Dallas guard Austin Finarelli (top) and Hazleton Area’s Eliud Lopez battle for a ball on Saturday.
Fred Adams | For Times Leader
Dallas guard Nick Nocito chases a loose ball to keep it in play during Saturday’s WVC championship game.
Fred Adams | For Times Leader
Dallas guard Nick Nocito tries to hold Hazleton Area’s Josian Guerra at bay as he advances the ball on Saturday.
Fred Adams | For Times Leader
Hazleton Area’s Khalid Morrieson (left) passes the ball under the close guard of Dallas center Jackson Wydra in the first quarter on Saturday.
Fred Adams | For Times Leader
PLAINS TWP. — Dallas’ Jackson Wydra was an all-conference quarterback and the main focus of opponents in the fall.
That changed in the basketball season as he took a backseat to a pair of 1,000-point scoring teammates.
Then came Saturday night’s Wyoming Valley Conference boys basketball championship game and Wydra was back in a starring role even if it might be for one night only.
Wydra scored a career-high 19 points and also grabbed six rebounds — one of his main jobs this season — as the Mountaineers pulled away in the third quarter for a 71-46 victory over Hazleton Area.
“It felt great,” said Wydra, who passed for 1,906 yards and 13 TDs his senior season. “I haven’t had one of these night since middle school, I think. It feels great to have that feeling again. I mean, we went out there and played ball.”
Dallas improved to 21-3 overall with its third win in four tries against Hazleton Area (19-5). The teams split their two regular-season games and Dallas defeated the Cougars in a special playoff game for the WVC Division 1 title.
Wydra scored in double figures three other times this season. His main duties are to mix it up inside with an opponent’s big guys on both ends of the court. The stuff that doesn’t get in the box score. But once he hit a 3-pointer midway through the first quarter, he felt he was on to something.
“We knew he was going to be open in the middle,” Dallas coach Mark Belenski said. “We talked about it and he made shots tonight. Made (Hazleton Area) do something else. It opens doors for other people.”
The Mountaineers led 32-18 with a minute left in the second quarter, only to have Hazleton Area’s Eliud Lopez and Josian Guerra close the half with 3-pointers. The Cougars were within 38-31 about three minutes into the third period when Wydra connected on consecutive outside jumpers.
Austin Finarelli, who along with Nick Nocito scored his 1,000th point this season, led a 10-2 run to finish off the third as Dallas extended its advantage to 52-35.
Wydra and Finarelli each had eight points in the quarter as the Mountaineers outscored Hazleton Area 20-11.
Hazleton Area’s Chris Catrone scored the first seven points of the fourth quarter to cut the deficit to 52-42, but Finarelli led another burst as part of his 23-point night to end the threat.
WVC Championship
Dallas 73, Hazleton Area 46
HAZLETON AREA (46) — Khalid Morrieson 3 0-0 6, Luke Gennaro 3 0-0 7, Josian Guerra 4 2-2 11, Eliud Lopez 3 1-2 10, Chris Catrone 5 0-0 12, Sammy Guzman 0 0-0 0, Junior Coste 0 0-0 0, Nikoli Santiago 0 0-0 0, Sebastian Nivar 0 0-0 0, Christian Smith 0 0-0 0. Totals 18 3-4 46.
DALLAS (73) — Austin Finarelli 7 8-8 23, Nick Nocito 3 0-0 6, Jackson Wydra 9 0-0 19, Michael Bufalino 2 0-0 4, Mike Cumbo 5 4-6 14, Angelo Zarola 0 0-0 0, EJ Matushek 1 0-0 2, Darius Wallace 1 0-0 2, Nick Williams 0 0-0 0, Jacob Seymour 1 0-0 3. Totals 29 12-14 73.
Hazleton Area`8`16`11`11 — 46
Dallas`15`17`20`21 — 73
Three-point goals — HAZ 7 (Lopez 3, Catrone 2, Gennaro, Guerra); DAL 3 (Finarelli, Wydra, Seymour)
