Wallenpaupack Area boys basketball team falls in Jaycees title tilt
HONESDALE — Since suffering an opening night loss to Stroudsburg during the first round of their own Tip-Off Tournament on Dec. 10, the Wallenpaupack Area boys basketball team went undefeated coming into the Honesdale Jaycees Tournament.
The annual affair in the Maple City commenced on Dec.28 with Western Wayne facing East Stroudsburg South in the matinee and the hosting Hornets taking on the Buckhorns in the nightcap.
Prelude
Paupack notched a 70-40 victory over Monticello to win the Dec.11 consolation game in the Tip-Off Tournament. That propelled to a trio of wins that would take them right up to their first encounter of the season with Honesdale.
Paupack made a sojourn to Lakeland on Dec. 14.
Senior TJ Schmalzle tallied 21 points to lead the Buckhorns to a 68-41 win over the Chiefs. Two nights later, Paupack prevailed again at home versus Wilkes-Barre Area.
After establishing an early lead, senior Jack Smith kept the Buckhorns in front of the Wolfpack and took the evening 42-37.
Smith paced Paupack on Dec. 21 as well with 17 points in a 52-42 come from behind win on the road at Dunmore.
“We had a good run so far,” said Paupack Head Coach Jim McGinnis. “Lakeland is a little young, but it was a good game.
“Wilkes-Barre was a big win for us, and we fought back to beat Dunmore. Justin Blanding was huge for us in that game and TJ has been outstanding on defense.”
Holiday Hoops
Back after a year’s hiatus, the annual Jaycees Tournament returned to the Red Palace Wednesday and Thursday nights.
Western Wayne and East Stroudsburg South squared off in the first semifinal.
Jahsan Simms drained eight baskets from the field and sank a pair of free throws to help the Cavaliers cruise to a 71-31 win over the Wildcats.
Later, the Buckhorns defense kicked in to keep Honesdale down all night.
Junior Nate Hugaboom managed to squeeze in seven points for the Hornets. However, Justin Blanding and Logan Storm proved to be too much for the hosts. The Paupack pair each netted eleven points, paving the way to a 52-19 victory.
“We came out guns blazing and got a nice lead early,” said Coach McGinnis. “Honesdale had a few guys out and we know that’s not the team we’ll see next time we play them.”
The following afternoon, Hugaboom checked in five times from downtown and added two more buckets from closer in to drive Honesdale to a 52-21 win over Western Wayne.
Lackluster so far this season, the triumph over the ‘Cats was their first of the year, bringing their tally to 1-6. Unfortunately for the Wildcats, the loss moved them to 0-5.
In the final chapter of the tournament, the Cavaliers leapt out to an early lead that kept the Buckhorns playing catch-up all night.
South’s overall height advantage played into their ability to block and rebound.
Offensively, Paupack sophomore Landon Calabrese dumped in four three-pointers among his 16 points. Smith also swished four times from outside the arc for a total of 12.
Unfortunately, the solid effort by the Buckhorns wouldn’t be enough to take the trophy. Simms tacked up 16 points and East Stroudsburg South would walk with the 69-54 win.
“They got us on the rebounds,” The Paupack coach pointed out. “Still I thought we held our own and I’m proud that our guys fought the whole game.”
Moving On
The Purple & White begin Lackawanna League action with a 5-2 tally, fifth among District 2 Class 5A teams.
The Jan. 3 game at Honesdale has been re-scheduled to Jan. 8 so that means Paupack will face first pace North Pocono (5-1) away on Jan. 6.
“We’ve had spurts where we shot well, but that’s the thing that we need to get more consistent at,” Coach McGinnis said. “We’ve been defending at a high level and that’s our calling card. Maintaining that is essential.
“TJ has been huge for us on defense, Wyatt Peifer is almost as physical as TJ, and Jack is one of the best defensive guards around the area.
“We’re deeper than last year. Justin, as a freshman, is a nice addition and we have some height with Logan Storm and Erik Schreiber. Our offense will come around and I’m excited to see where we go this year.”
Following the bout with Honesdale, Paupack will return home on Jan. 10 to take on Valley View. The Bucks then wrap up the first half of divisional play at DV on Jan. 13 and at Western Wayne on Jan. 17.
This article originally appeared on Tri-County Independent: Wallenpaupack Area boys basketball Honesdale Area Jaycees Tournament
