Jake Antolick landed a pair of all-tournament honors, highlighting an otherwise difficult December for the Lackawanna Trail boys basketball team.
Antolick, the team’s leading scorer during an 0-8 start, made the all-tournament team when Lackawanna Trail hosted the Cal King Tournament early this season, then again during the holiday week when the Lions played in the Taylor Lions Tournament at Riverside.
The Lions averaged 29.6 points per game, reaching a high of 37 twice. They allowed 64.4, giving up at least 60 in all but one game.
Injuries added to the challenges for what was already a young and inexperienced team coming off a winless 2021-22 season.
Braden Savage, the team’s only returning starter, led the Lions in scoring in the opener, then missed the next five games. He was also the leading scorer in the last game of the month.
Savage was one of four starters to miss time with injuries at some point during the first month of the season.
Cal King Tournament
Antolick had 17 points when the Lions lost to Lake-Lehman, 63-33, in the Dec. 9 semifinals.
Byron Axtell added 10 in the loss.
Lackawanna Trail returned to the court the next afternoon and had its only halftime lead of the season.
Western Wayne rallied, holding the Lions to 10 second-half points while breaking a 39-game losing streak, dating back to late in the 2019-20 season, with a 51-37 victory.
It was the closest game to date for the Lions.
Antolick had his second straight 17-point game. He had nine during a 17-8 second quarter that gave Lackawanna Trail a 27-25 halftime lead.
Lakeland won the tournament with Joey Dunstone and Antonio Hazelton sharing Most Valuable Player honors.
Hazelton had 21 points in a 52-28 victory over Western Wayne.
Dunstone scored 23 in a 65-49 victory over Lake-Lehman in the championship game.
Taylor Lions Tournament
Lackawanna Trail opened with a 67-25 loss to host and eventual champion Riverside Dec. 28.
Antolick scored 15 points in the loss.
Stroudsburg defeated Lackawanna Trail, 66-22, for third place Dec. 30.
Savage scored nine points and Antolick seven for Lackawanna Trail.
Notes
Antolick, who is averaging in double figures, also had 17 points during a 66-30 loss at Tunkhannock Dec. 20. Tunkhannock’s Ben Chilson reached the 1,000-point mark for his career in the game.
Lackawanna Trail lost two consecutive games by the same, 66-30 score. Before the Tunkhannock game, Lackawanna Trail lost by that margin against Wyoming Area. Lorenzo Domiano led the Lions with 11 in the loss.
