Toomey Helps Lady Bucks Score District Title, Advance to PIAA Playoffs

Posted on March 7, 2018 by The Dunmorean

By Steve Svetovich

Victoria Toomey scored 28 points in leading the Dunmore Lady Bucks to a 48-44 win over Holy Redeemer as her team won the District 2 Class 3A title Saturday, March 3, at Mohegan Sun Arena.

Coach Ben O’Brien’s team avenged last year’s title game defeat with the win.

The Lady Bucks are now 25-1.

Talented junior Gianna Delfino played a tremendous all-around game for Dunmore as she added nine points, nine assists and eight rebounds in the title win.

Toomey and Delfino and Kelly Quinn combined for 45 of Dunmore’s 48 points. Quinn, averaging 11.2 points per game entering the contest, scored eight points. Toomey and Lisa Tallo added eight rebounds each for the Lady Bucks.

Toomey, a junior, was on the entire contest as she hit 11-of-14 shots in the win.

She came into the game averaging 16.3 points per game and has shined on the court all season.

Holy Redeemer made only 14 of 59 shots against the tight Dunmore defense.

Athletes of the Month - Lady Bucks Toomey

Victoria Toomey helped lead her team to 48-44 win over Holy Redeemer and another district title. (Photo Credit: Rich Banick Photography)

Toomey got in foul trouble early in the game. She picked up two fouls and sat the final 1:53 of the first quarter as Holy Redeemer built a 13-10 lead.

But when she came back in the game, the junior stalwart was simply dominant.

Toomey scored nine of her points in the second quarter as the Lady Bucks moved ahead and took a 25-21 lead into the second half.

Dunmore went ahead 32-23 in the third quarter before Holy Redeemer trimmed the Lady Bucks lead to 34-30 after a 3-pointer by Cameron Marcinkowski.

Toomey then hit a key bucket for Dunmore with 12 seconds left in the third quarter.

Dunmore took a 36-30 lead into the final quarter. A 3-point play by Sam Yencha cut the Dunmore lead to 47-44, with 1:49 left in the game.

Holy Redeemer had one final opportunity to tie the game, but Tallo made the play of the contest when she stole the ball, was fouled and hit a free throw to seal the win with 2.6 seconds left. Tallo, averaging 9.8 points entering the game, made the first of two free throws. Her only steal and only point of the game were the game’s biggest.

Maria Borgia and Alexis Chapman also played nice all-around games for Dunmore in a strong team effort.

Yencha, averaging 14.7 points entering the game, led Holy Redeemer with 13 points.

Dunmore defeated Meyers, 56-24, and Mid Valley, 60-27, to get to the district final.

Holy Redeemer defeated Dunmore, 51-37, in last year’s district final.

Holy Redeemer dropped to 22-4.

The Lady Bucks now advance to the PIAA playoffs.

Athlete of the Month: Nate Fangio

Posted on February 7, 2018 by The Dunmorean

By Steve Svetovich

Dunmore senior Nate Fangio has excelled at three sports for four years and right now is busy honing his skills on the hardwood.

Son of Cory and Rebekah Fangio, Dunmore, the senior small forward is averaging 12.0 points per game for a Bucks team off to a 9-6 start at press time.

He scored 14 points, including two 3-pointers, in Dunmore’s recent 57-33 win over Old Forge to start the second half of season play. Dunmore senior Richie Grippi led the Bucks with 15 points. Daniel Walsh added 13 points.

Fangio, Grippi and Walsh are serving as a potent 1-2-3 punch for Dunmore this season.

As good as Nate is in basketball, his best sport is football.

bucks A four-year member of the Dunmore Bucks football team as a wide receiver-cornerback, he was named to the All-League teams both offensively and defensively.

He will become a four-year member of Dunmore’s track and field team where he earned all-star status in his junior year for the triple jump. He is the school record holder for the 4 by 400 relay. He also performs the long jump.

Well versed and obviously talented in many areas, Nate has a 96 academic average and is a member of the National Honor Society. He is a member of the Spanish Club, French Club, Earth Club, Health Careers Club and SADD (Students Against Destructive Decisions). His favorite academic subject is history.

The senior stalwart said he will major in business at Penn Stats University next year.

“We have a pretty good basketball team that is coming along well so far,” he said. “We have a few younger guys playing key roles as well as a group of seniors who are leading the way and showing how to play together as a team.”

Nate, a four-year member of the Dunmore basketball team, said he has learned a lot from coach Tony Lacertoso. “Coach Lacertoso teaches us how to be a good guy not only on the basketball court, but off the court. He teaches us how to win and how to lose. You can be a good winner, but you should also be a good loser. He teaches us how to carry yourself on and off the court.”

The scholar-athlete said his parents are excellent role models. “They teach me to always work hard and be respectful. They teach me to always keep my goals in mind and work hard to achieve them.”

Nate talked about what it takes to be a good small forward in high school basketball. “You need to demonstrate very good athleticism and do a nice job guarding opposing forwards. And you have to be able to make a shot and score from anywhere on the court.”

Nate said he likes listening to hip hop music in his spare time. His favorite musical artist is Post Malone.

And while Nate excels at both basketball and track and field, he knows there is football in his blood. His uncle is Vic Fangio, the highest paid defensive coordinator in the NFL as part of the Chicago Bears coaching staff.

Nate said he wants to be a part of a championship basketball team this season. He was a key member of a 15-1 Dunmore Bucks football team that went to the state championship earlier this school year.

And then he wants to win districts and become an all-star in track and field.

Those are his immediate goals before he ventures off to Penn State.

“Dunmore High School has been great to me,” Nate said. “It’s been a great experience, the best four years of my life. I’ve made a lot of great friends. I’ve met a lot of great people at school.

“Dunmore is a very tight community and there is great support here.”

Athlete of the Month: Victoria Toomey

Posted on January 3, 2018 by The Dunmorean

By Steve Svetovich

Dunmore junior Victoria Toomey has basketball in her blood.

Her mom, Carrie Bowen Toomey, was a Dunmore High School basketball standout and four-year starter at Franklin and Marshall College where she earned league MVP honors in her final two years. She is a member of the Northeast Chapter of the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame.

The apple is not falling too far from the tree.

Daughter of Pat and Carrie Toomey, Dunmore, Victoria, 16, was named tournament MVP as she led the Dunmore Lady Bucks to a 45-29 win over Abington Heights in the final game of the Lynett Girls Memorial Basketball Tournament.

Victoria, 16, scored 10 points in Dunmore’s 53-30 win over Scranton in the Lynett Tournament semifinal contest. She scored 14 points in Dunmore’s 45-29 win over Abington Heights in the clincher. She played outstanding defense in both games as Dunmore ran its record to a perfect 8-0 under coach Ben O’Brien.

The consummate team player, her reaction to earning tournament MVP honors was not surprising. “It was great and really exciting,” she said. “We were working so hard during the games that I really didn’t think about it. We were all thinking about the plays that had to be made.

“Earning MVP honors was just a nice extra.”

The scholar-athlete has a 95 academic average at Dunmore. Her favorite subject is history.

Victoria is a member of the Spanish Club, Earth Club, Art Club and TACT Club.

She commented on the team’s Lynett title, the third in a row for Dunmore. “We have just been getting better every game,” she said. “Everything just came together for us in that last game. We were working on our defense a lot in practice. The defense is getting better, We played great defense in the final. We communicated very well as a team. We still have some work to do to improve the defense even more.”

Victoria said she has learned a lot from coach O’Brien. “He keeps us very level headed on the court. He teaches us to work out everything on the court through communication. We can work through any problem. That is what he preaches to us.”

The stalwart center said her parents taught her a lot about the game. “They tell me to always do my best even on an off night shooting. They tell me to continue working hard and good things will happen.”

Victoria talked about what it takes to be a good center in high school basketball. “You need to be able to change your direction one way or another when moving to the basket. You need to make opponents score over you on defense.”

Outstanding on both ends of the court, Victoria started playing as a pre-schooler in Dunmore Biddy Basketball leagues. Her mom is president of the Dunmore Biddy Basketball League.

She talked about her future goals. “I want to play basketball in college. I’m not sure where I want to go yet. I am thinking about pre law. I want to enjoy college basketball and then graduate and be successful at work someday.”

A three-year member of the Dunmore Lady Bucks, Victoria likes listening to music in her spare time and would like to see Alicia Keys in concert.

She is loving her experience at Dunmore High School.

“I love Dunmore,” she said. “It’s a great town and the community supports the sports teams. It’s a tight knit community. The teachers and coaches at Dunmore are the best. I love going to school at Dunmore. It is a great experience.”