Pictured above: Scranton’s Oliver Almonte is defended by Williamsport’s Thomas Takach. (Tim Drewes Photo)
By Tom Robinson, NEPASportsNation.com
WILKES-BARRE TWP. – Scranton won the highest-scoring game in the history of basketball championships at Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza without having a particularly high scorer.
No Knight scored more than the 13 points produced by Oliver Almonte and Dillon Lazdowsky Saturday night when Scranton used a balanced attack to end Williamsport’s 11-game winning streak with a 69-64 victory in the District 2-4 Class 6A Subregional boys championship game.
Scranton placed four players in double figures and had three more score at least six points.
The Knights needed many scoring options to overcome the spectacular effort by George Whaley, who scored 31 points. Whaley came up one short of the arena record of 32 set by Leo O’Boyle for Scranton Prep in the 2018 Class 4A final.
Williamsport was the first team to score at least 60 points at the arena without it resulting in victory.
The victory continued an extreme turnaround by Scranton, which was 3-8 midway through the regular season. The Knights were never above .500 between the first game of the regular season and the first round of the playoffs, but they have won eight straight to improve to 14-11.
“We played some tough games early to wind up 3-8,” Scranton coach Tony Battaglia said.
The Knights, however, kept working.
“We knew we had something left in the tank,” the coach said.
Almonte grabbed six rebounds, dished out five assists and blocked five shots before fouling out.
Tony Battaglia, the coach’s freshman son, and Jaheam Roberts joined Almonte and Lazdowsky in double figures with 10 points each. Roberts came off the bench and also contributed six rebounds and four blocked shots.
P.J. Murphy, who took all three shots he took, including a pair of 3-pointers, scored eight points. Rykeese Cenord had seven points, five assists and four steals. Dohnavin Laybourn-Boddie was 3-for-4 while adding six points.
Whaley led Williamsport by going 9-for-22 from the floor, 4-for-7 on 3-pointers and 9-for-17 from the line. He came up with six steals and pulled down four of his five rebounds on the offensive end of the floor.
Caden Holt, who scored 12 points, was the only other Millionaire in double figures.
The Knights’ season is about recovering from a rough start and so was the championship game victory.
Williamsport scored the first eight points and led 15-6 before Battaglia closed the first-quarter scoring with a long 3-pointer.
The Millionaires was in front 23-12 with 5:17 left in the second quarter on back-to-back, 3-pointers by Whaley and Thomas Takach.
Battaglia answered with a 3-pointer, then Roberts and Murphy added two more later in the quarter as the Knights closed within 32-31 at halftime.
Lazdowsky gave Scranton its first lead early in the third quarter. Almonte put the Knights ahead to stay with 5:16 left in the quarter on two free throws.
The Knights helped put the game away by going 9-for-14 from the line. They finished 16-for-23 while Williamsport was struggling to 13-for-32.
Scranton will host District 1 ninth-place finisher Coatesville Saturday at 5 p.m. in a Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association state first-round game.
MORE CLASS 6A BOYS FINAL COVERAGE
Expanded boxscore: Class 6A boys expanded boxscore – NEPA Sports Nation.
Photo Gallery: Scranton/ Williamsport Photo Gallery – NEPA Sports Nation.
Broadcast archive: District 2/4 Class 6A Boys: Scranton vs. Williamsport | Basketball | NPFNetwork7 (meridix.com).
Video highlights: NEPA Sports Nation on Instagram: “Scranton took home the W! Championship Video brought to you by Burke Stone Supply & Maddock Insurance!”.
