Click here to subscribe today or Login.
WILKES-BARRE — Holy Redeemer won one meeting of familiar faces Wednesday night to set up another Thursday.
The Royals held off Hanover Area 39-32 to set up a game against Crestwood Thursday night for the title of the 57th annual McGrane Holiday Basketball Tournament.
David Popson and Mark Atherton each scored 12 points while also leading the Holy Redeemer defense in the second game of the semifinal doubleheader at the Wyoming Valley Catholic Youth Center.
The four teams will return to the CYC Thursday with Hanover Area facing Lake-Lehman for third place at 6 p.m. Holy Redeemer and Crestwood will decide the title at about 7:30.
The win was the second by the Holy Redeemer boys over Hanover Area in six days.
Popson, a 6-foot-7 junior center, also blocked four shots. Along with Brayden Sock, he is one of two Royals starters who played for Hanover Area last season.
“We definitely have changed our approach based on our roster,” said Holy Redeemer coach Paul Guido, whose team put together its recent run of championships behind a speedy backcourt combination. “We’re trying to push the ball down inside more.”
Atherton, a senior guard, made six steals to set up another championship matchup against the team coached by his father, Mark Atherton. Coach Atherton’s Comets made 20 steals in the opener while routing Lake-Lehman, 61-30, but his son’s total was the most by any one player.
“He’s a real smart player,” Guido said. “The past couple games, he’s been struggling offensively, shooting the ball, but he’s doing a great job.
“He’s in passing lines a lot, using his knowledge, brains and quickness.”
Both teams relied on multiple post options in a style of game not seen much in the modern era.
They not only established position in the low block, but also produced a series of strong post moves once the ball went inside.
Each team made just one 3-pointer and Holy Redeemer only tried seven.
Noah Dewey, a 6-4 junior who is among the most improved players in District 2, led Hanover Area with 17 points, seven rebounds, three assists and two steals.
Gernard Williams, at 5-10, was the game’s leading rebounder both on the defensive end (seven) and overall (nine). They helped the Hawkeyes to a 34-21 advantage on the boards, yielding just a single Holy Redeemer offensive rebound and that not coming until the fourth quarter.
George Sabatini, a 6-5 forward, added nine points for the Royals, who never trailed.
Steven Florek, another big man who did his defensive work on the inside, added six defensive rebounds, four assists and two blocked shots for Hanover Area.
The Hawkeyes closed within 33-31 with 3:36 left, but the Royals held a 6-1 advantage the rest of the way on four points by Popson and two by Atherton in the final 2:16.
Holy Redeemer beat Crestwood 43-33 in last season’s final and 44-28 the season before that. The Comets downed the Royals 50-37 in the 2019 final and the tournament was called off because of COVID the next year.
Holy Redeemer 39, Hanover Area 32
HANOVER AREA (32) — Lael Hayward 2 0-0 4, Malachi Downey 0 0-0 0, Steven Florek 1 0-0 3, Noah Dewey 7 3-7 17, Gernard Williams 2 2-2 6, Andrew Kistner 1 0-0 2, Jayden Coleman 0 0-0 0. Totals 13 5-9 32.
HOLY REDEEMER (39) — Cody Quaglia 1 2-2 4, Mark Atherton 5 2-6 12, George Sabatini 2 4-4 9, Brayden Sock 0 0-0 0, David Popson 5 2-2 12, Logan Sekol 0 0-0 0, Evan Lacari 0 0-0 0, Jack Hurst 0 0-0 0, Michael Dubaskas 1 0-1 2. Totals 14 10-15 39.
Hanover Area`4`10`10`8 — 32
Holy Redeemer`6`11`12`10 — 39
Three-point goals — HAN 1 (Florek), HR 1 (Sabatini)