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Death of iconic Berwick football coach George Curry leaves statewide football community feeling empty

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Team Parker edges Team Gavio, 60-50

<p>WILKES-BARRE &#8212; By watching them, you would never know that Robbie Hopkins and Bobby Planutis were on opposing teams in the regular season.</p><p>Yet, when they were on the fast break together, the two Wyoming Valley Conference Division 1 players just meshed together.</p><p>Crestwood&#8217;s Hopkins threw a picturesque alley-opp pass for the Hazleton Area big man to slam home with authority, capping off a 61-point second half as Team White stormed past Team Blue, 95-82, in the annual Dr. George P. Moses Senior All-Star game Friday night at Holy Redeemer.</p><p>Planutis and GAR&#8217;s Dajon Rush were each named MVPs of their respective squads. Planutis finished with a game-high 17 points &#8211; 13 of those in the second half &#8211; while Rush had a team-high 10 for Team Blue.</p><p>Team White consisted of Division 1 teams Pittston Area, Crestwood, Valley West, Hazleton, Coughlin, Berwick, Tunkhannock and Dallas. Team Blue were made up from the Division 2 and Division 3 teams: Nanticoke, Wyoming Area, GAR, Hanover Area, Lake-Lehman, Redeemer, Meyers, Wyoming Seminary, Northwest Area and MMI.</p><p>&#8220;It&#8217;s fun to get together with these seniors for one last time,&#8221; Planutis said. &#8220;There are so many kids in this league that can really play.&#8221;</p><p>Really, it just took some time to shake off the rust.</p><p>But once Planutis did, he was spot-on.</p><p>Inside post moves. Uncontested lay-ups. Even a pull-up trifecta from the wing.</p><p>It was two consecutive buckets by Planutis and a wide-open 3-pointer from Crestwood&#8217;s Jason Klusewitz that gave Team White a 57-50 lead early in the second half.</p><p>&#8220;I just couldn&#8217;t get anything to fall in the first half,&#8221; Planutis said. &#8220;Once I got into a flow with the guys, everything seemed to go smooth. The dunk was just great. Dunking is the best.&#8221;</p><p>Maybe Team White just needed to knock the rust off the rims in the second half. And several dunks did just that.</p><p>Pittston Area&#8217;s Jordan Black dropped two through the nets in the first four minutes, and Crestwood&#8217;s Mendall Foreman followed suit, racking up six points in the final 20 minutes &#8211; all via tomahawk slams.</p><p>Black finished with 12 points &#8211; 10 in the second half.</p><p>&#8220;It&#8217;s an all-star game, and your last high school basketball game, so you want to make every minute count,&#8221; Black said. &#8220;It&#8217;s amazing. I got some dunks to fall in the second half, and that kind of got me into a rhythm.&#8221;</p><p>Team Blue tried to creep back into the game late.</p><p>An offensive rebound and putback by Nanticoke Area&#8217;s Brent Piontkowski, and a wing 3-pointer from Rush trimmed the White lead to 80-75.</p><p>Coughlin&#8217;s Devin Rajza cut the comeback hopes down quickly.</p><p>He hit three 3-pointers &#8211; all from almost the same exact spot &#8211; in the final 90 seconds. The Crusaders ended his night with 16 points.</p><p>&#8220;I knew that I could shoot like that. It just took some time to get back into the groove,&#8221; Rajza said. &#8220;My teammates kept telling me to shoot, so I did. I just had to get my form back, and make sure my feet were set. I couldn&#8217;t ask to go out in a better way.&#8221;</p><p>GAR&#8217;s Tino Altavilla, who won the 3-point contest at halftime, finished with nine points, while teammate Marquan Kemp and Meyers&#8217; Ryan Wasley each added eight for Team Blue. Wyoming Area&#8217;s Anthony Shaver and Redeemer&#8217;s Zach Brennan each chipped in seven.</p><p>&#8220;I think once I started to relax in the 3-point contest and take my time, the shots started to fall,&#8221; Altavilla said. &#8220;I felt some pressure, but that kind of eased up once that first one fell down.&#8221;</p><p>The Crestwood trio of Foreman, Klusewitz and Hopkins had a combined 23 points for Team White.</p><p style="text-align: center;"><strong>Team White 95, Team Blue 82</strong></p><p><strong>Team White `34`61 &#8211; 95</strong></p><p><strong>Team Blue `36`46 &#8211; 82</strong></p><p><strong>Team White (95)</strong></p><p>Marquise Anderscavage 1 0-0 2, Tony Maloney 2 0-0 5, Dylan Osticco 2 0-0 4, Jordan Black 6 0-0 12, Tyler Evans 1 1-2 3, Jose Rivera 2 0-0 5, Devin Rajza 6 0-0 14, Robbie Hopkins 3 0-0 8, Bobby Planutis 8 0-0 17, Josh Malkemes 0 0-0 0, Eli McAllister 2 0-0 5, Tanner Gattuso 0 0-0 0, Jason Klusewitz 3 0-0 7, Mendell Foreman 4 0-0 8, Max Melito 2 0-0 5.</p><p><strong>3-point field goals:</strong> Rajza 4, Hopkins 2, Maloney 1, Rivera 1, Palnutis 1, McAllister 1, Klusewitz 1, Melito 1.</p><p><strong>Team Blue (82)</strong></p><p>Josh Stish 1 0-0 3, Scott Stout 2 0-0 6, Dajon Rush 4 0-0 10, Tino Altavilla 3 0-0 9, Nick Minich 2 0-0 4, Eddie Lukowski 0 0-0 0, Eddie Herbener 2 0-0 5, Patrick Ganter 2 0-0 4, Anthony Shaver 3 0-0 7, Zach Brennan 3 0-0 7, Brent Piontkowski 2 0-0 4, Ryan Wasley 4 0-0 8, Raheem Twyman 3 0-0 6, Marquan Kemp 4 0-0 8, Jeff Bevacqua 1 0-0 3.</p><p><strong>3-point field goals:</strong> Altavilla 3, Rush 2, Stout 2, Stish 1, Herbener 1, Shaver 1, Brennan 1, Bevacqua 1.</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">Coughlin&#8217;s Jose Rivera of Division 1, left, drives past Wyoming Area&#8217;s Anthony Shaver of Division 2-3 in the 47th annual Dr. George P. Moses WVC Boys All-Star Classic at Holy Redeemer High School in Wilkes-Barre on Friday night. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/web1_BoysAllStarBB_1.jpg</photo0><caption0>Coughlin&#8217;s Jose Rivera of Division 1, left, drives past Wyoming Area&#8217;s Anthony Shaver of Division 2-3 in the 47th annual Dr. George P. Moses WVC Boys All-Star Classic at Holy Redeemer High School in Wilkes-Barre on Friday night. </caption0><photoCredit0>Bill Tarutis | For Times Leader </photoCredit0></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/web1_BoysAllStarBB_2.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Hazleton Area&#8217;s Bobby Planutis of Division 1, left, drives past Holy Redeemer&#8217;s Zachary Brennan of Division 2-3 in the 47th annual Dr. George P. Moses WVC Boys All-Star Classic at Holy Redeemer High School in Wilkes-Barre on Friday night. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo1>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/web1_BoysAllStarBB_2.jpg</photo1><caption1>Hazleton Area&#8217;s Bobby Planutis of Division 1, left, drives past Holy Redeemer&#8217;s Zachary Brennan of Division 2-3 in the 47th annual Dr. George P. Moses WVC Boys All-Star Classic at Holy Redeemer High School in Wilkes-Barre on Friday night. </caption1><photoCredit1>Bill Tarutis | For Times Leader </photoCredit1></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/web1_BoysAllStarBB_3.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Berwick&#8217;s Tyler Evans of Division 1 drives to the hoop in the 47th annual Dr. George P. Moses WVC Boys All-Star Classic at Holy Redeemer High School in Wilkes-Barre on Friday night. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo2>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/web1_BoysAllStarBB_3.jpg</photo2><caption2>Berwick&#8217;s Tyler Evans of Division 1 drives to the hoop in the 47th annual Dr. George P. Moses WVC Boys All-Star Classic at Holy Redeemer High School in Wilkes-Barre on Friday night. </caption2><photoCredit2>Bill Tarutis | For Times Leader </photoCredit2></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Tom Fox</p><p>For Times Leader</p></bylineMeta></div>

Hopkins, Planutis duo sparks Team White win