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PLAINS TWP. — George Sabatini saved his best trick for last on Friday night.
With time running out, Sabatini was the recipient of a nifty pass off the glass from his Team Brogan teammate Evan Laybourn-Boddie.
Sabatini slammed the ball home, and slammed the door shut on this year’s George P. Moses Senior All-Star Classic.
The Holy Redeemer senior was named team MVP with a game-high 22 points as Team Brogan rolled to a 120-96 win over Team Macario at Wilkes-Barre Area High School.
“Honestly, it’s special…all the hard work I put in just to do stuff like that, to show it to everyone tonight, I couldn’t be more proud of myself,” Sabatini said after receiving his MVP trophy.
Team Macario’s Jaidyn Johnson was named MVP of his squad with 16 points, getting to the rack at will and also making two free throws in a game that featured a few more trips to the stripe than one might expect in an all-star game.
“This was so much fun,” Johnson said. “If I could redo it right this second, I would.”
With the WVC’s best seniors all in attendance to run one last game representing their high school, the energy was fast and frenetic from the jump.
Team Brogan ran out ahead early and led from wire to wire, combining some good three-point shooting (the team made 13 triples) and a bit of surprisingly stingy defense.
Stretches of pressure on the Team Macario ballhandlers before they could even get across half-court, leading to a couple of turnovers and some easy baskets for Team Brogan.
“The coaches wanted us to go out and compete, so that’s what we did,” Sabatini said.
Team Brogan had three scorers reach 20 points: along with Sabatini’s 22, Laybourn-Boddie had 20 points (including a game-high four three-pointers) and Hazleton Area senior Joey Marshall had 20 as well. Chaz Wright cracked double figures with 12 points for the victorious side.
Dallas standout Mikey Cumbo and Wyoming Area’s Brady Noone each added 12 points for Team Macario, with Cumbo’s Mountaineer teammate Zach Paczewski adding 10 points.
The halftime intermission saw the finals of the three-point shootout, which pitted Wyoming Area’s Dane Schutter against Liam Mullery.
It was Schutter who came out on top in overtime, eliminating Mullery with a full rack to spare to win the three-point trophy.
George P. Moses Senior All-Star Classic
Team Brogan 120, Team Macario 96
TEAM MACARIO (96) — Tyler Sciandra 1 0-0 2, Jaidyn Johnson 7 2-2 16, Ciaran Bilbow 1 0-0 2, Gavin Turak 1 0-0 2, Lael Hayward 2 0-0 5, Brady Noone 5 2-2 12, Ryan Sones 2 0-0 4, Matt Rusinchak 2 0-0 5, Will Wojciechowski 0 0-0 0, Brendon Brobst 3 0-0 7, Zach Paczewski 4 0-0 10, Dane Schutter 2 0-0 4, Jace DeGroat 2 0-0 5, Liam Mullery 0 0-0 0, Michael Cumbo 5 1-2 12, Steven Florek 2 0-0 5, Nick Williams 3 0-0 6. Totals 42 5-8 96.
TEAM BROGAN (120) — Kaprie Cottle 2 0-0 4, Melvin Egbeto 2 0-0 5, Mark Atherton 2 0-0 5, Evan Laybourn-Boddie 8 0-0 20, Matt Sklarosky 3 0-0 8, George Sabatini 11 0-0 22, Alex Aiello 2 0-0 5, Chaz Wright 5 1-2 12, Luke Gennaro 3 0-0 6, Derek Johnson 3 0-0 6, Jack Novelli 2 0-0 5, Louis Michaels 1 0-0 2, Joey Marshall 9 0-0 20. Totals 53 1-2 120.
Team Macario`40`56 — 96
Team Brogan`52`68 — 120
Three-point goals: TM 9 (Paczewski 2, Cumbo, Sones, Rusinchak, Brobst, DeGroat, Hayward, Florek); TB 13 (Laybourn-Boddie 4, Marshall 2, Sklarosky 2, Wright, Atherton, Novelli, Aiello, Egbeto).