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North Pocono’s freshmen boys basketball team is off to yet another solid start this season in Lackawanna League action.
With 5th year Coach Ryan Jones calling the shots, the young Trojans have split their first 12 games of the 2011-’12 campaign.
“Our goal is very simple,” he said. “We’re looking to get better every day. We’ve had some very good practices lately and I think that is starting to show up on the court. These kids are really working hard and it’s beginning to pay off.”
All that hard work was certainly in evidence this past week at Honesdale. The Trojans raced out to a big early lead against the host Hornets, then staved off a furious comeback bid in posting a 48-43 win.
“I was a little bit surprised that we were able to build such a big lead,” said Coach Jones. “But, at the same time, I knew Honesdale would come back and they did. This game went right down to the last minute and I’m proud of our kids that they kept their cool and got the win.”
Weather permitting, the Trojans were slated to meet Scranton Prep Tuesday and close out the first half with a home game against West Scranton on Friday.
On the Court
Matt Lees paced North Pocono’s offensive assault in the win at Honesdale.
A freshman point guard who runs the Trojan offense, Lees exploded for a game-high 19 on the strength of six field goals, a pair of deep treys and a 1-for-3 stint at the charity stripe.
“Matt is our leader,” said Coach Jones. “From the second he steps on the court, he’s in charge. Matt is a complete basketball player...he does pretty much everything well.”
Lees was the scoring star of this particular game, but he was by no means a one-man show. Matt received plenty of help from a variety of teammates.
Backcourt buddy Jake Montana buried an early trey and finished up the game with nine points.
Billy Roman scored in every period but one on his way to eight markers. JP Walsh and Tommy Miner chipped in with four points apiece, while Tyler Pittsman and Stephen Czachor rounded out the scoring with two each.
North Pocono took control of this game from the opening tip. The Trojans built an early double digit advantage, then stretched that lead to 29-14 at intermission.
North Pocono’s freshmen boys basketball team is off to yet another solid start this season in Lackawanna League action.
With 5th year Coach Ryan Jones calling the shots, the young Trojans have split their first 12 games of the 2011-’12 campaign.
“Our goal is very simple,” he said. “We’re looking to get better every day. We’ve had some very good practices lately and I think that is starting to show up on the court. These kids are really working hard and it’s beginning to pay off.”
All that hard work was certainly in evidence this past week at Honesdale. The Trojans raced out to a big early lead against the host Hornets, then staved off a furious comeback bid in posting a 48-43 win.
“I was a little bit surprised that we were able to build such a big lead,” said Coach Jones. “But, at the same time, I knew Honesdale would come back and they did. This game went right down to the last minute and I’m proud of our kids that they kept their cool and got the win.”
Weather permitting, the Trojans were slated to meet Scranton Prep Tuesday and close out the first half with a home game against West Scranton on Friday.
On the Court
Matt Lees paced North Pocono’s offensive assault in the win at Honesdale.
A freshman point guard who runs the Trojan offense, Lees exploded for a game-high 19 on the strength of six field goals, a pair of deep treys and a 1-for-3 stint at the charity stripe.
“Matt is our leader,” said Coach Jones. “From the second he steps on the court, he’s in charge. Matt is a complete basketball player...he does pretty much everything well.”
Lees was the scoring star of this particular game, but he was by no means a one-man show. Matt received plenty of help from a variety of teammates.
Backcourt buddy Jake Montana buried an early trey and finished up the game with nine points.
Billy Roman scored in every period but one on his way to eight markers. JP Walsh and Tommy Miner chipped in with four points apiece, while Tyler Pittsman and Stephen Czachor rounded out the scoring with two each.
North Pocono took control of this game from the opening tip. The Trojans built an early double digit advantage, then stretched that lead to 29-14 at intermission.
Honesdale re-grouped at halftime and actually outscored the Trojans by a margin of 29-19 in the third and fourth quarters. Fortunately for a small but vocal group of fans who made the trek to the Maple City, North Pocono players got to the foul line in the final eight minutes and made their free throws.
Montana in particular was clutch, draining all four of his attempts as the clock wound down.
“Jake is 100 pounds soaking wet, but he plays like he’s 6’5” tall,” Coach Jones said with a laugh. “He’s always hustling and coming up with big plays when we really need them.”
By the Numbers
North Pocono opened its season with a wild 41-40 win against Dunmore.
The Trojans then posted back-to-back victories over Riverside (43-39) and Old Forge (45-40) before suffering their first loss at the hands of Pocono Mountain West (50-35).
Coach Jones’ lads also defeated Carbondale (49-36) and Lakeland (54-46) but then were mired in a 4-game losing streak before finally breaking out versus Honesdale. He praised all of his players for their hard work and dedication, but singled out Miner and Czachor for sepcial mention.
Tommy is still just an 8th grader, but he’s already playing like a battle-tested veteran in the paint.
“He always wants the ball on offense, but he’s really dominant on defense,” said Coach Jones. “Tommy can bang in the post, but he’s also very quick so he can step out and guard smaller players one-on-one.”
Miner is averaging just over 10 points per game.
Czachor powered his way to a season-best 12 points in a recent razor-thin loss to Delaware Valley.
“Stephen is a very hard-working physical kid,” said Coach Jones. “He always plays hard and never gives up on anything.”
Score by Quarters...
NP (6-6) 15 14 7 12 - 48
HON (5-7) 10 4 10 19 - 43
