Wallenpaupack Area boys basketball team sets its sights on a divisional crown
HAWLEY — So far, things have been going exceptionally well for the Wallenpaupack Area boys varsity basketball team.
During December, the Buckhorns forged a 5-2 tally through some competitive non-league action.
They chalked up wins against Monticello, Lakeland, Wilkes-Barre Area, Dunmore, and Honesdale while suffering defeats to Stroudsburg and East Stroudsburg South.
With the flip of the calendar page, the Purple & White ushered in the new year with a duo of divisional wins that brought them to 7-2 and put them just a stone’s toss out of first place in the District 2 Class 5A power rankings.
Trojans Trounced
Weather and pandemic concerns cancelled North Pocono’s annual Akens Holiday Tournament for the second year in a row.
Consequently the Trojans closed out the opening month with a 5-1 record and started their Lackawanna League campaign after a 13-day hiatus.
They took their first divisional match-up with a 65-49 win over Delaware Valley on Jan. 4. Paupack, meanwhile, had to push back their first league game and went to battle with North Pocono on a week’s rest.
North Pocono started off strong at home and took a narrow lead following the first period, but Paupack battled back to inch ahead 19-17 at the half.
Paupack’s defense shined in the third quarter. The Buckhorns held their hosts to just one point while moving ahead by nine themselves.
During the final frame, the Trojans roared back, outscoring their guests 16-12 but it wasn’t enough to close the gap completely.
At the buzzer, Paupack held the upper hand and went home with the 40-36 decision.
The Trojans were paced by senior Ryan Ruddy and sophomore Noah West, each contributing 11 points to the cause.
Sophomore Landon Calabrese blazed the way for the Buckhorns with ten points while seniors Wyatt Peifer and Jack Smith added support with nine points and eight points, respectively.
“It was a defensive struggle,” said Paupack head coach Jim McGinnis. “Our defense was dialed in in the third and it was pretty gritty.
“Wyatt had 16 rebounds and TJ Schmalze played a tremendous part on defense too. North Pocono plays hard and has a lot of talent so to get a win against them early in the season on their court was huge for us.”
Hornets Hampered
A mere 10 days had passed since the Buckhorns previous visit to the Maple City.
During the first night of the Honesdale Jaycees Tournament, Paupack posted a 52-19 victory over the hosting Hornets.
Although Honesdale put up a better fight this time around, it still wasn’t enough to bridge the gap.
A low scoring first quarter slowly picked up pace by halftime with Paupack in the lead 22-17.
Come the third period, the Buckhorns began firing on all cylinders, outscoring the Hornets 17-4.
Paupack kept the pressure on through the last stanza as well. Despite allowing Honesdale eight points, they added a dozen more to help stretch their lead and held on to take the game, 51-29. The loss dropped the Hornets at 2-7.
Junior Karter Kromko led the Hornets with 15 points.
Charging forward for the Buckhorns both with 12 were Peifer and fellow senior Logan Storm. Calabrese chimed in with nine while Schmalzle tapped in eight.
“It started slow, but we were able to pick things up in the second half,” said Coach McGinnis.
“Honesdale always plays us hard, and it was a tough game. Offensively we still could do better, but we were more effective against Honesdale than we had been so far this season.”
Over & Out
Calabrese has been hot from downtown.
The sophomore has banked in 21 three pointers and leads the Buckhorns with 92 points in total.
Also playing a key role offensively is Smith.
Following their latest encounter with Honesdale, the senior was 16-for-18 on free throws. Smith has 89 points on the year while Peifer is close behind with 85 to round out the top three scorers.
“Jack got the go-ahead basket against North Pocono and then added two free throws for us,” said Coach McGinnis.
“He makes the shots when it matters.”
Although the Paupack coach admits there’s more work needed when it comes to offense, he’s proud to hang his hat on the team’s defensive skills.
“TJ and Jack are our primary guys on defense,” he said. “We can put TJ on the other team’s best player, and he can shut them down.
“Jack is one of the best defensive guards in the league. Wyatt is good defensively too and that allows us to tie up another one of their guys.
“Then we have Justin Blanding, a freshman, who has been great coming in. He’s flexible and great getting steals.”
Upcoming games put Paupack on the road.
The Bucks are away at Delaware Valley (2-6) on Jan. 13 and at Western Wayne (0-8) on Jan. 17.
This article originally appeared on Tri-County Independent: Lackawanna League boys basketball Wallenpaupack Area Buckhorns
