Click here to subscribe today or Login.
WILKES-BARRE — Needing someone to step up Thursday night in yet another close game, Pittston Area found the guy.
Senior Brennan Higgins grabbed a defensive rebound in the final minute and followed up with two free throws as the Patriots escaped with a 50-47 victory over Wilkes-Barre Area in a Wyoming Valley Conference Division 1 boys basketball game.
It was already the fifth time this season Pittston Area (3-0 Div. 1, 8-3 overall) had a game decided by four points or less. The Patriots are 3-2 in those games. WBA (2-1 Div. 1, 5-6) lost for a second time by three points.
Pittston Area trailed at the end of the first three quarters as WBA’s Blake Masker (18 points) and Cole Walker (16 points) were troublesome all game.
“The first half, they outworked us,” Higgins said. “They outrebounded us, defended harder than us. We weren’t boxing out at all. The second half, we came out definitely mentally tougher. They still got some rebounds, but we made plays when we needed to to come out with the win.”
The lead changed hands for the fifth and final time in the fourth quarter with 3:33 to play when Pittston Area’s Mike George nailed a 3-pointer from the left corner for a 43-41 advantage. Higgins gave the Patriots a bit of a cushion by connecting on three free throws, only to see the Wolfpack make it a two-possession game with under a minute left.
WBA’s final possessions didn’t go as planned. A miss led to Higgins’ defensive rebound and two free throws with 29.8 seconds left for a 49-43 lead.
The Wolfpack then used up 21 seconds to score as Matt Egidio hit a jumper after his teammates misfired on a pair of 3-pointers. Pittston Area’s JJ Walsh, though, hit a free throw with 7.4 seconds left to move the lead to 50-45.
Higgins finished with a team-high 15 points, scoring 10 of the Patriots’ points in the final quarter.
“Higgins is a big-time player. There’s no secret about that,” Pittston Area coach Al Semenza said. “He makes plays you don’t coach. I tell him that all the time. I tell him, ‘You’re the guy down the stretch. You have to come up with the big plays.’ And he continues to do it. I think he’s had three solid games the last three games.”
WBA’s plan, though, was to stop Pittston Area sharpshooter JJ Walsh, who connected on 12 3-pointers in the first two conference games. WBA’s Saquan Portee drew the assignment. At 5-foot-6, Portee surrendered a five-inch height advantage, but used his quickness to be disruptive.
While Walsh finished with four treys, he had to work hard for open looks.
“I thought Saquan did a hell of a job on Walsh,” WBA coach Pat Toole said. “He chased him all over the place and made him earn the threes. (Pittston Area) did a great job on the foul line. They were like 20 of 25 or something like that. We did not get to the offensive glass like I hoped we would have been able to.
“And we were disappointed with our execution at the end of the game.”
Pittston Area 50, Wilkes-Barre Area 47
PITTSTON AREA (50): Logan Booth 2 2-2 6, Mike George 1 2-2 5, JJ Walsh 4 2-4 14, Brennan Higgins 3 8-10 15, Andrew Krawczyk 1 4-5 6, Joe Cencetti 0 2-2 2, Matt Johnson 1 0-0 2. Totals 12 20-25 50.
WBA (47): Saquan Portee 2 0-0 4, Cole Walker 5 5-6 16, Matt Egidio 3 0-0 7, Brandon Hall 0 0-3 0, Blake Masker 7 3-3 18, Jack Gilgallon 1 0-0 2, Shawn Valenzuela 0 0-0 0. Totals 18 8-12 47.
Pittston Area`7`11`13`19 — 50
WBA`11`10`13`13 — 47
Three-point goals: PA 6 (George, Walsh 4, Higgins). WBA 3 (Walker, Egidio, Masker).
