PENNSBURY BASKETBALL: Dalton Pepper breaks 2,000 points

By Bill Kenny;
For BucksLocalSports

It was with mixed emotions that Dalton Pepper and his Pennsbury High School boys basketball team took the court last night for their final regular- season home game.

With Pepper on the verge of eclipsing the magical 2,000-point plateau, the Falcons tantalizingly close to their fourth straight undefeated Suburban One League National Conference championship and a standing-room-only crowd in the house to witness it all, the anticipation couldn’t have been any greater.

Yet, there had to bit more than a touch of sadness, too, as perhaps the best basketball player ever to grace the Lower Bucks County hardwood was about to make one his final farewells.

Pepper wasted little time getting his milestone out of the way as he scored his team’s first five points to reach 2,001 for his career. Then he added another 23 to his total to lead the Falcons past Neshaminy, 67-45, and complete a 14-0 SOL campaign.

“He’s the ultimate competitor,” Pennsbury coach Frank Sciolla said when asked to sum up Pepper’s impact on the Falcons’ program. “He constantly talks about winning a state title. He’s been fortunate to have a lot of guys to help him along the way. (There were) guys who came before him as great players and Dalton has been able to take it to the next level.”

“It’s a great feeling. This right here is a great atmosphere,” Pepper said.
Pepper, a 6-foot-5 wing forward, became just the sixth Bucks County player to reach, 2,000, following Tyrone Lewis (Harry S Truman, 1996), Chad Hoppenwasser (New Hope-Solebury, 1995), Martin Salley (Harry S Truman, 1984), Wayne Keys (Bristol, 1986) and Mike Vreeswyk (Morrisville, 1985). Salley began his career at Neshaminy before transferring.

Pepper also became the 11th player in District One history to reach the mark, led by Kobe Bryant’s 2,883 for Lower Merion from 1992 to 1996. District One includes all of Southeastern Pennsylvania, excluding Philadelphia.

Bryant is ninth on the all-time Pennsylvania list. A.J. Natasi of Northern Bedford scored an amazing 3,833 from 1994 to 1998.

Natasi went on to play college ball at West Virginia University. So will Pepper.
“It’s a good accomplishment because only (10) guys in District One got it before,” Pepper said. “Guys like Kobe Bryant and Matt Carroll (a 1999 Hatboro-Horsham graduate). There are a lot of good guys in there.”

Neshaminy had no shot of pulling off an upset last night.

Pepper started off the game with a driving lay-up. Then with two minutes gone in the contest, his pull-up three-pointer from just right of the key got him to 2,001.

Pennsbury never trailed as its suffocating defense forced 17 first-half turnovers from the Redskins. Yet, the Falcons’ lead was a surprisingly narrow 11 points at intermission.

Pepper shot 7-for-15 from the floor in the first half, including 2-for-6 on threes.
After halftime, he took just seven shots, but made five to total 28 points.

Pennsbury’s lead got to 17 midway through the third quarter. Eddie DiRugers’ 3-pointer with one second left in the third put the Falcons up, 53-30.

Because the Falcons honored their seniors before and during the game, team manager Sean Simon got to suit up as a player for the first time ever. The senior got several minutes of playing time to conclude the rout. He did not get off a shot.
The mild-mannered Pepper, meanwhile, typically gave most of the credit for his personal accomplishment to others.

“I’ve met a lot of people who influenced me and made be a better player, a better person and a better student,” he said. “Especially Coach Sciolla. He’s guided me through my whole career.”
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LINESCORES
Neshaminy (13-8) 14 6 10 15 — 45
Pennsbury (19-2) 16 15 22 14 — 67
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NESHAMINY (45)
Carrezola 5-1-11, Deeter 3-2-9, Warhola 1-1-3, Emig 1-0-3, Arcidiacono 5-2-13, Williams 2-0-4, Katz 0-0-0, Adams 0-0-0, DeAngelis 0-0-0, Mendola 1-0-2. Totals 18-6-45.
PENNSBURY (67)
Wolff 1-0-2, DiRugeris 5-1-12, Pepper 12-2-28, Healey 1-1-3, Marcinkowski 3-0-6, Krasna 3-0-7, Devine 4-1-9, Kumor 0-0-0, Simon 0-0-0, Jabat 0-0-0. Totals 29-5-67.
3-pointers: Deeter, Emig, Arcidiacono (N); DiRugeris, Pepper 2, Krasna (P).