Phil’s Popcorn Games (District 2 Semi-Finals)
Written by: Jon K on February 24, 2023
Phil’s Popcorn Games
District 2 Semi-Finals
Boys 5A Semifinal (Friday, February 24)
#6 West Scranton (13-10) at #2 Dallas (21-4)
Chris Ogden was as automatic as automatic could be against the Patriots, converting 13 of his 14 chances from the charity stripe and hitting five shots from the field on his way to a game high 24 points in the Invader’s 56-45 victory.
On the other side of the ball, Dallas took care of business when they hosted Wallenpaupack in the quarterfinal round. The Mounts shook off a slow start and outscored their opponent 22-6 in the second quarter en route to a 56-33 victory. Foul shooting was not so critical in this one as Michael Bufalino led all scorers with 20 points, on ten field-goals.
Led by Tristian Lee (13.6 ppg), the Invaders beat the teams they were expected to beat and losing to some of the premier teams in the area. They showed steady improvement often seen from a team that has played together for many years. Dallas is one of the more balanced teams the district has to offer this year. But so are the Invaders as seen from their close 50-47 loss to eventual division champion Valley View back on January 13.
This Invader team can turn to anyone on any given night. Against Pittston Area, their leading scorers on the season, Lee and Evan Laybourn-Boddie (12 ppg) combined for a total of 15 points as Chris Ogden (24 points) and Zack Price (14 points) took the reins and led their team to victory.
As for Dallas, well, they captured the WVC Division 1 title and fought WVC champion Holy Redeemer to the end before dropping that tournament. They played an incredibly strong out-of-conference schedule and only came up short in one of those six contests (a 67-64 road loss to highly-respected Muhlenberg). This Mountaineer team has been getting attention throughout the season because of what fans knew they could accomplish. The Invaders are now getting some well-deserved attention as fans discover what this team might accomplish.
Dallas features four players with 200+ points headlined by Darius Wallace (13.9 ppg), Michael Bufalino (12.6 ppg), Jude Nocito (9.6 ppg) and Michael Cumbo (8 ppg). The Mounts can turn to any of these leaders on any given night and know they’ll get a clutch performance when needed. Additionally, Dallas may add another to the list with Nick Williams sitting on 188 points this season.
Boys 3A Semifinal (Friday, February 24)
#3 Old Forge (17-5) at #2 Mid Valley (18-5)
Neither Old Forge nor Mid Valley competed in the 3A class a year ago. Such is life when the PIAA 2-year enrollment cycles and success formulas moves teams up or down in classifications.
It’s truly unfortunate that the 3A class doesn’t include a third spot in the PIAA State Tournament. The Spartans have several talented players that been staring since they were freshmen. Old Forge has been able to string together consecutive deep runs, advancing to the PIAA Class 2A Semifinals in each of the past two seasons.
Fans were treated to two excellent matchups between the Spartans and Blue Devils earlier this season. Mid Valley took the first game, 72-61, behind Danny Nemitz scoring 34 points and a 31-39 effort from the team at the foul line. In that loss, Joey Macciocco scored 27 points. In their second matchup, he scored 42 points that saw the Blue Devils leave victorious 64-52. Macciocco drained 16 shots from the field and converted all eight of his chances at the foul line in the contest.
The Blue Devils will no doubt look to Joey Macciocco (19.2 ppg) to be their focal point again on Friday night. Old Forge could also look to Anthony Mucciolo (9.8 ppg) to keep defenders honest.
The Spartans have two stellar players they can depend on in Danny Nemitz (17.3 ppg) and Ricky Vinansky (16.3) ppg. Mid Valley’s season may depend on the combination of Nemtiz and Vinansky as the duo scored a total of 55 points in the win versus Old Forge and only 14 in loss.
Girls 3A Semifinal (Saturday, February 25)
#3 Holy Redeemer (15-10) at #2 Lake-Lehman (21-4)
Ok, ok… Fifth time MUST be the charm.
Their first two games were scheduled as part of conference play. Their third matchup determined the Wyoming Valley Conference Division 2 Championship. Then they played again in the WVC Championship. And now, they play in the district semifinals with the loser still being alive to qualify for the state tournament.
After the Lady Royals took the conference opener, 48-43, the Black Knights rallied and to win the next three games against Holy Redeemer and are currently in the midst of a 16-game winning streak.
Both teams went 11-1 during their conference play, with the only blemish on their records being a loss to each other. During the non-conference schedule both Lake-Lehman and Holy Redeemer both navigated through demanding schedules that prepare teams for March district title runs.
The Lady Royals will look to Jillian DelBalso (9.9 ppg) who scored 28 points in their win over Lake-Lehman as compared to scoring 32 points combined in their three losses. Holy Redeemer will also look to Mia Ashton (8.6 ppg).
Lake-Lehman’s three-headed attack has proved to be too much for the Royals so far this season. Ella Wilson (12.1 ppg), Hailey Kline (11.4 ppg) and Brenna Hunt (7 ppg) have combined to score 153 points across the four games against the Royals. Kline was held to only three points in the WVC title game, well below her average The Black Knights will look to get the ball into her and get her involved quickly.
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