Dallastown forward Manny Mossengo may not seem all that intimidating in a conversation.

Even Wildcats' basketball coach Troy Smeltzer admits that.

"He's a kid of few words. But he's one of the most polite kids you'll ever meet," Smeltzer said.

Get the 6-foot, 6-inch forward out on the hardwood, though, and it becomes a different story.

On the basketball floor, Mossengo's aggressive nature can emerge, just as he displayed Wednesday night against Red Lion.

Mossengo scored 19 of his career-high 26 points in the second half on Wednesday to lead the host Wildcats to a 56-39 victory over the rival Lions.

For most of the game, Red Lion (2-2 York-Adams Division I, 4-2 overall) played a box-and-one configuration on defense in which Lions' guard Dylan Kirchner primarily covered Wildcats' guard Judd Gemmill, who is one of Dallastown's top scorers. The scheme worked out well -- Gemmill was held to just seven points.

As a result, Dallastown (3-1, 6-1) turned to its tower of power in the post. With no Red Lion player standing taller than 6-foot, 3-inches tall, the Lions struggled defending Mossengo. They tried limiting Mossengo by fouling him around the basket to send him to the line. Unfortunately for Red Lion, Mossengo made his free throws, going 14-of-18 from the charity stripe. He hit 9-of-10 from the line in the fourth quarter.

"I don't know. They kind of just went in today," Mossengo said. "Yeah, I practice them all the time. I'm always glad I make my free throws."

The Wildcats led by just two, 23-21, at the half and by four, 31-27, after three quarters. Four straight Red Lion turnovers to open the final period, however, helped Dallastown quickly build a double-digit advantage.

"If we don't turn the ball over in the first few minutes of the fourth quarter, it probably goes down to the wire," Red Lion coach Steve Schmehl said. "So, it ended a lot worse than it really was."

For the game, Red Lion had 21 turnovers, compared to 10 by Dallastown. The Lions pulled to within 38-30 with about five minutes remaining, but the Wildcats scored the next seven points and didn't look back from there.

Dallastown's Mitch Small (eight points) and forward Nick Russell (seven points) combined for 15 points.

Red Lion guard Tanner Klinefelter scored a team-high 13 points off the bench in his second game back since recovering from a broken collarbone. His teammate Dylan Jackson had 12 points.

OTHER BOYS' BASKETBALL

WEST YORK 72, DOVER 59: At West York, Luke Cable (25) and Ryan Lucas (20) combined for 45 of West York's 72 points in the victory over Dover. The Bulldogs trailed 22-15 after the first quarter, but used a 24-8 second-quarter spurt to take control. Brandon Smith and Connor Snyder each had 17 points for Dover, while Jerell Figueroa added 13 points.

YORK CATHOLIC 50, HANOVER 43: At York, the Irish used an 18-6 edge in scoring from the foul line to earn the victory. Patrick Montgomery led the Irish with 19 points, while Michael Sperring and Mark Burnside added 12 points each. Jordan Bank paced Hanover with 17 points, while Nick Trish added 15. York Catholic improved to 4-0 overall and 3-0 in York-Adams Division IV.

DELONE CATHOLIC 82, YORK TECH 52: At Spry, York Tech jumped out to a 19-8 lead after the first quarter but got outscored 74-33 the rest of the way. Seth Bullers poured in 24 points to lead Delone. He got double-digit support from Brett Smith (13) and Andrew Austin (11). Tech was led by Shayheim Carter with 14 points and Ronald Henderson with 13 points.

SOUTH WESTERN 58, SPRING GROVE 30: At Hanover, the Mustangs improved to 5-0 overall and 4-0 in York-Adams Division I. Parker Bean topped the winners with 21 points.

NEW OXFORD 48, KEN NARD-DALE 24: At Fawn Grove, the Colonials led 26-10 at the half and never looked back to capture the York-Adams Division II game. Aaron Yealy led the visitors with 15 points. Teammate Andre Marshall knocked in 11 points.

EASTERN 62, LITTLES TOWN 42: At Littlestown, the Golden Knights led 26-12 at the half and went on to capture the York-Adams Division III game. Dalton Reichard led the visitors with 22 points, including three from 3-point range. Teammate Tanner Holtz scored 16.

BERMUDIAN SPRINGS 42, SUSQUEHANNOCK 32: At York Springs, the Eagles outscored the Warriors 13-5 in the third quarter to pull away for good. Aaron Huntington and Zach Stroup led the home team with 10 points apiece. For the Warriors, Alex Fancher scored 18 points.

NORTHEASTERN 71, HALIFAX 40: At Halifax, the Bobcats held a commanding 36-16 lead at the half and went on to capture the non-league victory. Khalid Nwandu led the Bobcats with 18 points. Chris Nwandu knocked in 16 for Northeastern, while Elijah Cooper scored 12 points.

-- Reach John Walk at 505-5406 or jwalk@yorkdis patch.com.