UPDATED 4/15/09
UPON FURTHER REVIEW
No instant replay is needed to reverse a lousy call in the season-end
edition of the NEP Beat. This one is a no-brainer. We goofed, plain and
simple. Maybe it was a classic case of not seeing the forest for the trees,
who knows. In any event, a few of the most impactful players from across
District 2 were inexcusably omitted from the 2008-2009 All-District 2 Boys Team
that was released last week. And that is a miscue which needs to be corrected,
right now. First of all, in the WVC, one of the most dominating centers over
the past two seasons, Bernard Edmonds (a career 1,000 point scorer), averaged
20.4 ppg and pulled down 10 rpg. His efforts helped lead Wyoming Area to a
winning (12-11) campaign, impressively tripling their win total from last
season. Bernard (a 6-6 senior) netted 30+ scoring games in wins against
Wyoming Seminary and Tunkhannock, and had his squad leading top-ranked Hazleton
(39-35) after three quarters in a rowdy mid-January division cross-over game. And
in the Lackawanna League, Jeff Madrak, helped guide Elk Lake to their second
straight Division 3 championship. Even though the 3-time LL Division 3
all-star was more than capable of putting up some impressive numbers
(averaging 19.9 ppg and netting 31 in a win over Lake-Lehman), the versatile 1,000
point scorer may be best-remembered for successfully working his fellow teammates
into the winning formula. Especially on nights when he was covered by a
smothering defense. Congratulations to both players on a job well-done and
please accept our apologies for this oversight.
In order to be as fair as possible to all the players
involved, potential candidates for both All-District teams were again reviewed,
and it was quickly realized that there is simply too much talent around
District 2 this season to limit each team to 15 selections. So, the rosters
have been expanded to 20 and both the boys and girls revised lineups are listed
below.
Additionally, the NEP Beat spent some time debating just what
criteria exemplify a winning season. It is more than having more wins than
losses. Yes, for some teams, there was tremendous pressure and almost non-stop
attention on building upon previous successes and achieving a high rankings or
winning championships. For them, pre-season goals may have defined a winning
season as one which progressed well into March. But, for so many others, modest
steps forward, which may appear invisible to many, helped instill a valuable winning
attitude. And that often provides the springboard to greater achievements.
So, a special section called Sweet Dreams Are Realized is included this week,
taking a look back at those District 2 boys and girls programs that took steps
(of varying magnitude) forward this season.
Finally, as we have said before, the LLHoops.com NEP Beat tries
to focus on the positive aspects of District 2 basketball. Every effort is
made to keep the column as fair and impartial as possible. This is about the
high-school student athletes. It is their stage and meant to be about their
well-deserved accomplishments. Some teams and players probably do garner more
visibility and coverage, but the Beat really tries to never show any
favoritism. There is always the desire to gravitate to the marquee games and
the big showdowns. But, that cannot compromise the commitment to showcase other
deserving teams or players. Like everything else in life, it is important to always
strive to do better going forward and learn from past mistakes. I have always
said that when the NEP Beat no longer delivers on our core values, then it time
to pack away the clipboard.
See you in the bleachers
2008-2009 LLHOOPS ALL-DISTRICT 2 BOYS TEAM (REVISED)
Pat Mineo (Scranton Prep, 6-0, Senior, G, 17.4 ppg)
Sean Bieski (Nanticoke, 6-2, Senior, G, 20.6 ppg)
Louis Cipriano (Holy Cross, 5-7, Junior, G, 11.9 ppg)
Joe Caffrey (Wilkes-Barre Coughlin, 5-10, Junior, G, 12.9
ppg)
Tyler Breznitsky (MMI Prep, 5-10, Senior, G, 18.8 ppg)
Kyle Colachino (Valley View, 6-1, Senior, G, 16.6 ppg)
Mike Ehnot (Dunmore, 5-8, Junior, G, 11.7 ppg)
Bobby Pacholec (Lackawanna Trail, 6-2, Junior, G, 20.7 ppg)
Adam Fazzini (Crestwood, 6-5, Senior, G/F, 17.8 ppg)
Jeff Madrak (Elk Lake, 6-3, Senior, G/F, 19.9 ppg)
Ross Danzig (Abington Heights, 6-3, Junior, G/F, 11.4 ppg)
Dan Irvin (Pittston, 6-4, Senior, F, 14.9 ppg)
Tom Horan (West Scranton, 6-3, Junior, F, 17.1 ppg)
Henry Messinger (Dallas, 6-5, Senior, F, 18.6 ppg)
Danny Maguschak (Hazleton, 6-3, Senior, F, 14.1 ppg)
Paris Cleveland (Hazleton, 6-2 Junior, F, 13.7 ppg)
Mark Bevacqua (Holy Cross, 6-6, Junior, C, 11.3 ppg)
Eric Hardaway (Abington Heights, 6-5, Senior, C, 13.0 ppg)
Pete Alexis (Holy Redeemer, 6-11, Sophomore, C, 18.6 ppg)
Bernard Edmonds (Wyoming Area, 6-6, Senior, C, 20.4 ppg)
SWEET DREAMS ARE REALIZED (BOYS EDITION)
Every team begins pre-season drills with a variety of goals
in mind. For some, it may have been no more than to be as competitive as
possible and to give their best effort each and every night. Others may have
been squarely focused on winning a league or district championship.
Understanding that there is often more to a successful season than having more
Ws than Ls, we took another look at some of the District 2 programs, many of
whom did not get a mention in the final season rankings.
First off, it could be reasoned that the most improved team
in the entire district this year was Wyoming Area. The Warriors bolted out to a 9-3 start and tripled their win total
from last season with an overall 12-11 record. They defeated highly-regarded
Dallas three times and definitely should have been included in our year-end
honorary mention category. Another team that made great strides and almost
worked their way into a league championship was Montrose. The Meteors improved their league win total by
6-games this season and made it a thrilling three-team race in the LL Division
3. Another Lackawanna League team that made things exciting in Division 1 was West
Scranton. The Invaders were competitive in
virtually all their games and really brought excitement back to their cozy West
Side gym. Then, there were teams that continued to build upon the solid
foundation from last season and moved themselves right into the title chase. Elk
Lake, Mountain View, and Dunmore all improved their overall league win totals by 3 games this year.
Some District 2 teams gained precious few headlines, but yet
their competiveness and talent made them a really difficult opponent, one not
to be overlooked for sure. In the WVC Division 3, Lake-Lehman may have ended up at the bottom of the division,
but the Black Knights realized significant improvement in their overall winning
percentage. In the same division, Wilkes-Barre Meyers made some modest strides, but their program is
headed in the right direction and the future looks bright for the Mohawks. Tunkhannock had a very balanced lineup and really turned their
attitude around in Division 1. The Tigers did have trouble notching wins, but
their intensity and execution were much improved. They believed they could win
and that made a huge difference in game and practice situations. MMI
Prep managed to achieve their first
winning record in memory and although they fell short of winning Division 4,
the Preppers did bring hoops interest back to the small Freeland community.
Back in the Lackawanna League, Mid Valley, who won just a single Division 2 game last season, improved their
mark to four league victories and had the Spartans climbing the division
standings.
GIRLS BASKETBALL GIRLS BASKETBALL GIRLS
BASKETBALL
2008-2009 LLHOOPS ALL-DISTRICT 2 GIRLS TEAM
(REVISED)
Alyssa Flanagan (Hazleton, 5-9, Senior, G, 9.3 ppg)
Danielle Terranella (Mid Valley, 5-8, Freshman, G, 17.3 ppg)
Katlin Michaels (Berwick, 5-9, Senior, G, 13.8 ppg)
Katy DeGraw (Honesdale, 5-7, Senior, G, 15.3 ppg)
Jen Harnischfeger (Nanticoke, 5-2, Junior, G, 12.8 ppg)
Celia Rader (Scranton Prep, 5-4, Senior, G, 15.6 ppg)
Lauren Smicherko (Pittston, 5-4, Junior, G, 19.6 ppg)
Dakin Hewlett (Abington Heights, 5-6, Senior, G, 10.5 ppg)
Morgan Thomas (Nanticoke, 5-5, Senior, G, 12.2 ppg)
Christy Glidden (Susquehanna, 5-5, Senior, G, 15.9 ppg)
Lauren Carra (Dunmore, 5-9, Senior, G/F, 22.5 ppg)
Monica Wignot (Holy Redeemer, 6-1, Junior, G/F, 12 ppg)
Lauren McGinley (W-B Coughlin, 5-10, Senior, G/F, 13 ppg)
Maddy Ludwig (Hazleton, 5-11, Senior, F, 9.1 ppg)
Tayler Pallotta (Dunmore, 5-10, Senior, F, 12.6 ppg)
Katee Pelleschi (Lake-Lehman, 5-10, Senior, F, 13.4 ppg)
Terika Turner (Scranton, 6-0, Senior, C, 13.9 ppg)
Sami Himlin (Wyoming V. West, 6-2, Junior, C, 14 ppg)
Rebecca Keegan (6-1, Junior, C, 16.9 ppg)
Julie Kosin (Holy Cross, 5-10, Junior, C, 17.0 ppg)
SWEET DREAMS ARE REALIZED (GIRLS EDITION)
Lots of District 2 girls teams made strides of varying
degrees this season. To start off, a pair of WVC powerhouses continued to
build upon their already successful programs. Nanticoke Area, three years removed from their 29-1 season, got
back into championship form by compiling a 21-5 record and winning Division 2. Holy Redeemer captured Division
2 on their way to a 24-3 season. Wyoming Valley West rebounded from a losing record last season by
winning 15 games and nearly defeating Division 1 champion Hazleton. Hanover added 6 wins to their record this year and
had a very competitive squad. Over in the Lackawanna League, Mountain
View improved their Division 3 performance
significantly and even secured second half honors. Forest City, who improved their league win total by 5
victories, won the Division 3 title and their youthful lineup has fans already
talking about next year. Western Wayne, a team that went winless in league play last season, moved down to
Division 3 and picked up six important league wins. And Old Forge, the District 2-A champion, continued their success
in Division 3.
There were some terrific teams that found themselves a bit
overshadowed by stronger teams within their own division. Wilkes-Barre
Coughlin picked up where they left off
last year and added to their to their win total. The Lady Crusaders had a
terrific lineup and was one of the more exciting teams in WVC Division 2. Berwick, who had one of the top guards in the area, kept
their winning ways going and gave Joe Gavio all he could handle in a league game.
In the Lackawanna League, Scranton Prep, with their guards who repeated nailed long-distance treys, improved
their Division 1 league mark with 10 wins. Elk Lake continues to show improvement in their program and
got into a winning record in LL Division 3 play. Mid Valley, one of the teams to definitely watch over the next
few seasons, made important strides in a very tough LL Division 2 Jumping
back to the WVC, Crestwood, with
some of their outstanding young players, added four wins to their league total
and looks to make a run at a division title next year. Wyoming Area doubled their win total and began moving up the WVC
Division 2 standings.
Again, sweet success for many teams in the 2008-2009 season.
That’s it for this time.
UPDATED 4/8/09
** POSTSEASON EDITION **
Welcome back to the Northeast Beat for a special year-end season
wrap-up. It has been another fantastic
boys and girls hoops season throughout District 2. Lots of great memories, from an opening night
showdown between Holy Cross and Abington
Heights to the state playoff
quarter-final round which saw a trio of outstanding seasons come to an end on
the hardwoods of Martz Hall and Reading. The Beat covered Wyoming Valley Conference
and Lackawanna League battles from every division in the district, from preseason
action to holiday tournaments, all the way to league and district championships. As always, it has been a fun ride and a
genuine honor to cover some of our finest student-athletes, many of whom will
leave their playing careers behind and focus toward new life adventures. No doubt that the teamwork and leadership
skills learned though playing high school basketball will be put to very good
use throughout many lives.
And this year, the hits just kept coming. More District 2 hoops fans stopped by the NEP
Beat than ever before. So, take a bow,
you deserve it. You are what make all
this work. To the players, who all too
often get blamed when defeat gets snatched from the hands of victory - it really
is just a game. To the coaching staffs,
whose absolute love of the game offsets what is often a truly thankless
endeavor – hang in there. To the
parents, whose knack of simply listening at the right moment is the glue that holds
everything together – nice job. To the
fans, whose wild and rabid followings bring out the best (and sometimes worst)
of sportsmanship – remember, we are only spectators. And to all of those who are counting down the
months until the 2009-2019 hoops season begins – opening night is just a short 247 days away.
LOTS to cover in this year-end column. The final District 2 Top 10 rankings are
unveiled along with the LLHoops.com District 2 All-Star player, coach, and game
selections. All-state picks are also
reviewed, along with highlights from the senior all-star games in the WVC and
Lackawanna League. Some of the best
moments from state championship weekend at Penn State
are also included. The final league
standings are listed along with a summary of the District 2 hoops tourney. All that plus updates on a few early
post-season coaching vacancies, capsules of the freshman championship games,
and an update on the D-2 censure of the Lakeland
school board. Finally, the NEP lists 10
teams to watch out for heading into next season. You know the routine - boys stuff is posted
first (scroll further down the page for full coverage of girls hoops).
As our webmaster Dell Jackson discusses so honestly in his
year end column (http://llhoops.com/musing.html),
the economy has taken a hard hit across all forms of media with advertising
dollars way down. Yet, the reality is
that LLHoops continues to hang in there (barely) for another season, reaching
into its 10th year. The word is that the
site will probably be back for another year, but likely morph into a format
that delivers more emphasis on columns and analysis. If anyone knows of a northeast PA business or
institution that might be interested in sponsoring the NEP Beat page, contact
Dell for advertising rate information. It is a very economical way to get lots of visibility throughout the
hoops season.
Stop back over the coming months for occasional updates as
information becomes available. Until
next time, see you in the bleachers!
FINAL 2008-2009 DISTRICT 2 BOYS TOP 10
*Williamsport (23-4) 4A
1. Hazleton (20-7) 4A
2. Holy
Cross (24-3) 3A
3. Crestwood
(24-6) 3A
4. Abington Heights (23-3) 3A
5. Dunmore (21-8) 2A
6. Holy
Redeemer (19-9) 3A
7. West Scranton (17-7) 3A
8. Wilkes-Barre Coughlin
(18-7) 3A
9. Riverside (14-13) 2A
10. Scranton (13-11) 4A
OTHERS OF NOTE
Dallas (14-10), Elk Lake (22-4), MMI Prep (13-12), Mountain
View (18-9), Montrose (15-7), Nanticoke (14-10), Old Forge (13-12), Scranton
Prep (15-8), Valley View (12-11), Wilkes-Barre GAR (19-5), Wyoming Seminary
(11-10)
LLHOOPS ALL-DISTRICT 2 BOYS 2008-2009 ALL-STAR TEAM
Pat Mineo (Scranton Prep, 6-0, Senior, G, 17.4 ppg)
Sean Bieski (Nanticoke,
6-2, Senior, G, 20.6 ppg)
Louis Cipriano (Holy Cross, 5-7, Junior, G, 11.9 ppg)
Joe Caffrey (Wilkes-Barre Coughlin, 5-10, Junior, G, 12.9
ppg)
Tyler Breznitsky (MMI Prep, 5-10, Senior, G, 18.8 ppg)
Kyle Colachino (Valley View, 6-1, Senior, G, 16.6 ppg)
Adam Fazzini (Crestwood, 6-5, Senior, G/F, 17.8 ppg)
Ross Danzig (Abington
Heights, 6-3, Junior,
G/F, 11.4 ppg)
Tom Horan (West Scranton,
6-3, Junior, F, 17.1 ppg)
Henry Messinger (Dallas, 6-5, Senior, F, 18.6 ppg)
Danny Maguschak (Hazleton,
6-3, Senior, F, 14.1 ppg)
Paris Cleveland (Hazleton,
6-2 Junior, F, 13.7 ppg)
Mark Bevacqua (Holy Cross, 6-6, Junior, C, 11.3 ppg)
Eric Hardaway (Abington
Heights, 6-5, Senior, C,
13.0 ppg)
Pete Alexis (Holy Redeemer, 6-11, Sophomore, C, 18.6 ppg)
WYOMING VALLEY CONFERENCE AWARDS
LLHoops Boys Player of the Year - Adam Fazzini (Crestwood)
LLHoops Boys Coach of the Year - Mike Joseph (Hazleton)
LLHoops Boys Game of the Year - Hazleton 51, Crestwood 49 (Feb. 13)
Division 1 Champion - Hazleton
(11-2)
Division 2 Champion - Wilkes-Barre
Coughlin (9-4)
Division 3 Champion – Wilkes-Barre
GAR (12-1)
Division 4 Champion – Wyoming
Seminary (9-4)
LACKAWANNA
LEAGUE AWARDS
LLHoops Boys Player of the Year – Eric Hardaway (Abington Heights)
LLHoops Boys Coach of the Year – Jack Lyons (West Scranton)
LLHoops Boys Game of the Year – West Scranton 53, Scranton 51 (Feb. 12)
Division 1 Champion – Abington Heights
(14-0)
Division 2 Champion – Holy Cross (13-1)
Division 3 Champion – Elk Lake
(12-2)
MISCELLANEOUS AWARDS
Best Gym – Hazleton
Best PA Announcer – Scranton
Prep
Best Gameday Stat Sheet – Holy Cross
Best Boys Staff Writer – Dave Seamon (Standard Speaker)
Best Blogger – Joby Fawcett (Times-Tribune)
ALL-STATE BOYS SELECTIONS
BOYS CLASS 4A – Third
Team
Dontahe Jordan (Williamsport, 6-4, Senior, 14 ppg) led the Millionaires
to first district title in 7 years, averaged 17 ppg in playoffs, plans to
continue playing basketball in college
BOYS CLASS 3A –
Second Team
Adam Fazzini (Crestwood, 6-5, Senior, 17.8 ppg), WVC
Division 1 MVP with 44 treys, scored 1433 career points (second only to Grant
Carter), will attend Division II Stonehill College (Mass.)
BOYS CLASS 1A – Third
Team
Tyler Breznitsky (MMI Prep, 5-10, Senior, 18.8 ppg), WVC
Division 4 MVP with 39 treys, all-time leading Prepper scorer with 1,880 career
points, will attend Wilkes
University
WYOMING VALLEY CONFERENCE SENIOR ALL-STAR GAME
Adam Fazzini (19 points) contributed a flurry of late second
period scoring to lead the East squad to an entertaining 96-93 win over the West
team in the 40th annual Dr. George P. Moses All-Star Senior Classic played at
Holy Redeemer high school. Head coaches
PJ Brown (GAR) and Joe Caffrey (W-B Coughlin) guided the East team to the
victory. They also got key scoring from
Danny Maguschak (23 points), Dan Irvin (13), and Sean Bieski (11). For the West squad, coached by CJ Kersey
(Wyoming Seminary) and Justin Beiter (Berwick), Henry Messinger netted 26,
while Bernard Edmonds had 15, Zach Redding 11, and Ali Muhammed 10. The MVP Award went to Henry Messinger. Adam Fazzini took home the Sportsmanship
Award, and Adam Wayman (GAR) won the 3-point shooting contest (over Matt Zera
from Pittston Area). Overall, it was a
terrific evening with all the proceeds going to local charities. Kudos to the Citizens Voice newspaper for
their extensive pre-game promotion, which always makes this event such a huge
success.
LACKAWANNA
LEAGUE SENIOR ALL-STAR GAME HIGHLIGHTS
The Blue Team, coached by John Warnero (Elk Lake),
rallied from a 10-point deficit after three periods to notch a 98-90 win over
Team Red (coached by Pat Shields from North Pocono)
in the LL Senior game played at Valley View high school. The Blue squad hit an amazing 21 treys on the
evening, led by Kyle Colachino (18 points) who was named team MVP. Jeff Madrak netted 17 while Kurt Post added
12 in the victory. For the Red team, Pat
Mineo scored 16, Briton Hendricks and Garry Melville each had 11, and Rob Weber
netted 10. MVP award for the Red squad
went to Garry Melville. Cougar sharpshooter
John Strauss took home the 3-point shooting title with a win over Jeff Madrak
from Elk Lake.
2009-2010 BOYS – 10 TEAMS TO WATCH NEXT YEAR
Although it is way too early to make any predictions, the
NEP Beat is already looking toward 5 teams that should be very good and 5
others that should be much improved and be players in the title chase. Hazleton, Holy
Redeemer, Scranton, Dunmore,
and Holy Cross should all be competing for league division championships. West Scranton, Nanticoke, Hanover,
Wilkes-Barre Meyers, and Tunkhannock could be division contenders if the pieces
come together.
BLASKIEWICZ RESIGNS, LAKELAND
CENSURED
In a somewhat surprising announcement, Pittston head coach
Jim Blaskiewicz resigned after three seasons on the Patriot bench. This season he finished 13-13 highlighted by
an impressive 46-35 win over Wilkes-Barre Coughlin in the District 2 AAA
quarter-final round. Stay tuned for more
on this coaching vacancy. Might it be
possible that current Pittston girls assistant coach (and former Bishop Hannan
boys coach) John Bucci could be interested in taking over this position?
In their monthly meeting, the District 2 committee voiced
their strong disapproval publically of the Lakeland School Board decision to
forfeit a boys (play-in) and a girls (first round) basketball game back on
February 19. That forfeiture came 8 days
after the final district deadline to opt-out of the hoops tourney. In their ruling, Lakeland must issue a report this month to
the committee that this action will not occur again. Also they must issue a follow-up report by
August explaining exactly what happened in their original decision. Letters of apology to both West Side Tech and
Blue Ridge must be written and the board will
be billed $408 for the cost of 6 officials who were scheduled to work the
forfeited games.
SCRANTON FRESHMAN
TEAM IMPRESSIVE IN TITLE WIN
Normally, the NEP Beat keeps close tabs on the freshman
championship tournament because it is usually a great indicator of which programs
are headed in the right direction. Normally, not too much time is spent writing about these games. But, this year, and THIS Scranton squad, is far from being your normal
District 2 champion. The Scranton freshman team
completed a 23-1 season (with their only loss a 2OT defeat to Scranton
Prep). In their championship 84-54 win
over highly-regarded Hazleton
(20-5), the Knights exhibited an impressively athletic and lightening quick
lineup that played with the poise of veteran upperclassmen. Head coach PJ Hughes has done a marvelous job
with these young ball players who stormed out to a commanding 28-13 lead after
the first period, and were in total control with a 25-point halftime lead
(53-28). These guys love to run, run,
and then run some more. Inside Joe
McCarthy netted 25, DJ Navocynski added 15, and Karlin Quiller 12. Guards Eric Pabst (14) and Marc Marichak (9) also
played terrific. Hazleton, also playing with a wealth up young
talent in their program, got 18 points from Frank Vito, 12 from Travis Buckner,
and 10 from Ricky Gill. Scranton
had advanced to the championship game with a 69-40 win over Holy Redeemer while
Hazleton rolled over Dunmore,
63-46, in the other semi-final.
In the state CYO championships, played at St. Vincent College
in Latrobe, Scranton St. Clare / St. Pauls (34-5) took home third place with a
39-34 overtime win over Johnstown. Andy Moran scored 10 points and Mac Teeples
added 18 in the win.
BEST OF BOYS STATE CHAMPIONSHIPS
The state championships concluded their three-year stint at
the Bryce Jordan Center. The NEP Beat was on-hand for all 8 games, but
it seemed that, from a fans point of view, there were more annoying glitches
surrounding the games this year. Like
reversing the team and player names on the scoreboard requiring a full stop in
the Boys 1A final. Just getting starting
lineups onto the scoreboard seemed to be delayed for some reason. Not sure who was doing the girls public
address announcing, but it was not up to par with the previous two visits to
the BJC. That is not to say that the
staff and personnel do not provide an A+ championship experience for the
schools, players and coaches involved. They deliver on that for sure. A
lot of fingers got pointed to the disappointingly low attendance this year, but
it is a probably more a result of some private schools that had small fan
turnouts to State College. If District 4 central PA teams (Hughesville
and Williamsport)
had advanced to the championship games, turnstiles counts certainly would have
been boosted by thousands. After
weighing all the factors, my personal preference is to move the games back to
the Giant Center for the next contract cycle. There are just too many intangibles that
weigh in the favor of Hershey, such as parking, less traffic, better priority
seating, and local restaurant choices. Hotels seem to be is less supply in State College,
but that varies depending on the other activities going on in town. After taking in accommodations at the Nittany
Lion Inn and The Penn Stater the previous two years, the recession took its
toll this year (though the Sleep Inn may have been the most quiet and
comfortable of them all). Here are a few
best of selections form the boys action.
Elevation Award #1 (Best Slam) – Lance Devero (Girard College)
Biggest Surprise – Imhotep going scoreless for 6:50 in Boys
2A final
Most Dramatic Moment – Jesse Long (North Catholic) buzzer
trey to force OT
Best Cheering Section – Greensburg-Salem
Elevation Award #2 (Best Slam) – Mlachi Leonard (York)
Best Trap Defense – Penn Wood
Most Annoying Thing – Sheetz t-shirt halftime guy
Best Boys Performance – John Johnson (Girard College)
WYOMING
VALLEY CONFERENCE
Team (overall league
record, season record)
x (first half
champion)
y (second half
champion)
z (overall
champion)
DIVISION 1 (FINAL)
yz-Hazleton Area (11-2, 20-7)
x-Crestwood (10-3, 24-6)
Pittston (6-7, 13-13)
Wyoming
Valley West (5-8, 9-15)
Tunkhannock (2-11, 6-15)
DIVISION 2 (FINAL)
y-Holy Redeemer (11-2, 19-9)
xz-Wilkes-Barre Coughlin (9-4, 18-7)
Dallas
(6-7, 14-10)
Wyoming
Area (5-8, 11-11)
Berwick (0-13, 1-23)
DIVISION 3 (FINAL)
xyz-Wilkes-Barre
GAR (12-1, 19-5)
Nanticoke (9-4,
14-10)
Wilkes-Barre
Meyers (7-6, 9-15)
Hanover
(6-7, 7-15)
Lake-Lehman (6-7, 10-13)
DIVISION 4 (FINAL)
xyz-Wyoming Seminary (9-4, 11-10)
MMI Prep (7-6, 13-12)
Northwest (7-6, 10-13)
West Side Tech (2-11, 6-17)
St. Michaels (0-13,1-15)
LACKAWANNA
LEAGUE
Team (overall league
record, season record)
x (first half
champion)
y (second half
champion)
z (overall
champion)
DIVISION 1 (FINAL)
xyz-Abington
Heights (14-0, 23-3)
Scranton
(10-4, 13-11)
West Scranton (9-5, 17-7)
Scranton
Prep (9-5, 15-8)
North Pocono (6-8, 11-12)
Honesdale (4-10. 7-16)
Delaware
Valley (3-11, 4-19)
Wallenpaupack (1-13, 6-17)
DIVISION 2 (FINAL)
xz-Holy Cross (13-1, 24-3)
y-Dunmore (13-1, 21-8)
Valley View (9-5, 12-11)
Riverside
(7-7, 14-13)
Old Forge (7-7, 13-12)
Mid Valley (4-10, 9-14)
Carbondale
(3-11, 4-19)
Lakeland
(0-14, 1-21)
DIVISION 3 (FINAL)
yz-Elk
Lake (12-2, 22-4)
x-Mountain View (12-2, 18-9)
Montrose (11-3, 15-7)
Lackawanna Trail (7-7, 9-14)
Forest
City (6-8, 9-14)
Susquehanna (4-10, 9-14)
Blue Ridge (4-10, 9-13)
Western Wayne (0-14, 1-21)
FINAL 2008-2009 DISTRICT 2 BOYS PLAYOFFS
CLASS AAAA
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 20 (QUARTER-FINALS)
(4) Wyoming V. West 62, (5) Delaware Valley 36 (ends at
4-19)
(3) Scranton
55, (6) Wallenpaupack 35 (ends at 6-17)
MONDAY, FEBRUARY 23 (SEMI-FINALS)
(1) Williamsport
68, (4) Wyoming V. West 42 (ends at 9-15)
(2) Hazleton 61, (19-5) vs.
(4) Scranton 44
(ends at 13-11)
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 27 (FINAL) - top 2 advance
(1) Williamsport 60, (2) Hazleton 57
Playing in front of a capacity crowd at the Berwick middle
school, Williamsport reclaimed district gold, but it was anything but easy, as the
final minutes of the game proved to be error-filled for the Millionaires. After holding an 11-6 second quarter lead, Hazleton felt pretty good about their chances of hanging with Port. But, after Paris Cleveland (14 points) went
to the bench with two fouls, Williamsport
went on a patented 24-4 run to assume complete control at halftime, 30-15. Sean Ruane (13 points with 3 treys) was
sensational for Billtown. Trailing by 16
after three periods (48-32), the Cougars never quit, and after Adam Davis got
red-hot, Hazleton
went on a 22-10 run to trim the deficit to 4 points, 58-54 with 0:40
remaining. However, several critical
turnovers by Hazleton
gave the Cherry and White the opportunity to secure the 60-57 victory.
CLASS AAA
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 19 (PLAY-IN ROUND)
(17) Berwick 56, (16) Western Wayne
25 (ends at 1-21)
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 20 (FIRST ROUND)
(1) Abington Hts. 65, (17) Berwick 25 (ends at 1-23)
(9) Dallas
62, (8) Valley View 48 (ends at 12-11)
(4) Crestwood 58, (13) Wyoming Area 42 (ends at 11-11)
(5) Nanticoke
61, (12) North Pocono 46 (ends at 11-12)
(2) W-B Coughlin 28, (15) Tunkhannock 25 (ends at 6-15)
(10) Pittston 50, (7) Scranton Prep 49 (ends at 15-8)
(3) Holy Redeemer 74, (14) Honesdale 42 (ends at 7-16)
(6) West Scranton 67, (11) Lake-Lehman 36 (ends at 10-13)
MONDAY, FEBRUARY 23 (QUARTER-FINALS)
(1) Abington Hts. 53, (9) Dallas 40 (ends at 14-10)
(4) Crestwood 52, (5) Nanticoke
39 (ends at 14-10)
(10) Pittston 46, (2) W-B Coughlin 35 (ends at 18-7)
(3) Holy Redeemer 50, (6) West Scranton
48 (ends at 17-7)
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 25 (SEMI-FINALS)
(4) Crestwood 43, (1) Abington Heights
36
(3) Holy Redeemer 67, (10) Pittston 51
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 27 (FINAL, CONSY) – top 3 advance
CHAMP: (4) Crestwood
44, (3) Holy Redeemer 42
3RD: (1) Abington
Hts. 77, (10) Pittston 55 (ends at 13-13)
Crestwood got a
rebound and put-back from Mike Abramcheck (off an Adam Fazzini shot) with 1 second
remaining to win the district championship (their 5th in 6 years) over Holy Redeemer. The Comets jumped out to a quick 18-5 lead
courtesy of 11 early points from big man Eric Bogumul. However, the Royals rallied with a 15-6 run
to trail at halftime, 24-20. Om the night, Adam Fazzini netted 19 points and 6-11
center Peter Alexis scored 22 points and grabbed 14 rebounds for Holy
Redeemer. Abington Heights used a 26-6 second quarter advantage for defeat Pittston in the consolation matchup, 73-53. Forwards Eric Hardaway and Dan Smith each
scored 17 points in the win. For the
Patriots, Carl Stravinski scored 19.
CLASS AA
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 19 (PLAY-IN ROUND)
(16) West Side Tech forfeit win, (17) Lakeland (ends at 1-21)
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 20 (FIRST ROUND)
(1) Holy Cross 72, (16) West Side Tech 31 (ends at 6-17)
(8) W-B Meyers 46, (9) Northwest 31 (ends at 10-13)
(4) Wy. Seminary 48, (13) Mid Valley 26 (ends at 9-14)
(5) Dunmore 78, (12) Hanover
50 (ends at 7-15)
(2) W-B GAR 66, (15) Carbondale
39 (ends at 4-19)
(10) Riverside 46, (7) Montrose 31 (ends at 15-7)
(3) Elk
Lake 62 (14) Blue Ridge
41 (ends at 9-13)
(6) Mt. View 63, (11) Lackawanna Trail 51 (ends at 9-14)
MONDAY, FEBRUARY 23 (QUARTER-FINALS)
(1) Holy Cross 56, (8) W-B Meyers 34 (ends at 9-15)
(5) Dunmore 57, (4) Wy.
Seminary 35 (ends at 11-10)
(10) Riverside 60, (2) W-B GAR 46 OT (ends at 19-5)
(6) Mt. View 43, (3) Elk Lake
40 (ends at 22-4)
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 25 (SEMI-FINALS)
(1) Holy Cross 58, (5) Dunmore
40
(10) Riverside 38, (6) Mountain
View 36
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 27 (FINAL, CONSY) – top 3 advance
CHAMP: (1) Holy Cross
46, (10) Riverside 36
3RD: (5) Dunmore 58, (6) Mt. View 50 (ends at 18-9)
Mark Bevacqua had a fantastic championship game, netting 17
points and pulling down 13 rebounds, in the Crusaders 46-36 win over Riverside. After a slow start for both teams, Holy Cross edged out to a 23-17
halftime lead. The Vikings were still in
striking distance, trailing 35-32 with less than 4 minutes remaining in the
game. Dunmore grabbed the consolation game with a win over Mountain
View. The
Bucks jumped out to a 20-10 lead after the first period and got 14 points from
Matt Maldonato and 12 from Mike Ehnot. Alec Pashchuck netted 20 for the Eagles.
CLASS A
MONDAY, FEBRUARY 23 (SEMI-FINALS)
(1) MMI Prep 55, (4) Susquehanna 40 (ends at 9-14)
(2) Old Forge 53, (3) Forest City 38 (ends at 9-14)
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 27 (FINAL) – top 2 advance
(2) Old Forge 55, (1) MMI Prep 41
Old Forge got a
great game from guard Corey Hodick (18 points, 4 treys) to defeat MMI
Prep. Mike Rava added 13 (with 3 trays)
and Gabe Wilson had 14. The Blue Devils
held Prepper top-scorer Tyler Breznitsky to 10 points
GIRLS BASKETBALL GIRLS BASKETBALL GIRLS
BASKETBALL
FINAL 2008-2009 DISTRICT 2 GIRLS TOP 10
1. Hazleton
(24-3) 4A
2. Dunmore (26-2) 2A
3. Holy Redeemer (24-3) 3A
4. Nanticoke
(21-5) 3A
5. Abington
Heights (21-7) 3A
6. Scranton
(16-10) 4A
7. Wilkes-Barre
Coughlin (20-7)
8. Old Forge (19-6) 1A
9. Berwick (17-7) 3A
10. Mid
Valley (16-12) 2A
OTHERS OF NOTE
Forest City (14-11), Holy Cross (17-7), Lake-Lehman (16-6),
Montrose (13-11), Mountain View (15-9), North Pocono (13-11), Riverside
(15-11), Scranton Prep (14-8), Valley View (15-9), Wyoming Valley West (15-10)
LLHOOPS ALL-DISTRICT 2 GIRLS 2008-2009 ALL-STAR
TEAM
Alyssa Flanagan (Hazleton,
5-9, Senior, G, 9.3 ppg)
Danielle Terranella (Mid Valley, 5-8, Freshman, G, 17.3 ppg)
Katlin Michaels (Berwick, 5-9, Senior, G, 13.8 ppg)
Katy DeGraw (Honesdale, 5-7, Senior, G, 15.3 ppg)
Jen Harnischfeger (Nanticoke,
5-2, Junior, G, 12.8 ppg)
Lauren Smicherko (Pittston, 5-4, Junior, G, 19.6 ppg)
Lauren Carra (Dunmore, 5-9,
Senior, G/F, 22.5 ppg)
Monica Wignot (Holy Redeemer, 6-1, Junior, G/F, 12 ppg)
Lauren McGinley (W-B Coughlin, 5-10, Senior, G/F, 13 ppg)
Maddy Ludwig (Hazleton,
5-11, Senior, F, 9.1 ppg)
Tayler Pallotta (Dunmore,
5-10, Senior, F, 12.6 ppg)
Terika Turner (Scranton,
6-0, Senior, C, 13.9 ppg)
Sami Himlin (Wyoming V. West, 6-2, Junior, C, 14 ppg)
Rebecca Keegan (6-1, Junior, C, 16.9 ppg)
Julie Kosin (Holy Cross, 5-10, Junior, C, 17.0 ppg)
WYOMING VALLEY CONFERENCE AWARDS
LLHoops Girls Player of the Year – Monica Wignot (Holy
Redeemer)
LLHoops Girls Coach of the Year – Jack Rentko (Nanticoke)
LLHoops Girls Game of the Year - Hazleton
35, Wyoming Valley West 32 (Dec. 22)
Division 1 Champion - Hazleton
(12-1)
Division 2 Champion – Holy Redeemer (13-0)
Division 3 Champion – Nanticoke
(12-0)
Division 4 Champion – Wyoming
Seminary (7-4)
LACKAWANNA LEAGUE AWARDS
LLHoops Girls Player of the Year – Lauren Carra (Dunmore)
LLHoops Girls Coach of the Year – Ben Obrien (Dunmore)
LLHoops Girls Game of the Year – Dunmore
69, Holy Cross 67 (OT) (Jan. 12)
Division 1 Champion – Abington Heights
(13-1)
Division 2 Champion – Dunmore (14-0)
Division 3 Champion – Forest City
(9-5)
ALL-STATE GIRLS SELECTIONS
GIRLS CLASS 4A –
Third Team
Alyssa Flanagan (Hazleton,
5-9, Senior, 9.3 ppg), ultimate team player, excellent point guard, 500 career
assists, heading to play basketball at Bloomsburg University
GIRLS CLASS 3A –
Second Team
Monica Wignot (Holy Redeemer, 6-1, Junior, 12.0 ppg),
another extremely versatile team player who will be one of the top players in
the state next season
GIRLS CLASS 2A –
First Team
Lauren Carra (Dunmore, 5-9, Senior, 22.5 ppg), a 2,000 point
scorer who played whatever position that best helped the Lady Bucks excel, also
a terrific rebounder, will played at Division 1 Delaware next year
GIRLS CLASS 1A –
Third Team
Cassie Erdmann (Forest
City, 5-8, Sophomore, 13.0 ppg),
helped the Lady Forest to win the Lackawanna Division 3
title, great outside shooter
MISCELLANEOUS AWARDS
Best Girls Staff Writer – Jill Snowdon (Citizens Voice)
Best Girls Feature Stories – Marty Myers (Times-Tribune)
WYOMING VALLEY CONFERENCE GIRLS SENIOR ALL-STAR GAME
The 40th Dr.
George P. Moses Girls Senior All-Star Classic (played at Holy Redeemer) ended
in dramatic fashion as Morgan Thomas took a pass from Katlin Michaels and hit a
trey at the buzzer, giving the West a 69-67 win over Team East. Michaels really dazzled the crowd, scoring 17
points and being awarded the MVP plaque. Morgan Thomas (15 points) was given the newly added Bob Schuler
Defensive Player Award. Schuler passed
away this past year after compiling a 410-162 record in 21 years of coaching at
Bishop Hoban (and winning a PIAA 3A state championship in 1999). The West squad was coached by retiring Nanticoke head coach Jack Rentko and Joe Gavio (Hazleton). The East team (coached by Tony George and
Scott Napkori from Coughlin) got 13 points from Sara Klick, who took home the
Sportsmanship Award. Jordan Britt (12
points) won the 3-point shooting contest over Christy Doyle (from Hazleton). Also, Walter Allabaugh was honored during the
evening for his 60 years of service to the PIAA.
LACKAWANNA LEAGUE GIRLS SENIOR ALL-STAR HIGHLIGHTS
Team Blue (coached by Vince Bucciarelli from Abington Heights)
jumped out to a 24-6 lead after the first period and rolled to a 81-51 win over
the Red Team in the Lackawanna League girls Senior All-Star game played at Forest City
high school. Katy DeGraw scored 12
points for the winning team and was given the Blue team MVP Award. Inside, Jamie Halloran and Terika Turner were
dominant. For the Red squad (coached by
Carl Urbas from Forest
City), Lauren Carra
netted 20 points and was given the team MVP award. She also captured the 3-point shooting
championship with a win over Maria Durdach from Holy Cross. Chelsea Lunger (Montrose) won the free throw
shooting contest.
2009-2010 GIRLS - 10 TEAMS TO WATCH NEXT YEAR
Although it is way too early to make any predictions, the
NEP Beat is already looking toward 6 teams that should be very good and 4
others that should be contenders in the title chase. Hazleton, Holy
Redeemer, Carbondale, Dunmore, Mid Valley, and Forest City
should all be competing for league division championships. Crestwood, Lake-Lehman, Abington
Heights and West
Scranton could be division contenders if all the pieces come
together.
NANTICOKE HEAD COACH RETIRES
Jack Rentko, who began his coaching career as an assistant
at Crestwood back in 1980, retired after 14 seasons with the Nanticoke
Trojanette program. He achieved an
impressive 277-111 record in his tenure and the NEP Beat wishes him all the
best.
HONESDALE FRESHMAN TEAM IMPRESSIVE IN TITLE WIN
Honesdale used an effective press in the second half to
force Hazleton
into 10 uncharacteristic turnovers and the Lady Hornets captured the District 2
freshman championship with a 32-29 win. Hazleton seemed to have
all the momentum in the first half, leading 16-10 and 18-11 before settling for
an 18-15 halftime advantage. Honesdale
then went on a 15-4 run to lead 30-22, but Hazleton rallied to cut the deficit to a
single point (30-29) with less than 40 seconds remaining in the game. Kacie Johannes netted 11 points for Honesdale
while Alyssa Pfeil and Anne Bono each also scored 11 points for Hazleton. Honesdale had advanced to the championship
game with a 46-37 win over Dallas. Hazleton edged
Nanticoke 28-25
in the other district semi-final game.
In the Girls State CYO Championships held at Immaculata University,
St. Mary (37-6) captured fourth place following a 45-42 loss to Notre Dame (Erie). Trish Byrne netted 16 points in the
loss. Byrne also scored 13 points in a
loss to St. Maxmillan West Chester, 28-25.
BECKY BURKE SHINE ON NATIONAL STAGE
The NEP Beat has a standing policy that in order to be fair
to all of the many former District 2 basketball standouts that have moved on to
play college basketball, individual achievements and player updates are not usually
posted. It would be wonderful if time allowed
for ongoing, comprehensive updates throughout the high school hoops
season. The Beat respects and fully
applauds everybody participating. And
player associated with Division 1 programs have as much dedication to excel as
those who might be involved with Division 3 or even Penn State
commonwealth campus teams.
But, every rule needs an exception to be made once in a
while. Beck Burke, the 4A Player of the Year last season from Abington Heights (Clarks Summit), found herself
as a major contributor for the Louisville Lady Cardinals in their run to the
Division 1 National Championship game. Although she and her teammates came up short to undefeated UConn Tuesday
night, 76-54, Burke played a key role, finding herself with 35+ minutes per
game playing time in the later stages of this season. A year ago, who could have ever predicted
such an amazing outcome. Becky was
originally planning to play for South Carolina,
but after a coaching change last May, she found herself making a quick switch
to Louisville,
an up-and-coming Big East powerhouse led by All-American Angel McCoughtry. It turned out to be a BIG success for the
5-11 freshman guard. She played
spectacular in the Big East Tourney, netting 18 points in a double overtime win
over Rutgers. That got her a lot more playing time and she made the most of the
opportunity. She scored 10 points and
played great defense on Kristi Toliver in their impressive 77-60 win over Maryland. Then, there were her two key treys and 9
overall points to help the Cardinals to a 61-59 win over Oklahoma
in the national semi-final game (Louisville
rallied from a 16-2 deficit). In the
title loss to UConn, Burke scored 5 points (with one 3-pointer) in 36 minutes
of playing time. Congratulations Becky
for making everyone associated with District 2 basketball proud of your hard
work and achievements on and off the court.
BEST OF GIRLS STATE CHAMPIONSHIPS
Best Warmup Outfits – Bishop Guilfoyle
Oops Award – Tiffany Seasoltz (layup in wrong basket)
Best (Almost) Comeback – York Catholic
Best Girls Team – Archbishop Carroll
Heartbreaker Award – Steph Holtzer (Cardinal OHara)
Best Girls Game – Mt.
Lebanon wins 4A title
FINAL DISTRICT 2 GIRLS BASKETBALL STANDINGS
WYOMING
VALLEY CONFERENCE
Team (overall league
record, season record)
x (first half
champion)
y (second half
champion)
z (overall
champion)
DIVISION 1 (FINAL)
xyz-Hazleton Area (12-1, 24-3)
Wyoming
Valley West (9-4, 15-10)
Crestwood (5-8, 10-13)
Pittston (4-9, 9-14)
Tunkhannock (0-13, 5-17)
DIVISION 2 (FINAL)
xyz-Holy Redeemer (13-0. 24-3)
Wilkes-Barre
Coughlin (9-4, 20-7)
Berwick (8-5, 17-7)
Wyoming
Area (3-10, 8-14)
Dallas
(2-11, 4-18)
DIVISION 3 (FINAL)
xyz-Nanticoke (12-0, 21-5)
Lake-Lehman (9-3, 16-6)
Wilkes-Barre
Meyers (8-4, 13-14)
Hanover
(7-5, 10-13)
Wilkes-Barre
GAR (1-11, 1-21)
DIVISION 4 (FINAL)
xyz-Wyoming Seminary (7-4, 10-11)
MMI Prep (4-7, 6-16)
Northwest (4-7, 5-18)
West Side Tech (0-11, 0-18)
LACKAWANNA
LEAGUE
Team (overall league
record, season record)
x (first half
champion)
y (second half
champion)
z (overall
champion)
DIVISION 1 (FINAL)
xyz-Abington
Heights (13-1, 21-7)
Scranton
(12-2, 16-10)
Scranton
Prep (10-4, 14-8)
Honesdale (6-8, 10-13)
North Pocono (6-8, 13-11)
West Scranton (5-9, 9-14)
Wallenpaupack (3-11, 9-15)
Delaware
Valley (1-13, 3-20)
DIVISION 2 (FINAL)
xyz-Dunmore (14-0, 26-2)
Old Forge (10-4, 19-6)
Riverside
(8-6, 15-11)
Holy Cross (8-6, 17-7)
Valley View (7-7, 15-9)
Mid Valley (5-9, 16-12)
Carbondale
4-10, 9-14)
Lakeland
(0-14, 1-22)
DIVISION 3 (FINAL)
y-Mountain View (12-2, 15-9)
Montrose (10-4, 13-11)
xz-Forest
City (9-5, 14-11)
Elk
Lake (8-6, 10-12)
Lackawanna Trail (7-7, 11-12)
Western Wayne (6-8, 7-16)
Susquehanna (3-11, 5-18)
Blue Ridge (1-13, 7-17)
FINAL 2008-2009 DISTRICT 2 GIRLS PLAYOFFS
CLASS AAAA
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 20 (QUARTER-FINAL)
(3) Wyoming V. West 65, (6) Delaware V. 25 (ends at 3-20)
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 21 (QUARTER-FINAL)
(5) Wallenpaupack 50, (4) Pittston 40 (ends at 9-14)
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 24 (SEMI-FINALS)
(1) Hazleton
43, (5) Wallenpaupack 30 (ends at 9-15)
(2) Scranton
53, (3) Wyoming V. West 40 (ends at 15-10)
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 28 (FINAL) – top 2 advance
(1) Hazleton 48, (2) Scranton 44
Hazleton and Scranton renewed their rivalry in the district title game and fans
certainly got their money worth. With
inside force Terika Turner on the bench with two second quarter fouls, Hazleton took a 21-12
lead. The Knights, responded however,
with a terrific 12-2 run, to shock the Lady Cougars and take a lead into the
locker room (24-23). After Scranton hit a trey to open the third period and go up
27-23, Hazleton
clamped down to take the lead and never trail in the game again. Turner had a big fourth quarter, keeping Scranton in the game. Brianna Dudeck (13 points) nailed a 10-foot
runner to give Hazleton a 45-41 lead, but it took some free throws by Alyssa
Flanagan in the final 15 seconds and a
steal by Melanie Palko (14 points) to seal the win. It gave Hazleton
their first district championship in 4 years.
CLASS AAA
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 21 (FIRST ROUND)
(9) North Pocono 49, (8) Honesdale 42 (ends at 10-13)
(4) Scranton
Prep 44, (13) Wy. Area 25 (ends at 8-14)
(5) W-B Coughlin 39, (12) West Scranton
33 (ends at 9-14)
(2) Nanticoke
61, (15) Tunkhannock 34 (ends at 5-17)
(7) Valley View 61, (10) Western Wayne
42 (ends at 7-16)
(3) Abington Hts. 75, (14) Dallas 63 (ends at 4-18)
(6) Berwick 44, (11) Crestwood 33 (ends at 10-13)
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 24 (QUARTER-FINALS)
(1) Holy Redeemer 51, (9) North Pocono 22 (ends at 13-11)
(5) W-B Coughlin 28, (4) Scranton Prep 24 (ends at 15-8)
(2) Nanticoke
48, (7) Valley View 39 (ends at 15-9)
(3) Abington Hts. 44, (6) Berwick 35 (ends at 17-7)
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 26 (SEMI-FINAL)
(1) Holy Redeemer 42, (5) W-B Coughlin 38
(2) Nanticoke 50, (3) Abington Heights 42
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 28 (FINAL, CONSY) – top 3 advance
CHAMP: (1) Holy
Redeemer 60, (2) Nanticoke
34
3RD: (3) Abington Hts. 42, (5) Coughlin 31 (ends at
20-7)
Holy Redeemer jumped out to a 10-0 lead and never looked back in their big win over Nanticoke. The Lady Royals got 13 points from Laura
Casey and 15 from Monica Wignot. Abington Heights notched the consolation win over Coughlin,
but only held an 18-16 halftime advantage. Center Jamie Halloran scored 14 points for the Comets and tried her best
to block out versatile playmaker Lauren McGinley (14 points).
CLASS AA
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 19 (PLAY-IN ROUND)
(16) Blue Ridge forfeit win, (17) Lakeland (ends at 1-22)
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 19 (FIRST ROUND)
(13) Mid Valley 52 (12-10) at (4) Lake-Lehman 45 (16-6), 7
pm
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 21 (FIRST ROUND)
(1) Dunmore 74, (16) Blue
Ridge 31 (ends at 7-18)
(9) Holy Cross 43, (8) Elk Lake
36 (ends at 10-12)
(5) Montrose 38, (12) Northwest 21 (ends at 5-18)
(2) Wy. Seminary 52, (15) W-B GAR 36 (ends at 1-21)
(10) Riverside 53, (7) Hanover 45 (ends at 10-13)
(14) Carbondale
65, (3) Mt. View 58 (ends at 15-9)
(6) W-B Meyers 39, (11) La. Trail 20 (ends at 11-12)
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 24 (QUARTER-FINALS)
(1) Dunmore 49, (9) Holy
Cross 38 (ends at 17-6)
(13) Mid Valley 53, (5) Montrose 47 (ends at 13-11)
(10) Riverside 44, (2) Wy. Seminary 22 (ends at 10-11)
(6) W-B Meyers 56, (14) Carbondale 41 (ends at 9-14)
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 26 (SEMI-FINAL)
(1) Dunmore 79, (13) Mid
Valley 44
(6) W-B Meyers 43, (10) Riverside (15-9) 41
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 28 (FINAL, CONSY) – top 3 advance
CHAMP: (1) Dunmore 70, (6) Meyers 31
3RD: (13) Mid Valley
55, (10) Riverside
47 (ends at 15-11)
Dunmore rolled to their 21st straight win, getting 21 points from Lauren Carra and 11
from Tayler Pallota in their 71-30 win over Meyers. In the consolation, Mid Valley, decades removed from their
last state playoff appearance, slipped past Riverside 55-47. The Spartanettes trailed after three periods
37-34, but rallied with a 21 points final quarter. Danielle Terranella scored 18 points for Mid
Valley while Morgann Haduck scored 13 for the Lady Vikes.
CLASS A
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 24 (SEMI-FINALS)
(1) Forest
City (14-9) BYE
(2) Old Forge 54, (3) Susquehanna 24 (ends at 5-18)
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 28 (FINAL) – top 2 advance
(2) Old Forge 38, (1) Forest City
19
Kim Kaville scored 10 points and Aleca Semenza added 9 in
the district title win for the Lady Blue Devils. A large, spirited student turnout for Forest City (complete with a mock pizza mascot costume) left Scranton high disappointed. Old
Forge played great defense and held ailing Lady Forester high-scorer Cassie
Erdmann to no points.
That’s it for this year. See you next season.