2 weeks Ago By Steve Bennett
PLAINS TWP. — This year, defense was not optional. Both the Navy and White teams tried their best to stop the other team from scoring for nearly a full 40 minutes.
Only the White team had a hard time stopping Hazleton Area’s Luis Guzman in the annual Dr. George P. Moses Senior All-Star Classic.
Guzman scored all 20 of his game-high points in the second half as the Navy team defeated the White team, 98-91, on Friday night at Wilkes-Barre Area High School. The game is sponsored by The Citizens’ Voice and the Wyoming Valley Athletic Association with all proceeds going to local charities and families in need. Guzman was held scoreless in the first half, partially because he was forced to leave the game after suffering a mild injury.
He returned to the bench with a cotton swab in his nose, but removed it at halftime with the Navy team holding a 46-42 lead. “I wasn’t feeling well, I didn’t warm up enough,” Guzman said through his interpreter, Juan Silva. “It was wonderful playing in this game.
It is one thing playing against them, now we are playing together.” Guzman said he looked forward to playing with one player in particular — Dallas point guard Jude Nocito. As luck would have it, both were on the Navy team coached by Wilkes-Barre Area’s Jim Lavan.
Nocito finished with 18 points, 13 of them coming in the first half. With each team subbing after five minutes in the two 20-minute halves, the White team, coached by Wyoming Area’s Anthony Macario, made a push. Berwick’s Billy Hanson scored eight of his 12 points in the second half while Holy Redeemer’s David Popson scored six of his 13 in the second half.
Down, 67-64, at the 10:28 mark of the second half, Macario burned one of his timeouts when the Navy team surprised his squad with a trap. Macario’s timeout helped avoid what would have certainly been a five-second call resulting in a turnover. “That’s just coach,” said Wyoming Area’s Lukas Burakiewicz, who scored 12 points and earned the MVP of the White team.
“Every time I step on the court, I want to give my hardest. I think that is the same for everyone here. We’re all just great players and stuff like this clicks easy.
” Following Macario’s timeout, the White team went on a 8-2 run capped by a Noah Dewey bucket down low. Slowly but surely, the Navy team answered back. Nocito made a 3-pointer to spark a 11-2 spurt, which led to a six-point lead.
From there, the Navy team scored in bunches and pulled away. A Guzman 3-pointer increased the margin to 96-81. Nocito’s teammate from Dallas, Jack Dale, scored 10 points while Pittston Area’s Paul Jordan McGarry added nine on three 3-pointers.
Wilkes-Barre Area’s Quran Brooks and Crestwood’s Brady Grevera each scored eight points. Wyoming Seminary’s Antek Evan and Berwick’s Billy Hanson each scored 12 points for the White team. “It’s easy to play with these guys, we’re all great players and we all love the game,” Burakiewicz said.
“We’re like-minded people. Obviously, we are trying to have fun and sometimes we shoot bad shots. But we are trying to win.
” At halftime, Wyoming Seminary’s Teddy Kraus defeated Guzman in the 3-point shootout, winning by a score of 12-8..
