Dallas’ Austin Finarelli (1) and Wilkes-Barre Area’s Waarithi Oseni (4) fight for a rebound during Saturday night’s game.
                                 Fred Adams | For Times Leader

Dallas’ Austin Finarelli (1) and Wilkes-Barre Area’s Waarithi Oseni (4) fight for a rebound during Saturday night’s game.

Fred Adams | For Times Leader

<p>Dallas guard Nick Nocito works past Wilkes-Barre Area’s Samir Hill, advancing toward the basket during the first quarter Saturday night.</p>
                                 <p>Fred Adams | For Times Leader</p>

Dallas guard Nick Nocito works past Wilkes-Barre Area’s Samir Hill, advancing toward the basket during the first quarter Saturday night.

Fred Adams | For Times Leader

<p>Dallas guard Austin Finarelli brings the ball down court against Wilkes-Barre Area on Saturday night.</p>
                                 <p>Fred Adams | For Times Leader</p>

Dallas guard Austin Finarelli brings the ball down court against Wilkes-Barre Area on Saturday night.

Fred Adams | For Times Leader

<p>Wilkes-Barre Area’s Waarithi Oseni looks to pass after grabbing a rebound Saturday night.</p>
                                 <p>Fred Adams | For Times Leader</p>

Wilkes-Barre Area’s Waarithi Oseni looks to pass after grabbing a rebound Saturday night.

Fred Adams | For Times Leader

<p>Wilkes-Barre Area’s Nyquon Santos-Hollman (left) stretches for a rebound in front of Dallas guard Angelo Zarola in the second quarter Saturday night. Santos-Hollman finished with 18 rebounds.</p>
                                 <p>Fred Adams | For Times Leader</p>

Wilkes-Barre Area’s Nyquon Santos-Hollman (left) stretches for a rebound in front of Dallas guard Angelo Zarola in the second quarter Saturday night. Santos-Hollman finished with 18 rebounds.

Fred Adams | For Times Leader

PLAINS TWP. — Wilkes-Barre Area’s Nyquon Santos-Hollman took a casual approach to a tense situation as he stepped to the foul line with 4.1 seconds left.

“We do these every day,” Santos-Hollman said. “That’s what was going through my mind.”

Santos-Hollman hit only his first attempt, but that didn’t matter. What did was his free throw completed a 10-0 run for the Wolfpack, which knocked off Dallas 52-49 Saturday night in a Wyoming Valley Conference Division 1 boys basketball game.

The victory allowed WBA (4-1 Div. 1, 7-5 overall) to stay right behind Hazleton Area (4-0 Div. 1, 8-2) in the standings. Dallas (4-2 Div. 1, 6-3) started the week in first place and ended it in third.

WBA appeared in trouble when Dallas’ Darius Wallace hit a 3-pointer with 3:52 remaining for a 49-42 lead. While WBA was dominating the boards and finished with a 47-23 rebounding edge which included 18 by Santos-Hollman, the Wolfpack’s shooting was erratic all night.

That changed abruptly. Brandon Benjamin nailed a 3-pointer — the team’s only one of the game — and scored on a fast break as WBA was on the way to scoring the game’s final 10 points. A baseline drive by Santos-Hollman, who also scored a team-high 14, tied the score 49-49 at 1:50. Samir Hill gave the Wolfpack the lead for good with a drive to the basket with 31 seconds left.

Dallas managed to get off a pair of 3-pointers in the final 4.1 seconds, but Santos-Hollman hauled in his 18th rebound on the first miss and the second bounced hard off the rim at the buzzer.

The second wasn’t supposed to take place. WBA coach Pat Toole wanted his team to foul and put a Dallas player on the line with no opportunity to tie. He was then going to take his chances his team would get a rebound. The strategy seemed sounds considering WBA’s Waarithi Oseni also had a double-double at the time of 11 rebounds and points each.

“We’re not the smoothest team. We play ugly sometimes, but we play hard all the time,” Toole said. “I couldn’t be happier for these kids.”

Dallas guard Austin Finarelli entered as the WVC Division 1 leading scorer with 22.8 points per game. Backcourt mate Nick Nocito was fourth in the division with 15.6 points per game. The duo combined for 30 points Saturday night, but only three field goals after halftime. Two of them came when Finarelli battled inside for rebound baskets.

“I thought my coaches came up with a great game plan,” Toole said. “We threw a lot of different looks at them. We went 1-3-1, we went man, we went box-and-one just to try to take them out of some rhythm.”

WBA has two tough road games next week — at Crestwood and Hazleton Area. Dallas will play four times, including a home non-conference game vs. District 4 power Williamsport.

Wilkes-Barre Area 52, Dallas 49

DALLAS (49) — Austin Finarelli 5 2-4 14, Nick Nocito 7 0-0 16, Jackson Wydra 2 0-0 4, Darius Wallace 1 0-0 3, Michael Bufalino 3 1-1 8, E.J. Matushek 0 0-0 0, Michael Cumbo 1 0-0 2, Angelo Zarola 1 0-0 2. Totals 20 3-5 49.

WILKES-BARRE AREA (52) — Markell Parnell 1 0-0 2, Waarithi Oseni 3 5-8 11, Brandon Benjamin 6 0-0 13, Mike Andrzejewski 0 0-0 0, Samir Hill 1 0-1 2, Jacob Horga 1 2-4 2, Bryan Clarke 3 0-0 6, Nyquon Santos-Hollman 6 2-4 14. Totals 21 9-17 52.

Dallas`16`17`9`7 — 49

Wilkes-Barre Area`14`18`6`14 — 52

Three-point goals — DAL 6 (Finarelli 2, Nocito, Wallace, Bufalino). WBA 1 (Benjamin).