of 4 free throws, and used their length for a decided rebounding advantage.

Wilkes-Barre Area was paced by Camrin Shovlin with 13 points. David Jannuzzi scored 9 points and Mike Keating added 8 points. Robert Fuentes, Luciano Jannuzzi, and Tahir Bolden combined for 15 points. The Pack netted 4 triple and hit 5 of 8 free throws.

Both teams were back in action on Saturday. Hazleton Area (7-8 overall) took on York William Penn (9-5) in the first game of the annual Reading Geigle Classic (Beacats prevailed 64-51). Wilkes-Barre Area (3-2) travels to take on Nanticoke Area (0-6) in a WVC Division 1 matchup.