Nick Nocito drives to the basket between Hazleton Area defenders. Nocito finished with 12 points for Dallas in the win.
Fred Adams | For Times Leader
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Hazleton Area guard Luke Gennaro (15) and Dallas’ EJ Matushek try to track down a loose ball during the second quarter Tuesday night.
Fred Adams | For Times Leader
Hazleton Area guard Josian Guerra (22) tries to spin away from Dallas’ Austin Finarelli. Guerra led the Cougars with 18 points on the night.
Fred Adams | For Times Leader
Dallas guard Austin Finarelli drives for two of his 20 points for the Mountaineers in Tuesday’s home win over Hazleton Area.
Fred Adams | For Times Leader
Dallas forward Michael Cumbo led all scorers on Tuesday night, finishing with 23 points against Hazleton Area.
Fred Adams | For Times Leader
DALLAS TWP. — Another home game, another quick start for Dallas.
And another victory — this one tightening up the Wyoming Valley Conference Division 1 boys basketball race.
Guard Nick Nocito, one of two 1,000-point scorers in the lineup, scored the game’s first seven points as Dallas never trailed and went on to defeat first-place Hazleton Area 72-56 Tuesday night.
Hazleton Area (9-1 Div. 1, 15-3 overall) would have just about sewn up the division title with a win based on the four opponents remaining on its schedule. Instead, Dallas (8-2, 13-3) made things dicey for the Cougars, who also have to worry about Pittston Area. Wilkes-Barre Area lost and fell off the pace.
“They came out of the gate high energy, emotional and shot the lights out in the first quarter,” Hazleton Area coach Tim Barletta said.
Dallas has been doing just that lately as the Mountaineers posted their seventh consecutive win after consecutive losses to Hazleton Area and Wilkes-Barre Area in the second week of January.
Guard Austin Finarelli, also a 1,000-point scorer, added five points in the first quarter as Dallas took a 24-13 lead. Finarelli finished with 18 points and Nocito had 14, but neither scored in the second quarter. Fortunately for the Mountaineers, sophomore Mike Cumbo continued his hot shooting and finished with a career-high 23 points.
“We’re just doing what Dallas does,” Dallas coach Mark Belenski said. “We’re playing defense and our defense leads to our offense.”
That was evident in the third quarter when Hazleton Area cut the deficit to 42-35. Finarelli nailed a 3-pointer and then scored consecutive layup off a steal and a turnover. Jackson Wydra and Michael Bufalino also scored in the 13-0 run, with Bufalino’s basket coming off another turnover, to make it 55-35 at 2:31.
Hazleton Area put on one more burst early in the third, going on a 5-0 run to move within 60-49 with 5:24 to play. Consecutive baskets by Wydra pretty much put the game away and the reserves took over two minutes later.
Josain Guerra led Hazleton Area with 18 followed by Luke Gennaro with 11 and Joe Marshall with 10. The Cougars could get a grasp on the momentum at times, but never seize it.
Dallas 72, Hazleton Area 56
HAZLETON AREA (56) — Chris Catrone 1 0-0 2, Luke Gennaro 3 3-3 11, Josian Guerra 5 8-9 18, Eliud Lopez 1 2-2 4, Khalid Morrieson 2 0-2 4, Joe Marshall 3 3-4 10, Sammy Guzman 1 2-2 5, Nikoli Santiago 1 0-0 2, Christian Smith 0 0-0 0, Xavier Brown 0 0-0 0. Totals 17 18-22 56.
DALLAS (72) — Austin Finarelli 8 2-2 20, Nick Nocito 4 2-2 12, Jackson Wydra 3 0-0 6, Darius Wallce 0 0-0 0, Michael Bufalino 3 2-2 8, Cameron Faux 1 0-0 2, EJ Matushek 0 0-0 0, Michael Cumbo 7 4-6 23, Angelo Zarola 0 1-2 1, Nick Williams 0 0-0 0. Totals 26 11-14 72.
Hazleton Area`13`18`13`12 — 56
Dallas`24`14`20`14 — 72
Three-point goals — HAZ 4 (Gennaro 2, Marshall, Guzman); DAL 9 (Cumbo 5, Finarelli 2, Nocito 2)