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N.Eastern PA Report
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Past Columns |
ed note: We are pleased to have the some info from the
North Eastern part of the state. We are pleased to have a long time LLHoops fan , Jon K. to contribute. Thanks Jon. Hope you enjoy. PLEASE HIT YOUR BROWSER “REFRESH” BUTTON TO MAKE
SURE YOU ARE VIEWING THE MOST RECENT UPDATE OF THE N.EAST PA BEAT. UPDATED 4/18/11 Welcome
back to the NEP Beat. The LLHoops ALL-District 2 Boys and Girls squads
are announced below. Once again, it
was extremely challenging to narrow down the top performers into a single top
25 list. Stop back
next week for the Postseason Edition
with recaps on the WVC and Lackawanna League senior all-star games, PA team
selections, some coaching changes, and some other final thoughts on the
season. We’ll also glance ahead at the
some of the teams with high expectations heading toward the 2011-2012
campaign. ALL-DISTRICT 2 BOYS
2010-2011 TEAM Brandon Angradi (Delaware Valley, 6-3, Junior,
G, 23.2 ppg) Tommy Armillay (Riverside, 6-2, Senior, G,
13.8 ppg) Austin Carr (Holy Redeemer, 6-1, Senior,
G, 9.9 ppg) Darrell Crawford (WB GAR, 5-9, Junior, G, 11.3
ppg) Frankie DePietro (North Pocono, 5-9, Senior, G,
17.7 ppg) Malik Draper (Scranton, 6-4, Junior, G,
12.1 ppg) Tim Fisch (Scranton, 5-10, Senior, G, 10.9
ppg) Bilal Floyd (Hanover Area, 5-10, Senior,
G, 14.6 ppg) Tony Goodall (Old Forge, 5-10, Senior, G,
14.3 ppg) James McCann (Wyo. Valley West, Junior, G,
14.7 ppg) Mike Papi (Tunkhannock, 6-3, Senior, G,
15.4 ppg) JC Show (Abington Heights, 6-0, Fresh,
G, 15.0 ppg) Jordan Siddons (Valley View, 6-1, Senior, G,
14.0 ppg) Malcolm Sweeting (West Scranton, 5-10, Junior,
G, 13.4 ppg) Terry Turner (Scranton, 6-7, Junior, G,
17.1 ppg) Jonathan Wojnar (Crestwood, 5-11, Senior, G,
12.0 ppg) Dwaine Gilley (Hazleton Area, 6-2, Senior,
F, 10.5 ppg) Jerry Kincel (Riverside, 6-0, Junior, F,
22.3 ppg) Josh Kosin (Holy Cross, 6-5, Soph, F,
15.0 ppg) Eugene Lewis (Wyo. Valley West, 6-2,
Junior, F, 17.0 ppg) Stephen Ruch (Holy Redeemer, 5-11, Senior,
F, 9.6 ppg) Keyton Winder (WB Meyers, 6-4, Senior, F,
15.1 ppg) Peter Alexis (Holy Redeemer, 6-11, Senior,
C, 21.1 ppg) Cael Evans (Nanticoke, 6-8, Senior, C, 15.0
ppg) Steve Miller (Lackawanna Trail, 7-0, Junior,
C, 15.9 ppg) ALL-DISTRICT 2 BOYS
AWARDS Boys Player of the Year – Peter Alexis (Holy Redeemer) Boys Freshman of the Year – JC Show (Abington Heights) Boys Coach of the Year – Mike Morgan (Riverside) ALL-DISTRICT 2 GIRLS
2010-2011 TEAM Michelle Bugonowicz (Hanover Area, Senior, G, 9.9
ppg) Chelsea Cornelius (Crestwood, 6-0, Senior, G,
14.0 ppg) Dallas Ely (Montrose, 5-5, Junior, G, 16.8
ppg) Olivia Francisco (Holy Redeemer, 5-7, Senior,
G, 13.7 ppg) Samantha Gow (Nanticoke, 5-5, Junior, G,
8.7 ppg) Amanda Greene (West Scranton, Senior, G, 9.6
ppg) Morgann Haduck (Riverside, 5-4, Senior, G,
15.1 ppg) Nora Joyce (West Scranton, Senior, G, 10.8
ppg) Teresa Kalinay (Nanticoke Area, 5-6, Junior,
G, 13.8 ppg) Sara Kneal (Dallas, 5-5, Senior, G, 11.1
ppg) Ashley Murray (Dunmore, 5-6, Senior, G, 14.8
ppg) Corinna Palko (Dunmore, 5-5, Senior, G, 11.0
ppg) Lindsey Schroth (Scranton Prep, 5-9, Senior,
G, 9.9 ppg) Lauren Skudalski (Wyoming Seminary, Senior, G,
14.0 ppg) Elena Stambone (Valley View, 5-5, Senior, G,
16.5 ppg) Danielle Terranella (Mid Valley, 5-7, Junior, G,
19.3 ppg) Janelle Ziminski (Hazleton Area, Senior, G, 9.0
ppg) Selena Adamshick (Lake-Lehman, 6-0, Senior, F, 19.3
ppg) Sabrina Coleman (West Scranton, Senior, F, 10.1
ppg) Maggie Fruehan (Abington Hts., 5-10, Senior, F,
12.6 ppg) Mia Hopkins (Pittston Area, 5-9, Soph, F,
18.1 ppg) Alli Walsh (Mid Valley, 5-9, Senior, F,
12.1 ppg) Katie Yale (Forest City, Senior, F, 13.7
ppg) Tara Zdancewicz (Wyo. Valley West, 5-10,
Junior, F, 13.2 ppg) Maddie Lavery (WB Meyers, 6-2, Senior, C,
15.2 ppg) ALL-DISTRICT 2 GIRLS
AWARDS Girls Player of the Year – Ashley Murray (Dunmore) Girls Freshman of the Year - Quietteirua
Gross (Wilkes-Barre GAR) Girls Coach of the Year – Ben
O’Brien (Dunmore) UPDATED 3/27/11 The NEP Beat just wrapped another
exciting weekend at the PIAA State championships. Having a District 2 team competing for the first time since 2006 made it
all the more special. Even enduring
their most frustrating quarter of the entire season could not dampen the
spirits of hundreds of avid Dunmore
Lady Bucks fans who cheered their beloved hometown
team until the final buzzer sounded. Some
thoughts on the Girls AA Championship
game, along with some highlights and observations of the other seven matchups
will be posted in the next day or so.
The FINAL District 2 Boys and
Girls Top 10 Ratings are post below.
As always , the NEP Beat is putting together a season-ending column which will
include this year’s LLHoops.com All-District 2 team. 2010-2011 FINAL
DISTRICT 2 BOYS TOP 10 1. Scranton (23-3)
4A 2. Holy Redeemer (24-5)
3A 3. Riverside (23-6) 2A 4. Wilkes-Barre Meyers
(24-3) 2A 5. West Scranton (21-7)
3A 6. Holy Cross (18-7) 2A 7. Abington Heights
(16-12) 3A 8. Wyoming Valley West
(18-7) 4A 9. Old Forge (17-8)
1A 10. Wilkes-Barre GAR
(16-7) 2A HONORABLE MENTION Blue Ridge
(14-9), Crestwood (12-11), Dallas (12-11), Delaware Valley (11-13), Dunmore
(15-11), Elk Lake (12-10), Hanover Area (16-9), Hazleton Area (13-10), Lackawanna
Trail (15-11), Mid Valley (14-12), Montrose, (18-7), North Pocono (15-7),
Northwest (13-10), Tunkhannock (15-10), Valley View (13-12). 2010-2011 FINAL
DISTRICT 2 GIRLS TOP 10 1. Dunmore (26-6) 2A 2. Mid Valley (25-5) 2A 3. West Scranton (25-2)
3A 4. Holy Redeemer (19-8)
3A 5. Abington Heights
(18-7) 4A 6. Scranton Prep (21-6)
3A 7. Lake-Lehman (22-4) 2A 8. Montrose (21-5) 2A 10. Dallas (16-5) 3A HONORABLE MENTION Berwick
(17-6), Crestwood (15-9), Forest City (17-10), Hazleton Area (12-13),
Nanticoke (16-7), North Pocono (10-11), Old Forge (12-13), Riverside (17-9),
Tunkhannock (10-11), Valley View (13-13), Wilkes-Barre Meyers (13-9), Wyoming
Valley West (14-10). UPDATED 3/24/11 PIAA GIRLS
AA STATE CHAMPIONSHIP Friday,
March 25, 1 pm - BJC Dunmore Lady Bucks (District 2 Champion, 26-5) vs. Villa Maria Academy Victors (District 10 Champion, 26-2) So, what
does Villa Maria Academy do for an
encore to their back-to-back state championships? Despite losing all five starters from last
year (including McDonalds All-American Kayla
McBride) and having their 11-year head coach Scott Dibble resign after the regular season ended (267-55
record), the Victors have advanced
to yet another title game – their fourth in five years. VMA extended their state
playoff winning streak to 14 games with a 58-34 win over District 7 champion Seton LaSalle Tuesday night. After trailing early 7-2, they rallied for
a big 40-20 scoring advantage in the second
half. The Victors feature one of the
top guards in all of District 10 in Lisa
Mifsud (5-7 junior) who nailed a pair of big treys in the third period,
part of her 18-point second half.
Their other guards are speedy and include Abbey Steudler (5-8 junior) and Adrienne Kloecker (5-7 junior).
Against Seton LaSalle, the trio netted 38 combined points. VMA’s defense came up huge, creating 32
turnovers and they played extremely tough under the basket (half of their 16
offensive rebounds turned into points).
The Victors also bring plenty of height to Happy Valley. 5-10 sophomore swing player Karlee McBride had 13 points Tuesday
night. She is joined by 5-11 junior
forward Zhane Brooks, 5-11
sophomore forward Leah Bennett,
and 6-0 junior forward Rebecca Sweny. All their top players are underclassmen, so
yet another visit to PSU in 2012 seems possible. Dunmore has an outstanding group of
guards who play tenacious defense and know how to run the floor. Their pressure D on all-state candidate
Danielle Terranella in five games this season speaks volumes. How the Lady Bucks react to the big stage of the Bryce Jordan Center is always a factor to be considered. VMA has been there before, but their
current players were only sophomores and freshmen at the time. So, this is probably a new experience for
them also. Villa Maria’s interim head
coach, Doug Chuzie, is a veteran,
being with their program for the previous eight seasons. Each of their state title appearances have
been against nemesis York Catholic (who they defeated last year for
gold). The Fighting Irish dropped a
one-point loss to Mid Valley – who
then lost 51-46 on Tuesday night to Dunmore.
VMA comes into the game on a 13-game winning streak with only two
close losses to top AAAA programs (including a 48-44 loss to Cardinal
O’Hara). Dunmore is
going to have to keep their turnovers to a minimum and limit the Victors to
only one shot on each possession. The
Lady Bucks play as smart and gutsy as any girls team
the NEP Beat has seen this
year. Good luck in bringing a state
championship back to District 2. As always,
the NEP Beat will be on hand for
all eight state championship games this week.
Stop back on Sunday
- the final District 2 boys
and girls Top 10 Ratings will be
posted. UPDATED 3/23/11 HIGH
FIVE!! Dunmore defeats Mid Valley 51-46, advances to play District 10 Champion Villa Maria Academy for PIAA Girls AA State Championship
(Friday, 1 pm @Penn State’s Bryce
Jordan Center) CONGRATULATIONS LADY BUCKS What a
special night for District 2 girls basketball, full of heart-pumping drama that kept
fans on the edge of their seats until the closing moments of the Girls AA Eastern Championship. Fans started filing into the historic
Jefferson Avenue venue over 75 minutes before tip-off. It was a sea of Dunmore red and Mid Valley
blue split down the middle by the half court line – actually a nice way of
getting both student groups and fans cheering back and forth across the
court. The crowd lined the balcony
railings and eventually also filtered into the seldom used upper level seats
behind the one basket. In all, the
attendance was reported to be an amazing 3,900 – it was a truly wonderful
atmosphere, unmatched for a girls District 2 game. Once
again, it was a game in which Dunmore
battled back from a final quarter deficit.
After being tied at 37, Mid
Valley got two free throws and a trey from Danielle Terranella (14 points) to give the Spartanettes a 42-37
lead – sending their fans into a frenzy.
Then, freshman Sarah Ross
(who was in for Courtney Murray
who had 4 fouls) keyed a 6-0 Dunmore run (Ross jumper, Ashley Murray
steal + layup, and a Corinna Palko
layup) over the next 2 minutes gave the Lady Bucks a 43-42 lead. The game went back and forth frantically
(score by Alli Walsh, putback by Ross, and an Alyssa Miraglia putback) until Ashley Murray hit one of two free throws to knot the game at 46
with 1:53 remaining. As Terranella tried her best to drive
into traffic (denied on three possessions), Dunmore used a Palko free throw and gutsy 8-foot
jumper by Ashley Murray to go up
49-46 with less than a minute remaining.
A Mid Valley walking call gave the ball back to the Lady Bucks with 30
ticks left. The Spartanettes allowed a
lot of precious time to run down before fouling Murray at the 13 second mark.
She converted both free throws to seal the 51-46 win. Mid Valley
started the game strong, leading 4-0 before Dunmore tied the game at 8 via
some great efforts by Ashley Murray
(putback layup and steal + layup). The
Spartanettes then went on a 6-0 run to go up 14-8 before a free throws and Corinna Palko (9 points) basket made
the score 14-11 after the first period.
In the second, two straight Alyssa
Miraglia (12 points) baskets gave MV their largest lead of the night, 18-11. Alexa
Gerchman (11 points) then got involved for Dunmore as she made a layup,
and then another layup + foul shot triggered by a steal off Terranella to make it 18-15. Mid Valley went into the locker room
leading by a trey, 23-20. After the
break, the Lady Bucks used a nifty corner bank shot by Gerchman and Ashley Murray (25 points) trey to take the lead
25-23. The teams continued to go back
and forth for the rest of the period.
A traditional 3-point play by Alli Walsh (13 points) gave Mid Valley a
37-34 advantage with 42 seconds left, but Murray responded with her own layup and foul 14 seconds later to
knot the game at 37 heading into the hectic final stanza. Overall,
it was a fantastic game – the kind where you hated to see either team
lose. Dunmore advances to take on Villa Maria Academy (the district 10
Champion) who advanced to the state championship game with a somewhat
surprising 58-34 win over District 7 winner Seton LaSalle. Word was
that the Victors were considered a
slight underdog in that matchup. Stop back
for some thoughts on Friday’s state championship game. UPDATED 3/21/11 TRIVIA: When was the last time
two Lackawanna League teams met in a PIAA Semi Final (Eastern Championship)? (scroll down for answer) UPDATED 3/20/11 CONGRATULATIONS TO Mid Valley Spartanettes Dunmore Lady Bucks for
advancing to the PIAA Girls AA Semifinals Tuesday,
March 22 (Lackawanna
College, 7pm) Something
has to give. In the last three state
playoff wins, Danielle Terranella
– Mid Valley’s sensational junior
– has averaged 30.3 ppg. However, in
four matchups against Lackawanna League Division 2 rival Dunmore, she has only scored an average of 12.5 points per
game. It’s just one of several
interesting storylines of this year’s Girls
AA Eastern Championhip game. If
confidence in clutch situations situations can give them an edge, the Lady
Bucks (who have defeated the Spartanettes four times this season) have got to
feel good about their chances of advancing to Penn State. Let’s recap their head-to-head battles this
season. January 10 (at Mid Valley –First Half) ·
Dunmore
46, Mid Valley 34 (66th straight league win) ·
Dunmore
jumps out to 24-12 halftime lead ·
Mid
Valley gets outrebounded, shoots only 23% ·
Corinna
Palko + Ashley Murray = 31 points ·
Courtney
Murray dominant inside (11 boards) ·
Daniella
Terranella held to only 11 points February 3 (at Dunmore – Second Half) ·
Dunmore
44, Mid Valley 39 (OT) ·
Mid
Valley jumped out to 15-8 lead after 1st ·
Ashley
Murray did not play due to illness ·
Corinna
Palko strong play (13 points) ·
Terranella
14, Alli Walsh 12 for Mid Valley February 16 (at Carbondale – Second Half
Playoff) ·
Dunmore
43, Mid Valley 38 ·
Leading
by one, Dunmore hits 4 FT (foul plus MV technical) ·
Ashley
Murray 15 points, Courtney Murray 12 boards ·
Walsh
and Terranella combine for 25 Mid Valley points March 1 (District 2 Semi
Finals) ·
Dunmore
43, Mid Valley 40 ·
Mid
Valley leading 29-26 after three periods ·
Lady
Bucks outscore Spartanettes 17-11 in 4th ·
Ashley
Murray 21, Corinna Palko 12 ·
Danielle
Terranella 13 points TRIVIA
ANSWER: 1999, Boys
A Eastern Final Bishop
Hannan vs. Susquehanna (@ Univ. of Scranton) UPDATED 3/19/11 MARTZ MAGIC Luck Runs Out For Irish; Sierra Missed By Squirettes There are many
head-turning moments that happen this time of year – when you can’t believe
what just happened. Like when Butler
defeated Pitt Saturday night in one of the most bizarre NCAA finishes ever
seen. Did that just happen? Then, there are those other basketball
moments that are even more surreal and have you running for the morning paper
the next day just to make sure that the previous night’s amazing Girls 2A
doubleheader sweep by District 2 really happened at Martz Hall. After all, this was expected by many to be
a mere tune-up for a District 3 championship rematch. And why not. Weren’t these the same Scranton-area
opponents that couldn’t even garner a mere “honorable mention” during the
regular season Patriot AA state rankings?
The coaches knew better. They
knew their players - their enthusiasm, leadership, and ability. And they knew that opportunities to win
state championships are not created in rankings or blogs, but on the
hardwoods of legendary venues like Martz Hall. The reality is that Friday night may not
have created any long-term shift in the AA landscape, because York Catholic
and Delone Catholic will probably be back strong as ever in 2012. But, for now, however improbable and
unbelievable – it’s true. Really? REALLY!!
And that road to the PIAA Girls
AA State Championship will now pass directly through District 2. There’s still plenty of time to hop on the
bandwagon. Tuesday night is going to
be a wonderful celebration of the competitive basketball played in Division 2
of the Lackawanna League. By now,
everyone knows that the only blemishes on Mid Valley’s season mark have been
four losses to Dunmore. But, the gap
has narrowed in each game from 12 points to 5 to 3. The old saying – if at first you don’t
succeed – is as true today as when the Lady Bucks or Spartanettes first heard
it playing youth basketball. For Mid
Valley, sure, maybe there are a few more “try agains” added on, but that’s
OK. The NEP Beat congratulates both teams,
coaching staffs, and school communities – see you at DMV Part 5 Tuesday night. PIAA QUARTER FINAL RECAPS FRIDAY, MARCH 18 BOYS AAA (3-1)
Lancaster Catholic 56, (2-1) Holy Redeemer 41 (ends at 24-4) Holy Redeemer started out red-hot thanks to some
great shooting from Stephen Ruch
who netted all eight of his points in the first quarter and gave his team a
quick 12-5 advantage. But, like a
prize-fighter momentarily thrown off-guard, Lancaster Catholic continued to make adjustments throughout the
ball game. One thing that never changed, however, was their
relentless defensive pressure – the level of which the Royals simply had not
encountered for 32 non-stop minutes throughout the season. After Will
Schlosser (12 points) hit back-to-back treys, the Crusaders had battled
back to end the first period only trailing 12-11. But, Holy Redeemer’s 6-11 big man, PSU
recruit Peter Alexis (24 points,
11 rebounds) had established himself as a force to deal with a he had 5 of
his 9 blocks in the first stanza. The
second quarter ended with Phil Wenger
pulling in a rebound and putting up a quick, off-balance shot which gave his
team a 25-24 lead at the break. It
also marked the last time that the Royals (moments earlier up 24-23) would
hold a lead the rest of the game. Out
of the locker room, it was Lancaster Catholic that was able to elevate their
intensity as they grabbed a 35-27 edge halfway through the period. However, the Royals, behind 10 points from Alexis (who hit 11 of 14 field goals
on the night), methodically worked the ball inside to go on a 12-4 run to
knot the contest at 39 early in the final quarter. Then, the wheels fell off Holy Redeemer’s
bid to advance to an Eastern title game against Neumann-Goretti. The Crusaders began to work the ball inside
with crisp passes, finding the open man.
They also used their speed to get second chance scoring opportunities
and create several key Holy Redeemer turnovers. An Alexis tip-in
at the 2:48 mark cut the deficit to four points (45-41), but a Paul Senkowski (11 points) trey and
fast-break bucket over the next 37 seconds began to put the game out of reach
(50-41). Several wild long-range
misses by the Royals sealed the game-ending 17-2 run. In the final period, HR only hit 2 of 17
shots (zero of 11 on treys). The
Crusaders also got a great second half effort from Bryan Rivera who netted 12 of his 16 points. Overall, it was a wonderful and memorable
season for the Royals.
GIRLS AA (2-1) Dunmore
54, (3-2) Delone Catholic 45 (OT) (2-3) Mid
Valley 57, (3-1) York Catholic 56 Dunmore, leading 43-40 with just a
handful of seconds left, saw Emily
Gringow nail a trey at the buzzer to force overtime. Fortunately for the Lady Bucks, Delone Catholic had to play OT with
two of their starters on the bench (including Sierra Moore), having fouled
out. The result was an 11-2 advantage
to give Dunmore a pulsating 54-45 win.
Ashley Murray scored 18
while Alexa Gerchman had 12 with
12 rebounds. The Lady Bucks limited
sensational junior Sierra Moore to
only 5 points (well below her season average of 23 ppg). The Squirettes got 14 from Maria Photiades scored and 10 each
from Gingrow and Katelyn Thomas. Mid Valley bolted out to a 16-6 lead
after the first period behind Danielle
Terranella who scored 11 of her team’s first 13 points. She finished the night with 34 points
(11-18 field goals, 11-14 FT), 7 rebounds, and 3 blocks. After the Spartanettes held a 30-27 lead at
the break, the Fighting Irish went on a 9-5 third period run to go up by one
(36-35). But, a Terranella trey gave Mid Valley the lead right back – and they
would not trail again in the game.
With MV leading 57-54 late (only 9.5 ticks left), Terranella missed a
free throw. Vanderbilt-recruit Kady Schrann (21 points) took the
ball down court and drove in for a layup to trim the score to 57-56, but the
Spartanettes were then able let the clock run out without inbounding the
ball. In their huge win over the
top-rated AA team in the state, Alli
Walsh scored 15 with 13 rebounds and Alyssa
Miraglia added 10 rebounds. The
Irish only got two other players into the scoring column, Rachel Forjan with 20 and Morgan Klunk with 15.
UPDATED 3/17/11 Second Round recaps
posted. Friday’s Quarter Final Round
previews posted. CONGRATULATIONS TO Mid Valley spartanettes Dunmore Lady Bucks Holy redeemer royals for
advancing to the quarterfinal round of the PIAA state playoffs on Friday,
March 18. PIAA QUARTER FINAL PREVIEWS FRIDAY, MARCH 18 BOYS AAA (2-1) Holy
Redeemer (24-3) vs. (3-1) Lancaster Cath. (28-1) ·
Parkland High School, 7 pm Holy Redeemer advances to take on District 3
champion Lancaster Catholic. The word on the Crusaders is that they are an
extremely balanced team that plays lights-out defense. Everyone on their squad can handle the ball
extremely well, they have several deadly three-point
shooters, and a young center who is surprisingly good – fast and nimble. Much like their last state championship
team, Lancaster Catholic is a fun team to watch – totally unselfish and they
play with a lot of enthusiasm. While
they may not be the tallest team remaining in the tournament, their players
create a lot of second chance scoring opportunities. Try and beat them down court on a fast
break – well, good luck with that.
Maybe the most telling statistic is that their 14-point second round
win over Allentown Central Catholic was a
tight contest by their recent standards.
Five of their recent wins were by almost 25 points. Against Eastern York in the District 3
championship game, the Crusaders trailed briefly (43-41) before going on a
17-2 run to seal a 64-49 win over the Golden Knights. They are led by three seniors – 5-10 guard Will Schlosser, 6-1 forward Phil Wenger, and 6-3 senior guard Paul Senkowski. They also have 5-8 junior Brian Rivera and 6-4 sophomore center
Devonne Pinkard. Against ACC, Pinkard had 18 points with 8 rebounds, Wenger netted 14 (with 8
boards), and Senkowski had
12. And when they got a lead on the
Vikes, they answered by going 18-18 from the charity stripe to hold off two
rallies. The Crusaders are typically
able to take away the driving lanes, so Holy Redeemer is going to have to
capitalize when they get the ball inside.
Having a 6-11 guy inside like Peter Alexis is a huge plus for the Royals, but he can’t
ride time on the bench in foul trouble in this one. On the perimeter, Holy Redeemer has solid
ball handlers, but they must respect the defensive speed of the Crusaders. Lancaster Catholic only has one blemish on
their record – a 45-44 loss on a buzzer-beater tip-in to Hempfield (in the
Lancaste-Lebanon League quarter-finals).
The winner advances to play either District 1 champion Octorara (23-4) or District 12 champion
Neumann-Goretti (24-4) next
Tuesday. GIRLS AA (2-1)
Dunmore (24-5) vs. (3-2) Delone Cath. (22-7), Martz 6 (2-3) Mid
Valley (24-4) vs. (3-1) York Cath. (30-0), Martz 7:30 What’s better
than a quarter-final double-header matching the best of District 2 against
District 3 -
once again at Martz Hall. Dunmore takes on District 3 runner-up
Delone Catholic who got by Pine
Grove 58-46 in second round action. It was an extremely physical game – the
stripes allowed the hand checks and slight bumps in that one. One of the Squirettes most promising
juniors (and likely Division 1 recruit), 6-0 guard Sierra Moore (24 ppg) was questionable after an ankle injury
during her 23-point effort against Central Columbia in the first round. Not only did she play against the
Cardinals, but she netted 33 along with 12 rebounds. She has a knack of smoothly penetrating
down the lane. A player who looks to
hit 2,000 points early next season, Moore
is the go-to player for Delone Catholic.
Their other key players include 5-7 junior guard Maria Photiades (9.2 ppg), 5-10 junior forward Courtney McMaster (4.6 ppg), 5-4
senior guard Emily Gingrow (6.2
ppg), and 5-9 senior forward Emily
Gerlach (2.9 ppg). The Squirettes
go with a deep rotation – 9 deep and only allow about 38 ppg. They’ll play a tough man and give zone
looks in the half court to try and deny the hot-shooting Lady Bucks guard
combo of Ashley Murray and Corinna Palko. Delone Catholic has a great winning
tradition, having won three state championships since 2003 – in many ways
they, like Dunmore, have advanced this far due to their scrappy attitude and
tenacious play. The winner advances to
play either Mid Valley (2-1, 24-4)
or undefeated District 3 champ York
Catholic (30-0). Mid Valley has quite the challenge ahead
of them, taking on undefeated perennial powerhouse York Catholic whose last loss came in the 2010 Girls AA state
championship (having won 37 of their last 38 games). Amazingly, the Fighting Irish only have one
senior in their lineup. But, it’s
someone that girls hoops fans have been watching
since she debuted as a freshman phenom.
Vanderbilt-bound Kady Schrann
is again outstanding (averaging about 20 ppg), but she has been getting a lot
of help this year as some of their underclassmen have developed nicely. Rachel
Forjan (5-7 junior) and Morgan
Klunk (5-8 sophomore) combined to score 25 points in their 61-30 second
round win over Springfield-Montco.
Other starters include 5-6 junior Karli
McFatridge and 5-11 junior Carly
Marks, both veteran players. Maybe
the only troublesome part of YC’s resume is that they have been getting out
to slow starts through the season, so a fast start by the Spartanettes will
certainly help keep them within striking distance. The winner advances to play either District
2 champion Dunmore (24-5) or
District 3 runner-up Delone Catholic
(22-7). PIAA SECOND ROUND RECAPS TUESDAY, MARCH 15 BOYS AAA (2-1) Holy
Redeemer 61, (12-2) Philadelphia Electric 50 (12-1)
Neumann-Goretti 75, (2-2) W. Scranton (ends at 21-7) Holy
Redeemer jumped out to an 11-point first half lead and was able to hold on to
much of that advantage with Peter
Alexis on the bench for the majority of the second quarter (with 2
fouls). The Royals were also able to
hit several buzzer-beating shots at the end of each period to maintain
momentum and an emotional edge. Holy
Redeemer converted 20 of 25 free throws in the game and got 26 from 6-11 Alexis and 10 points from Stephen Ruch. The Chargers got a steady game from Carrington Ward (21), David George (11), and Devante Chance (10). In the other matchup, Neumann-Goretti
simply outmanned West Scranton, jumping out to a commanding 24-2 lead. The Invaders never gave up, going on a 12-3
run in the third period to turn a 44-18 deficit into a 47-30 game. Tim
Langan netted 15 for West Side.
BOYS A (3-1) Reading CC 32, (2-1) Old Forge 21 (ends at 17-8) Old Forge was
able to stick to their game plan and handled Reading Central Catholic’s trap
defense for the majority of 2 and a half periods. The Blue Devils held all the momentum in
leading 17-8 early in the third quarter.
But, some missed opportunities and turnovers gave the Cardinals
opportunities to slice into the lead.
Old Forge ended up getting outscored 24-4 over the next 15 minutes in
the second round loss. Tony Goodall scored 11 for the Blue
Devils and Dom Avvisato played
well in limiting Donovan Jack to 5
points. GIRLS AA (2-1)
Dunmore 64, (12-1) Carver E & S 61 (2-3) Mid
Valley 46, (11-2) Northern Lehigh 41 Lackawanna
Division 2 rivals Dunmore and Mid Valley each came away with outstanding
second round wins. Dunmore rallied from
a 51-46 deficit with 5 minutes left to force ties at 55 and 59 before they
grabbed a 62-59 lead which they were able to hold onto in the final
minute. Early on, Carver’s Brittany Hrynko played spectacular
scoring 17 first half points and giving her team a 21-8 advantage. The Lady Bucks rallied to cut it to 33-26
at the break and only trailed by a single point (47-46) heading into the
final stanza. Ashley Murray had a monster game netting 34 with 7 treys. Corinna
Palko added 16. In the other game,
Mid Valley trailed Northern Lehigh 27-17 in the second period, but then went
on a 24-14 run to tie the game at 41.
That‘s when the Spartanettes got several scoring chances, finally
running a screen play to perfection with Danielle
Terranella (23 points, 9 rebounds) hitting a trey to give Mid Valley a
44-41 lead. North Lehigh was paced by Aimee Oertner with 13. The Spartanettes held a 35-22 advantage in
rebounds. WEDNESDAY, MARCH 16 BOYS AA (12-4)
Communications Tech 49, (2-1) Riverside 48 (ends at 23-6) (12-1)
Imhotep 56, (2-2) Wilkes-Barre Meyers 33 (ends at 24-3) District 2
AA champion Riverside played speedy and athletic Communications Tech evenly
through the entire game, but came up just a bit short in the closing seconds
of winning or sending the game to overtime.
The Vikings, as they have done all season, shot the ball extremely
well and limited their turnovers. In
the final moments with the Phoenix leading 49-47, Richard Hoskins (23 points) missed a 1+1 for Comm Tech with 20
seconds left. Tommy Armillay (22 points) was able to penetrate and his layup
rolled around the rim and out. Another
Comm Tech missed 1+1 with 9 ticks remaining gave the Vikes one final
opportunity. Jerry Kincel (14 points) got fouled with 0.3 seconds left. After making his first free throw, the
second came up a bit short, bouncing off the front of the rim - a heart-breaking defeat. In the other matchup, Wilkes-Barre Meyers
went up against one of the elite teams in the entire nation - Imhotep
Charter. The Mohawks kept it fairly
close early, only trailing 23-12 at the break. But after seeing their lead trimmed to 12
with 6 minutes left, ‘Hoptep got patient and forced Meyers to abandon their
zone. The result was all kinds of open
lanes and an 11-0 run to put the game away.
Ryan Krawczeniuk and Keyton Winder each scored 9 for
the Mohawks. Imhotep got a combined 31
points from Brandon Austin, Ameen Tanksley, and David Appolon. GIRLS AAA (12-2)
Prep Charter 56, (2-1) West Scranton 31 (ends at 25-2) (12-1)
Arch. Wood 43, (2-2) Holy Redeemer 25 (ends at 19-8) District 2
teams found the going very tough against the District 12 champion and
runner-up. West Scranton again started
off slowly through a combination of poor passes, soft defense and missed
shots and found themselves in a quick 14-1
hole. The Lady Invaders were never
able to trim the lead below 10 points the rest of the way. Nora
Joyce netted 15 for West while Division 1 prospect Kahleah Cooper scored 20 and Tiffany
Johnson added 13 for the Huskies.
In the other game, Holy Redeemer took on defending state champion
Archbishop Wood. After only trailing
12-6 after the first period, the Lady Royals got blanked in the second and
the deficit grew to 15 points at the break (21-6). A 7-5 Holy Redeemer run in the second half
made it 26-13, but the Vikings did not allow them any closer. Nicole
Maximowicz had 8 for the Royals while Christine Verrelle had 11 for Archbishop Wood. UPDATED 3/14/11 Tuesday and Wednesday PIAA Second
Round previews involving District 2 teams are now posted. First round recaps are posted
(further) below. LOWER MERION DEALS SCRANTON EARLY EXIT Aces win overtime thriller to end Knights
season at 23-3 Overall,
nine District 2 boys and girls teams advanced to PIAA Second Round
action. Two others (Abington Hts. in
Boys 3A and Scranton in Boys 4A) lost OT heartbreakers over the weekend. PIAA SECOND ROUND PREVIEWS TUESDAY, MARCH 15 BOYS AAA (2-1) Holy
Redeemer (23-4) vs. (12-2) Phila. Elec. (23-5), Freedom 6:30 (2-2) W.
Scranton (21-6) vs. (12-1) Neumann-Goretti (23-4), Freedom 8
After
coming away with hard-fought first round wins, Holy Redeemer and West
Scranton will get together for a double-header at Bethlehem Freedom - a beautiful
basketball facility. Their opponents
have been regarded among the top rated teams in the entire state, regardless
of classification. The two Philly
teams got together back on March 4 to decide the Class AAA City Title with
Nuemann-Goretti coming away with a 62-54 win over Philadelphia Electrical. Holy Redeemer will take on Philadelphia Electrical which
competes in Division B of the Philly Public League. The Chargers finished league play with a
perfect 15-0 mark this year. They
bring a great blend of talented guards and post players with senior
leadership. In their first round game,
they came out with somewhat of a lackluster effort and found themselves in a
real battle against Pope John Paul II.
PET got things rolling after the break as Carrington Ward (6-3 senior wing guard, 18.5 ppg) scored 18 of
his 28 points to lead his team to a tight 62-56 win. Ward - who also added six rebounds, five
steals, and three assists – came into the Chargers program after two season
playing for Communications Tech. He is
one of two key stars on their roster.
He is joined by 5-10 senior point guard Devante Chance (15.8 ppg) who had 18 points against Pope John
Paul II. Their 6-7
junior forward David George
has really come on this year and averages 8.3 ppg. Other top players include 6-1 sophomore
guard Hakeem Baxter (7.4 ppg, 19
against N-G), 6-4 junior G/F Emmanuel
Brown (6.8 ppg), and 6-9 sophomore F/C Jai Williams (5.3 ppg).
PET is very talented, but not too deep. Like any Pub team, they’re willing to take
trey on a moments notice, although the Chargers have gone through unusually
long droughts (several games) without hitting one. Holy Redeemer is going to have to hold onto
the ball better and not force it into Alexis.
The winner will advance to play either Lancaster Catholic (3-1, 27-1)
or Allentown Central Catholic (11-1, 17-9). West Scranton will take on Neumann-Goretti who became a
household name last season as the Saints’ starting roster featured four
Division 1 players. Despite graduating
a ton (actually over 2) of points, N-G is again poised to make a run to the
state championship. They’re very good,
but not unbeatable. Their lone
returning starter, Lamin Fulton,
is a good one. The 5-9 senior guard
averages 15.9 ppg. A pair of players
that saw considerable playing time as sophomores include 5-8 junior guard Billy Shank (8.3 ppg) and 6-5 junior
forward Derrick Stewart (12.0
ppg). One of their top reserves is 6-2
junior guard La’Quan Coaxum (5.4
ppg). Two of their budding stars
include 6-4 sophomore forward John
Davis (13.7 ppg) and 6-2 freshman guard Ja’Quan Newton (8.6 ppg).
Davis had 18 points and 17 rebounds in their City Title win over PET
and 16 points with 11 boards in their first round PIAA win over District 3 #6
seed Annville-Cleona (62-34). West is
a terrific bunch of scrappy kids that can handle the ball extremely
well. They don’t beat themselves. Don’t be surprised to see the Invaders to
make it a very competitive game – at least for a while. The winner advance to play either Octorara
(1-1, 22-4) or Mifflinburg (4-1, 24-1). BOYS A (2-1) Old Forge (17-7) vs. (3-1) Reading Cent. Cath.
(26-3), Hazleton 8 Old Forge takes on Reading Central Catholic, a team that hoops fans have come to
associate as a Class A (or sometimes AA) perennial powerhouse. The Cardinals are in the state playoffs for
the 22nd time in the last 24 seasons.
Their head coach, Snip Esterly
has won 541 games and owns a 43-18 record in PIAA competition. Despite the anticipation of possibly
reaching yet another state title game, there is the saddening realization of
also knowing that they have won their last District 3 championship. Why?
The diocese will be merging Central Catholic with Reading Holy Name
next school year (to be named Berks Catholic). The names, colors, mascots, trophies –
traditions all too familiar to District 2 sports fans who lived through
similar mergers that occurred in Scranton diocese schools several years
ago. The Cardinals return four starters
from their 30-2 team last year. Superb
post man Donovan Jack (6-9 junior)
netted 18 including a pairs of dunks and grabbed 11 boards in their 58-41
first round win over Sayre. Marcus Dawkins (6-3 senior) is a
terrific wing guard. Marquis Marshall (6-4 junior forward)
is the son of former NBA player Donyell Marshall who played at Reading
High. He’s outstanding around the
perimeter, scoring 16 against Sayre.
Another starter from last year is 5-11 senior guard Joe Rys. Justin
Ashcroft (6-1 senior guard) rounds out their lineup. Old Forge has solid ball handlers and a
strong inside presence. On paper, this
appears to be a bit of a mismatch, but the Blue Devils are well-seasoned from
a very competitive league schedule.
The winner advances to play either Mansfield Area (4-2, 21-5) or
Consitiution (12-1, 23-5). GIRLS AA (2-1)
Dunmore (23-5) vs. (12-1) Carver E & S (18-7), Freedom 5 (2-3) Mid
Valley (23-4) vs. (11-2) Northen Lehigh (23-4), Hazleton 5
Dunmore takes on Carver Engineering and Science is what looks to be a very
interesting matchup. The Lady
Engineers definitely favor a run and gun style of basketball. Their floor general, 5-8 senior point guard
Brittany Hrynko, is headed to play
ball at DePaul University. She
averages 19 ppg, can drain long-range treys, and runs their transition
offense to perfection. She is joined
on the perimeter by senior guard Dahne
Brown-Boyer (8.7 ppg) and junior guard Monique Whaley-Briggs (9.9 ppg).
Inside, Carver brings forwards Dallas
Meadows (5-10 senior, 9.7 ppg), Aaliyah
Worley (5-11 freshman, 6.9 ppg), and Yolanna
Snypes (5-9 junior, 6.7 ppg). The
Lady Bucks play sensational defense and bring a terrific guard tandem in Corinna Palko and Ashley Murray. Dunmore has state playoff experience and
seems to feed off that atmosphere. The
winner advances to play either Pine Grove (11-1, 22-4) or Delone Catholic
(3-2, 21-7). Mid Valley, coming off a very impressive
win over Mount Carmel, takes on Northern
Lehigh. The Lady Bulldogs, who
moved down from 3A are making a return trip to the state playoffs. They dropped the District 11 championship
game to Pine Grove 41-31. That score
is key because Northern Lehigh is 2-3 this year when held below 40 points,
but are 21-1 when scoring 40+. They won their first round game easily over
Bishop McDevitt, 62-18. They are led
by 6-2 junior guard Aimee Oertner
(17.5 ppg) who scored 17 first quarter points against the Lancers. 6-0 senior forward Sonya Josephson averages 14.9 ppg. Other seniors include 5-11 center Lauren Qertner (4.9 ppg) and 5-4
guard Kristi Seiler (4.6
ppg). Tina Bastardi (5-2 junior guard) rounds out their lineup with 7.8
ppg. Mid Valley, who only lost 4 games
this year (all to Dunmore), has all-everything Danielle Terranella along with a strong inside game. This should be another terrific matchup for
the Spartanettes. The winner advances
to play either undefeated YorCatholic (3-1, 29-0) or Springfield-Montco (1-1,
19-8). WEDNESDAY, MARCH 16 BOYS AA (2-1) Riverside (23-5) vs. (12-4) Comm. Tech (21-5), Freedom 7:30 (2-2) W-B
Meyers (24-2) vs. (12-1) Imhotep (27-3),
Parkland 7:30 For
District 2 AA teams, it’s a matchup against some of the top teams from the
Philly Pub League. Riverside takes on Communications Tech who got by
District 3 champion Hanover Area, 81-69 on
Saturday. The Phoenix have speed and height which will test the Vikings strong
perimeter game. Look for Comm Tech to
try and shut down Riverside’s big scorers, Jerry Kincel and Tommy
Armillay. Against the Nighthawks, Tony Parker (6-2 junior G/F, 9.2 ppg)
netted 21 with 10 boards while Rich
Hoskins (6-1 junior guard, 13.9 ppg) scored 26. Other top Phoenix players include, Basil Malik (5-10 sophomore guard, 8
ppg), 6-7 junior center Jerimyjah
Batts (3.9 ppg), Gameel Strange
(5-9 senior guard, 8.6 ppg), Terrell
Parker (6-2 junior forward, 5.8 ppg),
Chris Barney (senior, 5.8 ppg), and David
Johnson (junior, 4.9 ppg). Hanover
led Comm Tech at the break 42-41, but the depth and speed on the Phoenix
eventually wore down the Hawks. The
winner advances to play either Pine Grove (11-2, 22-5) or Hughesville (4-1,
19-7). Wilkes-Barre Meyers takes on what many consider to
be the top boys program in the entire state this year, Imhotep Charter. They are
even flirting with the USA Top 25 Boys ratings. Back in February, the Panthers topped
Constitution 57-44 for the Public League Championship. It marked the first time that a Philly
school captured 3 consecutive PL titles since West Philadelphia did it from
1974-1978. Imhotep returned virtually
their entire rotation from last year.
They have another deep lineup this year which enables then to keep
fresh legs in the game as they pride themselves on playing unrelenting,
outstanding defense. On Saturday they
placed four players in double figures as they topped Wyomissing in first
round action (outscoring them 26-4 in the third
period). Ameen Tankskey led the way with 17 – the 6-5 senior G/F averages
13 ppg. He is joined in the starting
lineup by 6-3 senior guard David
Appolon (10.6 ppg), 5-11 senior point guard Terrell Johnson (4.9 ppg), 6-8 senior center Erik Copes (8 ppg), and 6-2 junior guard Khyree Wooten (6.7 ppg), a transfer from Strawberry Mansion. Off the bench, 6-4 senior G/F Tyhiem Perrin
averages 6.7 ppg. Others include 6-6
senior Earl Brown (4.9 ppg) and
6-6 sophomore Brandon Austin (5.3
ppg). Senior swingman Tanksley is headed to play ball at
Niagara, David Appolon is going to
Robert Morris and Erik Copes to
George Washington. The winner advances
to play another PPL school, Prep Charter (12-5, 16-11) or Vaux (12-3,
17-7). GIRLS AAA (2-1) West
Scranton (25-1) vs. (12-2) Prep Charter (22-2), Freedom 6 (2-2) Holy
Redeemer (19-7) vs. (12-1) Arch. Wood (23-4), Parkland 6 More
District 12 matchups on tap as West
Scranton takes on Prep Charter. The Huskies feature Kahleah Cooper, a 6-2 junior that averages 15 ppg and 20
rpg. Local fans may remember her name
from last year as she played for Girard College and battled Forest City in a
girls single-a play-in game. She is an
incredible leaper and is getting looks from Division 1 schools like Miami,
Northwestern and Penn State. Prep
Charter also has 5-7 senior point guard Tiffany
Johnson (12 ppg), a slick penetrating player who netted 18 points in
their first round 43-31 win over St. Basil.
She can score from all over the floor and is headed to play for Drexel
as the winner of the prestigious Markward Club Public League player of the
year award. Bria Young (5-7 senior guard) is also getting some looks from
Division 1/2 schools. Yet another of
their talented guards, Nydeera Lee
(5-4 senior) is looking to play Dvision 2 ball next year. Though the Huskies bring a talented,
championship lineup onto the floor, West Scranton counters with excellent
ball handlers and plays great defense.
If they can get Sabrina Coleman
into the flow, the Lady Invaders may surprise in the second round. The winner advances to play either Oley
Valley (3-1, 24-4) or undefeated Tamaqua (11-1, 28-0). Holy Redeemer takes on defending state
champion Archbishop Wood who
finally gained a win which some view as even more noteworthy than achieving
2010 PIAA gold – a Philadelphia
Catholic League Championship. With
a 33-31 win over Archbishop Carroll at the Palestra, the Lady Vikes finally
got that title – their first in 29 years.
They only dropped one PCL game all season, 36-31 to (guess who)
Archbishop Carroll in early February.
They only lost one starter from last year’s championship team. Their strength is defense and an uncanny
ability to hit 3s. In their first
round 67-33 win over Susquehanna Township, they hit 8 treys in the first
half. In all, they attempted 36 and
made 14 of them. Senior 5-9 guard Stephanie Keyes is their
sharpshooter, scoring 21 in the win.
Other starters include senior 5-8 guard Christine Verrelle,
senior 5-8 forward Caitlin McCartney,
and junior 6-0 center Tori Arnao. The Lady Vikings will go 10 deep in their
rotation. Junior 5-10 guard Lauren Nealon also has a knack of
hitting a big trey. The winner
advances to play either Villa Maria Academy (1-1, 21-5) or Allentown Central
Catholic (11-2, 24-4). PIAA FIRST ROUND RECAPS FRIDAY, MARCH 11 GAMES BOYS AAA (2-1) Holy Redeemer 60, (4-2) Danville 55 (2-2) West Scranton 67, (3-3) Lampeter-Strasburg 58 (11-1)
Allentown CC 57, (2-3) Abington
Heights 52 OT (ends at 16-12) Holy
Redeemer pulled away from a 10-10 tie game on a trey by Stephen Ruch (13 points) and never trailed again in a win over
Danville. Despite missing a bunch of
inside shots, the Royals were able to keep a somewhat comfortable cushion
over the Ironmen most of the way. In
the win Peter Alexis netted 20
(including his career 2,000th point) while Austin Carr played tough defense, intercepting several passes,
and scoring 16. Danville got 17 from
slick ball-handler Andrew Andreychik
and 20 from Mikael Owens-Wright
who displayed excellent body control around the basket. The Royals held off one final Danville
rally to post the 60-55 victory. West
Scranton had a hot shooting touch in the first half and notched their first
PIAA state playoff win since 1970 with a victory over
Lampeter-Strasburg. Matt Langan was on-fire scoring 21 (6
of them treys) while guards Tyler
Hughes and Malcolm Sweeting
each had 11. Inside, Tim Langan contributed 14. The Pioneers got 13 from Ryan Berryman and a combined 22 from Josh Miller and John Achille, but it was not enough to overcome the 52% shooting
by the Invaders who claimed the 67-58 win.
Abington
Heights got 18 points from freshman JC
Show including a buzzer-beater to force overtime. But, it was the play of ACC’s frosh, Muhammed Ali Abdur-Rahkman that may
have spelled defeat for the Comets. He
scored 22 (14 of which came at the end of regulation and the extra
stanza). Abington hit 9 treys and held
leads at both halftime (27-25) and the end of three periods (33-29). But with the Comets holding a 52-50 edge in
overtime, Shane McNealy got a
3-point play to take the lead for good.
The Vikes went on to gain the 57-52 win. Neither team was effective from the charity
striped as they only converted 21 of 42 combined attempts. BOYS A (2-1) Old Forge
42, (1-2) Faith Christian 37 Old Forge
got a great effort from Tony Goodall (21
points) and the Blue Devils had a seemingly safe advantage after three
quarters, 32-21. However, Faith
Christian rallied with a 13-4 run to trim the deficit to 36-34 with about
1:40 remaining. A pair of free throws by
Goodall followed by a FC trey made
it a 1-point game before Old Forge finally locked up the 42-37 win. Greg
Boyd had 15 points for Faith. GIRLS AAAA (1-6)
Upper Dublin 47, (2-1) Abington
Heights 36 (ends at 18-7) Upper Dublin
got some timely shooting from Taylor
Bryant (14 points) and played some sensational defense to deny inside
touches to Maggie Fruehan. UD used a pair of Bryant treys to extend
their two-point lead into 8 early in the second period. The Lady Comets, behind 11 points from Tiffany O’Donnell and 8 from Joetta Hashem (plus 13 rebounds) did
not fold. Trailing 35-32 late in the
third, another key bucket by Bryant made
it 37-32. Late in the 4th, AH used a
4-0 spurt to make it a 40-36 gap with 2 minutes remaining. But, Upper Dublin regrouped and went on a
7-0 run to put away the 47-36 win. GIRLS AA (2-1) Dunmore 52, (4-2) Loyalsock 46 (1-1)
Springfield-Montco 40, (2-2) Lake-Lehman
35 (ends at 22-4) (2-3) Mid Valley 67, (4-1) Mount Carmel
57 Dunmore
staged a terrific come-from-behind win over Loyalsock – just one of many
memorable Lady Buck victories this season.
Dunmore bounced back from a nine point deficit (23-14) with 5:30 left
in the first half to eventually tie the game at 30 on a 16-7 run. They finally grabbed the lead 37-36 with
about 7 minutes left in the game. The
score see-sawed back and forth for the next six minutes. Trailing 46-44 Corinna Palko (15 points) hit 4 free throws for the lead with
1:10 left. Down the stretch, Ashley
Murray (17 points) converted her charity stripe chances to seal the 52-46
win. On the night, Dunmore hit 13 of
17 FT attempts. The duo of Palko and A. Murray scored 16 of their team’s final 18 points. Alexa
Gerchman and Courtney Murray
each scored 10. For Loyalsock, Sami Lane scored 18 while Cassandra Soars added 11. After
playing near perfect basketball for the first 16 minutes (and leading at the
break 19-16), Lake-Lehman suffered a tough second half shooting game and
committed several turnovers trying to work the ball into Selena Adamshick (15 points).
The result was a 30-27 Springfield-Montco lead after three periods
which they expanded to 6 points (33-27) on their way to posting the 40-35
win. Nikki Sutliff added 16 for the Black Knights. Taylor
Koroncia had 14 for Springfield.
In
possibly the biggest upset win of the weekend, Mid Valley got a 67-57 win
over District 4 champion Mount Carmel.
The Spartanettes bolted to a 30-12 halftime lead by playing fantastic
defense - creating 17 first half turnovers.
Mt. Carmel was only able to hit 2 of 21 shots in the first 16
minutes. Mid Valley got an outstanding
effort from Danielle Terranella
who scored 34 (including 17 in the 4th) and grabbed 10 rebounds. Inside, Alli Walsh netted 13 and grabbed 12 boards. Alyssa
Miraglia also scored 12. SATURDAY, MARCH 12 GAMES BOYS AAAA (1-6)
Lower Merion 44, (2-1) Scranton 42
OT (ends at 23-3) The
emotions said it all. A well-deserved jubilant
celebration by a gutsy Lower Merion squad was on full display in front of the
stunned, silent partisan-Scranton capacity crowd at Marywood University. After the Knights clawed their way out of
several steep deficits (25-15 halftime and 32-22 in the 3rd), they remarkably
had several golden opportunities to actually put the game away in both
regulation and overtime. But, a
combination of some miserable shooting and untimely turnovers, repeatedly
gave the Aces chances. To start the
game, the Aces uses a brilliant strategy to play a deliberate pace and not
get into a Scranton’s up tempo preferred pace. And being well-seasoned by the rigors of
District 1 hoops, they did not get rattled by the Knight’s tight defensive
pressure. The result was an 8-2 Aces
advantage after the first period which they expanded into 10 points at
halftime. With the Knights trailing
32-22 in the third and everyone beginning to think that a home team comeback
was just not in the cards, Scranton used a 14-1 run to take a 37-33 lead
(plus possession of the ball). Lower
Merion then got a layup off a steal by Raheem
Hall (16 points) and another Hall basket to tie the game at 39 at the end
of regulation. In OT, Scranton led
42-40 with 40 seconds left. But, a LM putback knotted the game at 42 before
another Scranton turnover allowed an Aces fast break basket by Eric Green to give LM the 44-42
lead. As time expired, the Knights
missed a trey attempt. On the evening,
Terry Turner led the Knights with
16. Scranton was only able to convert
9 of 21 free throw attempts. BOYS AA (2-1) Riverside 66,
(4-3) Loyalsock 58 (2-2) Wilkes-Barre Meyers 51, (4-2) Central
Columbia 38 (4-1)
Hughesville 38, (2-3) Holy Cross
33 (ends at 18-7) Riverside
once again got spectacular efforts from Tommy
Armillary and Jerry Kincel who
each netted 24 points in their 66-58 win over Loyalsock. Armillay
(5 treys) had 17 in the first half when the Vikings took a 35-30 lead. The Lancers got 26 points from Tyler Boganczyk. Wilkes-Barre
Meyers used an 11-2 run to expand their 7-point halftime into a commanding
38-26 lead on their way to a first round win over Central Columbia. Keyton
Winder netted 14, Ross Lavan 13,
and Ryan Krawczeniuk had 10 for
the Mohawks. Holy Cross
played District 4 champion Hughesville even for almost 31 minutes, but their
icy shooting (22%) continued to prevent them from taking full advantage of
their opportunities. After trailing by
one point at the break (16-15), the Crusaders grabbed a 17-16 lead before
Hughesville went on a 9-0 run to go up 32-24.
Holy Cross chipped away at the Spartans lead, cutting it to three with
about a minute remaining (36-33).
Hughesville then missed two 1+1 chances, but the Crusades could narrow
the gap. Connor Callejas scored 10, Andrew
Moran 8, and Josh Kosin 7
(with 9 rebounds) in the 38-33 loss. GIRLS AAA (2-1) West Scranton 50, (4-2) Danville 27 (2-2) Holy Redeemer 37, (3-3) Gettysburg 33
(11-1)
Tamaqua 45, (2-3) Scranton Prep 39
(ends at 21-6) After
leading at halftime 14-9, West Scranton had a huge second half taking a 21-2
advantage in the third quarter to go up 39-11. The Lady Invaders forced 24 Danville
turnovers and got 15 points from Sabrina
Coleman in the 50-27 win. Holy
Redeemer finally saw their streaky sharpshooter Olivia Francisco (18 points) snap out of an 0 for 8 slump on trey
attempts to net her biggest of the season as the Lady Royals broke a 31-31
tie and hold on for a 37-33 upset win.
Holy Redeemer really missed up their defenses very well to hold Gettysburg
top scorer Bri Thomas to only 7
points. Scranton
Prep took on undefeated Tamaqua and was also able to switch their defenses
and keep the Raiders off balance for much of the game. Tamaqua led 20-16 at the break, but the Classics
were able to knot the game at 20 on baskets by Lindsey Schroth (11 points).
The Raiders were able to move out to a 40-32 advantage and they then
hit their foul shots in the final minute to post the 45-39 win. Prep got 13 from Tricia Byrne and 10 from Caity
DiBileo. Tamaqua got 17 from Amy Zehner, 12 from Cassie Eroh, and 12 rebounds from Allison Updike. GIRLS A (1-2)
Sacred Heart 51, (2-1) Forest City
34 (ends at 17-10) (1-1)
Delco Christian 43, (2-2) Old Forge
25 (ends at 12-13) Forest
City used some good outside shooting (Cassie
Erdmann 9 of 12 points) in the first period and grabbed a 13-6 lead. With the Foresters holding a 24-23
advantage early in the third period, Sacred Heart got a trey from Hannah Rush (18 points, including her
1,000th) which gave her team the lead and a renewed spark of momentum. The Lions used that to go on a 28 to 10 run
(including blanking Forest City in the 4th period) to post the 51-34 win. Katie
Yale added 10 for FC. Old Forge
ran into an imposing force in the middle as Emily Homan (6-3 center) netted 12, grabbed 16 rebounds and
blocked 7 shots for Delco Christian in their 43-25 win over the Lady Blue
Devils. Old Forged only trailed by 7
the halftime (20-13), but Delco went on an early second half 11-1 run to seal
the victory. The Blue Devils got 7
each from Nicole Marianelli and Lauren Carey. UPDATED 3/10/11 District 2 teams are about ready to
tip-off state playoff competition. For
those fans who want see a game locally and not travel too far, there are plenty of interesting games within the
Scranton / Wilkes-Barre vicinity this weekend. On Friday in Boys 3A, Holy Redeemer battles perennial District 4 powerhouse Danville at
Pittston High School in what should be a much closer game than it might appear
on paper. Dunmore girls play Loyalsock in AA action at Scranton HS. And Marywood hosts a double-header as Abington Heights takes on Upper
Dublin in Girls 4A while Old Forge
plays Faith Christian in Boys 1A. On
Saturday, which is St. Patrick’s Parade
Day in downtown Scranton, the PIAA has fortunately scheduled mostly late
afternoon games at sites far removed from the congested parade areas. Marywood University hosts an excellent
tripleheader starting at 3 pm. West Scranton takes on Danville in the
Girls AAA opener with Scranton
starting their Boys 4A playoff road against Lower Merion at 4:30. The evening top-off is set for 7:30 as Riverside plays Loyalsock in Boys AA
first round action. Carbondale is the
site for a Girls A 3 o’clock game as Forest
City takes on Sacred Heart while Wilkes-Barre
Meyers meets up with Central Columbia at Wyoming Area (3 pm) in Boys AA
play. For those
fans willing (or brave enough) to fill up their gas tank and head a bit (or
maybe a lot) farther south or west, there several great matchups to check
out. A few that quickly jump out
include West Scranton playing
Lampeter-Strasburg Friday evening at Hershey (Boys 3A). Also Friday, Mid Valley takes on Mount Carmel in Girls AA action at
Danville. And on Saturday, Holy Cross travels to Montoursville
to take on District 4 Boys AA champion Hughesville. Although
it’s important for teams to focus on the games at hand, a peak into the other
bracket pods reveals some imposing basketball powerhouses looming if District
2 teams advance into the second round and beyond. Although the Scranton boys are one the
better 4A teams to come through District 2 in a long time, they would face
potential matchups against (3-2) Red
Land and (12-1) Frankford. Boys 3A is loaded with statewide
powerhouses such as (12-1) Neumann-Goretti,
(12-2) Philadelphia Electric,
(3-1) Lancaster Catholic, or even
(1-1) Octorara. The Boys 2A brackets feature highly rated
(12-1) Imhotep Charter. If (3-1) Hanover can advance over Comm Tech, there is a potentially great
matchup against Riverside. And (3-1)
in 1A, Reading Central Catholic
would be directly blocking the path of Old Forge. On the girl’s side, Abington Heights could
face (12-1) Archbishop Carroll. The 3A teams would take on (12-1) Archbishop Wood, (12-2) Prep Charter, or possibly an
undefeated (11-1) Tamaqua squad. Dunmore looks to have the best opportunity
of advancing in Girls 2A action although a matchup with Delone Catholic could be down the road. Lake-Lehman’s reward for getting into the
second round would be a date with undefeated (3-2) York Catholic. And Forest
City would likely have to take on District 3 champion Steel-High in the Girls A bracket. The NEP Beat would like to congratulate a
pair of very influential local sports figures as they prepare to begin new
phases in their careers and lives. Joe Caffrey has stepped away from
coaching after a terrific 34-year career in the Wyoming Valley. He was head coach at West Side Tech (1 year) and Wilkes-Barre
Meyers (14 years) before completing his career at Wilkes-Barre Coughlin
(past 6 seasons). Caffrey accumulated
367 wins, 5 WVC championships, and 2 District 2 titles. In 1997 his Meyers team made it to the AA
state championship, losing to Aliquippa.
Elsewhere, Jeremy Ruby, who
was involved in Triple-A Baseball with the SWB Red Barons since 1999 and most
recently the 2-year GM with the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre
Yankees, has been selected as the new Athletic Director at Abington Heights. The current AD, Scott Kaiser, stepped aside at the end of February citing
personal and family reasons. The
school district interviewed 50 candidates from over 100 applications. With state funding being cut and expenses
escalating, Ruby will be focused on exploring creative fundraising
opportunities. Enjoy the games - see you in
the bleachers. Stop back
for first round recaps and (hopefully) lots of second round previews. UPDATED 3/9/11 Tuesday’s play-in game recaps
are now posted. PIAA Play-in Round Game Recaps TUESDAY, MARCH 8 BOYS AAAA (1-9)
Penn Wood 87, (2-2) Wyoming Valley West 60 (ends at 18-7) The
good news for Wyoming Valley West
was that they only trailed powerhouse Penn
Wood 29-16 at the break. The bad news
was that they allowed the Patriots to put up 63 points in the second half in
their 87-60 play-in loss. Penn Wood
got 24 from Darian Barnes, 18 from
Malcolm Richardson, and 14 from
Division 1 recruit Aaron Brown. The Spartans never gave up this one, despite
trailing by as many as 30. Eugene Lewis scored 28 while sharpshooter James McCann contributed
15 (with 4 treys). WVW gained valuable
playoff experience, despite the lopsided final score. With a majority of their lineup returning,
the future looks bright for them to make another return to states next
year. BOYS A (3-4)
Antietam 74, (2-2) Susquehanna 52 (ends at 8-17) Despite
entering the Boys 1A state tournament with the worst record, Susquehanna stayed right with favored Antietam, only trailing 14-11 after
their first quarter and by eight points early in the third period. But, the Mounts did find their range,
outscoring the Sabers 40-24 across the middle stanzas to post the 74-52 win –
their first in ten years. Antietam got
great efforts from Anthony Johnson
(26 points, 11 rebounds) and Andrew
Day (18 points, 11 rebounds).
Susquehanna got 23 from Cole
Mallery and 12 from Andrzej
Tomczyk. Both of those players are
sophomores and will give the Sabers a solid nucleus for next season. GIRLS AAAA (1-9)
Downingtown West 62, (4-1) Williamsport 35 (ends at 17-9) If
Williamsport thought that the
inside game of Abington Heights was difficult to defend last Friday, it was
only a preview of what they faced Tuesday.
Downingtown West jumped out
to an 11-0 lead and trailed 34-16 at the break. The Whippets got repeated second chance
opportunities in close. They got 24
from Brittany Sicinski and 20 from
Elizabeth Coyne. Rachel
Fatherly scored 10 for the Lady Millionaires. GIRLS A (2-2)
Old Forge 47, (3-4) Harrisburg Christian 17
Every
once in a while, playoff teams experience moments of offensive futility, but
what Harrisburg Christian
experienced Tuesday night was astonishing.
They did not score their first field goal of the game until the 3:21
mark in the third period. They only
hit 2 of 41 shots (5%) and converted a mere 13 of 38 free throw
attempts. The, there were the 30
turnovers forced by Old Forge. The Lady Blue Devils got 12 points from Lindsay Regan and 11 from Lauren Carey in their 30-point
victory. They now advance to take on
the District 1 champion (Delaware County Christian, 24-1) on Saturday
afternoon. DISTRICT 2 CHAMPIONSHIP RECAPS BOYS AAAA CHAMPIONSHIP (1) Scranton 97, (2) Wyoming Valley West 66 Scranton
put on a spectacular display on both offense (10 team treys) and defense (16
steals) en route to their dominating performance in winning the quad-A title
over WVW, 97-66. The Knights placed
all five starters in double figures led by Malik Draper with 29. Terry Turner netted 19, Karlon Quiller 15,
Tim Fisch 11 and Hasiin Dixon had 10 (with 10
rebounds). Scranton had a 13-point
halftime lead (45-32) and proceeded to pull away in the second half. Eugene
Lewis had another memorable game for the Spartans as the junior scored 30
(on 14 of 17 shooting) and grabbed a dozen boards. BOYS AAA CHAMPIONSHIP (1) Holy Redeemer 42, (2) West Scranton 29 Holy
Redeemer finally achieved district gold as the Royals played terrific
defense, normally a strong asset of their opponent’s game. After Holy Redeemer jumped out to a 7-0
advantage, West settled down and even took a 9-7 lead before trailing by only
a basket (15-13) at the break. The
Royals used a 13-0 run out of the locker room to take control leading
28-13. Peter Alexis had a strong effort scoring 25 and pulling down 13
rebounds. For the Invaders, Tyler Hughes was limited to 12 points
(including his career 1,000 point) while Malcolm
Sweeting added 10. In the
consolation, Abington Heights topped Tunkhannock 61-37 giving Comet head
coach Ken Bianchi his 600th career
win. The game seemed somewhat closer
than the final score indicated as AH ran out to several double digit leads
only to see the Tigers claw their way back each time. Justin Klingman scored
17 while frosh JC Show added 18
for Abington. Mike Papi and James Hawk
combined for 19 of Tunkhannock’s points.
BOYS AA CHAMPIONSHIP (1) Riverside 49, (2) Wilkes-Barre Meyers 36 Riverside locked
down their first district basketball championship since 1987 with an
impressive 49-36 win over Wilkes-Barre Meyers. The Vikings were up by 5 at halftime
(25-20) and then used an 11-2 run after the Mohawks trimmed to deficit to a
single point (29-28) to take control 41-30.
Riverside got 17 from Jerry
Kincel and a solid performance from Jaron
Vishnesky who had 8 and grabbed 7 key caroms. Meyers had 15 costly turnovers and only
converted one of 15 trey attempts. In
the consolation, Holy Cross rebounded from their close semi-final loss to
Riverside by pounding Hanover Area 63-43.
Josh Kosin netted 20, Connor Callejas 16 and Andrew Moran had 11 for the
Crusaders. The Hawks got a combined 24
from Aaron Springer and Mike Kelleher. Bilal
Floyd was limited to only 2 free throws.
BOYS A CHAMPIONSHIP (1) Old Forge 47, (3) Susquehanna 24 Old
Forge clinched their 5th straight District 2 A championship with a 47-24 win
over Susquehanna. Tony Goodall had 15 for the Blue Devils. For the Sabers, Andrezej Tomczyk had 10. GIRLS AAAA CHAMPIONSHIP (1) Abington Heights 46, (2) Williamsport 42 There were
several teams that were squarely in the district spotlight before the season
even began. In 4A, those teams
included names such as Williamsport, Wyoming Valley West, and perennial
contender Hazleton Area. Leave it to a
bunch of very skilled players - that developed remarkably well under
the guidance of possibly the top girls coaching staffs in the area – to once
again show everyone that a winning hoops tradition never really
graduates. Even after Abington Heights
found themselves in a deep early hole (trailing 11-2 with two minutes left in
the first period), there was no panic.
Just a renewed effort to stick to their gameplan which then began to
deliver a series of slick drives to the basket surrounded by well-executed
screens. The result was a 33-20
advantage through the middle periods for the Lady Comets. The Lady Millionaires were resilient;
trimming the gap to a single bucket (36-34) late, but AH maintained their
poise and brought home the gold medals.
Inside, Maggie Fruehan (25
points, 13 rebounds) and Joetta Hashem
(11 rebounds) were tenacious. Port got
20 points from Rachel Fatherly
while Aisha Evans was held in
check only scoring 3 points. GIRLS AAA CHAMPIONSHIP (2) West Scranton 43, (1) Holy Redeemer 39 (OT) West
Scranton used their sensational defense, forcing 17 turnovers in the first
half. to secure their first girls district
basketball championship. But, after Olivia Francisco (11 points) hit two
free throws with 13 seconds left in regulation, it looked like the overtime
magic that the Lady Royals had found in two previous district playoff games
might once again be materializing.
However, in OT, it was the play of Amanda Greene (19 points) that helped pin down the win. Sydney
Myers had another strong effort for HR, netting 13 points. In the consolation, Scranton Prep used a
15-3 second period run to pull away from a 6-6 tie game and take a 21-9 lead
into the locker room. The Classics got
12 from Lindsey Schroth in the
40-32 victory while Elena Stambone had
19 for the Lady Cougars. GIRLS AA CHAMPIONSHIP (1) Dunmore 41, (2) Lake-Lehman 24 Dunmore
was determined not to allow Lake-Lehman’s premier player, Selena Adamshick, to get easy looks
at the basket. Mission
accomplished. The Lady Bucks double
and triple-teamed the Black Knights standout player (limiting her to 12
points) on their way to their 6th straight district championship. Though only leading 9-6 after the first
quarter, Dunmore used a 15-2 second period run to take control at halftime
24-8. Ashley Murray netted 12 while Courtney Murray and Molly
Burke combined to score 16. The
Lady Bucks had 12 steals on the day.
In the consolation, Mid Valley pulled away from a 27-17 halftime lead
to go up 39-22 on Montrose. The Lady
Meteors did not give up as they trimmed the deficit to 39-31 with three
minutes left, but MV prevailed 48-39. Alli Walsh scored 14 and grabbed 13
rebounds for the Spartanettes while Danielle
Terranella added 13 and Sam
DeMarco had 12. Dallas Ely had 22 for Montrose. GIRLS A CHAMPIONSHIP (1) Forest City 61, (2) Old Forge 44 Third
time was the charm for Forest City as they finally gained a district title
over Old Forge. The Lady Foresters led
17-14 at the break, but used a 23-10 advantage in the third period to take a
40-24 lead. Katie Yale had 18 of her 22 points in the second half. Freshman Carly Erdmann netted 19 in the win while Cassie Erdmann added 9 and grabbed a dozen rebounds. The Lady Blue Devils got 15 from Nicole Marianelli and 11 from Lauren Carey. Click
on link below for full District 2 tournament scores This week’s
latest ratings – games through District 2 championships. LLHOOPS DISTRICT 2 BOYS TOP 10 (next update 3/27/11) 1. Scranton (23-2) 4A 2. Holy Redeemer (22-4)
3A 3. Riverside (22-5) 2A 4. Wilkes-Barre Meyers
(23-2) 2A 5. West Scranton (20-6) 3A 6. Holy Cross (18-6) 2A 7. Abington Heights
(16-11) 3A 8. Wyoming Valley West
(18-6) 4A 9. Wilkes-Barre GAR
(16-6) 2A – season complete 10. Old Forge (16-7) 1A LLHOOPS DISTRICT 2
GIRLS TOP 10 (next
update 3/27/11) 1. West Scranton (24-1) 3A 2. Dunmore (22-5) 2A 3. Holy Redeemer (18-7)
3A 4. Abington Heights
(18-6) 4A 5. Scranton Prep (21-5)
3A 6. Mid Valley (22-4) 2A 7. Lake-Lehman (22-3) 2A 8. Montrose (21-3) 2A –
season complete 10. Dallas (16-5) 3A – season
complete OTHERS TO WATCH: Forest City (17-9), Old Forge (11-12) Friday, March 4 Games CLASS AAA Boys TUESDAY, MARCH 1
(SEMI-FINALS) (1) Holy
Redeemer 58, (4) Abington Heights 51 (2)
West Scranton 51, (3) Tunkhannock 31 Top-seeded
Holy Redeemer finally gained a win over Abington Heights. The Royals used a 10-0 run to pull away
from a 17-16 first half deficit. The
Comets did not fold, however, and used an impressive 10-0 scoring spurt by
guard Justin Klingman (24 points)
to narrow the gap to 35-30. That rally
caused Holy Redeemer head coach Mark
Belinski to call timeout and he let him team know in no uncertain terms
that he was not pleased with their defensive efforts. Peter
Alexis (22 points) was effective in traffic, often getting to the charity
stripe. Steven Ruch showed some slick
moves toward the basket and netting 15.
The Comets who also got 18 points from
JC Show were able to trim the score to 54-50 with 40 ticks left, but the
Royals secured the 7-point win from the foul line. In the other semi-final West Scranton had
the hot hand shooting 62%. The
Invaders broken open a 14-14 tie with a 7-0 run to go up 21-14 at the break. Malcolm
Sweeting continues to be very impressive, scoring 15 and grabbing 10
rebounds. Tyler Hughes added 19. Mike Papi led the Tigers with
12. FRIDAY, MARCH 4 (FINAL, CONSOLATION) 1st: (1) Holy Redeemer (21-4) vs. (2) West
Scranton (20-5), Kings 8 3rd: (3) Tunkhannock (15-9) vs. (4) Abing. Hts.
(15-11), Marywood 7 Holy
Redeemer and West Scranton staged one of the most memorable games of the 2010
playoff season as they went triple overtime before the Royals prevailed. West Scranton plays tenacious defense and
is extremely patient on offense. If
the Invaders can keep the score low, the win have an
excellent chane to win their first district title since 1970. Abington Heights and unkhannock will try
and bounce back and advance to state play.
The Comets have been on a roll the second half of the season and
defeated Tunkhannock earlier this season in non-league play. CLASS A Boys TUESDAY, MARCH 1
(SEMI-FINALS) (1)
Old Forge 56, (4) Forest City 30 (ends at 5-19) (3)
Susquehanna 49, (2) MMI Prep 44 (ends at 5-17) Old
Forge jumped out to a 30-9 lead midway through the second period and coasted
to a 26-point semi-final victory. Tony Goodall led the way with 20
points. Dylan Walsh had 10 for the
Foresters. Susquehanna trailed at
halftime, but gained a 49-44 win over MMI Prep in the other semi-final. Cole
Mallery netted 17 while Taylor
Cundey added 12. The Preppers
concluded their season as Ryan Forte
scored 19 and Fran Swankoski
contributed 16. FRIDAY, MARCH 4 (FINAL) (1) Old Forge (15-6) vs. (3)
Susquehanna (7-15), Carbondale 7 Old
Forge comes into their district title matchup an overwhelming favorite, but
the Sabers do have several key scorers and bring a nothing-to-lose attitude
into the game. CLASS AAAA Girls TUESDAY, MARCH 1 (SEMI-FINALS) (1)
Abington Hts. 38, (4) Wyoming Valley West 21 (ends at 14-10) (2)
Williamsport 48, (3) Hazleton 34 (ends at 12-13) Abington
Heights got excellent efforts from their inside players as Joetta Hasham scored 17 (with 14
rebounds) and Maggie Fruehan added
10 (with 10 caroms). WVW suffered one
of the worst shooting nights they’ve experienced in a long time only hitting
4 of 38 attempts (less than 11%). Jamie Smicherko paced the Lady
Spartans with 10 while the Lady Comets held Jamie Swaboski to only 2.
In the other semi-final, Williamsport used a 17-0 run (part of a
bigger 23-2 scoring advantage) to completely overturn what looked like a
steady Lady Cougar performance into the third quarter. Hazleton’s 32-35 lead evaporated into a
48-34 loss as the Lady Millionaires got 14 from Aisha Evans and 12 from Rachel
Fatherly. FRIDAY, MARCH 4 (FINAL) (1) Abington Hts. (17-7) vs. (2)
Williamsport (19-5), Kings 6 Both
teams feature a terrific inside presense and excellent ball handling
skills. Williamsport has been building
toward this moment for four years and is seeking their first district
championship since 1995. CLASS AA Girls TUESDAY, MARCH 1 (SEMI-FINALS) (1)
Dunmore 43, (5) Mid Valley 40 (2)
Lake-Lehman 51, (3) Montrose 44 Dunmore
rallied from a 28-20 defict with yet another late game comeback to send Mid
Valley to their fourth defeat to the Lady Bucks this season. Ashley
Murray (21 points, 10 in the final period) hit a trey followed by a pair
of free throws by Sarah Ross to
flip a 40-37 Spartanette lead into a 42-40 Dunmore advantage. Corinna
Palko added 12 in the win. Danielle Terranella scored 13 for Mid
Valley, including her career 1,000 point.
In the other semi-final, Lake-Lehman saw their 39-25 lead after three
quarters disappear amid a 14-0 Montrose run.
Selena Adamshick (30
points, 16 rebounds) then added 6 straight points to give the Blacks Knights
the momentum once again. Dallas Ely netted 19 for the Lady
Meteros. FRIDAY, MARCH 4 (FINAL, CONSOLATION) 1st: (1) Dunmore (21-5) vs. (2) Lake-Lehman
(22-2), Scranton 7:30 3rd: (3) Montrose (21-4) vs. (5) Mid Valley
(21-4), Scranton 6 Top-seeded
Dunmore faces Lake-Lehman in which should be the main event of a terrific AA
concolation and championship evening at Scranton high school. Unfortunately, one superb season will come
to an end as Montrose and Mid Valley compete for the final state playoff
position. Saturday, March 5 Games CLASS AAAA Boys WEDNESDAY,
MARCH 2 (SEMI-FINALS) (1)
Scranton 76, (4) Delaware Valley 53 (ends at 11-13) (2)
Wyoming Valley West 48, (3) Hazleton Area 43 (ends at 13-10) Delaware
Valley hung tough for the opening quarter (only trailed 21-19), but
Scranton’s speed and oppressive defense eventually wore down the
Warriors. Hasiin Dixon netted 22, Terry
Turner 17, and Malik Drpaer
had 15. Tim Fisch reached a Knight’s school assist mark with 252. Del-Val got 14 from Brett Fragola and 13 from Brandon
Angradi. In the other semi-final,
Wyoming Valley West was able to turn a 3-point (26-23) deficit in the third
period into a single point lead as top-scorer Eugene Lewis was on the bench riding time with threefouls. The Spartans, trailing 28-27 heading intio
the final stanza, used a 13-6 run to take command (40-34) with 2:20
remaining. James McCann scored 16 in the win while Tyler Plaska was solid for the Cougars with 15. SATURDAY,
MARCH 5 (FINAL) (1) Scranton (22-2) vs. (2) Wyoming V. West
(18-5), Marywood 3:30 While
Scranton enters the quad-A chanmpionship game as a strong favorite, Wyoming
Valley West should be able to stay much closer with the Knights this time
around. The Spartans have to limit
their turnovers and get McCann open for some perimeter shots. The Knights have ben able to put many teams
away before halftime this season, but they know that the playoff road gets
much toughes from this point forward.
CLASS AA Boys WEDNESDAY, MARCH 2 (SEMI-FINALS) (1)
Riverside (20-5) vs. (5) Holy Cross (17-5),
Scranton 7:30 (2)
W-B Meyers (22-1) vs. (6) Hanover (16-7),
Wyoming Area 7:30 Riverside
had to fight their way to the championship game as the Vikings trailed rival
Holy Cross 27-19 in the third period.
But, thanks to a pair of opportunistic treys from Joe Rowe, and Tommy
Armillary who scored 12 of his 14 points in the final quarter, Riverside
rallied for a narrow victory. The
Crusaders, who got 15 each from Josh Kosin and Connor Callejas, saw their 8-point lead evaporate during the
21-11 Vikes run. Jerry Kincel added 16 in the win.
Wilkes-Barre Meyers bolted out to an 11-3 advantage after the first period
and posted a big win over division rival Hanover, 52-30. Rasheed
Moore netted 16 while Ryan
Krawczeniuk added 16. The Hawks
got 10 from Shaquille Rolle while
streaky scorer Bilal Floyd was
limited to only 5 points. SATURDAY, MARCH 5 (FINAL, CONSOLATION) 1st: (1) Riverside (21-5) vs. (2) W-B Meyers
(23-1), Marywood 1 3rd: (5) Holy Cross (17-6) vs. (6) Hanover
(16-8), Scranton 2:30 Fans
will be treated to a great doubleheader at Marywood. Riverside has played some excellent ball
this year, but they may bot have seen a team as athletic and deep as the
Mohawks. Holy Cross takes on Hanover
Area for the final state playoff position.
CLASS AAA Girls WEDNESDAY, MARCH 2 (SEMI-FINALS) (1)
Holy Redeemer 50, (4) Scranton Prep 47 (OT) (2)
West Scranton 44, (6) Valley View 33 Holy
Redeemer got a tough, physical effort from Sydney Myers who netted 17
(including 15 after halftime) and hit 1 of 2 free throws in regular to force
overtime. The Classics got another
strong game from Tricia Byrne with 14 and Lindsey Schroth who added 13. West Scranton found themselves
involved in somewhat of a lackluster game against Valley View. The Lady Couagrs, who got 11 from Abbey
Bartikowski, were playing without two starters. Despite that significant setback Caroline
Mancuso and Elena Stambone had the game knotted 16-16 at the break. It wasn’t until a 15-1 Lady Invders run
early in the third period that the outcome was decided. West Side got 9 points each from Sabrina
Coleman and Amanda Greene. Coleman
grabbed 14 rebounds. SATURDAY, MARCH 5 (FINAL, CONSOLATION) (1) Holy Redeemer (18-6) vs. (2) West
Scranton (23-1), Pittston 1 (4) Scranton Prep (20-5) vs. (6)
Valley View (13-12), Scranton 1 West
Scranton has the talent to come away with a win over top-seeded Holy
Redeemer, but they must display a better effort in this game. The Lady Royals do not beat
themselves. Scranton Prep will nedd to focus defensive pressure on Caroline Mancuso
as she has been stellar at running the Lady Cougars offense in the
postseason. CLASS A Girls WEDNESDAY, MARCH 2 (SEMI-FINALS) (1)
Forest City 55, (4) Blue Ridge 23 (ends at 3-18) (2)
Old Forge 39, (3) Northwest Area 19 (ends at 7-14) Forest
got 11 points from Cassie Erdmann
and 10 from Katie Yale in their
55-23 win over Blue Ridge. In the
other semi-final Old Forge jumped out to an 11-2 advantage after the first
period and posted a 20-point victory as Nicole
Marianelli netted 15. Alivia Womelsdorf had 12 for the Lady
Rangers. SATURDAY,
MARCH 5 (FINAL) (1) Forest City (16-8) vs. (2) Old Forge
(11-11), Carbondale 1 The Lady
Blue Devils and Lady Foresters get together once again. This could be the year that Forest City
comes away with the title – they have two 1,000 point scorers in their
lineup. UPDATED 3/1/11 BOYS PLAYOFFS CLASS AAAA SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 26 (QUARTER-FINAL) (4) Delaware Valley 57, (5) Wallenpaupack 47 Despite
not winning a league game all season, Wallenpaupack hung tough against
Delaware Valley, only trailing by a point (29-28) heading into the final
period. The Warriors got 19 points
from junior guard Brandon Angradi. The Buckhorns closed out their season by
getting 19 points from senior forward Jake
Stevens. WEDNESDAY, MARCH 2 (SEMI-FINALS) (1)
Scranton (21-2) vs. (4) Delaware Valley (11-12) (2) Wy.
Valley West (17-5) vs. (3) Hazleton Area (13-9) Scranton
may feel like it’s opening night all over
again. After all, the Knights last played
back on February 15 -
which gives them a 15-day layoff. Scranton‘s floor general, senior guard Tim Fisch (12 ppg, 38 treys) does a
terrific job running their offense.
The key to their success is junior playmaker Terry Turner (17.8 ppg).
Always the ultimate team player, Turner has shown that he can dominate
a game when he touches the ball (as seen in his final period performance
against West Side in late January).
Though somewhat overshadowed, junior guard Malik Draper (12 ppg) is outstanding. Inside, Hasiin Dixon (10.5) is a great rebounder. The Knights twice defeated Del-Val in
league action, 69-56 in first half play and then more convincingly 76-51 a
few weeks ago. The Warriors are a
streaky team, but are very well-coached.
Brandon Angradi is
sensational, averaging 23.6 ppg. With
the long layoff, anything is possible.
In the other semi-final, WVC Division 1 rivals get together and that
always makes for a very intense atmosphere.
Wyoming Valley West got the better of Hazleton Area twice in
conference play, finishing up each game in strong fashion. For the Cougars to have a chance they are
going to have to get out to a fast start because with WVW’s methodical
offense, they’ll expel a lot of energy climbing out of a deficit. The Spartans will look to get the ball to Eugene Lewis in the open. With his speed, breakaway baskets are
always a possibility. James McCann is a 3-point
threat. Hazleton has a solid
backcourt, but must take care of the ball and take good shots. If senior forward Dwaine Gilley (10.7 ppg) gets hot, it can open things up around
the floor. The winners move on to
Saturday’s championship game. CLASS AAA FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 25 (QUARTER-FINALS) (1)
Holy Redeemer 50, (8) Dallas 40 (4)
Abington Heights 48, (5) Crestwood
46 (2OT) (2)
West Scranton 59, (7) Nanticoke 36
(3)
Tunkhannock 67, (6) Valley View
53 Top
seed Holy Redeemer survived an inspired effort by Dallas who was playing
without their head coach Ted Jackson,
Jr. (who
was serving out a 1-game school suspension).
The Mountaineers were up 24-17 at halftime and still held a 3-point
edge going into the final quarter (30-27).
That was when the Royals began to finally get the ball inside to their
big man Peter Alexis. And getting 12 final period points from Austin Carr, who also converted 10 of
10 free throw chances in the same span, helped the Royals rally for a 50-40
win. Carr finished with 20 points.
Second seed West Scranton rolled out to a commanding 22-0 lead after
one quarter and coasted to a 59-36 win over Nanticoke Area. The Invaders played some outstanding
defense and got 17 points from superb athlete Malcolm Sweeting and 13 from Tyler
Hughes. The Trojans got 10 from Cael Evans. #3 seed Tunkhannock trailed Valley View 8-2
early, but then went on a 17-0 run to go up 19-8 after the first stanza. The Cougars clawed their way back to cut
the lead to a single basket (34-32) halfway through the third period, but the
Tigers again used a 13-4 stretch to put the game away. Tunk was paced by Rich Condeelis with 29 while James
Hawk and AJ Bevan combined to
contribute 26. Valley View got 15 from
Jordan Siddions and 14 from Cory Callejas. And in what may have been the most exciting
game of the evening, Abington Heights showed some resilience and toppled Crestwood
48-46 in double overtime. AH Comet
freshman JC Show (20 points)
missed a pair of free throws with 9 seconds left in regulation (and Crestwood
leading 33-32). Abington then had to
foul and Jon Wojnar (15) hit one
of two opportunities. With time running
out, Show was able to draw a foul
with 2 seconds left - and this time he nailed both shots to send the game to
OT. Abington was leading 42-40 in the
closing moments of OT #1 when Wojnar drove
for a tying layup. Justin Klingman added 17 for AH while
Dave Piavis scored 23 for
Crestwood. The win gave AH head coach
Ken Bianchi his 599th career victory. TUESDAY, MARCH 1
(SEMI-FINALS) (1) Holy
Redeemer (20-4) vs. (4) Abington Hts. (15-10) (2)
West Scranton (19-5) vs. (3) Tunkhannock (15-8) The
AAA semi-finals bring rematches of exhibition games played earlier in the
season, but now carry a much greater importance. Perhaps the hottest team in the entire
bracket, Abington Heights, upset Holy Redeemer back in December 48-44 as
freshman JC Show netted 20 while Peter Alexis was held to only 14
points. Between Show and backcourt ace Justin
Klingman, the duo have hit 86 treys on the season. The obvious key in this game will be how
the Comets can contain Alexis. In the other semi-final West Scranton takes
on Tunkhannock, a team that they defeated 41-26 in the Taylor Christmas
Tourney. The Invaders let their
defense create their offense and having athletic Malcolm Sweeting really gives that offense some firepower. Tunkhannock, coming off their first
postseason win in quite a while might try to find some success going inside
to their big man, James Hawk. Winners and losers all move on to
Friday’s championship and consolations games. CLASS AA SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 26 (QUARTER-FINALS) (1)
Riverside 72, (8) Mid Valley 65
(OT) (5)
Holy Cross 42, (4) W-B GAR 41
(2OT) (2)
Wilkes-Barre Meyers 59, (7)
Dunmore 46 (6)
Hanover Area 47, (3) Lackawanna
Trail 35 Just
over two weeks ago, top seed Riverside pounded Mid Valley by a score of
73-29. Jump ahead to Saturday - mix in
a ton of confidence that Mid Valley gained from several LIAA qualifying games
– and you have a formula for a possible upset. The Spartans matched the Vikes basket for
basket as this one went back-and-forth right down to the final seconds. When Jason
Esperance’s 3-pointer rattled off the front of the rim, Riverside
survived regulation. In OT, Tommy Armillary (32 points) took
control scoring 9 and leading the Vikings to the 72-65 win. Jerry
Kincel had a big fourth quarter, helping Riverside climb out of a 56-52
deficit with only 3 minutes remaining.
The Spartans got 18 from guard Matt
Tanner and 17 from Martin Walsh. In the win, the Vikes only converted 19 of
33 attempts from the charity stripe.
Speaking of free throws, Holy Cross got 38 chances and hit 27 of them
in their pulsating 42-41 double overtime win over Wilkes-Barre GAR. The Crusaders bolted out to a 9-0 lead
early, settling for a 19-12 halftime advantage. The second half featured some very intense
defense by both teams with Holy Cross getting a bit out of their rhythm at
times. Though they continued to try
and get inside scoring opportunities from Josh Kosin (14 points), it became clear that his best chances
would come from around the foul line where he drained a smooth jumper and
also hit 10 free throws. The game was
knotted at 29 ending regulation. Kosin’s free throws gave HC a 37-34
lead, but Isaiah Francis calmly
sank a trey to again tie the game at 37.
In OT #2, the Grenadiers went up 41-40 before Kosin again hit 2 free throws to put the Crusaders up 42-41 with
19.9 ticks left. GAR’s final shot was
a bit off-balance. While their bench
was calling for a foul, the Holy Cross celebration was underway. GAR got 13 from Darrell Crawford and 11 from Shaliek
Powell. Andrew Moran contributed 11 for Holy Cross. Second seed Wilkes-Barre Meyers were
leading Dunmore by 15 (42-27) after three periods. The Bucks trimmed the gap to five points,
but the Mohawks then used an 11-1 run to seal the win. Rasheed
Moore netted 23 in the victory. John Rinaldi had 18 while Matt Clark added 12 for Dunmore. And #6 seed Hanover Area rallied from a
halftime deficit with a huge third quarter (18-3 margin) to defeat Lackawanna
Trail 47-35. Bilal Floyd, who played many games on the same Scranton HS
playing surface, scored 17 to lead the Hawks into the semi-finals. WEDNESDAY, MARCH 2 (SEMI-FINALS) (1)
Riverside (20-5) vs. (5) Holy Cross (17-5) (2)
W-B Meyers (22-1) vs. (6) Hanover (16-7) Lackawanna
League Division 2 rivals, Riverside and Holy Cross get together for a
semi-final showdown. Although the
Crusaders hung on for a first half 51-50 victory, it seemed that all the
momentum had swung over to the Vikings following their convincing 54-33
second half home win and then their 64-59 all-season championship
victory. After Saturday emotional
overtime wins, who knows which team is feeling more confident. The Crusaders, despite all their moxy, are
still a young team. There are times
when they work the ball around the perimeter with crisp precision, get a bit
impatient, and fail to get their bench calls running. For Riverside, Tommy Armillary and Jerry Kincel
combined for 56 of their 72 points against Mid Valley. In the other semi-final, WVC Division 3
opponents get together once again.
Meyers rolled over Hanover in the first half 76-41, but in the rematch
the game was knotted at 39 after three periods before the Mohawks gained a
hard fought 54-49 win. In that game,
6-2 junior Shaquille Rolle had a big game netting 16. Meyers has a very deep and talented lineup. The Mohawks are paced by senior center Keyton Winder (16.2 ppg), one of the
premier players in the entire WVC.
Senior guard Ross Lavan (8
ppg) is a 3-point threat while a pair of sophomores, Ryan Krawczeniuk (11 ppg) and Rasheed Moore (9.8 ppg) are very tough to guard. All teams advance to Saturday’s
championship and consolation matchups. CLASS A FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 25 (QUARTER-FINAL) (4)
Forest City 64, (5) St. Michaels
26 Forest
City jumped out to a 23-6 lead after the first quarter and rolled to a 64-23
win over St. Michaels. Joe Caruso had 24 points for the
Foresters. TUESDAY, MARCH 1
(SEMI-FINALS) (1)
Old Forge (14-7) vs. (4) Forest City (5-18)
(2)
MMI Prep (5-16) vs. (3) Susquehanna (6-15) Old
Forge comes into the 1A field as the consensus favorite. The Blue Devils have a solid pair of guards
in seniors Tony Goodall (13.8 ppg)
and Mario Martinelli (8). Inside, a healthy Dom Avvisato is their senior center. The other teams all have some very
noteworthy players. MMI Prep has
senior guard Ryan Forte (14 ppg)
and senior forward Fran Swankoski
(8.5 ppg). Susquehanna has a terrific
sophomore duo in Cole Mallery (12
ppg) and Andrzej Tomczyk
(15). And Forest City has senior guard
Joe Caruso (15 ppg). The winners move into Friday’s title
matchup. GIRLS PLAYOFFS CLASS AAAA FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 25 (QUARTER-FINALS) (4)
WVW 57, (5) Wallenpaupack 40 (2)
Williamsport 53, (7) Delaware
Valley 30 (3)
Hazleton Area 55, (6) Scranton 39 Williamsport
found themselves tied early in the second period
(9-9) against Delaware Valley. Rachel Fatherly
really struggled offensively through three periods, but did manage to score
12 as the Lady Millionaires put the game away y with an 18-7 margin in the
4th. Aisha Evans had another remarkable game netting 22 and pulling
down 14 rebounds. Megan Braunagel scored 10 for the Lady Warriors in the 53-30
loss. #3 seed Hazleton Area played
well against Scranton, shooting 45%.
But, as usually happens when these two teams get together it was an
extremely close game through halftime.
The Lady Knights actually held a 14-7 advantage before the Lady
Cougars went on a 9-0 run to make it a one point game at the break. Hazleton Area closed the door using a 12-1
third period streak. Janelle Ziminski had 19 while soph Keanna Schoennagle broke into the
Cougars lineup in a big way contributing 17 valuable points. Kylie
McHugh had 18 for Scranton.
Wyoming Valley West jumped out to a 15-2 lead after the first quarter
and cruised to a strong 57-40 win over Wallenpaupack. Tara
Zdancewicz netted 20 while Jamie
Swaboski had 16 (Alexix Roman
had 19 for the Lady Buckhorns).
TUESDAY, MARCH 1 (SEMI-FINALS) (1)
Abington Hts. (16-6) vs. (4) WVW (14-9) (2)
Williamsport (18-5) vs. (3) Hazleton (12-12) The
AAAA semi-finals are always entertaining because it’s still a
lose-and-go-home situation. And this
year, there are a pair of terrific matchups – actually rematches from games
played earlier in the season. Abington
Heights got some good inside scoring to get a 64-57 overtime win against the
Lady Spartans last month. Tara
Zdancewicz had a big game scoring 22 for WVW.
This should be another great showdown.
Although sputtering a bit late in the season, Valley West looked sharp
in their win over Paupack. Abington
Heights has not played since their last league game back on February 14. In the other semi-final, Hazleton has got
to hit the floor with a ton of confidence.
The Lady Cougars led 41-38 before a stretch of turnovers and cold-shooting
resulted in a 52-43 loss at the Magic Dome.
The Lady Millionaires got big efforts from Rachel Fatherly (25) and
Aisha Evans (with 16). Don’t be
deceived by Hazleton’s even record, they have battled through injuries all
season. The winners advance to the
championship game on Friday. CLASS AAA SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 26 (QUARTER-FINALS) (1)
Holy Redeemer 60, (8) Nanticoke 54
(OT) (4)
Scranton Prep 47, (5) Berwick
35 (2)
West Scranton 50, (7) Crestwood 46
(6)
Valley View 48, (3) Dallas 45 Nanticoke
Area came so close to pulling off a stunning upset over Holy Redeemer before
suffering a heart-breaking overtime loss.
In the end, though, they may have given their fans enough enthusiasm
to already start talking about a possible championship next season. The Trojanettes battled back from an eleven
point deficit early in the second half (28-17) to finally grab the lead
(44-43) with about three minutes remaining on a putback by Brittany Sugalski. Royals’ high-scorer Olivia Francisco missed a 1+1 opportunity with about 50 seconds
remaining and her team leading by a single point (51-50). Sami
Gow later got fouled for Nanticoke (and was down on the court injured for
several minutes). She was able to
convert one of two free throw chances to tie the game with 5 seconds
left. In OT, Holy Redeemer jumped out
to a 7-0 run (58-51) and secure the win.
Kayley Schinski was top
scorer for Nanticoke with 15 points.
Second-seed West Scranton led by eleven points at halftime (26-15),
but struggled offensively in the second half.
But, the Lady Invaders were able to gain the 50-46 win over
Crestwood. Colleen Cadden and Nora
Joyce combined for 20 for West Side.
Kayla Gregaris netted 15
while Chelsea Cornelius added 12
for the Lady Comets. Dallas, the #3
seed, appeared extremely rusty from the long layoff and the Lady Mounts trailed
for much of their game against Valley View.
However, after the Lady Cougars lost Casey Palko (fouled out) and Molly
Ann Mecca (injury) at the 7:15 mark of the final period, Dallas seized
the opportunity. They forced 7
turnovers and stormed to a 12-1 run, eventually grabbing a 41-40 lead off an Ashley Dunbar basket (with 1:42
remaining). With Dallas leading 43-42,
Valley View’s Mauro Santarelli
came up with the play of the game – an old-fashioned 3-point play to give her
team a 45-43 lead which they would not relinquish the rest of the way. The Cougars got 16 from Elena Stambone and 14 from Caroline Mancuso who was exceptional
at handling the ball. Finally,
Scranton Prep got a huge first half from point guard Tricia Byrne (15 of her 20 points) as the Classics took a 28-14
lead into the locker room. Lindsey Schroth netted 9 in their
47-35 win over Berwick. WEDNESDAY, MARCH 2 (SEMI-FINALS) (1)
Holy Redeemer (17-6) vs. (4) Scranton Prep (20-4) (2)
West Scranton (22-1) vs. (6) Valley View (13-11) Holy
Redeemer gets set for another challenging game. Scranton Prep played terrific defense and
features a very balanced offense. For the
Classics to advance, they are going to have to find a way to contain the
scoring of Olivia Francisco (14
ppg). West Scranton had to rely on
their defense a bit more than usual when their offense went cold against
Crestwood. Valley View will have to contain
Sabrina Coleman in the middle. Carline Mancuso and Elena Stambone should be able to keep
this game competitive. West brings a
21 game winning streak into their semi-final contest. All teams advance to Saturday’s
championship and consolation matchups.
CLASS AA FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 25 (QUARTER-FINALS) (1)
Dunmore 49, (8) Holy Cross 35 (5)
Mid Valley 63, (4) Wilkes-Barre
Meyers 43 (2)
Lake-Lehman 61, (7) Riverside
41 (3)
Montrose 66, (6) Hanover 40 Unlike
the AAA bracket, there were no significant upsets or close finishes in
AA. Top-seeded Dunmore did trail
crosstown rival Holy Cross 12-10 after one period, but then used a 29-13 run
through the middle stanzas to notch a 49-35 win. Ashley
Murray netted 17 in the win while Corinna
Palko added 16. Shannon May scored 14 for the Lady
Crusaders. #2 Lake-Lehman jumped out
to a 9-2 lead and never looked back in their 61-41 win over Riverside. Selena
Adamshick netted 27 in the win (Morgann
Haduck had 18 for the Lady Vikings).
Mid Valley was able to find glowing success from outside as they
bolted out to a 10-0 lead and cruised to a 63-43 win over Wilkes-Barre
Meyers. Danielle Terranella scored 29 and Alli Walsh added 18 (plus she grabbed her career 1,000th
rebound). Maddie Lavery scored 23 for the Lady Mohawks. And #3 Montrose used an 11-3 run after
Hanover grabbed a one-point (19-18) lead to go up 30-22. Dallas
Ely scored 25 and Amelia
DiPhillips added 15. The Lady
Hawks got 14 from Chelsie Cormier,
13 from Raisha Piper, and 12 from Danielle Tuzinski. TUESDAY, MARCH 1 (SEMI-FINALS) (1)
Dunmore (20-5) vs. (5) Mid Valley (21-3) (2)
Lake-Lehman (21-2) vs. (3) Montrose (21-3) Girls AA brings together four
outstanding teams who combined for 83 wins this season. Dunmore is an experienced team which
features some of the better guards in the entire district. Mid Valley has only dropped three games
this year – all to the Lady Bucks.
This one should be a dandy. The
other semi-final brings together teams that have some of the top individual
players in the area – Selena Adamshick
for Lake-Lehman and Dallas Ely for Montrose.
All teams advance to the title and consolation games on Friday. CLASS A SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 26 (QUARTER-FINAL) (4)
Blue Ridge 51, (5) Susquehanna 36 Susquehanna
played tough against Blue Ridge, only trailing 29-24 at halftime, but dropped
a 51-36 game to Blue Ridge. The
Raiders got 21 from Katie Brown
while Ashley Warren and Jenna Rupakus combined to score
23. The Lady Sabers got 14 from Amber Dubanowitz and 12 from Hargett
Mashawna. WEDNESDAY, MARCH 2 (SEMI-FINALS) (1)
Forest City (15-8) vs. (4) Blue Ridge (3-17)
(2)
Old Forge (10-11) vs. (3) Northwest Area (7-13) Forest
City and Old Forge have battled it out before for the Class A championship,
and don’t be surprised to see them meeting once again. The Lady Foresters are led by senior
forward Katie Yale (14.9
ppg). Cassie Erdmann (12.4) is a versatile senior forward and freshman Carly Erdmann (9.2) has been a solid
contributor this year. The two have
hit 63 treys on the season. Old Forge
brings a losing record into districts, but the Lady Blue Devils competed in
the rugged Division 2 of the LL.
Inside, they are paced by Lindsay
Regan (9.5) and Nicole Marianelli
(10.6). Senior guard Andrea Alsalahat averages 7 ppg. Northwest Area struggled a bit in the
second half of play, but their sophomore center Alivia Womelsdorf (14.6 ppg) is very good. Senior guard Kyla Hennigan averages 8.5 ppg.
UPDATED 2/27/11 2011 District 2
Tournament Previews FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 25
GAMES BOYS CLASS AAA (1)
Holy Redeemer (19-4) vs. (8) Dallas (12-10)
(4)
Abington Heights (14-10) vs. (5) Crestwood (12-10) (2)
West Scranton (18-5) vs. (7) Nanticoke (10-12) (3)
Tunkhannock (14-8) vs. (6) Valley View (13-11) FAVORITE: Holy Redeemer KEEP ON EYE ON: Abington Heights, West Scranton DON’T COUNT OUT: Tunkhannock, Valley View, Crestwood BEST QUARTER-FINAL: Tunkhannock vs. Valley View BEST SEMI-FINAL: Holy Redeemer vs. Abington Heights THE NITTY-GRITTY: The AAA bracket is shaping up to be a very
balanced tourney, even if Holy Redeemer stands out as the team to beat. Several of the teams coming in with double-digit
losses (Abington Hts., Crestwood, and Valley View) all feature fundamentally
sound lineups capable of advancing to the championship game. But, all discussion has to begin with Holy
Redeemer. The Royals bring the
distinct advantage of having the premier big man in the district – PSU
recruit Peter Alexis (20.6
ppg). He can be absolutely dominant in
the middle as seen from his 38 point performance at Hazleton Area late in the
season. His inside play is nicely
complemented by solid guard play. Austin Carr averages around 10 ppg
and do-everything Stephen Ruch
always gives them a spark when he’s in the lineup. West Scranton, the top Lackawanna League
entry, has a terrific starting lineup, but not a deep bench. But, then again, that’s typical for a Jack
Lyons coached team – and it’s tough to argue with success. The Invaders jumped to an 11-0 start which
featured a first half win over Scranton, but they have stumbled a bit lately,
admittedly in a very challenging division.
Guards Tyler Hughes (9
ppg), Malcolm Sweeting (13.2), and
Matt Langan (8) are great ball
handlers and Tim Langan (9.4)
gives them a tough force inside.
Tunkhannock has a mid-season win over Holy Redeemer on their resume
and the Tigers are paced by three-point specialist Mike Papi (16 ppg), Rich
Condeelis (10), and 6-11 James
Hawk who has been getting better each game. One of the perennial District 2
powerhouses, Abington Heights, may come in with a modest record, but it
includes eye-catching victories over Holy Redeemer, Tunkhannock, Valley View
and West Side. The Comets feature of
pair of steady perimeter players in Justin
Klingman (13 ppg) and slick freshman JC
Show (13 ppg). The two combined to
hit 67 treys this year. The play of Jason Bamford has been a bonus as he
has a knack for shot-blocking without drawing the foul. And having one of the top coaches in the
area, Ken Bianchi (approaching 600
wins) doesn’t hurt either. Crestwood
also features one of the area’s top bench leaders in Mark Atherton. The Comets
have two wins over Hazleton Area and have a fantastic guard in senior Jon Wojnar (11.8 ppg, 46 treys). Inside, Dave Piavis averages 9.5 ppg.
Maybe the hottest team in the entire bracket, Valley View, just missed
gaining a last second win over Abington Heights in an LIAA qualifying
game. The Cougars, who are 8-3 in
their last 11 games, are paced by Jordan
Siddons (13), Brandon Cholish
(9.5), Brian Lalli (8.6), and Cory Callejas (9.8). Nanticoke has dominant big man Cael Evans to contend with and Dallas
features junior forward Shane Dunn. Three AAA teams will advance into the state
tournament BOYS CLASS A (1)
Old Forge (14-6) bye (2)
MMI Prep (5-16) bye (3)
Susquehanna (6-15) bye (4)
Forest City (4-18) vs. (5) St. Michaels (1-14) FAVORITE: Old Forge DON’T COUNT OUT: MMI Prep BEST SEMI-FINAL: MMI Prep vs. Susquehanna THE NITTY-GRITTY: Old Forge comes into the 1A field as the
consensus favorite. The Blue Devils
have a solid pair of guards in seniors Tony
Goodall (13.8 ppg) and Mario
Martinelli (8). Inside, a healthy Dom Avvisato is their senior
center. The other teams all have some
very noteworthy players. MMI Prep has
senior guard Ryan Forte (14 ppg)
and senior forward Fran Swankoski
(8.5 ppg). Susquehanna has a terrific
sophomore duo in Cole Mallery (12
ppg) and Andrzej Tomczyk
(15). And Forest City has senior guard
Joe Caruso (15 ppg). Two teams moves into the state tourney
(although the runner-up must advance through the play-in round). GIRLS AAAA (1)
Abington Heights (16-6) bye (4)
WVW (13-9) vs. (5) Wallenpaupack (10-11) (2)
Williamsport (17-5) vs. (7) Delaware Valley (3-19) (3)
Hazleton (11-12) vs. (6) Scranton (3-18)
FAVORITE: Abington Heights KEEP ON EYE ON: Williamsport DON’T COUNT OUT: Wyoming Valley West, Hazleton BEST QUARTER-FINAL: WVW vs. Wallenpaupack BEST SEMI-FINAL: Williamsport vs. Hazleton Area THE NITTY-GRITTY: Abington Heights has a balanced lineup
featuring guards Tiffany O’Donnell
(10 ppg) and Lauren Hoyt (6) while
seniors Joetta Hashem (8) and Maggie Fruehan (12) anchor the
inside. The Lady Comets have played a
competitive schedule (wins over Prep and WVW) and should challenge for the
AAAA gold medals. Williamsport, out of
District 4, has been on a bit of a roller-coaster ride this season. The Lady Millionaires have been up and down
more often than The Twister, but like Abington Heights, has benefitted from a
tough slate of games. Forward Rachel Fatherly (17 ppg) and guard Alicia Ross (13) are their leaders,
but lately forward Aisha Evans has
been playing spectacular - she netted
35 points in a game against North Schuylkill last week. Perennial district contender Hazleton Area
is a bit down this year in part to two key injuries, but the Lady Cougars
have been showing occasional flashes of their patented, swarming style of
ball. The Lady Cougars dropped the WVC
title game to Crestwood and are paced by senior guards Janelle Ziminski (9.4) and Taylor
Cannon (7.5). Wyoming Valley West
has an opportunity to make up for a somewhat disappointing regular
season. The Lady Spartans top scorer
is junior forward Tara Zdancewicz. Guards Jamie
Swaboski (9.8) and Kaityln
Smicherko (11.3) provide balanced scoring and 3-point shooting capability. Wallenpaupack has one of the area’s top
sophomores in center Alexix Roman
(13.4 ppg). Scranton has struggled
this year, but senior forward Shanelle
McGowan (10.5) has had some big scoring nights. Two teams will advance out of 4A, although
the runner-up must travel to take part in the PIAA play-in round. GIRLS CLASS AA (1)
Dunmore (19-5) vs. (8) Holy Cross (11-14) (4)
W-B Meyers (13-8) vs. (5) Mid Valley (20-3)
(2)
Lake-Lehman (20-2) vs. (7) Riverside (17-8)
(3)
Montrose (20-3) vs. (6) Hanover (11-12)
FAVORITE: Dunmore KEEP ON EYE ON: Mid Valley, Lake-Lehman DON’T COUNT OUT: Riverside, Montrose BEST QUARTER-FINAL: Lake-Lehman vs. Riverside BEST SEMI-FINAL: Dunmore vs. Mid Valley THE NITTY-GRITTY: Girls AA is going to be a fun tournament to
follow this year. Don’t be surprised
to see Dunmore take home yet another district championship. The Lady Bucks have a sensational trio of guards in
seniors Ashley Murray (13.3 ppg)
and Corinna Palko (10.8) plus
junior Alexa Gerchman (7.7). Inside, junior forward Courtney Murray has given them some terrific rebounding. A host of teams will seek to de-throne the 5-time champions. Lake-Lehman is led by senior playmaker Selena Adamshick (19 ppg). She gets help from juniors Jessica Neare (8) and Nikki Sutliff (8.5). Montrose, having dropped a qualifying game
to Dunmore in which they led at halftime, features 3-point specialist Dallas Ely (junior guard, 16 ppg) and
several other players that give the Lady Meteors very balanced scoring. Wilkes-Barre Meyers brings one of the top
centers in District 2 as they are paced by senior Maddie Lavery (14.8 ppg).
Then, there’s Mid Valley. The
Spartanettes have only lost three games this season – all to Dunmore. If the fourth time is the charm, it will
happen in the district semi-finals.
Mid Valley has all-everything junior guard Danielle Terranella (18 ppg) along with senior forward Alli Walsh (12 ppg). Hanover Area could be a sleeper in the
tournament. Senior guard Michelle Bugonowicz is one of the top
long range shooters in the tourney (61 treys, 15.3 ppg) while junior forward Danielle Tuzinski averages 15.3
ppg. Riverside benefits from the
caliber of competition within the Lackawanna Division 2. The Lady Vikes senior guard Morgann Haduck hit 41 treys and
averages 15 ppg. She is joined by
junior forward Kelli Nash
(8). Holy Cross has put a nice run of
wins together to qualify for the playoffs.
The Lady Crusaders top scorer is Mary
Grace Sempa (12.4 ppg). Three
teams will advance to the state tournament. SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 26
GAMES BOYS CLASS AAAA (1)
Scranton (21-2) bye (2)
Wyoming Valley West (17-5) bye (3)
Hazleton Area (13-9) bye (4)
Delaware Valley (10-12) vs. (5) Wallenpaupack (5-17) FAVORITE: Scranton KEEP ON EYE ON: Wyoming Valley West DON’T COUNT OUT: Hazleton Area, Delaware Valley BEST SEMI-FINAL: Hazleton Area vs. Wyoming Valley West THE NITTY-GRITTY: Some teams might struggle mightily after
being tabbed as the overwhelming selection for winning the league and
district championship – even before the season began. But that’s how much excitement there was
surrounding the Knights program from opening night. Most people associate Scranton with a
fast-paced, run and gun offense, but they have also developed an occasional
halfcourt game which senior guard Tim
Fisch (12 ppg, 38 treys) runs to perfection. The key to their success without question
is their fantastic junior playmaker Terry
Turner (17.8 ppg). Always the
ultimate team player, Turner has shown that he can dominate a game when he
touches the ball (as seen in his final period performance against West Side
in late January). Though somewhat
overshadowed, junior guard Malik
Draper (12 ppg) is outstanding.
Inside, Hasiin Dixon (10.5)
is a great rebounder. WVW Division 1
champion, Wyoming Valley West, also has a fantastic all-around athlete in
junior forward Eugene Lewis. He averages 16 ppg and, like Turner, can be
unstoppable at times, especially when he gets near the basket. Lewis netted 27 and had three first quarter
dunks in their title-clinching win at Hazleton Area. Junior James
McCann (14.5 ppg) can knock down the 3-pointer. If they advance, WVW will have to find ways
to break Scranton’s press and also control the ball within their often very
patient offense. Hazleton Area is not
getting a lot of attention, but the Cougars definitely have the ability and
the motivation of not wanting to lose again to a top rival (WVW) for the 3rd
time this year. And they bring an
incredible winning tradition onto the floor.
Junior guards Tyler Plaska
(8.6 ppg) and Travis Buckner (5.5)
are their wild cards. Mike Joseph has been getting solid
efforts from senior forward Danny
Fogarty, but needs his athletic senior forward (and top-scorer) Dwaine Gilley (10.7 ppg) to get into
the flow. Delaware Valley brings one
of the top 3-point shooters into the tourney in junior guard Brandon Angradi (23.8 ppg). Sophomore guard Brent Fragola (10.6) is another bright spot on their team. The Warriors upset both Abington Heights
and West Scranton on consecutive nights.
Wallenpaupack has struggled this year, not winning a league game, but
the Buckhorns get almost 10 ppg from soph guard Jake Brown and 9 ppg from senior guard Isaiah Slutter. Scranton,
WVW, and Hazleton will be playing their first basketball games in 15 days, so
an intangible could also be who is able to shake off the rust quickest. Two teams will advance out of 4A, although
the runner-up must travel to take part in the PIAA play-in round. BOYS CLASS AA (1)
Riverside (19-5) vs. (8) Mid Valley (14-11) (4)
Wilkes-Barre GAR (16-6) vs. (5) Holy Cross (16-5) (2)
Wilkes-Barre Meyers (21-1) vs. (7) Dunmore (15-10) (3)
Lackawanna Trail (15-10) vs. (6) Hanover (15-7) FAVORITES: Riverside, Wilkes-Barre Meyers KEEP ON EYE ON: Holy Cross, Hanover Area DON’T COUNT OUT: Dunmore, Wilkes-Barre GAR, Trail BEST QUARTER-FINAL: Wilkes-Barre GAR vs. Holy Cross BEST SEMI-FINAL: Riverside vs. Holy Cross THE NITTY-GRITTY: This may be the coin flip bracket. No, not in in selecting the favorites, but
in trying to select which game to go see.
Division champions Riverside and Wilkes-Barre Meyers get a slight nod,
but look for this to be an extremely competitive bracket. Riverside is definitely not a two-man team,
but the incredible success of junior forward Jerry Kincel (22 ppg) and senior guard Tommy Armillay (11.6 with 42 treys) really make the Vikings an
explosive squad. They set very
effective screens and are well-coached.
A bit of a contrast, but every bit as dangerous, Meyers has a very
deep and talented lineup. The Mohawks
are paced by senior center Keyton
Winder (16.2 ppg), one of the premier players in the entire WVC. Senior guard Ross Lavan (8 ppg) is a 3-point threat while a pair of
sophomores, Ryan Krawczeniuk (11
ppg) and Rasheed Moore (9.8 ppg)
are very tough to guard. Lackawanna
Division 3 winner Lackawanna Trail dropped several games down the stretch,
but when you have a player like 7-0 center Steve Miller (17.5 ppg), a lot of good things can happen. The key to their success might be the
offensive play of junior guards Matt
Lochen (7.7 ppg) and Lyle
Sweppenhieser (8.2 ppg).
Wilkes-Barre GAR is another athletic team with balanced scoring. Guards Darrell
Crawford (11.2 ppg, 40 treys), Mike
Polakoski (7.8), and Matt Sharpe
(7.6) are solid on the perimeter while inside strength is provided by Shaliek Powell (9.4), frosh Isaiah Francis, and Christian Skrepenak. Holy Cross is a young team, but entirely
capable of making some playoff noise.
As with Riverside, they are well-coached and play with great tenacity,
especially on denfense. The Crusaders
have soph guard Andrew Moran (11.9
ppg), soph forward Josh Kosin (15
ppg), and freshman Connor Callejas
(9.5). Senior guard Mike Brannon (8.3) can hit the
trey. The key will be how effective
Kosin can be in the middle. Hanover
Area brings some long-range shooting talent in Mike Kelleher (7.5) and Bilal
Floyd (15.5) who have combined to hit 76 treys
on the season. Nobody wants to face a
red-hot team this time of the year, and the Dunmore Bucks are that team. But, they are also young – but like Holy
Cross, who knows whether that will prove to be any negative factor in the
playoffs. Matt Clark (12.3 ppg) leads the way along with guard John Rinaldi (12 ppg). Mid Valley, a team that advanced through
the LIAA playoff process, might be the sleeper here, but the Spartans do
bring a great soph duo in guard Matt
Tanner (11.2 ppg) and forward Ronny
Tomassetti (10.2 ppg). Three teams
will advance into the state tourney. GIRLS AAA (1)
Holy Redeemer (16-6) vs. (8) Nanticoke (16-6)
(4)
Scranton Prep (19-4) vs. (5) Berwick (17-5)
(2)
West Scranton (21-1) vs. (7) Crestwood (15-8) (3)
Dallas (16-4) vs. (6) Valley View (12-11) FAVORITES: Holy Redeemer, West Scranton KEEP ON EYE ON: Dallas, Scranton Prep DON’T COUNT OUT: Crestwood, Berwick BEST QUARTER-FINAL: Scranton Prep vs. Berwick BEST SEMI-FINAL: West Scranton vs. Dallas THE NITTY-GRITTY: Girls AAA will be a great tournament from
top to bottom. Don’t be deceived by
Holy Redeemer’s 6 losses as the three of them came from District 11
powerhouses such as ACC, Northampton, and Marian Catholic. The Lady Royals have sharpshooter Olivia Francisco (41 treys) who
averages 14.2 ppg. They have a
versatile lineup – senior Ann Maria
Wempa (8.5 ppg) and soph Sydney
Myers (7.5) are also key contributors.
West Scranton, on a 20 game winning streak, should challenge Holy
Redeemer. The Lady Invaders have
terrific guards in seniors Amanda
Greene (9.7 ppg) and Nora Joyce
(11.0). Inside, senior forward Sabrina Coleman (10.5) does just
about everything – she can handle the ball and has amazing body control. Dallas, who is the only team to defeat West
Side, has a veteran lineup. Guards Sam Martin (7.9 ppg) and Sarah Kneal (10 ppg) are tough on the
perimeter and forward Katie Darling
(8 ppg) is strong around the basket.
Scranton Prep, not a flashy team, but possibly the most fundamentally
balanced and defense-oriented team, could
surprise. The Classics are led inside
by seniors Liz Shultz (9.7) and Maggie Ware (6.6). On the outside, senior guards Lindsey Schroth (9.6) and Catie DiBileo (6.5) are effective
along with frosh Tricia Byrne (6.3
ppg). Berwick comes into the tourney
with what many would consider the speediest senior guard tandem in the WVC - Bella Jaffin (9.3 ppg) and Courtney Shields (11.0). And Crysta
Hmelak, if left open, can drain a trey.
Valley View features sensational senior guard Elena Stambone (16.7 ppg) - a long-range shooter - as wells as
junior Caroline Mancuso (8.3
ppg). WVC Division 1 champ, Crestwood,
who comes in as only a #7 seed (because the WVC point system no longer gives
division winner higher seeds) , has the daunting task of going up against
West Scranton in the first round. The
Lady Comets guard duo of MVP Chelsea
Cornelius (14.7 ppg) and Kayla
Gegaris (6.3) are their leaders.
Junior guard Sara Andrews
averages 8.4 ppg. Amy Jesikiewicz can also nail a 3-pointer. Nanticoke, who challenged Lake-Lehman in
WVC Division 3 play, has a three-point threat in Teresa Kalinay (junior guard, 14 ppg). Junior guard Sami Gow averages 8.5 ppg.
Inside, Katie Wolfe is
tough. Three AA teams will advance to
the state tournament. GIRLS CLASS A (1)
Forest City (15-8) bye (2)
Old Forge (10-11) bye (3)
Northwest Area (7-13) bye (4)
Blue Ridge (2-17) vs. (5) Susquehanna (0-21)
FAVORITE: Forest City KEEP ON EYE ON: Old Forge
DON’T COUNT OUT: Northwest Area BEST SEMI-FINAL: Old Forge vs. Northwest Area THE NITTY-GRITTY: Forest City and Old Forge have battled it
out before for the Class A championship, and don’t be surprised to see them
meeting once again. The Lady Foresters
are led by senior forward Katie Yale
(14.9 ppg). Cassie Erdmann (12.4) is a versatile senior forward and freshman Carly Erdmann (9.2) has been a solid
contributor this year. The two have
hit 63 treys on the season. Old Forge
brings a losing record into districts, but the Lady Blue Devils competed in
the rugged Division 2 of the LL.
Inside, they are paced by Lindsay
Regan (9.5) and Nicole Marianelli
(10.6). Senior guard Andrea Alsalahat averages 7 ppg. Northwest Area struggled a bit in the
second half of play, but their sophomore center Alivia Womelsdorf (14.6 ppg) is very good. Senior guard Kyla Hennigan averages 8.5 ppg.
Blue Ridge features junior forward Kristen Brown (9 ppg).
Susquehanna, who returns their entire roster next year, will look to
upset the Lady Raiders. 1 DISTRICT 2 BOYS
CURRENT RECORDS WYOMING VALLEY
CONFERENCE Team (second half,
first half, overall) x – won first half y – won second half z – won overall championship DIVISION 1 xyz-Wyoming
Valley West (6-1, 5-1, 18-7) Crestwood
(5-2, 4-2, 12-11) Hazleton
Area (4-3, 4-2, 13-10) Wilkes-Barre
Coughlin (2-5, 2-4, 8-14) Pittston
(2-5, 2-4, 8-14) DIVISION 2 xyz-Holy
Redeemer (7-0, 5-1, 24-5) Tunkhannock
(5-2, 5-1, 15-10) Dallas
(3-4, 2-4, 12-11) Wyoming
Area (1-6, 1-5, 3-19) Berwick
(0-7, 0-6, 1-21) DIVISION 3 xyz-Wilkes-Barre
Meyers (7-0, 6-0, 24-3) Wilkes-Barre
GAR (6-1, 4-2, 16-7) Nanticoke
(5-2, 3-3, 10-13) Hanover
(4-3, 5-1, 16-9) Lake-Lehman
(3-4, 1-5, 8-14) DIVISION 4 y-Wyoming
Seminary (4-3, 3-3, 8-13) xz-Northwest
(3-4, 5-1, 13-10) MMI
Prep (2-5, 2-4, 5-17) West
Side Tech (1-6, 1-5, 3-18) St.
Michaels (0-7, 0-6, 1-15) LACKAWANNA LEAGUE Team (second half,
first half, overall) x- won first half y - won second half z - won overall championship DIVISION 1 xyz-Scranton
(7-0, 6-1, 23-3) West
Scranton (4-3, 6-1, 21-7) North
Pocono (4-3, 5-2, 15-7) Abington
Heights (4-3, 4-3, 16-12) Honesdale
(4-3, 2-5, 11-12) Delaware
Valley (3-4, 3-4, 11-13) Scranton
Prep (2-5, 2-5, 6-16) Wallenpaupack
(0-7, 0-7, 5-17) DIVISION 2 yz-Riverside
(6-1, 6-1, 23-6) x-Holy
Cross (5-2, 7-0, 18-7) Dunmore
(5-2, 4-3, 15-11) Valley
View (5-2, 4-3, 13-12) Old
Forge (4-3, 4-3, 17-8) Mid
Valley (2-5, 2-5, 14-12) Carbondale
(1-6, 1-6, 6-18) Western
Wayne (0-7, 0-7, 1-22) DIVISION 3 y-Montrose
(7-0, 6-1, 18-7) Blue
Ridge (6-1, 6-1, 14-9) Elk
Lake (5-2, 4-3, 12-10) xz-Lackawanna
Trail (3-4, 6-1, 15-11) Lakeland
(3-4, 3-4, 9-14) Susquehanna
(2-5, 2-5, 8-17) Forest
City (2-5, 0-7, 5-19) Mountain
View (0-7, 1-6, 4-19) GIRLS BASKETBALL GIRLS BASKETBALL GIRLS BASKETBALL GIRLS BASKETBALL GIRLS BASKETBALL GIRLS BASKETBALL GIRLS BASKETBALL DISTRICT 2 GIRLS
CURRENT RECORDS WYOMING VALLEY CONFERENCE Team (second half, first half,
overall) x-
won first half y- won second half z - won overall championship DIVISION 1 y-Hazleton
Area (5-2, 3-3, 12-13) Wyoming
Valley West (4-3, 4-2, 14-10) xz-Crestwood
(3-4, 5-1, 15-9) Pittston
(1-6, 2-4, 6-16) Wilkes-Barre
Coughlin (0-7, 0-6, 1-21) DIVISION 2 xyz-Holy
Redeemer (7-0, 5-1, 19-8) Dallas
(5-2, 5-1, 16-5) Berwick
(5-2, 4-2, 17-6) Tunkhannock
(4-3, 1-5, 10-11) Wyoming
Area (1-6, 1-5, 7-14) DIVISION 3 xyz-Lake-Lehman
(7-0, 7-0, 22-4) Nanticoke
(6-1, 6-1, 16-7) Wilkes-Barre
Meyers (5-2, 5-2, 13-9) Hanover
(4-3, 2-5, 11-13) Northwest
(3-4, 1-6, 7-14) Wyoming
Seminary (2-5, 4-3, 9-13) Wilkes-Barre
GAR (1-6, 3-4, 7-15) MMI Prep
(0-7, 0-7, 0-21) LACKAWANNA LEAGUE Team
(second half, first half, overall) x- won first half y- won second half z – won overall championship DIVISION 1 xyz-West
Scranton (7-0, 7-0, 25-2) Abington
Heights (6-1, 6-1, 18-7) Scranton
Prep (5-2, 5-2, 21-6) North
Pocono (4-3, 3-4, 10-11) Honesdale
(3-4, 1-6, 10-13) Wallenpaupack
(2-5, 3-4, 10-12) Delaware
Valley (1-6, 0-7, 3-20) Scranton
(0-7, 3-4, 3-19) DIVISION 2 Mid Valley
(6-1, 6-1, 25-5) xyz-Dunmore
(6-1, 7-0, 26-6) Riverside
(5-2, 4-3, 17-9) Valley
View (5-2, 4-3, 13-13) Old Forge
(2-5, 4-3, 12-13) Holy Cross
(2-5, 2-5, 11-15) Western
Wayne (2-5, 1-6, 6-16) Carbondale
(0-7, 0-7, 0-23) DIVISION 3 y-Forest
City (7-0, 6-1, 17-10) xz-Montrose
(6-1, 7-0, 21-5) Lakeland
(5-2, 3-4, 10-12) Mountain
View (3-4, 4-3, 10-12) Lackawanna
Trail (3-4, 4-3, 10-14) Elk Lake
(3-4, 3-4, 8-14) Blue Ridge
(1-6, 1-6, 3-18) Susquehanna
(0-7, 0-7, 0-22) That’s it for this edition
of the NEP Beat. See you next time! Question or Comments, email
us at LLHoops.NEP-Beat@comcast.net Jon K. |
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