DVHS outlasts Wallenpaupack

Both junior varsity and varsity boys basketball teams played at the Delaware Valley High School gym on Jan. 9 against Wallenpaupack.

The boys J.V. game started out pretty evenly, as the first quarter ended with DV up 10-11. In the second quarter, they started to show dominance, ending the half at 16-21.

From that point on, DV was in total control, holding a 24-31 lead in the third quarter and dominating in all categories.

In the fourth quarter, the game was so secure that the bench was cleared to give everyone playing time and game experience. The game ended with DV on top 30-47. Harrison Bixby led the way with 14 points while Max Parker and Rowan Eversdyke both contributed 10 points each.

For the varsity team, the game was a battle of local Holiday Tournament Champions as Wallenpaupack won the Honesdale Holiday title while Delaware Valley won their local Holiday Tournament. On top of that, both of schools are Pike County schools and are rivals.

It started looking bad for DV as Wallenpaupack came out on fire and was smoking. They were bombing away with 3-pointers while DV couldn’t hit a shot. The first quarter had Wallenpaupack up 17-8.

But Delaware Valley are the never-say-die kids that more often the not seem to find a way to battle back.

In the second quarter, DV was still down 31-27 while clawing their way back into the game. They were still missing too many shots, but they made some nice steals, pulled down some rebounds, and at the same time Wallenpaupack cooled of a little. Perhaps the pressure was beginning to weigh down on them a little. DV managed to pull ahead to close out the third quarter with a 44-45 lead.

The last quarter often comes down to who has the stamina to tough it out. DV managed to take a 9-point lead and it seemed like the game was securely put away, but Wallenpaupack wasn’t finished just yet. With that lead, DV’s shooting suddenly went sour. Lucky for them, Wallenpaupack went dry also - but they did manage to hit enough to make it close for a while.

The officiating, which had been good for three quarters, suddenly went bad. Wallenpaupack did get called for fouls, but they were unquestionable and obvious. DV went up for a rebound along with a Wallenpaupack player and DV got called for a foul. Or when DV blocked a shot that looked like it was its all ball, but got called for a foul. The fans seemingly lost all sense of humor with these calls.

In spite of it all, DV pulled out a 59-64 victory after clawing their way back and never quitting.

Standouts for Wallenpaupack include Nick Vanbuskick, who is about 6-foot-5 and 230 lbs. and was a powerful force underneath the basket. Also point guard J.P. Yeo, who hit six 3-pointers and seemed like he couldn’t miss.

Strong for DV was Tyler Lombardo, who had just six points but his floor game was magnificent, as he rebounded and intimidated the Wallenpaupack players on defense. He ruled the floor like a general, setting up other players feeding them for nice scores. James Dabney was a great recipient of these feeds and he made every one of them count for a total of 18 points. The team work between the two was a thing of beauty.

Trey Newton got 16 points and played his usual excellent overall game, as did Sam Wood and Colin McGarvey, both scoring 10 points each.

This was a great comeback against a very good and talented team. Wallenpaupack everyone and they are much better than their record indicates.