Pictured above: Danny Nemitz
Mid Valley responded to its worst defensive night of the season with perhaps its best.
The Spartans held visiting Old Forge to seven first-half points on the way to a 48-31 victory Friday night in the District 2 Class 3A boys basketball semifinal.
Danny Nemitz scored 14 points, grabbed 10 rebounds, dished out 5 assists and made 3 steals, all team-high totals, as the Spartans (19-5) reached Thursday’s 8 p.m. final at Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza against top-seeded Holy Redeemer (24-2).
Mid Valley earned a district title shot by avenging the loss that took away its Lackawanna League Division 3 title chance.
Old Forge beat Mid Valley, 64-52, Feb. 16 in the regular-season finale with Joey Macciocco’s 42-point game helping keep the Spartans out of a playoff with Holy Cross for the division title.
The two highest-scoring efforts against Mid Valley on the season were both by Old Forge, including a 72-61 victory by the Spartans.
The third meeting took on a different look.
Mid Valley led 5-4 after one quarter and took control with a 16-3 second quarter.
Ricky Vinansky, who finished with 13 points, scored eight in the quarter while the Spartans were opening a 21-7 halftime lead.
Mid Valley went to the fourth ahead, 32-16. The Spartans shot 12-for-15 from the line in the fourth quarter and 17-for-22 for the game.
Nemitz went 5-for-5 while scoring seven in the quarter. Nathan Sadaka was 5-for-6 and Mason O’Malley was 2-for-4.
Sadaka did all his scoring from the line, going 7-for-8. Vinansky was 3-for-4.
Vinansky was also 5-for-7 from the floor in the game, making all five of his shots from inside the arc.
The Blue Devils managed just one field goal in each of the first two quarters.
Anthony Mucciolo hit a 3-pointer in the first quarter.
Macciocco scored all three of the team’s points in the second quarter, then had six in the third. He scored 10 of his 13 points in the second half.
Mucciolo added seven points.
Old Forge had its season end after two straight trips to the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association state semifinals as a Class 2A team. The Blue Devils finished 17-7.
