Click here to subscribe today or Login.
DALLAS TWP. — In a game where momentum seemed to shift at every possible turn, Mid Valley managed to outlast Dallas and secure a berth in Saturday’s District 2 Class 4A title game with a 57-45 win over the Mountaineers at Dallas High School on Tuesday night.
“We just ran out of gas at the end,” Dallas coach Mark Belenski said. “We came out flat, and we couldn’t get all the way back into it.”
The underclassman duo of Gabe Tanner and Danny Nemitz led the way for the Spartans; Nemitz, a sophomore, had a team-high 21 points, while the freshman Tanner added 19 and seven rebounds.
Tyler O’Connor also got into double figures for the Spartans with 10 points, including six points on free throws.
The two Spartans went head-to-head with the Mountaineers’ tandem of Nick Nocito and Austin Finarelli, who went for 24 and 15 points, respectively.
The tandem combined for 39 of Dallas’s 45 points and kept the pressure on Mid Valley to match baskets all night long.
“Those kids (Nocito and Finarelli) are outstanding,” said Mid Valley head coach Mike Abda. “I thought our guys did a great job defensively.”
For much of the first three quarters, the game was defined by momentum swings. The Spartans came out with a surge in the first quarter, controlling both ends of the floor and heading into the first break with a 17-5 lead.
In that first quarter, Tanner outscored the Mountaineers 7-5 by himself, and only Nocito could find the bucket for Dallas.
But coming out of the huddle, the Mountaineers seemed energized, particularly on the defensive end, forcing turnovers and getting out into transition for easy baskets to cut a 12-point deficit to just four midway through the second quarter.
Almost on cue, Mid Valley took a timeout and came roaring back, taking a 25-14 lead into halftime.
That same scenario would play itself out multiple times during the second half: every time the Mountaineers would claw within a few points, Mid Valley always had the answer. The Spartans kept Dallas at arm’s length the rest of the way, making great use of the free throw line down the stretch.
Nemitz scored 10 of his 21 points from the charity stripe; as a team, Mid Valley shot 20-of-23 from the line. The Mountaineers, on the other hand, went just 4-of-9.
“Twenty-of-23 is hard to beat,” Abda said. “I think it showcased our maturity a bit, even as a young team, the way we could get to the line and make our free throws when we needed them.”
Outside of Nocito and Finarelli, the Mountaineers got four points from Michael Bufalino and two from Drew Dickson. No one else was able to crack the Spartans’ stout defense.
“They were able to lock everyone down when they needed to,” Belenski said. “They were just the better team.
“We may be done this year, but we’ll be back next year..we’re not going anywhere.”
Mid Valley will now head to the Mohegan Sun Arena on Saturday for the 4A title game. Top-seeded Scranton Prep, who defeated Lake-Lehman in Tuesday’s other semifinal, will be waiting for the Spartans.
District 2 Class 4A Semifinals
Mid Valley 57, Dallas 45
MID VALLEY (57) — Gabe Tanner 7 3-4 19, Danny Nemitz 5 10-11 21, Jomar Rodriguez 1 0-0 2, Tyler O’Connor 2 6-6 10, Ricky Vinansky 2 0-0 4, Cameron Riccardo 0 0-0 0, Christian Riccardo 0 1-2 1, Mason O’Malley 0 0-0 0. Totals 17 20-23 57.
DALLAS (45) — Austin Finarelli 7 1-5 15, Nick Nocito 10 1-2 24, Jackson Wydra 0 0-0 0, EJ Matushek 0 0-0 0, Michael Bufalino 1 2-2 4, Drew Dickson 1 0-0 2, Michael Cumbo 0 0-0 0, Darius Wallace 0 0-0 0, Zach Paczewski 0 0-0 0, Drew Lojewski 0 0-0 0, Angelo Zarola 0 0-0 0, Nicholas Williams 0 0-0 0. Totals 19 4-9 45.
Mid Valley`17`8`10`22 — 57
Dallas`5`9`15`16 — 45
Three-point goals: MV 3 (Tanner 2, Nemitz). DAL 3 (Nocito 3).