2009-2010 Season Archive
2009-2010 Season Archive
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West's season ends in District XI quarterfinal to Whitehall
West's season ends in District XI quarterfinal to Whitehall
The Panthers (20-5) seemed to have everything going their way at halftime, owning a 24-21 lead after outscoring Whitehall (16-8) 17-6 in the second quarter, but the Zephyrs took over the second half.
Whitehall scored the first six points of the third quarter, on a three-point play from Robert Beldo and a 3-pointer from Javier Rivera, and never gave up the lead. West stayed close, getting to within two late in the third quarter, but a layup by Chris Astacio and a 3 by Matt Greene gave Whitehall a 36-29 advantage after three quarters.
"I have no answer for it and I have no idea what happened to us," Pocono West coach Brad Pensyl said. "We played well in the first half and (Whitehall) hit some 3s and we didn't get any inside stuff. When you don't answer after they make a run, we'd call a timeout after they scored six and they hit another 3. We just didn't answer."
Keon Scott converted a three-point play to pull West to within four at the start of the fourth, but Whitehall ripped off a 13-0 run, behind eight points from Pat Bet, to wrap up a semifinal date with Pocono East.
"We knew we just had to be confident and believe in ourselves," Bet said. "We've been stung before by not coming out strong, but (Saturday) we were just able to hang in there."
No. 6 Whitehall 51, No. 3 PM West 39
No. 6 Whitehall 51, No. 3 PM West 39
WHITEHALL (51)
Rivera 1-4 0-0 3, Greene 3-6 4-4 13, Bet 4-12 0-2 8, Astacio 5-6 2-2 12, Beldo 4-8 2-3 10, Cheeks 2-5 0-0 5, Cesare 0-4 0-0 0, Polony 0-1 0-0 0, Keglovits 0-1 0-0 0.. Totals — 19-47 8-12 51.
PM WEST (39)
Fortune 0-7 1-2 1, Boyle 1-3 0-0 2, Anema 2-3 1-3 5, K. Scott 5-10 4-7 14, Brice 3-7 2-4 8, Dixon 3-8 2-3 8, Howard 0-2 0-0 0, Duclair 0-0 0-0 0. Totals — 14-46 11-21 39.
Whitehall 15 6 15 15 — 51
PM West 7 17 5 10 — 39
3-point goals — 5 (Greene 3, Cheeks, Rivera), PMW 0. Rebounds — W 31 (Bet 7), PMW 28 (Dixon 8). Assists — W 16 (Greene 6), PMW 3 (Fortune, K. Scott). Steals — W 7 (Greene, Cheeks 2), PMW 1 (K. Scott). Blocks — W 2 (Astacio 2), PMW 4 (Anema, K. Scott 2). Turnovers — W 8, PMW 12.
Records — Whitehall 16-8; PM West 20-5.
West falls in MVC Championship game 74-54
West falls in MVC Championship game 74-54
By Joe Miegoc
By Joe Miegoc
Record Sports Writer
Record Sports Writer
February 20, 2010
February 20, 2010
BRODHEADSVILLE — Pocono Mountain East turned 372 days worth of frustration into its best performance of the season.
The second-seeded Cardinals simply could do no wrong as they ran away with a 74-54 victory over Pocono Mountain West to win the Mountain Valley Conference boys basketball championship at Pleasant Valley High School on Friday.
The victory came just over a year after Pocono East (17-6) lost to Stroudsburg, a team it had beaten twice during the regular season, in the MVC title game on the same floor at PV.
"It had been 372 days since we had been right here in the same spot," PM East coach Patrick Heaton said. "It didn't matter if we were 16-6 or 22-0, this is what we've been playing for for 12 months. These guys put in a lot time and effort in over the summer and this is what we've been waiting for."
The Cards didn't wait long to take it to the Panthers (20-4), who were the tournament's top seed thanks to two regular-season victories over East.
PM East led by five after one quarter of play, but quickly pushed that advantage to 17 with a 13-1 run to start the second quarter. At the forefront for the Cards was Kyheim Hall, there leader and St. Francis University-bound guard.
Hall, who transferred to Pocono East from West before his sophomore year, didn't have his best night from the floor, but contributed in other ways. He found David Garcia twice for first-half 3-pointers and pulled down seven of his game-high 12 rebounds in the first half. Hall, who was just 3-for-18 from the floor but still finished with 16 points, also dished out a game-high six assists.
The Cards got contributions from everyone.
Junior forward Lamont Tillery scored 14 points and pulled down eight rebounds, while Kamall Richards pitched in 15 points, including a steal and layup that put East ahead 45-23 with 5:34 left in the third quarter. Emerson Bursis had two big baskets in the third quarter that helped the Cards pull away.
East's bench got into the act, too, with Garcia leading the way with 12 points. Justin Escobar had six points and Steven Davalos, usually used for defense, hit a 3 on a night where the Cards would have been hard pressed to play better.
MVC Championship: No. 2 PM East 74, No. 1 PM West 54
PM EAST (74)
Tillery 6-12 2-2 14, Richards 6-9 3-4 15, Hall 3-18 9-17 16, Bursis 2-2 0-0 4, Pacheco 0-2 3-4 3, Garcia 4-10 2-6 12, Davalos 1-1 0-0 3, Escobar 2-5 1-2 6, Nyanti-Toe 0-0 0-0 0, Kilanowski 0-0 0-0 0, Daly 0-0 1-2 1, Sancho 0 0-0 0, Munson 0-0 0-0 0. Totals — 24-59 21-37 74.
PM WEST (54)
Fortune 1-12 16-21 18, Boyle 2-6 2-3 8, Anema 1-2 0-0 2, K. Scott 4-8 0-4 8, Howard 2-3 0-2 4, Brice 3-9 2-3 8, Dixon 3-5 0-2 6, Amoroso 0 0-0 0-0 0, Duclair 0-1 0-0 0, Halsey 0-0 0-0 0, G. Scott 0-1 0-0 0. Totals — 17-52 20-35 54.
PM East 16 22 17 19 — 74
PM West 11 12 13 18 — 54
3-point goals — PM East 5 (Garcia 2, Escobar, Escobar, Hall), PMW 0. Rebounds — PME 39 (Hall 13), PMW 35 (Dixon 7). Assists — PME 13 (Hall 6), PMW 11 (Fortune 4). Steals — PME 8 (Tillery 3), PMW 7 (Dixon 2). Blocks — PME 2 (Tillery, Garcia), PMW 2 (Anema 2). Turnovers — PME 13, PMW 16.
Records — PM East 17-6; PM West 20-4.
West places two on All-MVC team
West places two on All-MVC team
2009-2010 MVC BOYS ALL-STARS
First Team
Tynell Fortune (PM West); Kyheim Hall (PM East); Mike John (ES North); Lamont Tillery (PM East); Matt Poorman (Stroudsburg).
Second Team
Anthony Baker (ES North); Marvin Gumbs (ES South); Keon Scott (PM West); Mike Sharpe (Pleasant Valley); Sidney Stone (Stroudsburg).
PM West gets good Fortune in second half
PM West gets good Fortune in second half
By Joe Miegoc
By Joe Miegoc
Record Sports Writer
Record Sports Writer
February 18, 2010
February 18, 2010
POCONO SUMMIT — Tynell Fortune had all the faith in the world that he'd return to the floor that appeared to have ended his night early.
Nearly three full quarters after taking a nasty, face-first spill to the hardwood, Fortune returned to score 12 of his game-high 15 points in the final 6:40 of the game as top-seeded Pocono Mountain West outlasted No. 4 East Stroudsburg North 55-47 in the Mountain Valley Conference semifinals Wednesday.
The Panthers (20-3) move on to meet No. 2 Pocono Mountain East, a 56-45 winner over No. 3 Stroudsburg in Wednesday's other semifinal, for the MVC title at 8 p.m. at Pleasant Valley High School on Friday.
Fortune's improbable return Wednesday played a big role in West's title hopes still being alive.
While going up for a layup with 2:04 left in the first quarter, Fortune was fouled and went face-first into the floor along the baseline. The gym fell silent as the junior lay on the floor for several minutes before slowly walking to the Panthers' bench.
"In my mind I'm thinking, 'Please help,' so I can get any possible sign of good health so I can back in there," Fortune said.
It would be over 19 minutes of game action until he'd rejoin his teammates.
The Timberwolves (14-9), who trailed 10-4 at the time of Fortune's injury and by as many as 12 in the first half, roared back to cut West's lead to just two at 37-35 on Ganui Ladipo's driving layup with 6:39 left in the fourth quarter.
That's when Pocono West coach Brad Pensyl made the call to Fortune.
"I was going to wait and see because the kid's health is my No. 1 concern," Pensyl said. "The trainer said I could put him in and the kid said he felt good. He said he felt good at halftime, but I said, 'Let's just wait and see how it plays out,' but he was cleared to play so I put him in."
The move worked as North would never get any closer than four points the rest of the way.
Fortune scored in close on back-to-back possessions to push West's lead up to eight and hit 8-of-13 free throw attempts over the final 1:21 to seal the victory.
"I knew I was going to go back in because I've got the heart of a lion," said Fortune, who earned a spot on the All-MVC first team earlier in the day. "I told Coach (Pensyl) to put me because I didn't want to see my team lose. Especially without me."
Fortune's teammates, especially West's bench, played a pivotal role in keeping the Panthers in the lead.
Quindell Brice scored 10 points and Chris Howard chipped in with eight as West's bench outscored North's 20-12.
"I was excited to be able to help my team out," said Howard, who also had four steals. "I needed to step up because (Fortune) went down. I did what I had to do."
No. 1 PM West 55, No. 4 ES North 47
ES NORTH (47)
Williams 2-5 3-4 7, Samuels 5-8 0-2 10, Ladipo 3-11 3-6 9, Adkins 0-0 0-0 0, John 2-10 5-7 9, Baker 5-15 0-2 12, Lamont 0-1 0-0 0, Bunn-McKenzie 0-0 0-0 0, Fort 0-2 0-0 0, Lopez 0-0 0-0 0. Totals — 17-52 11-21 47.
PM WEST (55)
Fortune 3-11 9-15 15, Boyle 2-4 0-0 6, Anema 2-6 0-0 4, K. Scott 2-8 1-4 5, Howard 3-8 2-5 8, Brice 4-6 2-4 10, Dixon 0-4 0-0 0, Amoroso 1-2 0-0 2, Duclair 0-0 0-0 0. Totals — 18-61 17-32 55.
ES North 6 13 12 16 — 47
PM West 10 19 8 18 — 55
3-point goals — ES North 2 (Baker 2), PM West 2 (Boyle 2). Rebounds — ES North 52 (Williams 13), PM West 34 (Anema 8). Assists — ES North 9 (Ladipo 4), PM West 7 (K. Scott 2, Brice 2). Steals — ES North 6 (Williams 2, Baker 2), PM West 16 (Boyle 4, Anema 4, Howard 4). Blocks — ES North 5 (Baker 3), PM West 4 (Anema 3). Turnovers — ES North 26, PM West 9.
Records — ES North 14-9; PM West 20-3.
Impact Players: Pocono Mountain West's Kevin Anema
Impact Players: Pocono Mountain West's Kevin Anema
By Joe Miegoc
By Joe Miegoc
Record Sports Writer
Record Sports Writer
February 14, 2010
February 14, 2010
Kevin Anema had his sights set on the summer last summer. Pocono Mountain West's 6-foot-11 center was going to hit the weight room and basketball court hard to improve his game, knowing full well that the Panthers had been hit heavy by graduation.
But a broken right ankle sustained during a basketball game in gym class on the second to last day of school changed those plans. Really, the injury only delayed them.
"My goal in the beginning of the summer before I broke my ankle was to keep improving and get in the weight room and get bigger for this year and it couldn't really happen like that," Anema said. "As soon as the doctors told me I could play (about 2½ months after the injury) I was real happy and have been working hard ever since."
The hard work hasn't just been over the past half year.
From the time he moved to the Poconos, where his father, David, lives, before his sophomore year at Pocono West, Anema has been a work in progress. As a sophomore on the jayvee team, Anema scored about 30 points, according to PM West coach Brad Pensyl, and had five points in limited varsity minutes, but the skills were there. Others have taken notice.
With his ability to run and catch, along with his obvious height (Pensyl thinks Anema still isn't done growing), college coaches are interested.
"He's got Division I guys calling me all the time and coming to our practices watching him play and he knows it's because of his size," Pensyl said. "It's not because of something he's doing spectacular on the court. He's got to play though to keep them coming and watching. He's got to get better. Early this year there were games where he had no statistics. He had nothing. Didn't shoot, didn't get a rebound, didn't have a turnover and he can't have that happen anymore. We'll see.
"It's up to him now. He's got to go out and do the things that are required of him to get better."
The stats say he's improving.
With West losing its top eight from last year, Anema was in the starting five, but was up and down in the beginning of the season (10 points against Allen, but scoreless outings against Easton and Stroudsburg). He's come on lately, though, scoring a career-high 13 points against Pocono Mountain East last month, which featured three dunks by Anema. He's averaging 6.6 points per game in West's last 11 games.
"I had to step up and ever since (the Allen game) it seems like in the really big games I have a really good game because I'm ready and I just want to beat them," said Anema, who is averaging 5.4 ppg for the season.
He'll get more chances this week.
The Panthers go into the Mountain Valley Conference tournament as the No. 1 seed. They'll host the semifinals, taking on No. 4 East Stroudsburg North in Wednesday's second game.
Where Anema ends up in the future will be up to him.
"He's a diamond in the rough, I believe so," Pensyl said. "It's up to him. He's got to do two things. He's got to get in the weight room and get in his books. He's got to study. If he does that the kid's going to get a scholarship. There's absolutely no question."
PM West 79, Lehighton 33
PM West 79, Lehighton 33
2/13/10 - POCONO SUMMIT — Tynell Fortune and Jake Boyle scored 12 points each as Pocono Mountain West earned a 79-33 victory over Lehighton in MVC play Saturday.
Tyrell Dixon added 10 points for the Panthers (19-3, 11-1).
LEHIGHTON (33)
Hill 1 1-3 3, Keer 3 0-3 6, Rossino 1 3-4 6, Kresge 1 0-0 3, Markley 1 0-0 2, Matika 2 3-7 7, Szacska 1 1-2 4, Agosto 1 0-0 2. Totals — 11 8-19 33.
PM WEST (79)
Fortune 4 2-2 12, G. Scott 1 0-0 2, Howard 2 0-2 5, Boyle 4 0-0 12, Brice 3 2-2 8, Anema 1 0-0 2, Duclair 3 2-2 8, Dixon 5 0-1 10, Rodriguez 1 2-2 5, Halsey 0 0-0 0, Amoroso 1 0-0 2, K. Scott 1 0-0 2, Collins 1 0-0 2. Totals — 31 8-11 79.
Lehighton 9 13 5 6 — 33
PM West 28 23 12 16 — 79
3-point goals — L 3 (Rossino, Kresge, Szacska); PMW 9 (Boyle 4, Fortune 2, Howard, Rodriguez).
Records — PM West 19-3, 11-1.
PM West clinches No. 1 seed in MVC Tourney by beating PM East 86-81
PM West clinches No. 1 seed in MVC Tourney by beating PM East 86-81
2/12/10- SWIFTWATER — Pocono Mountain West clinched the No. 1 seed in the Mountain Valley Conference boys basketball tournament with an 86-81 victory over Pocono Mountain East on Friday. Tynell Fortune had 33 points to pace the Panthers (18-3, 10-1 MVC).
PM WEST (86)
Fortune 8 15-17 33, G. Scott 0 1-2 1, Howard 0 1-2 1, Boyle 2 0-0 5,
Brice 2 1-1 5, Anema 1 0-0 2, Duclair 0 0-0 0, Dixon 2 3-6 7, K. Scott 3 4-8 11. Totals —
24 32-44 86.
PM EAST (81)
Daly 0 0-0 0, Garcia 1 2-2 4, Kilanowski 1 0-0 3, Tillery 9 4-4 23, Escobar 0 0-0 0,
Davalos 0 0-0 0, Richards 6 2-3 16, Nyanti 1 0-0 2, Hall 9 4-7 25. Bursis 1 0-0 2,
Pacheco 2 2-5 6, Sancho 0 0-0 0. Totals — 30 14-21 81.
PM West 24 12 21 29 — 86
PM East 15 12 24 30 — 81
3-point goals — PMW 6 (Fortune 3, K. Scott, Boyle); PME 7 (Hall 3, Richards 2, Kilanowski).
Records — PM West 18-3, 10-1 MVC; PM East 14-6, 9-2.
PM West 66, Pleasant Valley 55
PM West 66, Pleasant Valley 55
Panthers claw back, upend Cougars
Panthers claw back, upend Cougars
BY DAVE SEAMON (SPORTS EDITOR)
BY DAVE SEAMON (SPORTS EDITOR)
Published: February 4, 2010
Published: February 4, 2010
Pocono Mountain West started slowly in Wednesday's non-league boys basketball game at Hazleton Area.
The finish, and the final score, were more to the Panthers' liking.
Pocono Mountain West fell behind 8-0 to start the game and 16-4 early before getting off the deck and rallying for a 52-47 victory over the Cougars in a matchup of the two top Class AAAA teams in District 11 and District 2.
"That was a good win in a playoff-like atmosphere,'' Panthers coach Brad Pensyl said. "They came out of the gates so fast; we obviously didn't match their intensity...but as the game went on I thought we did a much better job on the defensive end and on the boards than we did at the beginning of the game.''
Keon Scott netted a team-high 13 points and six teammates scored at least six as the Panthers improved to 16-3 and solidified their push for the top seed in the upcoming District 11 tournament. Even Jake Boyle, who had only two points, made his two count with a couple of clutch free throws with 32 seconds left.
"I think this can only help us at the end of Ferbruary,'' Pensyl said, referring to the district playoffs. "I think it will help Hazleton, too.''
Hazleton Area head coach Mike Joseph agreed. "We were treating this like a playoff game against a playoff-type team,'' he said. "In games like that it's always gonna come down to either who's going to make the least number of mistakes or who's gonna make the most plays...and they (made the plays) in the second half.''
Early on, Joseph's team made more plays and less mistakes than the visitors. Eric Radishofski's putback and back-to-back three-pointers by Paris Cleveland got the Cougars (14-4) off and running to an 8-0 start. Scott finally put the Panthers on the scorebard with a layup, but Dwaine Gilley's two foul shots, coupled with Adam Davis's basket after a you-had-to-see-it-to-believe-it-over-his-head pass from Christian Laputka, a Gilley layup and two Cleveland free throws staked Hazleton Area to a 16-4 lead to the delight of the home crowd at Hughie McGeehan Gymnasium.
Pocono Mountain West rebounded with a 9-0 run over the final 1:56 of the opening quarter, thanks to five straight points by Quindell Brice, a jumper by 6-foot-11 Kevin Anema and Jaquan Bryant's bucket, to narrow the gap to 16-13.
Neither team led by more than five points the rest of the game.
The Cougars went ahead by five in the second quarter after Cleveland's steal and coast-to-coast layup and a Radishofski hoop off a Tyler Plaksa feed made it 20-15. Hazleton Area's lead may have been greater if Scott didn't muscle his wide 6-4 frame for six points in the quarter.
Scott's third bucket of the period pulled the Panthers within 24-23 before Laputka found Gilley for a layup that gave the Cougars a three-point halftime lead.
Pocono Mountain West went ahead for the first time on Bryant's jumper at the 5:30 mark of the third quarter, part of a 9-3 run that accounted for the Panthers' 34-29 lead. Back came the Cougars, who scored the final seven points of the quarter to reclaim the lead. Cleveland wrapped his third triple and two foul shots around Laputka's fast-break basket to put Hazleton Area on top 36-34.
Tynell Fortune's driving layup gave Pocono Mountain West the lead for good with 6:15 left, but the Cougars stayed on the Panthers' heels. Four times they closed within a single point, the first on D.J. Myers' two free throws, the second on Cleveland's two fouls shots, the third on a Cleveland foul shot with 1:43 left and the fourth on a Laputka bucket.
Hazleton Area never did pull even or go ahead, despite getting several chances to do so. "I thought we defended well enough to win the game,'' Joseph said, "But they made a couple more plays on their end and that's what ultimately put them over the top...they made shots and, unfortunately, we didn't hit some (shots) when we had our opportunities.''
Trailing 46-45, the Cougars' trapping defense forced a PMW turnover with 51.3 seconds remaining, but they misfired on an ensuing shot attempt. Then after deflecting a few passes just past the end line, the Cougars fouled Boyle, who calmly sank two free throws with 32 seconds left.
Laputka raced back upcourt for a layup that made it 48-47, but after a Panther timeout, Chris Howard beat the Hazleton Area press and was credited for two points after a goaltending call against the Cougars.
The Cougars didn't get off another shot.
"We made only 13 baskets,'' Joseph said. "Offensively, we never really got into a good rhythm. They put a lot of pressure on the ball (and) they're physical on the ball, and I think that took us out of sync and we never did a good job of running our (offensive) sets.''
Good thing for the Cougars then that this wasn't a real playoff game. They can make adjustments between now and playoff time.
Travis Buckner's 15 points led Hazleton Area's junior varsity team to a 62-45 win over Pocono Mountain West. George Nikonenko and Danny Fogarty added 11 apiece and Adam Hauze and Frank Vito both chipped in nine.
POCONO MOUNTAIN WEST (52)
Fortune 3 0-0 6, Howard 2 2-2 6, Boyle 0 2-2 2, Brice 2 0-0 5, Anema 3 0-0 6, Dixon 3 0-0 6, K. Scott 6 0-2 13. Totals 23 4-6 52.
HAZLETON AREA (47)
Myers 0 2-3 2, Laputka 3 2-4 8, Plaksa 0 0-0 0, Cleveland 4 7-8 18, Gilley 2 2-2 6, McCann 0 0-0 0, Davis 2 0-0 4, Radishofski 2 5-8 9. Totals 13 18-25 47.
PMWHS............13 10 11 18 - 52
HAHS................16 10 10 11 - 47
3-FGs: Brice, K. Scott; Cleveland 3.
PM West 80, ES South 44
PM West 80, ES South 44
1/29/10 - POCONO SUMMIT — Tynell Fortune led Pocono Mountain West with 11 points as the Panthers beat East Stroudsburg South 80-44 in MVC action Friday.
The Panthers (15-3, 8-1) scored 30 points in the second quarter to take a 50-18 lead at the half.
ES SOUTH (44)
Howell 0 0-0 0, McLaughlin 0 0-0 0, Alexander 5 0-0 15, Cason 2 0-0 4, Carlos 1 0-0 2, Harp 0 2-2 2, Caldera 0 0-0 0, Franklin 0 0-0 0, Gumbs 6 2-5 15, Coscia 0 1-2 1, Thomas 2 1-3 5. Totals — 17 6-12 44.
PM WEST (80)
Fortune 5 0-0 11, G. Scott 2 1-1 5, Howard 3 0-0 6, Boyle 2 0-0 6, Brice 3 4-4 10, Amena 3 1-2 7, Duclair 2 0-0 4, Halsey 2 0-0 5, Amoroso 1 1-2 3, K. Scott 3 0-1 6, Collins 0 0-0 0. Totals — 33 9-12 80.
ES South 11 7 14 12 — 44
PM West 20 30 12 18 — 80
3-point goals — ESS 4 (Alexander 3, Franklin); PMW 5 (Boyle 2, Fortune, Halsey).
Records — ES South 3-14, 2-6; PM West 15-3, 8-1.
PM West 63, ES North 43
PM West 63, ES North 43
1/27/10 - BUSHKILL — Keon Scott had 16 points and Tynell Fortune scored 14 as Pocono Moutnain West earned a 63-43 victory over East Stroudsburg North in MVC action Tuesday.
Rafiq Williams and Jahael Lamont both had 12 points for the Timberwolves (11-6, 4-4 MVC).
PM West 63, ES North 43
PM WEST (63)
Fortune 5 4-5 14, G. Scott 0 0-0 0, Howard 1 0-0 2, Boyle 0 0-0 0, Brice 5 1-1 11, Anema 3 3-3 9, DuClair 0 0-0 0, Dixon 2 0-0 4, Halsey 0 0-0 0, Amoroso 1 0-0 2, K. Scott 7 2-2 16. Totals — 26 10-11 63.
ES NORTH (43)
Williams 6 0-1 12, A. Baker 3 1-6 7, Ladipo 1 0-0 2, C. Baker 0 0-0 0, Fort 0 0-0 0, Lamont 5 0-2 12, Adkins 0 0-0 0, John 5 0-1 10. Totals — 20 1-10 43.
PM West 11 22 14 16 — 63
ES North 12 14 8 9 — 43
3-point goals — PMW 1 ; ESN 2 (Lamont 2).
Records — PM West 14-3, 7-1 MVC; ES North 11-6, 4-4.
PM West 57, Scranton Prep 53
PM West 57, Scranton Prep 53
1/25/10 - POCONO SUMMIT — Tynell Fortune had 22 points as Pocono Mountain West held off Scranton Prep 57-53 in non-conference play Monday.
Keon Scott had seven of his 16 points in the fourth quarter for the Panthers (13-3).
PM West 57, Scranton Prep 53
SCRANTON PREP (53)
Murray 0 0-0 0, Healey 4 0-0 10, Byrne 0 1-2 1, Quiller 3 1-1 7, Schroth 6 3-3 17, Walsh 3 0-0 6, Trainor 5 2-2 12. Totals — 21 7-8 53.
PM WEST (57)
Fortune 7 5-6 22, G. Scott 1 0-0 2, Howard 0 1-2 1, Boyle 2 0-0 5, Brice 0 4-4 4, Anema 2 0-0 4, Dixon 0 0-3 0, Halsey 0 0-0 0, K. Scott 7 2-4 16. Totals — 20 12-19 57.
Scranton Prep 11 15 13 14 — 53
PM West 13 17 13 14 — 57
3-point goals — SP 4 (Healey 2, Schroth 2); PMW 5 (Fortune 3, Boyle).
Records — Scranton Prep 10-4; PM West 13-3.
Emmaus turns its season around with wins against Easton,
Pocono Mountain West
Emmaus turns its season around with wins against Easton,
Pocono Mountain West
OF THE MORNING CALL
OF THE MORNING CALL
The Emmaus boys basketball team is probably enjoying its day off today. They deserve the break.
That's because in a 20-hour span, the Green Hornets resurrected their season.
On Friday night Emmaus beat a resurgent Easton team and then followed that up on Saturday afternoon with a big fourth quarter push that ended visiting Pocono Mountain West's 10-game win streak.
The Green Hornets' 60-52 non-league win over the Mountain Valley Conference frontunner got them back to the coveted .500 mark (7-7) with eight games left in the regular season.
A .500 record in league play, where Emmaus is 3-5, or overall gets you into districts.
''I'm sure after we lost to Parkland [Tuesday night] people thought we were out of everything,'' said senior guard Bobby Campbell. ''But we've pulled together and got ourselves two, tough, physical wins this weekend. We were coming off a physical win over Easton, but what saved us today is our depth. We rotate a lot of guys in the game.''
Pocono Mountain West (12-3) was also coming off a physical over win over rival Stroudsburg on Friday night.
The Panthers had won five of six against Lehigh Valley Conference foes, but had to regroup from a sluggish start. They struggled with 12 turnovers and 7-for-23 shooting in the first half and dug a 29-15 hole before scurrying back within 31-25 at halftime.
The West momentum continued into the second half as the Panthers (6-1 in the MVC) rode three 3-pointers and 11 points overall by Tynell Fortune in the third quarter to grab a pair of one-point leads.
A 3-pointer by West's Jake Boyle gave his team a 41-39 lead in the first minute of the final quarter, but the Panthers scored just two points over the next five minutes as Emmaus went on a game-determining 14-2 run.
Sophomore Greg Bobal scored nine points in the decisive stretch.
Bobal is one of two sophomore starters and eight 10th-graders who have seen a fair amount of varsity time for Emmaus.
''We're getting a lot of experience this year and we're still learning and getting better,'' Bobal said. ''We get great senior leadership from Bobby [Campbell] and Anthony [Palencar].
''The key in these two games has been picking up the intensity, boxing out on the boards and playing as a team on offense.''
Bobal was on the receiving end of some long passes that broke West's press for layups in the big fourth-quarter spurt.
''I told Matt [Wiseley, another sophomore], who was inbounding the ball, to look for me,'' Bobal said. ''I was taking a step inside and then going long and they bit on it and I was able to beat them down the floor.''
Emmaus built a 53-43 lead with 2:40 left and then held on thanks to Campbell's six foul shots down the stretch.
Campbell finished 10 points, Wiseley 11, Bobal 15 and Palencar 16 in a balanced attack.
''We just had to stop turning the ball over,'' Campbell said. ''We had too many turnovers in the first three quarters
From: The Morning Call
BRODHEADSVILLE — Tynell Fortune scored a team-high 20 points as Pocono Mountain West earned a 66-55 victory over Pleasant Valley in Mountain Valley Conference boys basketball Friday.
Keon Scott added 10 for the Panthers (17-3, 9-1 MVC), who outscored the Bears 19-11 in the fourth quarter.
PM WEST (66)
Fortune 8 0-0 20, G. Scott 0 0-0 0, Howard 2 0-1 4, Boyle 3 0-0 9, Brice 1 0-0 2, Anema 3 2-4 8, Duclair 0 0-0 0, Dixon 1 0-0 2, Rodriguez 0 0-0 0, Halsey 0 0-0 0, Amoroso 0 0-0 0, K. Scott 4 2-3 10. Totals — 27 4-8 66.
PLEASANT VALLEY (55)
McQuay 3 0-1 8, Castner 0 0-0 0, Conklin 1 0-0 3, Sharpe 9 2-3 21, Biney 1 0-0 3, Kregeloh 3 3-4 9, Irving 2 1-2 5, Garcia 0 1-2 1, Stanovick 1 0-0 3, Z. Knudsen 0 0-0 0, Wild 1 0-0 2. Totals — 21 7-12 55.
PM West 13 16 18 19 — 66
Pleasant Valley 8 17 19 11 — 55
3-point goals — PMW 8 (Fortune 4, Boyle 3); PV 6 (McQuay 2, Conklin, Sharpe, Biney, Stanovick).
Records — PM West 17-3, 9-1 MVC; Pleasant Valley 8-12, 4-6.
JV score — PMW, 56-52.
PM West 65, Stroudsburg 61
PM West 65, Stroudsburg 61
POCONO SUMMIT — There's no denying it now. Pocono Mountain West is still Pocono Mountain West. If there were any doubts before about how the Panthers boys basketball team would fare this season, minus their top eight players from last season, there should be none now.
Pocono West (11-2) is riding a nine-game winning streak as it heads into the second half of the Mountain Valley Conference schedule tonight. The last three victories came against Freedom and Liberty, which are a combined 21-7 playing out of the Lehigh Valley Conference, and arch rival Pocono Mountain East (9-5) on Tuesday night.
"I can't hide the fact that we've played well the last 10, 11 days," Pocono West coach Brad Pensyl said after the 72-70 victory over the Cardinals. "We beat Freedom, then Liberty and now (Pocono East) and obviously all three are very good. We've got a lot of room for improvement, but I'm very happy with the kids right now.
"Where we were at in the beginning of the year to where we're at now, it doesn't even look like the same basketball team that I started coaching back in November."
It's been a gradual improvement with brand-new faces.
The Panthers lost all five starters and their three top reserves from last year's District 11 Class AAAA quarterfinal squad. This season got off to an up-and-down start, with victories over Scranton and Allen, and one-point losses to Easton and Stroudsburg, the latter of which travels to West tonight.
But slowly things began to get better and it hasn't stopped.
There was a double overtime victory against Northampton in the final of Konkrete Kids' holiday tournament. A 21-point victory over a solid East Stroudsburg North team was followed up by a comeback victory over Freedom. Liberty and Pocono East were the latest victims.
"It feels good because we knew we had the target on our back since we lost everyone," said junior forward Keon Scott, who tied his career high with 19 points against East. "We just had something to prove."
Dominated by guard play the past few seasons, West showed its inside hand against the Cards.
Junior center Kevin Anema, all 6-foot-11 of him, had a career night, scoring 13 points, four coming off dunks, to go with six rebounds and two blocks.
"(My teammates) did a real good job of getting me the ball," Anema said. "I'm just thankful that they passed me the ball and I did what I had to do."
Defense had a lot to do with the victory over Pocono East.
Forcing just one turnover in the first quarter, West trailed 17-11, but the Panthers turned up the heat as they're known to do. The Cards turned the ball over 17 times in the final three quarters.
"They had 17 points in the first quarter and I said, 'Fellas, we've got to buckle down here or we're going to be in big trouble,' and I thought we did," Pensyl said. "I thought we contained them pretty much. It's one game. We've got to continue to work. That's what I told the kids. You can't be one of those things where we've reached our potential or something like that.
"I don't think we've come close to that."
POCONO SUMMIT — Tynell Fortune scored 28 points as Pocono Mountain West edged Stroudsburg 65-61 in Mountain Valley Conference boys basketball action Friday night.
Matt Poorman led Stroudsburg (4-11, 4-3) with 17 points.
STROUDSBURG (61)
Sidney 6 2-2 15, Williams 4 2-2 13, Labar 3 0-0 6, M. Poorman 6 5-8 17, Fabian 2 1-2 6, Wells 0 0-0 0, Taylor 0 0-0 0, S. Poorman 2 0-0 4, Northern 0 0-0 0. Totals — 23 10-14 61.
PM WEST (65)
Fortune 8 9-12 28, Howard 0 1-2 1, Boyle 0 0-0 0, Anema 4 0-0 8, Dixon 1 5-7 7, Halsey 0 0-0 0, Amoroso 1 1-2 3, Ke. Scott 2 1-6 5. Totals — 20 19-31 65.
Stroudsburg 16 13 15 17 — 61
PM West 23 18 18 16 — 65
3-point goals — S 5 (Williams 3, Stone, Fabian); PMW 6 (Fortune 3).
Records — Stroudsburg 4-11, 4-3 MVC; PM West 12-2, 6-1.
Five players score in double-digits as West upsets East
Five players score in double-digits as West upsets East
1/19/2010 - POCONO SUMMIT — Five players scored in double-digits for Pocono Mountain West as it upset Pocono Mountain East in a nail-biter on Tuesday night. The win pushes West into a tie for first place in the Mountain Valley Conference (5-1) and moves its overall record to 11-2. It's also the Panthers eighth straight win since dropping its opening MVC game to Stroudsburg, 46-47, on December 18th.
Big man Keon Scott, who hit a huge three in a pivotal part of the fourth quarter, led the way for the Panthers with 19 points. Tynell Fortune and Kevin Anema each scored 13 points. Fortune went 10 of 10 from the foul line in the fourth quarter.
West will get a chance at payback this Friday as Stroudsburg visits Pocono Summit for round two.
PM EAST (70)
Garcia 0 0-0 0, Tillery 4 2-4 17, Escobar 0 1-2 1, Richards 2 4-6 8, Nyanti 0 0-0 0, Hall 12 8-11 33, Bursis 0 0-0 0, Pacheco 5 2-4 16, Sancho 0 0-0 0.
Totals — 23 18-27 70.
PM WEST (72)
Fortune 1 11-12 13, G. Scott 0 0-2 0, Howard 4 3-5 11, Boyle 1 1-2 4, Anema 6 1-1 13, Dixon 0 0-0 0, Halsey 0 0-0 0, Amoroso 0 0-0 0, K. Scott 6 6-6 19. Totals — 22 26-36 72.
PM East 17 11 17 25 — 70
PM West 11 28 12 21 — 72
3-point goals — PME 6 (Pacheco 4, Hall, Tillery); PMW 2 (Boyle, K. Scott).
Records — PM East 9-5, 5-1; PM West 11-2, 5-1.
JV — PMW, 66-35.
Panthers rally to top state ranked Liberty
Panthers rally to top state ranked Liberty
1/16/2010 - POCONO SUMMIT — Pocono Mountain West shook off a shaky third quarter and rallied to beat Liberty 57-53 in boys basketball on Saturday.
After being outscored 21-4 in the third quarter, the Panthers rallied in the fourth behind Tynell Fortune. Fortune scored 12 of his team-high 23 points in the fourth quarter.
PM West 57, Liberty 53
LIBERTY (53)
Donnely 0 0-0 0, Cann 0 0-0 0, Lasko 2 0-0 6, Holmes 5 2-2 12, Holland 3 0-0 8, Hilliard 8 8-8 25, Horwath 1 0-2 2. Totals — 19 10-11 53.
PM WEST (57)
Fortune 7 6-9 23, Scott 0 0-0 0, howard 1 0-0 2, Boyle 2 0-0 6, Brice 0 0-0 0, Anema 2 1-2 5, Dixon 1 0-0 2, halsey 0 0-0 0, Amoroso 0 0-0 0, K. Scott 5 1-2 11. Totals — 20 10-15 57.
Liberty 7 12 21 13 — 53
PM West 15 17 4 21 — 57
3-point goals — Liberty 5 (Lasko 2, Holland 2, Hilliard); PM West 7 (Fortune 3, Boyle 2).
Records — Liberty 10-2; PM West 10-2, 4-1 MVC.
PM West 84, Lehighton 34
PM West 84, Lehighton 34
LEHIGHTON — Tynell Fortune scored 21 points as Pocono Mountain West rolled to an 84-34 victory over Lehighton in MVC boys action Friday.
Kevin Anema and Tyrel Dixon each added 10 points for the Panthers (9-2, 4-1 MVC).
PM WEST (84)
Fortune 8 2-4 21, G. Scott 0 4-4 4, Howard 3 0-0 7, Boyle 0 0-0 0, Brice 1 0-0 2, Anema 4 2-4 10, Duclair 4 0-0 8, Dixon 4 2-2 10, Halsey 0 1-2 1, Amoroso 1 1-2 3, K. Scott 3 2-2 8. Totals — 32 15-22 84.
LEHIGHTON (34)
Brandon 0 0-0 0, Hill 2 1-1 5, Keer 1 1-2 3, Rossino 2 3-8 7, Kresge 0 0-0 0, Markley 2 0-0 6, Matika 2 4-4 8, Szaczka 1 0-0 3, Angst 0 0-0 0, Scott 0 0-0 0. Totals — 11 9-15 34.
PM West 28 27 19 10 — 84
Lehighton 9 10 11 4 — 34
3-point goals — PMW 5 (Fortune 3, Howard); L 3 (Markley 2, Szacska).
Records — PM West 9-2, 4-1; Lehighton 0-9, 0-4.
Howard's last second shot propels West past Freedom, 66-65
Howard's last second shot propels West past Freedom, 66-65
1/14/10 - BETHLEHEM - Down one with time running down, Chris Howard hit a short jumper with 2.2 seconds left to give the Panthers the win and push the team's record to 8-2 (3-1 MVC) on the season.
Leading the way for West was Keon Scott who scored 16 points and pulled down 7 rebounds. Tynell Fortune pitched in 14 points with 12 coming way of the free throw stripe.
FREEDOM (65)
Ialeal 1 1-2 3, Payano 6 1-3 13, Prater 2 0-1 4, Dickerson 6 5-8 18, Coccia 2 1-2 5, Taylor 2 3-10 7, Lococo 4 0-0 11, Giovarelli 2 0-0 4. Totals — 25 11-26 65.
PM WEST (66)
Fortune 1 12-18 14, G. Scott 0 0-0 0, Howard 2 0-0 4, Boyle 3 0-0 7, Anema 3 0-0 6, Dixon 3 0-3 6, Halsey 0 0-0 0, Amoroso 0 0-0 0, K.Scott 5 5-6 16. Totals — 23 17-27 66.
Freedom 17 16 13 19 — 65
PM West 13 19 12 22 — 66
3-point goals — F 4 (Lococo 3, Dickerson); PMW 3 (Boyle, K.Scott).
Records — PM West 8-2.
Scott's 18 points carry West past PV, 58-47
Scott's 18 points carry West past PV, 58-47
1/9/10 - POCONO SUMMIT — Keon Scott scored 18 points as Pocono Mountain West defeated Pleasant Valley 58-47 in Mountain Valley Conference boys basketball action Friday.
Mike Sharpe led PV (4-5, 1-2) with 18 points.
PLEASANT VALLEY (47)
McQuay 0 1-6 1, Conklin 0 2-3 2, Sharpe 7 1-1 18, Biney 1 0-0 3, Kregeloh 3 2-3 8, Irving 2 5-6 9, Stanovick 1 1-2 3, Wild 1 0-0 3. Totals — 15 12-21 47.
PM WEST (58)
Fortune 1 1-4 4, Howard 1 0-0 3, Boyle 2 0-0 6, Brice 1 0-1 2, Anema 0 0-2 0, Dixon 3 2-4 8, Halsey 0 0-0 0, Amoroso 2 0-0 4, Ke. Scott 8 2-4 18. Totals — 23 5-15 58.
Pleasant Valley 7 21 11 8 — 47
PM West 13 18 8 19 — 58
3-point goals — PV 5 (Sharpe 3, Biney, Wild); PMW 7 (Boyle 2, Fortune, Howard).
Records — Pleasant Valley 4-5, 1-2 MVC; PM West 7-2, 3-1.
POCONO SUMMIT — Pocono Mountain West coach Brad Pensyl didn't really know what to expect from his team this season and understandably so.
To say the Panthers were going to be inexperienced would have been an understatement. West graduated its top eight players from last season, one that saw the Panthers advance to the District 11 Class AAAA quarterfinals, and welcomed back four players who combined to score all of 159 points in the 2008-09 campaign.
"Obviously, I was very concerned," Pensyl said. "When you have that amount of points coming back that we did, which was very few, and the amount of experience, obviously I'm very concerned."
There was one constant though — the winning tradition West had built since the Pocono Mountain School District split for the 2002-03 school year.
Since then Pocono West had won 139 games, three Mountain Valley Conference championships and advanced the district final and PIAA playoffs in 07-08, the best season in school history.
"I know other people respect our basketball program and I know we win," Pensyl said. "The kids understand that here, too, and I fully expect us to win. I don't know how many or if we're going to win a championship or if we're going to win two more games. Our kids expect to win and whether they're young or not, and we are young, there's no question about it. I looked out there (Tuesday against East Stroudsburg North) and we had four sophomores and a freshman on the floor, but I told the kids that stuff is over now. Lack of experience or whatever, we've played eight games so we've got enough experience as far as I'm concerned.
"We're never going to use that as an excuse; we got beat because we were young."
So far, so good this season.
The Panthers have run out to a 6-2 record, losing both games by one point (to Easton in the season opener and defending MVC champion Stroudsburg in the conference opener). They've done so with a cast of unfamiliar names.
Leading the way is sophomore guard JaQuan Bryant, who scored 21 points in an impressive 65-44 victory over the Timberwolves. Bryant was part of a starting five that consisted of three juniors, a sophomore and a freshman. Pocono West has all of two seniors on its roster, reserves Laurore Duclair and Chris Howard.
"It's been hard, every season is hard," said Bryant, who is averaging 13.8 points per game. "Even though we have a lot of young guys on our team, just two seniors, that's it, we just come out and play hard every game. We've got a lot of big hearts."
That showed Tuesday.
Trailing 16-14 after one quarter, the Panthers hounded Eastburg North into 11 second-quarter turnovers as they outscored the visitors 20-9. In all, the Timberwolves turned it over 32 times with Pocono West swiping 11 steals. Junior Keon Scott led the way with four and sophomore Tyrel Dixon had two.
"I think we did a good job of putting pressure on them," said Dixon, who scored 14 points off the bench. "It didn't seem like they liked that a whole lot. Me and my teammates did a good job with that."
While the defense has gotten better (Pensyl cited the lack of defensive pressure as part of the two losses) and the offense has remained balanced (four players are averaging at least 6.5 ppg), the young Panthers are starting to grow up.
"They've got to take ownership in the basketball program, which now they're starting to do," Pensyl said. "When you're winning that's easy to do, but when you lose that's probably the toughest thing to do. Our kids fully expect to win and I expect them to win. I don't care what we have or who is out on the floor or who's coming back. I know one thing, our future here is very bright.
"Of course we've got to work, we've got to continue to work, but if I was a kid I'd want to be in this basketball program."
Dixon's 14 helps West push past Eastburg North
Dixon's 14 helps West push past Eastburg North
1/5/10 - POCONO SUMMIT — The Panthers (6-2, 2-1 MVC) went on a 20-9 run in the
second quarter, building a 34-25 lead at halftime.
Anthony Baker led ES North (6-2, 2-1) with 14 points.
Both teams struggled from the free throw line. Pocono
West went 11-for-30, while Eastburg North was 6-for-21.
ES NORTH (44)
Williams 2 0-2 4, Baker 6 2-2 14, Samuels 2 1-3 5, Bobb 1 0-0 2, Fort 0 0-0 0, Lamont 1 0-3 2, Bunn-McKenzie 0 0-0 0, John 5 3-8 13, Rey 0 0-0 0. Totals — 19 6-21 44.
PM WEST (65)
G. Scott 1 0-0 3, Howard 1 1-2 3, Boyle 1 1-2 3, Brice 3 3-4 9, Anema 0 3-10 3, Dixon 7 0-4 14, Rodriguez 0 0-0 0, Halsey 0 0-0 0, Amoroso 0 1-4 1, K. Scott 4 0-1 8. Totals — 25 11-30 65.
ES North 16 9 10 9 — 44
PM West 14 20 16 15 — 65
3-point goals — ES North none; PM West 4 (G. Scott).
Records — ES North 6-2, 2-1 MVC; PM West 6-2, 2-1.
Scott gets hot in OT, nets 19 for Pocono Mountain West
Scott gets hot in OT, nets 19 for Pocono Mountain West
12/29/2009 - NORTHAMPTON — Keon Scott scored five of his team-high 19 points in the second overtime to lead Pocono Mountain West to a 63-61 victory over Northampton in the Northampton Holiday Tournament on Wednesday night.
Scott was also named to the all-tournament team.
This was the third year in a row that the Panthers have won the tournament.
PM West 63, Northampton 61, 2OT
NORTHAMPTON (61)
Ifkovis 0 2-4 2, Holubowski 2 5-6 11, Small 1 3-4 5, Knouse 2 1-2 6, Stephenson 4 4-612, Stevko 9 7-7 25. Totals — 18 22-29 61.
PM WEST (63)
Howard 1 6-8 8, Boyle 3 3-3 11, Brice 0 0-0 0, Anema 0 0-0 0, Dixon 3 3-4 9, Rodriguez 1 0-1 2, Amoroso 0 0-0 0, K.Scott 6 6-7 19. Totals — 17 26-32 63.
Northampton 17 17 13 4 4 6 — 61
PM West 10 17 16 8 4 8 — 63
3-point goals — N 3 (Holubowski 2, Knouse); PMW 3 (Boyle 2, K.Scott).
Records — PM West 5-2.
Northampton, Pocono West in final
Northampton, Pocono West in final
Konkrete Kids beat Catty, Panthers drubs Dieruff in first round of holiday tournament
Konkrete Kids beat Catty, Panthers drubs Dieruff in first round of holiday tournament
OF THE MORNING CALL
OF THE MORNING CALL
December 30, 2009
December 30, 2009
The Huskies couldn't keep pace with the fast, tenacious Panthers (4-2) who made up for 11-for-28 shooting and 14 turnovers in the first half with 13 offensive rebounds.
Dieruff trailed 34-20 at halftime and then was tossed aside in a 29-point third quarter by Pocono West.
The Panthers had eight different players score in the third quarter in opening a 63-38 lead.
''We always like coming down here,'' said Pocono West coach and athletic director Brad Pensyl. ''Mike [Schneider, Northampton's athletic director] is a good friend and we get treated very well down here. The people are nice. I know people say we should go to different places, but I like coming down here.''
Pensyl has just two seniors on his roster and those two combined for just eight points against Dieruff.
''We're real young,'' Pensyl said. ''Sometimes we look good, sometimes we don't. But we're getting better and what's helping us is that a lot of teams are young this year. Veteran teams could give us trouble.''
West's two losses have come by a point -- 48-47 to Easton and 47-46 to Stroudsburg.
In their four wins, however, the Panthers are averaging 74 points.
PM WEST (81)
G. Scott 1 1-2 4, Howard 3 1-1 7, Boyle 1 0-0 2, Brice 1 2-2 5, Anema 4 0-0 8, Duclair 0 1-2 1, Dixon 1 2-4 4, Rodriguez 3 0-0 9, K. Scott 4 2-2 10, Amoroso 4 2-3 10, Halsey 0 0-0 0, Collins 0 1-2 1. Totals — 29 16-25 81.
DIERUFF (49)
Adams 3 2-4 11, Bearden 2 3-4 9, Kent 0 0-0 0, Kitchener-Berryhill 0 1-2 1, Stoudt 5 4-5 15, Alende 2 0-0 4, Rocha 2 0-0 4, Hoffman 1 1-2 4, Moreno 1 1-2 3, Hill 0 0-0 0, Martino 0 0-0 0. Totals — 16 12-20 49.
PM West 20 14 29 18 — 81
Dieruff 7 13 18 11 — 49
3-point goals — PMW 7 (Rodriguez 3, Bryant 2, Brice); D 5 (Adams 3, Stoudt, Hoffman).
Records — PM West 4-2.
PM West 70, ES South 36
PM West 70, ES South 36
12/22/09 - EAST STROUDSBURG — Three players scored in double-digits for the Panthers as Pocono Mountain West beat East Stroudsburg South 70-36 in MVC play Tuesday. Tynell Fortune led the way for the Panthers with 15 points and both Kevin Anema and Jake Boyle scored 10 each for the Panthers in the their first league win of the season.
PM WEST (70)
Fortune 5 2-2 15, Scott 1 0-0 3, Howard 0 2-2 2, Boyle 4 0-0 10, Brice 2 1-2 5, Anema 4 2-4 10, Duclair 2 0-1 4, Dixon 2 1-1 5, Rodriguez 0 0-0 0, Halsey 0 0-1 0, Amoroso 2 0-0 4, Scott 2 2-4 6. Totals — 26 10-17 70.
ES SOUTH (36)
Howell 0 0-0 0, Alexander 4 0-2 11, Cason 3 1-2 7, Harp 1 0-0 2, Peck 0 0-0 0, Caldera 0 0-0 0, Franklin 0 0-0 0, Gumbs 1 0-2 3, Coscia 2 2-2 6, Thomas 3 1-4 7. Totals — 14 4-12 36.
PM West 23 12 18 17 — 70
ES South 14 5 4 13 — 36
3-point goals — PMW 8 (Fortune 3, Boyle 2, Scott); ESS 4 (Alexander 3, Gumbs).
Records — PM West 3-2, 1-1; ES South 0-3, 0-1.
JV — PMW, 60-30.
Stroudsburg holds off Panthers, 47-46
Stroudsburg holds off Panthers, 47-46
By Mike Kuhns
Record Sports Editor
December 20, 2009
By Mike Kuhns
Record Sports Editor
December 20, 2009
In a rematch of conference playoff contenders a year ago, Stroudsburg and Pocono Mountain West didn't disappoint when it came to excitement in Friday night's Mountain Valley Conference opener.
And again, Stroudsburg, the defending MVC boys basketball champion, held on for a close victory.
Trailing by one with 3 seconds to go, senior Matt Poorman sunk two free throws for the final points to give Stroudsburg a 47-46 win over the rival Panthers on Friday night.
"Obviously it was a pretty exciting moment," said Stroudsburg coach Shawn Thornton, whose Mounties upended PM West in double overtime during last year's MVC conference tournament. "We felt pretty confident with Matt on the line. He was pretty composed. He didn't look nervous to me at all."
After Poorman sank both free throws, Pocono West guard Tynell Fortune took the inbound pass and raced up the court, but Fortune's shot at the buzzer was off the mark.
"He was as quick as lightning," Thornton said of Fortune. "He did an outstanding job and got all the way down the court. We were fortunate that he didn't knock it down."
Stroudsburg (1-3, 1-0 MVC) avoided an 0-4 start after setbacks against Delaware Valley, Parkland and Emmaus to start the year. Thornton said a poor finish against Del Val (five late turnovers), and a lack of confidence against both Emmaus and Parkland were key factors in the Mounties' first three games.
On Friday night against the Panthers, Stroudsburg did a better job of initiating the pace.
"We played with a much greater level of confidence and passion that we had in the previous games," Thornton said.
They key statistic in Friday's victory came from the free throw line where the Mounties went 9-for-15, while the Panthers (2-2, 0-1 MVC) were just 2-for-10.
"They certainly did us a favor by not being able to knock down free throws," Thornton said. "Nine-for-15 is still sub-par. Going in, we were shooting less than 50 percent."
Stroudsburg 47, PM West 46
PM WEST (46)
Fortune 5 1-1 12, Scott 0 0-0 0, Howard 0 0-0 0, Boyle 3 0-2 8, Brice 1 1-1 3, Anema 0 0-0 0, Duclair 0 0-4 0, Dixon 2 0-0 4, Rodriguez 0 0-0 0, Halsey 0 0-0 0, Amoroso 0 0-0 0, K. Scott 5 0-2 10. Totals — 20 2-10 46.
STROUDSBURG (47)
Stone 3 4-5 10, Williams 4 0-1 10, Labar 5 1-3 13, Poorman 2 4-6 9, Fabian 0 0-0 0, Wells 0 0-0 0, Olatunji 0 0-0 0, Bryant 0 0-0 0, Taylor 1 0-0 2, S. Poorman 1 0-0 3, Murray 0 0-0 0, Fenner 0 0-0 0, Northern 0 -0-0 0, Cruz 0 0-0 0, Watson 0 0-0 0. Totals — 16 9-15 47.
PM West 12 8 9 17 — 46
Stroudsburg 13 10 9 15 — 47
3-point goals — PM West 4 (Boyle 2, Fortune); Stroudsburg 6 (Williams 2, Labar 2, M. Poorman, S. Poorman).
Records — PM West 2-2, 0-1 MVC; Stroudsburg 1-3, 1-0.
JV — PM West, 62-59.
PM West 68, William Allen 62
PM West 68, William Allen 62
12/15/2009 - ALLENTOWN - Four players scored in double-digits for the visiting Panthers as they knocked off Lehigh Valley Conference foe William Allen High School on Tuesday night 68-62.
Keon Scott hit a big bucket in the lane, Jake Boyle followed with back-to-back 3-pointers, and Tynell Fortune sealed the game at the foul line to put West up for good in the fourth quarter.
Fortune scored 15 points. Scott scored 12 points and had 7 boards. Big man Kevin Anema added 10 points, two blocks, and a thunderous dunk for West in the win.
The win bumps West's record to 2-1 on the season. They square off against Stroudsburg in their first MVC game of the season on Friday night.
PM West (68)
Fortune 5 4-5 15, Howard 1 0-0 2, Boyle 3 0-0 9, Anema 5 0-1 10, Duclair 0 1-2 1, Dixon 0 0-0 0, Rodriguez 0 1-2 1, Halsey 1 0-0 2, Amoroso 0 0-0 0, Scott 5 1-4 12. Totals - 26 8-17 68.
PM West 23 14 16 15 - 68
Wm. Allen 19 19 18 6 - 62
3-Point goals - PMW 8 (Boyle 3, Fortune, Scott).
Record - PM West 2-1
PM West 77, Scranton 74
PM West 77, Scranton 74
12/12/09 - SCRANTON - Pocono Mountain West battled back from a 12-point fourth quarter deficit to beat Scranton in non-conference action on Saturday afternoon. The win was West's first of the year after losing a one-point game to LVC power Easton the night before.
Three players scored in double-digits for the Panthers. Tynell Fortune led the comeback with 10 points in the final stanza including two clutch 3-pointers and a key pass for a lay-up to take the lead for the first time since the second quarter. Fortune finished with 16 for the game. Tyrell Dixon chipped in with 12 points and 8 rebounds for the Panthers.
PM WEST (77)
Fortune 7 0-0 16, Howard 2 4-5 8, Boyle 4 0-0 9, Anema 2 0-0 4, Duclair 0 0-0 0, Dixon 5 2-3 12, Rodriguez 1 0-0 3, Halsey 0 0-0 0, Amoroso 0 0-0 0, K.Scott 3 0-4 6. Totals — 30 9-16 77.
PM West 26 12 13 26— 77
Scranton 20 22 20 12— 74
3-point goals — PMW 8 (Fortune 2, Boyle, Rodriguez).
Record — PM West 1-1
Easton 48, PM West 47
Easton 48, PM West 47
12/11/09 - POCONO SUMMIT — Tynell Fortune and Keon Scott each scored 15 points, but Pocono Mountain West fell 48-47 to Easton in both schools season opener in non-conference action Friday.
EASTON (48)
Middleton 2 1-2 5, Parker 2 5-8 9, Belton 0 0-1 0, Cummings 2 2-3 8, McCutcheon 1 1-2 4 4, Bisci 2 2-4 7, Anyan 0 0-0 0, Queen 0 0-0 0, Pankezy 2 3-4 7, Jones 0 2-2 2, McCrae 2 2-6 6. Totals — 13 18-32 48.
PM WEST (47)
Fortune 5 2-2 15, Howard 0 0-0 0, Boyle 2 0-2 6, Anema 0 0-0 0, Duclair 0 0-0 0, Dixon 2 0-2 4, Rodriguez 0 2-2 2, Halsey 0 0-0 0, Amoroso 0 0-0 0, K.Scott 6 3-5 15. Totals — 16 9-15 47.
Easton 10 6 13 19— 48
PM West 6 7 11 23— 47
3-point goals — E 4 (Cummings 2, McCutcheon, Bisci); PMW 6 (Fortune 3, Boyle 2).
Record — PM West 0-1
Pocono Record 2009-10 High School boys basketball capsules
Pocono Record 2009-10 High School boys basketball capsules
East Stroudsburg North
Head coach: Kevin Kennedy
Year as head coach: 6th year (46-73 overall record).
Last year's record: 12-12, 5-7 Mountain Valley Conference.
Key returnees: Anthony Baker, Sr., G; Mike John, Jr., G; Ganui Ladipo, Sr., G; Mike Samuels, Sr., C; Rafiq Williams, Sr., F.
Key losses: Fabian Duval, Terrance King, Heyward Mitchell, Richie Walker.
Top newcomers: Jarrell Bobb, So., F; Jamal Fort, So., G; Jahel Lamont, Sr., F; Jesus Lopez, Jr., F; Denzal Bunn-McKenzie, Sr., G.
Team strengths: Team speed and athletic ability.
Team weaknesses: Focus.
We will be successful if ... we emphasize the things we do well and limit the mental mistakes. We need to take care of the details.
East Stroudsburg North
Head coach: Kevin Kennedy
Year as head coach: 6th year (46-73 overall record).
Last year's record: 12-12, 5-7 Mountain Valley Conference.
Key returnees: Anthony Baker, Sr., G; Mike John, Jr., G; Ganui Ladipo, Sr., G; Mike Samuels, Sr., C; Rafiq Williams, Sr., F.
Key losses: Fabian Duval, Terrance King, Heyward Mitchell, Richie Walker.
Top newcomers: Jarrell Bobb, So., F; Jamal Fort, So., G; Jahel Lamont, Sr., F; Jesus Lopez, Jr., F; Denzal Bunn-McKenzie, Sr., G.
Team strengths: Team speed and athletic ability.
Team weaknesses: Focus.
We will be successful if ... we emphasize the things we do well and limit the mental mistakes. We need to take care of the details.
East Stroudsburg South
Head coach: Joe Jacobs
Year as head coach: 5th year, 8th overall (53-114).
Last year's record: 11-12, 5-7 MVC.
Key returnees: Dan Cason, Sr., F.
Key losses: Stephen Coleman, Phil O'Malley.
Top newcomers: James Coscia, Jr., F.
Team strengths: Athleticism.
Team weaknesses: Inexperience and graduation of nine seniors.
We will be successful if ... we play as a team and grow up quickly.
East Stroudsburg South
Head coach: Joe Jacobs
Year as head coach: 5th year, 8th overall (53-114).
Last year's record: 11-12, 5-7 MVC.
Key returnees: Dan Cason, Sr., F.
Key losses: Stephen Coleman, Phil O'Malley.
Top newcomers: James Coscia, Jr., F.
Team strengths: Athleticism.
Team weaknesses: Inexperience and graduation of nine seniors.
We will be successful if ... we play as a team and grow up quickly.
Pleasant Valley
Head coach: Ken Piontkowski
Year as head coach: 15th year (177-178).
Last year's record: 4-18, 2-10 MVC.
Key returnees: Pat Kregeloh, Sr., C; Jon McQuay, Sr., G; Nick Stanovick, So., G; Eric Wild, Jr., F.
Key losses: Dickson Borger, Matt Grant, A.J. Judd, Glenn Kendrick, Pat Lunney, Tony Shy, Matt Van Auken.
Top newcomers: Chris Biney, Sr., F; Jalen Bolt, Jr., F; Brandon Castner, Sr., G; Allen Conklin, Jr., G; Ruben Garcia, Sr., F; Richie Irving, Jr., G; Zach Knudsen, Sr., F; Michael Sharpe, Jr., C.
Team strengths: Team chemistry and attitude. Stanovick and Wild should benefit from having varsity experience from last year and being a year older and stronger. Conklin and Sharpe have made great
strides from last year as jayvee players and are looking to be immediate contributors. Pat Kregeloh is a tremendous competitor and will be the team's emotional leader. McQuay, Irving, Blot, Castner,
Biney and Garcia give depth in back court.
Team weaknesses: We could use one more physical big man to help on the boards. Young players are still struggling to understand defensive fundamentals. Physicality has improved, but team still needs to improve toughness.
We will be successful if ... we can win a few early season games to gain confidence after two consecutive four-win seasons. Stanovick and Wild need to show that a year of varsity experience has them ready to be leaders. We must win battle of the boards and battles for loose balls to win close games.
Pleasant Valley
Head coach: Ken Piontkowski
Year as head coach: 15th year (177-178).
Last year's record: 4-18, 2-10 MVC.
Key returnees: Pat Kregeloh, Sr., C; Jon McQuay, Sr., G; Nick Stanovick, So., G; Eric Wild, Jr., F.
Key losses: Dickson Borger, Matt Grant, A.J. Judd, Glenn Kendrick, Pat Lunney, Tony Shy, Matt Van Auken.
Top newcomers: Chris Biney, Sr., F; Jalen Bolt, Jr., F; Brandon Castner, Sr., G; Allen Conklin, Jr., G; Ruben Garcia, Sr., F; Richie Irving, Jr., G; Zach Knudsen, Sr., F; Michael Sharpe, Jr., C.
Team strengths: Team chemistry and attitude. Stanovick and Wild should benefit from having varsity experience from last year and being a year older and stronger. Conklin and Sharpe have made great
strides from last year as jayvee players and are looking to be immediate contributors. Pat Kregeloh is a tremendous competitor and will be the team's emotional leader. McQuay, Irving, Blot, Castner,
Biney and Garcia give depth in back court.
Team weaknesses: We could use one more physical big man to help on the boards. Young players are still struggling to understand defensive fundamentals. Physicality has improved, but team still needs to improve toughness.
We will be successful if ... we can win a few early season games to gain confidence after two consecutive four-win seasons. Stanovick and Wild need to show that a year of varsity experience has them ready to be leaders. We must win battle of the boards and battles for loose balls to win close games.
Pocono Mountain East
Head coach: Patrick Heaton
Year as head coach: 3rd year (43-11).
Last year's record: 23-6, 11-1 MVC.
Key returnees: Dylan Grotevant, Jr., G; Kyheim Hall, Sr., F; Lamont Tillery, Jr., G.
Key losses: Jakub Halicki, Kendall Harris, Sean Hines, Joe Marra, Jamel Swindell, D.J. Strayhorn, Justen Wolf.
Top newcomers: Emerson Bursis, Sr., F; Justen Escobar, Jr., G; David Garcia, So., G; Thomas Nyanti, Sr., F; Tim Pacheco, Jr., G; Kamal Richards, So., G.
Team strengths: Overall size, depth and athleticism.
Team weaknesses: Shooting, team defense and game management.
We will be successful if ... we can shoot the ball well enough to prevent teams from clogging up the lane on our penetrators.
Pocono Mountain East
Head coach: Patrick Heaton
Year as head coach: 3rd year (43-11).
Last year's record: 23-6, 11-1 MVC.
Key returnees: Dylan Grotevant, Jr., G; Kyheim Hall, Sr., F; Lamont Tillery, Jr., G.
Key losses: Jakub Halicki, Kendall Harris, Sean Hines, Joe Marra, Jamel Swindell, D.J. Strayhorn, Justen Wolf.
Top newcomers: Emerson Bursis, Sr., F; Justen Escobar, Jr., G; David Garcia, So., G; Thomas Nyanti, Sr., F; Tim Pacheco, Jr., G; Kamal Richards, So., G.
Team strengths: Overall size, depth and athleticism.
Team weaknesses: Shooting, team defense and game management.
We will be successful if ... we can shoot the ball well enough to prevent teams from clogging up the lane on our penetrators.
Pocono Mountain West
Head coach: Brad Pensyl
Year as head coach: 21st year (363-161).
Last year's record: 20-5, 11-1 MVC.
Key returnees: Laurore Duclair, Sr., F; Tynell Fortune, Jr., G; Keon Scott, Jr., F/C.
Key losses: Antré Cole, Dexter Douglas, Hasan Johnson, Ra-king Lloyd, Brandon Rudolphe, Kyerell Scott, Justyn Zangwill.
Top newcomers: Jon Amoroso, So., F; Kevin Anema, Jr., F/C; Jake Boyle, Jr., G; Quindell Brice, So., F; Ty Dixon, So., F; Carlos Rodriquez, Fr., G.
Team strengths: The kids work very hard and want to win. The tradition of the basketball program is strong and the kids don't want to let people down. They take it personal and have taken ownership in the program. We are slowly getting better in practice.
Team weaknesses: Most inexperienced team ever at West. We basically lost everyone from last year. We lost our entire starting five and our first three men off the bench. Only have 141 total points returning from last year so that is a major concern. We are not very good offensively right now and are nowhere near aggressive enough on defense.
We will be successful if ... we improve every day, whether it is in practice or games. If we become more aggressive on defense and eliminate mental mistakes on the offensive end we could be a decent team by January. Right now we need to understand that we have to play hard every second we are on the floor for us to be successful.
Pocono Mountain West
Head coach: Brad Pensyl
Year as head coach: 21st year (363-161).
Last year's record: 20-5, 11-1 MVC.
Key returnees: Laurore Duclair, Sr., F; Tynell Fortune, Jr., G; Keon Scott, Jr., F/C.
Key losses: Antré Cole, Dexter Douglas, Hasan Johnson, Ra-king Lloyd, Brandon Rudolphe, Kyerell Scott, Justyn Zangwill.
Top newcomers: Jon Amoroso, So., F; Kevin Anema, Jr., F/C; Jake Boyle, Jr., G; Quindell Brice, So., F; Ty Dixon, So., F; Carlos Rodriquez, Fr., G.
Team strengths: The kids work very hard and want to win. The tradition of the basketball program is strong and the kids don't want to let people down. They take it personal and have taken ownership in the program. We are slowly getting better in practice.
Team weaknesses: Most inexperienced team ever at West. We basically lost everyone from last year. We lost our entire starting five and our first three men off the bench. Only have 141 total points returning from last year so that is a major concern. We are not very good offensively right now and are nowhere near aggressive enough on defense.
We will be successful if ... we improve every day, whether it is in practice or games. If we become more aggressive on defense and eliminate mental mistakes on the offensive end we could be a decent team by January. Right now we need to understand that we have to play hard every second we are on the floor for us to be successful.
Stroudsburg
Head coach: Shawn Thornton
Year as head coach: 18th year (253-192).
Last year's record: 17-10, 8-4 MVC champions.
Key returnees: Tommy Fabian, Jr., G; Kyle Labar, Sr., G; Matt Poorman, Sr., G; Stephen Poorman, Jr., G; Jahi Olatunji, Sr., G; Sidney Stone, Sr., F; Chris Wells, Sr., F; Gavin Williams, Jr., F.
Key losses: Danny Ackerman, Ryan Gallagher, Robby Kaiser, Riley Maye, Ryan Phraner, Lance Washington, Brandon Woodson.
Top newcomers: Derek Murray, So., G; Langston Northern, So., G; Isiah Taylor, Jr., G.
Team strengths: Willingness to learn, player versatility and work ethic.
Team weaknesses: Inexperience and lack of size.
We will be successful if ... we condition ourselves to block out and rebound, show patience on offense and take care of the ball.
Stroudsburg
Head coach: Shawn Thornton
Year as head coach: 18th year (253-192).
Last year's record: 17-10, 8-4 MVC champions.
Key returnees: Tommy Fabian, Jr., G; Kyle Labar, Sr., G; Matt Poorman, Sr., G; Stephen Poorman, Jr., G; Jahi Olatunji, Sr., G; Sidney Stone, Sr., F; Chris Wells, Sr., F; Gavin Williams, Jr., F.
Key losses: Danny Ackerman, Ryan Gallagher, Robby Kaiser, Riley Maye, Ryan Phraner, Lance Washington, Brandon Woodson.
Top newcomers: Derek Murray, So., G; Langston Northern, So., G; Isiah Taylor, Jr., G.
Team strengths: Willingness to learn, player versatility and work ethic.
Team weaknesses: Inexperience and lack of size.
We will be successful if ... we condition ourselves to block out and rebound, show patience on offense and take care of the ball.
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