Pictured above: Hayden Hosie from Holy Cross gets off a shot as Cal Talutto closes in for Dunmore. (Alexander Stabinski Photo)
Gabe Gonzales hit a 3-pointer over a defender from the right corner with 30 seconds left Friday night, helping Holy Cross retake the Lackawanna League Division 3 boys basketball lead by pulling out a 51-50 victory at Dunmore.
The basket accounted for the last points of the game and gave Gonzales 11 points to share the team lead in a balanced scoring effort.
Holy Cross rallied from four down in the last 3:05 and moved a half-game in front of Mid Valley, which lost at home to Riverside, 26-25.
The Crusaders and Spartans are tied in the loss column, but Holy Cross is closer to the finish line.
Holy Cross is 9-2 in the division and 14-5 overall with its only remaining division game Tuesday at home against Carbondale (3-7, 12-8).
Defending champion Mid Valley (8-2, 16-4) still has to play Tuesday at home against Lakeland (2-8, 10-10) and Thursday at Old Forge (5-5, 14-5).
Dunmore (3-7, 8-12) nearly cost its crosstown rival the division lead while continuing its recent improvement. The Bucks came in with four wins and a one-point loss in six games since losing the previous meeting, 58-27.
Holy Cross also had a 41-28 victory over Dunmore in the Lynett Memorial Tournament.
This meeting, however, was different.
Cullen Smith scored 19 points to lead the Bucks. He put them in front, 50-48, when he finished a tough, left-handed layup with 1:23 remaining.
The winning shot by Gonzales created the 12th lead change in a game that was also tied seven times.
Hayden Hosie matched Gonzales with 11 points. Matt Lyons had 10 points, Michael Hughes 9 and Logan Tierney 8.
Smith scored all of his points over the last three quarters.
Max Forgione scored 8 of his 10 points in the first half for the Bucks. Nico Ruggiero had all eight of his points in the second half.
Dunmore scored five straight points for a 5-1 lead and remained in front until Holy Cross tied the game, 11-11, after one quarter.
Cal Talutto hit an early 3-pointer and had five of his seven points for the Bucks in the first quarter.
The teams traded the lead nine times during the second quarter with Tierney putting the Crusaders up, 24-23, at the half.
Hosie had seven points in the second quarter.
Forgione and Smith split Dunmore’s 12 points in the quarter.
Holy Cross got points from four different players while opening the second half with a 9-2 run to the game’s biggest lead, 33-25, midway through the third quarter.
Smith hit four straight free throws to start an 8-0 run that Dunmore used to tie the game at 33-33.
Holy Cross took a 38-36 lead into the fourth quarter.
The Crusaders went 6-for-8 from the line in the fourth quarter when Gonzales was one of three players to make both his attempts.
Smith and Ruggiero each had six points in the fourth quarter for Dunmore.
EDITOR’S NOTE: NEPA Sports Nation student journalist Spencer Decker contributed to this report.
