Dom Arguelles-Wyomissing

After leading by 20 points in the second quarter, Wyomissing had to hold off Schuylkill Valley 56-48 on Monday in Leesport. The Panthers missed a 3-pointer that would have cut their deficit to three points with less than two minutes left. “Our kids just dig in and they kept working and working…We were right there at the end,” said Schuylkill Valley coach Taylor Grim. The Panthers and Spartans tied for the Division 3 championship in the BCIAA a season ago. “It was really a big game. Last year, when we came here we lost,” noted Wyomissing point guard Dom Arguelles. The 6’ senior poured in a game-high 20 points. Arguelles, an all-division pick last season, is averaging 20 ppg. for the (2-1) Spartans.

Wyomissing scored the first six points and had a 19-7 advantage after the first quarter. Danny Fleischood jammed nine points into the first eight minutes. The 6’1 senior, who also plays football, finished with 15 points and 12 rebounds. “He’s really important. He’s our key piece. Without him, we struggle sometimes. He holds us together,” remarked Arguelles. Fleischood is a two-time all-division selection who can score at all three levels. The Spartans began the second quarter with a 8-0 run to go up 27-7. Schuylkill Valley was held to two field goals in the first half and trailed 30-14 at the break.

Zach Reeser, the Panthers’ leading scorer, came alive in the second half. The 5’11 junior provided eleven points in the third quarter. Reeser, who’s averaging 15.4 ppg., ended up with 18 points. “He stays under control and sees the floor pretty well. He can get his own shot, he can find open people. He’s developing into a pretty strong scorer for us,” explained Grim. Schuylkill Valley outscored Wyomissing 34-to-26 in the second half. The Spartans were in front 45-33 entering the fourth quarter, but the (2-3) Panthers didn’t go away quietly. Reeser made a layup with 2:15 remaining which was followed by two free throws from Derek Grim. Schuylkill Valley was within 52-46 before missing an open 3-pointer and then committing back-to-back turnovers. Arguelles and Fleischood each split a pair of foul shots to make it 54-46 with 29 seconds to go. Daniel Moyer sealed the victory with two free throws in the final seconds. Moyer, 6’ senior, provided a career-high 18 points and 10 rebounds. “He just brings that dog. He cleans up that glass. Nobody can stop him,” said Arguelles.

Grim chipped in with eight points for the Panthers and Josiah Urbaez added six off the bench. There were 58 combined free throw attempts. Schuylkill Valley went 21-for-32, while Wyomissing was 15-for-26. The Panthers lost their top three players to graduation in Cooper Hohenadel (14.6), Luke Spotts (11.3), and Kowen Gerner (11.2). Both of these teams went (15-10, 9-2) during the 2024-25 campaign. The Spartans fell to Reading 77-56 in the BCIAA quarterfinals. They then lost at home to Susquehanna Township 65-60 in the District 3-4A quarterfinals. “It didn’t go as well as we wanted last year. We just want to bounce back and go as far as we can. We know we can do it, we have all the pieces. We just have to play together,” replied Arguelles.