Darius Wallace scored 21 points, Mikey Cumbo led a dominant fourth quarter and Dallas got help from Tunkhannock Tuesday night while clinching a Wyoming Valley Conference Division 1 boys basketball title repeat with a 58-36 victory at Crestwood.
Crestwood gave Dallas trouble throughout until the Mountaineers opened the fourth quarter on a 16-2 run and outscored the Comets, 23-4, total in the last eight minutes.
The Comets led, 10-9, after one quarter. The Mountaineers led just 24-22 at halftime and 35-32 after three quarters.
Wallace opened the fourth quarter with a three-point play and Mike Cumbo hit a 3-pointer for a 41-32 lead with 6:01 left.
Derek Johnson hit Crestwood’s only basket of the fourth quarter to cut the deficit to 41-34.
Dallas broke the game open with the next 10 points.
Cumbo hit another 3-pointer and had eight points in the fourth quarter while Wallace had seven and Nick Williams had six.
Jude Nocito, who hit two 3-pointers in the first half, and Williams finished with 12 points each. Cumbo added 10.
Chaz Wright led Crestwood with 12 points.
Dallas, the No. 3 Big School team in the Riverfront Sports Super Six Basketball Power Rankings of District 2 teams, improved to 12-1 in the division and 19-2 overall. The Mountaineer began the night with a one-game lead, but Pittston Area’s loss increased it two with one game remaining.
Crestwood is 6-7 and 11-10.
In Tuesday’s other WVC Division 1 games:
Tunkhannock 72, Pittston Area 49
Dylan Mateus scored 16 of his 24 points in the first half as visiting Tunkhannock knocked Pittston Area out of division title contention.
Ben Chilson had 9 of his 18 points in the first quarter when Tunkhannock got off to a 19-10 start.
Mateus had eight points in each of the first two quarters. Shane Macko added six in the second quarter.
Mateus, Chilson and Macko all had 3-pointers in the second quarter as the Tigers scored 23 points for a 42-20 halftime lead.
Macko finished with 13 points and Colin Madan had 10.
Pittston Area was led by Jack Long with 14 points. Silvio Giardina and Anthony Cencetti added 10 points each.
While the Patriots saw their title hopes come to an end, they will still occupy Division 1’s second spot in next week’s Wyoming Valley Conference Tournament, playing the Division 2 champion – either Holy Redeemer or Nanticoke – in the semifinals.
Hazleton Area could tie Pittston Area for second place, but the Patriots swept the Cougars, giving them the tie-breaker advantage, if needed.
Hazleton Area 72, Wyoming Valley West 68
The season’s longest game saw Hazleton Area outlast host Wyoming Valley West, 72-68, in three overtimes behind big finishes by Luke Gennaro and Chris Catrone.
Gennaro had 7 points at halftime, but finished with 27.
Catrone had only 3 points at the end of regulation, but wound up with 16.
Joey Marshall and Nikoli Santiago added 10 points each for Hazleton Area.
The Cougars have won three straight, each by six points or less.
Hazleton Area seemed in control with a 27-9 lead at halftime and a 40-26 advantage going to the fourth quarter.
Zach Konopke, who finished with 30 points, scored 14 in the fourth quarter, then added 7 more in overtime.
Maki Wells added 12 points in the loss.
Wilkes-Barre Area 72, Berwick 61
Waarithi Oseni led four scorers in double figures and Wilkes-Barre Area held off visiting Berwick in a high-scoring fourth quarter.
Oseni had 19 points while Kharee Ascerno added 15, David Jannuzzi 13 and Brandon Benjamin 11.
The Wolfpack held the Bulldogs to five points in the third quarter while stretching a 33-32 halftime lead to 49-37.
Sean Murphy scored 11 of his 27 points during Berwick’s 24-point fourth quarter. Billy Hanson had 8 of his 15.
Jace Degroat hit four 3-pointers while adding 14 points for Berwick.
Melvin Egbeto made all six of his attempts while Wilkes-Barre Area was going 9-for-12 from the line.
