Dallas Kael Berry (3) goes up for two as Crestwood Miles Metz (3) defends during the WVC finals on Saturday Feb. 14, 2026 in Hazle Twp. Dallas won the title 43 to 38.(John Haeger / Staff Photographer)
Dallas Chris Flanagan (4) goes up for two as Crestwood Miles Metz (3) defends during the WVC finals on Saturday Feb. 14, 2026 in Hazle Twp. Dallas won the title 43 to 38.(John Haeger / Staff Photographer)
Dallas Joey Nogito (1) drives to the net as Crestwood Ayden Agapito (24) defends during the WVC finals on Saturday Feb. 14, 2026 in Hazle Twp. Dallas won the title 43 to 38.(John Haeger / Staff Photographer)
Crestwood Jack Rogers (12) goes up for two as Dallas Tyce Mason (2) defends during the WVC finals on Saturday Feb. 14, 2026 in Hazle Twp. Dallas won the title 43 to 38.(John Haeger / Staff Photographer)
Crestwood Jack Rogers (12) goes up for two as Dallas Tyce Mason (2) defends during the WVC finals on Saturday Feb. 14, 2026 in Hazle Twp. Dallas won the title 43 to 38.(John Haeger / Staff Photographer)
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Dallas Kael Berry (3) goes up for two as Crestwood Miles Metz (3) defends during the WVC finals on Saturday Feb. 14, 2026 in Hazle Twp. Dallas won the title 43 to 38.(John Haeger / Staff Photographer)
HAZLE TWP.— Slow and methodical. That’s the way Crestwood likes to play.
Fast-paced, up-tempo, and run-in-transition is the style Dallas prefers.
The two philosophies collided Saturday afternoon at Hazleton Area High School and Dallas showed it was capable of making the necessary adjustments when required.
Tyce Mason scored 11 of his game-high 13 points in the second half and the Mountaineers made 5 of 8 free throws in the final 22 seconds to secure a 43-38 victory over the Comets in the Wyoming Valley Conference championship game.
The Mountaineers (21-3) will head to the District 2 Class 4A playoffs as the No. 1 seed and host Mid Valley. The Mountaineers have won three consecutive WVC championships and extended their winning streak to 12. Crestwood (16-8) and will be the No. 2 seed in the District 2 Class 5A playoffs, receiving a first-round bye.
“We have been conditioning all year, we knew we would be in condition to get the win,” Dallas forward Pat Flanagan said. “We were down at the half and we knew the third quarter is our quarter. We knew we could do it.”
Dallas came into the game averaging 62.3 points per game and was aware of Crestwood’s preferred style of play. Dallas led, 10-8, at the end of the first quarter, but trailed by seven at halftime.
“We knew they wanted the game in the 30s,” Dallas coach Mark Belenski said. “They dictated the tempo, but we showed we could play at that level. We didn’t play very well, but we got through it. It’s a championship game. I’m proud of what we did.”
While Crestwood controlled the pace of the game, the Comets did a good job of getting the ball to the basket rather than settling for jump shots on the perimeter. After Ayden Agapito scored on a drive to the basket, the Comets led, 28-22, with 2:09 left in the third quarter. Mason answered on the other end with a 3-pointer to spark a 7-0 run to close the quarter, putting Dallas up, 29-28.
“I thought everything we wanted to do we did well,” Crestwood coach Mark Atherton said. “They do have some size that helped them recover. They hit a big 3-pointer that might have got them going in the third quarter. I thought we competed hard. I’m proud of my guys.”
When Crestwood’s Jack Rodgers scored off a missed shot with 3:40 left in the game the Comets led, 37-33. Dallas answered with a Kael Berry 3-pointer and a Pat Flanagan bucket down low to put the Mountaineers ahead.
Not only was Crestwood down one point with 2:44 left in the game, but the Comets also did not have any team fouls against them. That forced the Comets to scramble and begin fouling to send the Mountaineers to the line. Dallas did not begin shooting free throws until there was 22.5 seconds left and it made just enough to be able to pull away down the stretch.
“I challenged the guys at halftime,” Belenski said. “We haven’t been outworked yet this year. In the first half I thought they outworked us. In the second half they did not. We didn’t shoot the ball well today. We just didn’t put the ball in the hole.”