W-b Owes To Two Firefighters

Albert Stravinsky 
Feb. 5, 1994 
Albert J. Stravinsky, Of Walnut Street, Luzerne, Died Saturday At Riverstreet 
Manor, Wilkes-barre.

Tuesday, February 08, 1994 &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Page: 





Defense to the rescue &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Hoban's unbeaten ride almost stalls out in Hazleton &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; There were 50 seconds left in a screaming hostile gym and the game was
getting away from Bishop HobanThat's about when the Argents turned into
champions. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 While blowing through the first half of the Wyoming Valley Conference
schedule and eight more exhibition games, Bishop Hoban had not seen a test
like the one Hazleton Area handed out Friday night. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 And when a 10-point lead fell all the way down to two 50 seconds before the
final buzzer, Bishop Hoban finally had a worry in its carefree season. Jay
Williams hit one free throw and Jeff Isaacs scored another down the stretch,
but most importantly, Hazleton Area didn't score another point the rest of the
way. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 That says something about how the Argents react when things get tense. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "It's just a credit to the whole defense," Hoban forward Mark Finarelli
said. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "Even though they slowed it down, I thought our defense played pretty
well," Bishop Hoban coach Chet Hine said. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Talent-wise, Hazleton Area shouldn't have been in the game. The Argents are
quicker, faster, are about equal in rebounding ability and have more scorers. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 But they needed a real game, after all those earlier blowouts, and Hazleton
Area sure gave the Argents the battle they'll remember. This happened mostly
because of two guys. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Gary Pressler kept burying 3-point goals for Hazleton Area. And Bruce Leib
kept making coaching moves that gave the Cougars a chance to win. Both
bothered Bishop Hoban all night. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Pressler buried three 3-pointers on Hazleton Area's first three trips down
the floor. And Hoban seemed a step behind the Cougars' picture-perfect passing
game for most of the night. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "They really got us in the first half," Williams said. "It was just good
ball movement, they moved the ball real well. When the good shots were there,
they hit them. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "We had to make our defense our offense." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Hazleton Area was ahead, and in control, 19-14 at halftime. And the Cougars
are not susceptible to allowing big comebacks. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "I was nervous," Finarelli said. "Our whole team was nervous. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "But it was a good kind of nervous," he continued. "We were anxious to play
and ready for the challenge." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 By meeting it, the Argents proved they could pull out the tough ones, too. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 They proved they're kings of Division I. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 * * * &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Expectations: Not that the Northwest Rangers are looking ahead, but they
are looking forward to playing for the first-half Division III championship. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 After all, the Rangers need only to defeat West Side Tech Wednesday to
clinch a tie for the first-half title and force a playoff with Bishop
O'Reilly. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 And that seems likely, considering the Titans of Tech haven't won a
regular-season game since 1983. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "If we don't beat them, I don't think we deserve to be in the first-half
championship," Northwest coach Irv Post said. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 No disrespect toward Tech, but the Rangers have a 5-2 record and the Titans
are 0-7 entering the first-half finale. So it would be a stunning upset of
Tech should pull out a win. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "I think Tech has some good kids," Post said. "But if we play the way we're
capable of, we should be all right." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 If Northwest does move into a tie with O'Reilly, the two would likely break
it Saturday, when a tentative playoff for the Division III first-half title is
tentatively set for Crestwood High School. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 * * * &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Standing tall: Lake-Lehman coach Rodger Bearde has spent every minute of
his team's games the past week on his feet. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 It's not that Lehman's games have been so exciting or Bearde has been so
infuriated by the officiating that he finds it hard to keep his seat on the
bench. No, if either of those were true, the Lehman coach would find himself
slapped with an automatic techinical foul for leaving the bench. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Rather, Bearde has been hampered by a back problem that has prevented him
from sitting. When it heals, he'll be back in his regular spot at the end of
the Black Knight bench. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 * * * &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Making plans: In case Northwest does play O'Reilly for the Division III
first- half title Saturday, the Rangers moved their home game with Bishop
Hafey from Friday to Thursday. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 That would give Northwest a day's rest for the championship, but would also
force the Rangers to play three straight days, at Dallas Tuesday, at home with
Tech Wednesday and at home with the Vikings Thursday. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 That is, assuming the week's forecast of wintry weather doesn't force the
postponement of at least one of those games.

Defense To The Rescue 
Hoban's Unbeaten Ride Almost Stalls Out In Hazleton 
There Were 50 Seconds Left In A Screaming Hostile Gym And The Game Was Getting 
Away From Bishop Hoban.

Defense To The Rescue Hoban's Unbeaten Ride Almost Stalls Out In Hazleton There Were 50 Seconds Left In A Screaming Hostile Gym And The Game Was Getting Away From Bishop Hoban.