Lucarelli, DiGregorio lift Blue Devils to Class 2A title
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Mar. 14—WILKES-BARRE TWP. — Once the ball left his hand, Dante Lucarelli knew it would go in the basket.
He believes it had some guidance, too.
As the final seconds ticked away, and with his senior season hanging in the balance, Lucarelli launched a long 3-point attempt. The arching shot hit high off the backboard and dropped through as the horn echoed throughout Mohegan Sun Arena on Saturday morning. Teammates mobbed him as the District 2 Class 2A championship final headed to overtime.
Lucarelli and his teammates rode the energy from that basket and the sixth-seeded Blue Devils stunned top-seeded Elk Lake, 52-43. It is the first district title for Old Forge since it won the Class 1A crown in 2016.
The Blue Devils meet District 4 champion Wyalusing in the PIAA playoffs March 17.
"He was watching over me," said Lucarelli, whose father, Artie, died in 2018 after a five-year battle with cancer. " I wish he could have been here to see it.
"But I know he is happy that we are bringing a 'chip' to Old Forge."
Old Forge and its four-year standout faced daunting odds in the final 2 seconds of regulation. Elk Lake's Wyatt Casselbury connected on a pair of free throws to finish a five-point rush in the last 1:15 of the game to claim a 40-37 advantage.
Following a timeout, Mario Samony found Lucarelli on the inbound pass. With the 6-foot-4 Casselbury defending, Lucarelli let the shot go. It hit the backboard and found the basket to set off a wild celebration on the Old Forge bench and left Elk Lake players clutching at their heads in disbelief.
Turning point, highlight and a number
Turning Point
Dante Lucarelli
Launched a long 3-pointer that hit high off the glass and in at the buzzer to tie the game and send it to overtime.
Highlight
Yes, Lucarelli saved the Blue Devils season, but DiGregorio carried the team throughout the game, but missed all five free throws in regulation. Then, he calmly hit one to break the streak and start overtime. From there, the senior made six more from the free throw line to seal the win.
A Number
16
Old Forge held a 44-35 edge in rebounding with 16 coming on the offensive glass.
"I did not call bank," said Lucarelli, who finished with 12 points and 20 rebounds. "It still counts, though. It just hit the right part of the glass.
"That felt great, but I knew there was still a whole overtime to play."
Given another chance in a season that saw the Blue Devils fall short in several heartbreaking losses, they refused to lose this time.
In overtime, Lucarelli hit his second 3-pointer that provided the Blue Devils with a 44-40 lead with 2:40 remaining.
"That was a little heat check and the place was going crazy," Lucarelli said. "There is no better feeling than that."
Michael DiGregorio, who missed all five of his free throws in regulation, made 7 of 9 in overtime and finished with 25 points to lead the Blue Devils.
"Right before the end of the fourth, we knew we weren't done and that we were still going to win the game," DiGregorio said. "When he hit that shot, we got a second life. I got my confidence back shooting at the line and we got the win."
Old Forge (7-8) got off to a fast start and led, 17-10, after the first quarter. John Giglio, Old Forge's 6-3 senior center, scored four points and helped establish the inside with four rebounds. Giglio finished with eight rebounds as the Blue Devils held a 44-35 edge on the glass.
"We knew they were going to be physical coming in," Giglio said. "Our coaches prepared us amazingly. I just knew that I had to be aggressive from the tip. In 2016, the last time we were here, the team came out hot and never gave it up. That's what we wanted to do. We came out hot and that was big."
Matt Mowry kept Elk Lake (13-3) within striking distance with seven points in the first quarter and added five in the second. The Warriors started to chip away and trailed, 23-18, at the half.
In the third, Mowry had had a pair of 3-pointers during a 10-3 run in the first 4 minutes. DiGregorio and Lucarelli helped keep the Blue Devils in the lead, 32-30.
Old Forge took a 37-35 lead on a free throw from Samony with 2:02 remaining in the game. Caden Ramey scored inside, Mowry — who had 24 points — made one of two free throws and then Casselbury confidently swished two free throws with 4 seconds left to play. But Lucarelli spoiled Elk Lake's bid for its first District 2 title.
"It's a really tough game to lose," Elk Lake coach Richard Emmons said. "We felt we could compete with them and we did that. Dante just hit a heck of a shot. We had our tallest guy in his face with a hand up. I mean, it was a tough look and he knocked it down.
"In overtime, we missed some free throws and they did a nice job of making theirs. I am happy with our effort. The kid just made a really tough shot."
Old Forge 52, Elk Lake 43, OT
Old Forge (7-8) — M. DiGregorio 9 7-14 25, D. Lucarelli 4 2-6 12, M. Samony 1 3-4 6, J. Giglio 2 0-0 4, S. Donovan 1 0-0 3, A. Davitt 1 0-0 2, T. Pepsin 0 0-0 0, M. Kuckla 0 0-0 0. Totals: 18 12-24 52.
Elk Lake (13-3) — M. Mowry 9 3-8 24, J. Gustin 2 1-4 6, W. Casselbury 1 3-8 5, C. Ramey 2 0-0 4, T. Graham 1 0-0 2, N. Warriner 1 0-0 2, Z. Shupp 0 0-0 0. Totals: 16 7-20 43.
Old Forge: 17 6 9 8 12 — 52
Elk Lake: 10 8 12 10 3 — 43
3-point shooting: OF 4-12 (Lucarelli 2-4, Donovan 1-4, Samony 1-4), EL 4-10 (Mowry 3-8, Gustin 1-1, Graham 0-1). Rebounds: OF 44 (Lucarelli 20), EL 35 (Casselbury, Mowry, Ramey 8). Assists: OF 6 (Giglio 3), EL 10 (Gustin 4). Steals: OF 6 (Samony 3), EL 3 (Gustin 2). Blocks: OF 3 (Giglio 2), EL 2 (Casselbury, Ramey). Turnovers: OF 7, EL 9.
Turning point, highlight and a number
Turning Point
Dante Lucarelli
Launched a long 3-pointer that hit high off the glass and in at the buzzer to tie the game and send it to overtime.
Highlight
Michael DiGregorio
Yes, Lucarelli saved the Blue Devils season, but DiGregorio carried the team throughout the game, but missed all five free throws in regulation. Then, he calmly hit one to break the streak and start overtime. From there, the senior made six more from the free throw line to seal the win.
A Number
16
Old Forge held a 44-35 edge in rebounding with 16 coming on the offensive glass.
Class 2A glance
Quarterfinals
Elk Lake 56, Lackawanna Trail 38
Northwest Area 54, Susquehanna 31
Old Forge 53, Blue Ridge 40
Semifinals
Elk Lake 54, Northwest Area 42
Old Forge 46, Mountain View 25
Final
Old Forge 52, Elk Lake 43, OT
Contact the writer:
jbfawcett@timesshamrock.com; 570-348-9125; @sportsTT on Twitter
