EDITOR’S NOTE: While NEPABasketball.com compiles more complete reports, here is a quick recap of Thursday’s highlights.
Matt Mowry scored 32 points and earned his team’s Most Valuable Player award Thursday when Elk Lake defeated host Carbondale, 57-43, in the 44th Michael “Red” Wallace Memorial Scholarship Game.
The game, which was the season opener for the Chargers after a lengthy pause for the school’s COVID protocols, honors the memory of Wallace, the former Elk Lake coach who played at Fell Township, which is now part of the Carbondale Area School District. Before returning to northeastern Pennsylvania to coach Elk Lake to a pair of Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association state titles, Wallace was on the original Boston Celtics National Basketball Association team.
Mowry had 24 points by halftime, including 14 in the second quarter when Elk Lake outscored Carbondale, 17-6, for a 32-19 lead.
Isaac Gesford contributed all nine of his points in the second half.
Jay Allen scored 21 points and was named Carbondale’s MVP.
In other boys games: Pittston Area defeated Lake-Lehman, 66-33; Dallas downed Bethlehem Catholic, 79-62; Pocono Mountain East defeated Wyoming Valley West, 69-61; and Maine-Endwell (N.Y.) smashed Blue Ridge, 69-39.
While Carbondale was playing for the first time this season, Lake-Lehman was returning from 19 days off. The two previous games played by the Black Knights was the least by the other 38 District 2 teams.
The return to action was rough on Lake-Lehman as Pittston Area took leads of 24-9 after one quarter and 49-15 at halftime.
Ethan Ghannam (15), Anthony Cencetti (14), J.J. Walsh (10) and Jack Locker (10) all scored in double figures as the Patriots won their fifth straight to improve to 5-1.
The Patriots played the game when their Thursday Anthony “Badger” Marseco championship game at Old Forge was called off for COVID issues on the Blue Devils team.
Pittston Area opens Wyoming Valley Conference Division 2 play Tuesday at home against Dallas, which improved to 3-1 with the win in Bethlehem.
Nick Nocito scored 25 points and Austin Finarelli added 22 in the win.
Nocito had two of his four 3-pointers during the third quarter when Dallas turned a 40-39 lead into 62-48 heading into the final eight minutes.
Pocono Mountain East and Wyoming Valley West also improvised, putting together a game after their early-week meeting at North Pocono was scratched with the canceling of the James Akens Memorial Tournament.
The Lake-Lehman and Carbondale girls teams also returned, but with different results.
Chase Purdy scored 13 of her 16 points in the second half when Lake-Lehman overcame a one-point deficit to defeat Montrose, 49-44, in a meeting between teams that are defending division champions.
Playing for the first time in 15 days, the Lady Knights took an 18-10 lead after one quarter when Claire Dougherty scored 8 of her 13 points.
Mia Snyder (14), Tangi Smith (12) and Hayley Pompey (10) scored in double figures for Montrose.
Blue Ridge posted its first win of the season after four losses when it stopped host Carbondale in its season opener to begin a girls-boys doubleheader.
Emma Button led a balanced attack with nine points while Libby Zick and Lillian Bleck scored eight each.
In other games: Punxsutawney beat Hazleton Area, 49-39; Berwick edged Nanticoke, 42-39; Mid Valley defeated Lackawanna Trail, 46-31; Abington Heights pounded Mountain View, 59-9; Elk Lake defeated Northwest, 40-27; and Northampton topped Holy Redeemer, 49-36.
Host Punxsutawney defeated Hazleton Area in the Carl Truance Holiday Classic final.
Brianna Kennedy, who scored 15 points, and Sophia Shults, who scored 13, made the all-tournament team.
Lacie Kringe, who had a career-high 21 and 6 steals in the first round, earned the event’s Hustle Award.
Berwick and Nanticoke proved to be an even matchup while playing home-and-home on consecutive nights.
The Lady Bulldogs answered a five-point loss at Nanticoke with a three-point win back at home in Berwick.
Rachel Whitenight had 13 points and 10 rebounds in the win.
Kaylee Terranella scored 7 of her 11 points and Krista Cortazar 8 of her 10 during a second half in which Mid Valley (6-1) rallied to recover from suffering its first loss in the previous outing.
Abington Heights opened leads of 27-0 after one quarter and 43-2 at halftime.
Caroline Murray, who hit three 3-pointers and did all her scoring in the first half, and Lauryn Notari scored 11 points each.
Krista Jones scored 15 points as Elk Lake moved above .500 at 3-2.
Holy Redeemer finished last in the Stacy Perriman Holiday Tournament at Pocono Mountain West.
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