sd » | * Section 2 December 10, 1997 For Mountaineer boys, new coach, winning attitude By JEFF FANECK Sports Correspondent DALLAS - The Dallas boys’ bas- ketball team will be displaying both a different coach and a new attitude this upcoming season. Pat McCue was hired as head coach at Dallas after serving there as an assistant for a year. Before coming to Dallas last year, McCue was an assistant at Wyoming Val- ley West. He becomes the fourth coach in three years for a program with has struggled the past few seasons. Paul Brown resigned two years ago to take over the basketball program at G.A.R. after coaching Dallas to a 4-20 record. Eric Lawson was hired after Brown resigned, but took a coaching position at Crestwood before prac- tice began last season. Stu Trippler was then hired. His reign only lasted a year as he resigned fol- lowing a 2-20 record. Mike Fulton will serve as McCue’s assistant coach and the junior varsity coach. This Mountaineer team shows signs the past years’ troubles are behind them. McCue has come in with a positive, winning attitude, installing much needed confi- dence into a team which has struggled for a victory. He also stresses the importance of focus and fundamentals. Senior point guard Tony Luizza o his new coach, “Coach McCue has made us feel confident that we can compete with the better teams in the conference. His im- pact on us has been tremendous. Every time we step onto the court, we feel like we can win.” The team lost only two seniors ° to graduation, so the core of the team is back. Luizza and senior forward Ed Piekara act as team co-captains and provide a wealth of experience, as does junior guard J.J. Smith. Smith led the team in “scoring last season and has been a starter since his freshman year. Piekara is joined at forward by junior Bruce Kunkle, who came to Dallas this year from Bishop O'Reilly. John Saba, a 6'4" junior center and the team’s leading rebounder, rounds out the start- ing five. The benchswill have to contrib- ute for Dallas to be a contender. Sophomores Matt Jackson and Matt Wycallis should see a lot of 1000 points, 0 win Lake-Lehman's Kelly Spencer scored her 1,000th point Thursday against Nanticoke, but the Lady Trojans held off the Black Knights for a 62-56 win. Mandy Kehler set up for a shot, right photo. She scored four points in the game. Below, Spencer laid in her 1,000th point. She scored 10 points. She shared the moment with teammates, below right. From left; Darby Wolfe, Mandy Kehler, Spencer, Faith O'Dell, Marisa Michaels. POST PHOTOS/JIM PHILLIPS Mabhle’s buzzer beater gives Legion one-point win Dallas Youth Basketball, 5-6 AMERICAN LEGION 34 - EASTERN PENN SUPPLY 33 Erich Mahle made a 20-foot jump shot with six seconds re- maining to give the American Le- gion a 34-33 victory over Eastern Penn Supply in Dallas Youth Bas- ketball 5th/6th grade boys ac- tion. Mahle finished with 21 points, followed by Chris Higdon with 6 points. Eastern Penn was led by Tim Kerestes with 12 points and Gene Lispi with 11. Ameri- can Legion is coached by Tony Barbose, while Eastern Penn Sup- ply is coached by Joe Kerestes. INTERMETRO INDUSTRIES 23 - HERBIE’S AUTO BODY 15 Intermetro Industries topped Herbie’s Auto Body 23-15 as Tyler Droppers scored a game high 11 points. Bruce Deeble had 6 points and John Yanik led the defense for Intermetro. For Herbie’s, John McGeehan had 8 points while Jason Demnicki led the defense. Intermetro Industries is coached by Kent Droppers while Herbie’s Auto Body is coached by Eric Menzel. : DOUGH CO. 50 - ROSENN, JENKINS, GREENWALD 19 Mitch Mitchell had 24 points to lead the Dough Company to a 50- 19 win over Rosenn, Jenkins and Greenwald. Joe Wyberski had 16 points and Michael Lloyd 6 for Dough Co. Cory Schultz, Elijah Miller and Jason Slavoski led Rosenn, Jenkins and Greenwald. .Dough Company is coached by Guthrie Mitchell, while Rosenn, Jenkins, and Greenwald is coached by Stan Schultz. LUZERNE NAT'L BANK 30 - PACE PHYSICAL THERAPY 26 Sean Leary scored 10 points and Sam Brown 9 as Luzerne National Bank topped Pace Physi- cal Therapy 30-26. Leading scor- ers for Pace Physical Therapy were Kevin Domzalskiwith 11, Jeff Pace See 5-6 BALL, pg 10 time as well as point guard Jay Carroll. Carroll is a freshman and will only get better with experi- ence. With the newfound attitude and upbeat and confident coach, this group of Mountaineers should contend for a playoff berth. But for now, the team is taking it one step at a time. Said Luizza, “We concentrate only on our next op- ponent at practice. The key to our season will probably be focus.” After a disappointing loss at Berwick to open the season, the team rebounded with an impres- sive effort to win its second game, a six-point decision over Tunkhannock. Name Jay Carroll G 9 DALLAS BOYS’ BASKETBALL ROSTER Pos. Josh Dukas G 11 Dan Fauerbach G 10 Matt Jackson F 10 Bruce Kunkle F 11 Tony Luizza G 12 Dan Nichol G 11 Ed Piekara E 12 Jon Saba C 11 J.J. Smith G 1c) Trapper Smith G 12 Frank Velde C 12 Matt Wycallis G 10 Lions, Barbose win battle of the big men DALLAS LIONS 63 - QUALITY COLLISION 62 Right from the start of the game, it was an inside ball game...The battle of the big men! At the end of the first quarter it was Dallas Lions 16 and Quality Collision 15. Dallas Lions’ Jonathon Barbose scored 14 points while Quality Collision’s John Simonitis all his teams’ 15 points. In the second quarter, each team traded bas- kets, and at halftime it was Dallas Lions holding on to a 1 point lead, 29-28. At the end of the third quarter, both teams were knotted up at 44. The teams traded bas- kets in the final quarter, with the Dallas Lions recording a hard fought one point victory. Dallas Lions offense was led by Jonathon Barbose with 35 points, followed by Bobby Gebhart with 12 points. Quality Collision was led by John Simonitis with a game high 39 points, followed by Jordy Spencer with 14 points and Angelo Recchia with 9 points. Dallas Lions record goes to 2-2, while Quality Collison records their first loss of the sea- son, and their record drops to 3- 1. DR. JACK ELLIS 49 - T.G.l. FRIDAYS 45 Both teams had a well-balanced scoring attack, and after one quar- ter it was T.G.I.F. 11, Dr. Jack Ellis 10. It was much the same in the second quarter, with T.G.I.F.’s Herb Bressler and Dr. Jack’s Mike Dobroski leading the way in scor- ing. Dr. Jack turned the scoring around in the second quarter, and led at halftime 24-21. The third quarter had Dr. Jack Ellis team outscoring T.G.I.F. 10 to 5, towiden their lead to 34-26. T.G.I. Fridays outscored Dr. Jack’s team 19to 15 in the final stanza, on the scoring of Mike English and Herb Bressler, but it wasn't enough to overcome Dr. Jack’'steam. Dr. Jack Ellis offense was led by Mike Dombroski with 22 points, fol- lowed by Tim Faneck with 9 points and Peter Miller with 7 points. T.G.I. Fridays offense was led by Herb Bressler with 21 points, fol- lowed by Mike English with 11 points and Donny Murray with 7 points. Dr. Jack Ellis’s record goes to 3-1, while T.G.I. Fridays record drops to 2-2. KINGSTON METALS SPEC. 67 - GROTTQ PIZZA 44 Kingston Metals exploded with 27 first quarter points on the scor- ing of Chris Heister and Jeff Dickson to take a 27-14 lead over Grotto Pizza. Kingston Metals continued the scoring attack in the second quarter, and increased their halftime lead to 43-18. The teams traded baskets in the third quarter, and at quarter's end it was Kingston Metals 57, Grotto Pizza 44. Grotto’s David Lohin scored 10 of his game high 27 points, in the fourth quarter. Kingston Metals Spec. offense was led by Jeff Dickson with 20 points, followed by Chris Heister with 14 points and Bobby Zaruta with 10 points. Grotto Pizza's offense was led by Lohin’s 27 points, followed by John Pambianco with 8 points. Kingston Metals remain unde- feated with a record of 4-0, while Grotto Pizza's record drops to 0-4. MELLON BANK 68 - NAPA AUTO PARTS 58 Mellon Bank outscored NAPA Auto 17-12 at the end of the first See 7-8 BALL, pg 10 POST PHOTO/JIM PHILLIPS Jeff Singer tried to block a shot by John Simonitis in Dallas Youth Basketball grade 7-8 action Sunday. Jon Barbose is at left. GR SR i LL
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