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Tuesday, January 20, 1998 &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Page: 1B 





Cougars on prowl again for big year &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 There weren't any radical changes or pronouncements of a rebuilding season
after the Hazleton Area boys basketball team set two school records in
consecutive losses to begin the 1997-98 Wyoming Valley Conference seasonThere
likely were, however, a couple of lengthy team meetings with only one voice
speaking- that of head coach Bruce Leib. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Leib probably raised his voice a few times and challenged his senior
captains. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 More than anything, though, there was a return to hard work on the
fundamentals of the game. Those are things teams coached by Leib do best. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The Cougars do not beat teams with their overwhelming size and skill. They
do it with execution and hustle. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Those two ingredients were lacking in Hazleton Area's season-opening
embarrassment at Nanticoke. The 54-34 loss was the worst for the Cougars since
joining the WVC more than a decade ago, when the school was known as Hazleton
High School. That big loss to the Trojans was followed by a home loss to
Wyoming Valley West, giving Hazleton Area its first two-game losing streak in
the conference. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "We faced tough competition and lost before the first two league games, so
there wasn't a sense of urgency," Leib recalled. "We knew we just had to
improve as a team or we were going to get beat by Crestwood (in the third WVC
game). &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "The league is real tough this year. You have to play well to win. We
didn't play well in the first two games." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Since those two losses, the Cougars have won 10 consecutive games,
including the last seven WVC contests. The two most-recent victories- a 43-41
road squeaker over first-half champion Coughlin and a 54-39 decision at home
in Saturday's second-half opener with Nanticoke- were signs that Hazleton Area
again will be in the thick of the WVC Division I and District 2 Class AAAA
races. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The Cougars visit Wyoming Valley West tonight in a meeting of two AAAA
playoff-bound teams. The Spartans have been sporadic since beating Hazleton
Area, winning six of nine games but losing twice in overtime and getting
thumped at home by Coughlin. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 One player who has turned up his game during Hazleton Area's recent winning
streak is senior Matt Tucker. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The 6-foot-7-inch forward combined for six points in the two WVC losses,
including no points against Wyoming Valley West. Against Nanticoke in the
rematch, he had 18 points, 10 rebounds and four blocked shots. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "He had a super game for them. He was the difference," Nanticoke coach Ken
Bartuska said of Tucker. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Tucker has scored in double figures in six of the last seven regular-season
games. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 * * * &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 A CROSSOVER NIGHTMARE: Division III won only five of 18 crossover games
with Division II in the first half. Northwest Area (3-0) and Bishop O'Reilly
(2-1) were the only Division III teams to pick up victories. However, the
Rangers and Queensmen are playing Division II's top three teams in the
second-half crossover schedule. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 On the first night of the second half, both Northwest Area and Bishop
O'Reilly lost at home against Division II foes. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Division II foes won five of six meetings on Saturday. Only Seton Catholic
kept Division III from being swept. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 * * * &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 STREAKING: Hazleton Area owns a 10-game winning streak, which began after
the school's first two-game losing streak in the WVC. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Lake-Lehman has a 10-game losing streak, having last won on Dec. 13 vs.
West Side Tech. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Northwest Area had its 10-game winning streak snapped last Saturday at home
against Division II first-half champion GAR. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 * * * &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 FIRST-HALF HIGHS, LOWS &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Most three-pointers, team: Berwick, 70; Nanticoke, 57. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Most three-pointers, player: Chris Banyas, Berwick, 32. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Fewest three-pointers, team: Bishop O'Reilly, 14; Wyoming Area, 15. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Highest single-game point total, team: Coughlin, 91, vs. Crestwood; Dallas,
89, vs. West Side Tech. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Highest single-game point total, player: Banyas, Berwick, 37, vs. Pittston
Area; John Boylan, Coughlin, 35, vs. Crestwood. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Lowest single-game point total, team: Tunkhannock, 29, vs Hazleton Area;
Lake-Lehman, 30, vs. Northwest Area; Wyoming Area, 30, vs Meyers. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Players who scored double figures in all eight WVC games (with low game in
parenthesis): John Boylan, Coughlin (10, vs. Nanticoke); Roman McLaughlin,
Coughlin (13, vs. Bishop Hoban); Dan Tucker, Crestwood (13, vs. Valley West,
Tunkhannock); John Grigas, Tunkhannock (13, vs. Valley West, Pittston Area);
Alex Hairston, GAR (10, vs. Bishop Hafey); Jason Skovronski, Hanover Area (12,
vs. Bishop Hafey); Dale Rapson, Meyers (10, vs. Bishop Hafey, Dallas, GAR);
Nate Sorber, Northwest Area (12, vs. Lake-Lehman); Jerry Long, West Side Tech
(10, vs. Lake-Lehman). &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 * * * &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 AROUND THE LACKAWANNA LEAGUE: Despite losing its first game of the season,
a 10-point decision on Friday to Abington Heights, Bishop Hannan won the
Lackawanna South title with a 6-1 record. Abington Heights, Dunmore and
Scranton finished a game back. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Wallenpaupack (6-1) won the North with a recent 56-40 victory over
Mid-Valley. It was the initial half-season title for the Buckhorns since
joining the Lackawanna League 13 years ago. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Western Wayne (8-1) won the first-half title in the newly formed Northeast
Division of the Lackawanna League and avenged its only league loss on Saturday
by knocking off Delaware Valley, 76-63. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Scranton's Willie Chandler (21.0 points per game) and Wallenpaupack's
Spencer Williams (20.3 ppg) are the Lackawanna League's top scorers. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 * * * &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 TWO-SPORT STARS: Marian Catholic's

Cougars On Prowl Again For Big Year 
There Weren't Any Radical Changes Or Pronouncements Of A Rebuilding Season 
After The Hazleton Area Boys Basketball Team Set Two School Records In 
Consecutive Losses To Begin The 1997-98 Wyoming Valley Conference Season.

Cougars On Prowl Again For Big Year There Weren't Any Radical Changes Or Pronouncements Of A Rebuilding Season After The Hazleton Area Boys Basketball Team Set Two School Records In Consecutive Losses To Begin The 1997-98 Wyoming Valley Conference Season.