Pictured above: Gabe Gonzales from Holy Cross. (Alexander Stabinski Photo)
On a night when 30-point romps were the norm around District 2, Gabe Gonzales provided 30 points to help get his Holy Cross team through a relatively tight game.
Gonzales made four 3-pointers and scored 18 points in the first half, but the Crusaders still had work to do to defeat visiting North Pocono, 53-42, Wednesday night in non-league basketball.
Of the other six games intra-district games played in District 2, five were decided by 31 or more points.
Even with Gonzales’ big start, which included two 3-pointers each in the first and second quarters, the Crusaders arrived at halftime leading the Trojans just 25-24.
Gonzales had 10 points in the first quarter, which ended with Holy Cross holding a 14-10 lead.
The Crusaders built their advantage to 38-33 going into the fourth quarter, then closed it out with the help of 9-for-12 free throw shooting.
Hayden Hosie was 6-for-6 from the line while adding 11 points. He was 4-for-4 in the fourth quarter when Gonzales was 3-for-5 and Logan Tierney was 2-for-3.
A.J. Nemitz led North Pocono with 13 points. Chris Walsh added 11.
In other Wednesday boys games involving District 2 teams:
Hanover Area 66, Western Wayne 33
After starting 0-4, Hanover Area won for the second straight night.
Elijah Noe scored 13 points, Cael Hayward added 12 and Luis McCoy 11 for the visiting Hawkeyes.
Sedrick Beasley scored all seven of his points and McCoy hit two 3-pointers when Hanover Area outscored Western Wayne, 24-9, in the second quarter to open a 36-19 halftime lead.
Frankie Leyshon hit two 3-pointers while scoring all of his team-high eight points to keep the Wildcats close in the first quarter.
Abington Heights 64, Nanticoke 33
Mason Fedor had a double-double as part of a balanced attack that allowed host Abington Heights to improve to 4-0 with its third win by more than 30 points.
Ryan Nealon made three 3-pointers while scoring a team-high 13 points.
Robby Lucas, who had 5 assists, and Will Marion scored 11 points each.
Fedor scored 10 points and grabbed 13 rebounds.
Wyoming Area 66, Lackawanna Trail 30
Dane Schutter scored 25 points to lead Wyoming Area to the rout at Lackawanna Trail.
Brady Noone added 12 points, half of them during an 18-2 second quarter to give the Warriors a 34-10 halftime lead.
Lukas Burakiewicz had 11 points.
The Lions got 11 points from Lorenzo Domiano.
Scranton Prep 59, Wyoming Valley West 21
Daniel Santaniello scored 13 points to lead the Cavaliers, who got at least 5 points from 7 players while rolling at home.
Already in control of a Mercy Rule game, the Cavaliers shut out the Spartans in the fourth quarter.
Old Forge 64, Montrose 29
Old Forge shut out visiting Montrose, 19-0, in the first quarter and limited the Meteors to one first-half field goal while taking a 39-6 lead.
Matt Kuckla scored 16 points while Joey Macciocco made three 3-pointers while adding 13 points.
Jack Russell led Montrose with 10 points.
Delaware Valley 46, Port Jervis (N.Y.) 35
Delaware Valley overcame a slow start to win the “Battle for the Border” with its nearest rival geographically.
The Warriors joined Abington Heights in improving to 4-0 to match Carbondale and Valley View for the best boys record in District 2.
Jake Brower led the way, scoring 14 of his 16 points in the second half to overcome a three-point halftime deficit.
The Raiders led 17-7 after one quarter before the Warriors outscored them 24-9 in the middle quarters.
Brower, Ronnie McManus and Isaiah Berrios all hit 3-pointers in the fourth quarter to close out Port Jervis.
Berwick 79, Danville 65
Berwick won its third straight since an opening loss, matching its win total for all of the previous two seasons combined.
Matt Lonczynski, who scored 18 points, and Jace Degroat, who added 17, each hit three 3-pointers while leading four Bulldogs in double figures.
Billy Hanson scored 15 points and Sean Murphy had 10.
The Bulldogs were 11-for-12 from the line in the fourth quarter and 18-for-21 in the game. Hanson made his four attempts in the fourth quarter.
The Bulldogs were 1-17 in 2020-21 and 2-19 last season.
Williamsport 47, Crestwood 42
Williamsport scored the game’s last four points to turn back visiting Crestwood.
George Whaley led the Mountaineers with 18 points.
Williamsport was 6-for-10 from the line in the fourth quarter when Crestwood went 0-for-4.
Brandon Burbank poured in 23 points for the Comets with the help of six 3-pointers. He had 17 points and five 3-pointers in the first half.
Drew Sechleer added 13 points in the loss.
Selinsgrove 60, Wilkes-Barre Area 59
David Jannuzzi scored 24 total points and Brandon Benjamin scored 16 in the second half, but it was not enough for Wilkes-Barre Area in its trip to Selingsrove.
Both finished with four 3-pointers.
The Seals led 28-19 at halftime.
MORE WEDNESDAY BOYS BASKETBALL COVERAGE
Scranton-Riverside game story: Battaglia leads Scranton to victory – NEPA Sports Nation.
Scranton-Riverside Photo Gallery: Scranton/Riverside boys basketball photo gallery – NEPA Sports Nation.
