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N.Eastern PA Report
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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
1/21/2010 A HORSE OF A DIFFERENT COLOR? New
District 2 playoff proposal now under consideration Is the
proposed change, developed by the Lackawanna
Interscholastic Athletic Association, a truly unique playoff proposal or
just a re-packaged version of the existing open format tournament? Well – to some degree - that depends on a
school’s classification. At the very least,
it is definitely a highly creative idea and a praiseworthy attempt by LIAA
administrators to try and make the current system better. But, that alone should not be cause to
ratify it without the proper scrutiny among all league coaches, administrators,
and district officials. After all, the
core value supported by all is to ensure that the most deserving teams have
the chance to represent District 2 in PIAA playoff competition. While the notion of covering separate
Lackawanna League and Wyoming Valley Conference qualifying tournaments (in
addition to the District 2 event) has the Northeast Beat downright giddy
with playoff madness, it cannot be the sole basis of our support. Instead, we thought it best to spend a few
minutes looking at the current system, some of the different aspects of the
proposed system, and how it compares to what is happening around the other
eleven districts across the state. Currently
in District 2, an open format tournament is conducted. Schools can opt-out (I know, few, if any
ever do), but all are welcome to participate, regardless to whether they win
a league (or overall) game. Teams from
the WVC and LL are grouped together into their respective classifications and
league won-loss records are used to position teams in A, AA, and AAA. Overall season records are used in AAAA if
Williamsport (the lone 4A school from District 4) qualifies by winning half
of their games. Of the 44 boys’ and 43
girls’ teams competing this year, the vast majority (67 in all) are in the 2A
and 3A category. District play-in and
quarter-final games are played on the home court of the higher seeded
teams. One of the inherent
characteristics of grouping all of the 2A or 3A teams together is that some
teams compete in divisions with larger (or smaller) schools and that often
impacts their league record, both favorably and unfavorably. That is, the comparison is not leveled
out. For example, Abington Heights
boys (in 3A) compete in Division 1 of the Lackawanna League which has three
quad-A participants. Attempts to
establish a qualifying winning % for eligibility into district playoffs have
proven quite difficult and understandably met with rejection. Basically,
what the LIAA proposed is for the Wyoming Valley Conference and Lackawanna
League to hold separate qualifying tournaments for 2A and 3A teams to
get seeded into an 8-team District 2 tourney.
Participation would be mandatory by all schools. Because single-A and quad-A have so few
members, their current formats would remain unchanged. Since winless teams would have to win
several games to qualify, the District 2 tourney would no longer be viewed as
an open tournament. Based on initial
development, the breakdown would be as follows Wyoming Valley Conference 3A Boys (10 teams) = 5
advance to district 2A Boys (6 teams) = 3
advance to district 3A Girls (9 teams) = 5
advance to district 2A Girls (5 teams) = 3
advance to district Lackawanna League 3A Boys (7 teams) = 3
advance to district 2A Boys (11 teams) = 5
advance to district 3A Girls (6 teams) = 3
advance to district 2A Girls (10 teams) = 3
advance to district On paper
the concept appears ingenious – break down the divisions and allow teams an
even playing field to qualify for district playoffs. It’s a win-win situation. Some say it is too good to be true. The Northeast Beat has some concerns that
maybe it is, at least logistically. To
properly position all qualifying teams, consolation and playback games are
typically part of the seeding mix. That takes time. And the reality is that the hoops season
has repeatedly gotten shorter and league championship games are often right
on the doorstep of district playoffs.
Obviously, league schedules would have to be backed up into
December. That impacts exhibition
schedules – trying to find time to play the 8 or 9 non-league games can be a
challenge. Some teams have already
played 5 games in 7 days this season.
Combine that with the typically unpredictable northeastern PA winter
weather and things could get very interesting. A valid concern by the big and small
schools is that they might find themselves struggling to play 22 games over 8
weeks only to face a 15 to 20 day layoff awaiting District 2 action. A middle-ground solution might be to
eliminate separate first and second half league play, and the associated
first half playoff dates usually set aside.
That may help bridge the time gap.
Finally, the overall achievement of winning a division championship
cannot be forgotten and should be rewarded in some way. Are teams going to be rewarded with an
automatic berth into the district tourney for such an accomplishment? How will the 8-teams be seeded? Lots of potential issues here and there is
not a one-size-fits-all solution. And
maybe that is why the LIAA should be commended for realizing that and trying
to doing something about it. So, what
is happening across districts throughout the commonwealth? Interestingly, the much maligned and often
criticized open tournament format (we’re among those guilty of that) is alive
and well throughout the smaller districts.
In addition to District 2, Districts 4, 6, and 9 all feature some type
of open tourney. These districts include
some very rural landscape, so game travel is a given part of their playoffs. Most of the larger districts use some type
of point or power rating system.
Districts 5 and 11 assign more points for defeating larger schools. Districts 1 and 3 both use a rather
complicated power ratings system.
District 1 has a formula to add up win points, schedule points, and
bonus points across the entire season schedule. District 7 (WPIAL) merely uses section
(division) won-loss records. Maybe the
only district that remotely resembles the LIAA proposal is District 10. They divide teams up into “regions” and
further break them down into like-classifications (A through AAAA). Sound familiar? But, their teams receive automatic bids
while others go through established criteria for at-large bids. On the surface it appears that they are
approaching things with a similar intent without actually having a qualifying
tournament. In the
end, the LIAA proposal may not be perfect, but it is worthy of strong
consideration. The Northeast Beat
urges the groups involved to make an informed and well thought out decision;
even if it takes the process out an extra month. In a few weeks, the 2009-2010 playoff
fields will be determined. Why not use
that as an opportunity to use the proposed LIAA format to simulate the
qualifying tourneys for additional discussion and review? See you in
the bleachers! UPDATED 1/19/2010 Welcome
back to the Northeast Beat. First half play concludes this week in the
Wyoming Valley Conference and the Lackawanna League. With two games remaining, we’ll take a
quick “dashboard” trip around the area and highlight some of the title
possibilities. More in-depth analysis
can be found further down the page in the weekly divisional recaps. Be sure to check back often as updates will
be posted as they impact the championship races. Also, some thoughts on the District 2
playoff proposal (developed and approved by the LIAA) will be posted this
week. This week,
hoops fans from across the area were shocked and saddened by the news that
former Bishop Hannan boys’ basketball coach and current mens’ volunteer
assistant at Marywood University, Paul
Johnson passed away Saturday evening from an apparent heart attack. Johnson was 42. He worked his way up through the Bishop
Hannan coaching ranks, eventually taking over midway through the 2003-2004
campaign when John Bucci stepped away from the Golden Lancer program. Johnson may have been best recognized for
his impeccable wardrobe both on and off the court. The Northeast Beat often covered his games,
especially late into March, as deep postseason playoff runs were a
long-established part of Lancer school tradition. He put together an impressive 75-28 mark at
Hannan and guided his 2005-2006 team to the state runner-up in Boys Class
A. Johnson was soft-spoken, and was
extremely well-liked by his players and among his coaching counterparts
across the district community. We
extend our deepest sympathies to his family.
A viewing will be held Wednesday (1/20) from 4 to 8 pm at McGoff
Hughes Funeral Home on Capouse Avenue in Scranton. Marywood honored him with a moment of
silence prior to their game with Baptist Bible College on Monday. Don’t
forget that the Coaches vs. Cancer
awareness and fundraising event will be taking place al all District 2 games
during the weekend of January 29 and 30. A quick Williamsport update. The Millionaires notched their first win of
the season (35-34) over Hollidaysburg (5-6), but then dropped games against
Shikellamy (6-5), 47-37 and Pocono Mountain East (9-4), 77-62. The Cherry and White stand at 1-10 with a
taller order on tap this week, playing Chester and Central Dauphin. The Lady Millionaires (8-5) got by Central
Mountain 45-43 as Rachel Fatherly netted 15 points CONGRATULATIONS to Sami Himlin (Wyoming Valley
West) and Jen Harnischfeger (Nanticoke Area) for reaching the 1,000 point
scoring milestone. Great job!! WYOMING VALLEY
CONF. BOYS DASHBOARD In Division
1, Hazleton (4-0) leads Crestwood (3-1) by a single game. The Cougars entertain Wyoming Area (1-3)
tonight and probably like their chances against the Warriors. Crestwood, meanwhile, visits Holy Redeemer
(3-1) in an interesting crossover game in Wilkes-Barre. A Comet loss could give the first half to
Hazleton outright, but, if Crestwood wins, it creates a terrific (and meaningful)
battle Friday night between Hazleton and Holy Redeemer. In that scenario, a Cougars loss (coupled
with a Crestwood win over Berwick) could force a playoff game. In
Division 2, Holy Redeemer and Wilkes-Barre Coughlin are tied at the
top with 3-1 marks. On paper, the
Royals definitely face the tougher challenge, hosting Crestwood tonight and
Hazleton on Friday night. The
Crusaders entertain a very dangerous Tunkhannock squad just itching for an
upset tonight and then head to play at Wyoming Area Friday night. Anything can happen in this division,
including a tie which would result in a first half playoff game. In Division
3, Wilkes-Barre Meyers (4-0) leads city rival Wilkes-Barre GAR (3-1)
by one game. Tonight, Meyers hosts
Lake-Lehman and GAR entertains West Side Tech. On Friday, Meyers visits Nanticoke and GAR
travels to play Northwest in a crossover game. In
Division 4, Northwest and Wyoming Seminary are deadlocked with 3-1
records. Tuesday night, Seminary hosts
Nanticoke while Northwest visits a solid Hanover Area squad. Friday night, West Side Tech plays at
Wyoming Seminary and Northwest takes on a tough GAR team in a crossover
matchup. LACKAWANN LEAGUE
BOYS DASHBOARD In Division
1, Scranton (5-0) leads West Scranton and Abington Heights (both 4-1)
by one game and Scranton Prep (3-2) by 2 games. The Knights should be highly favored to get
by Delaware Valley (1-4) Tuesday night.
West Scranton hosts Abington, also on Tuesday, so the race could be
down to two teams by the final night.
Scranton travels to play city rival West Scranton Friday night and the
Comets host North Pocono (2-3). Bottom
line is that if the Knights win out, they claim the first half title. If they stumble against a heated rival, a
rematch against the only to beat Abington Heights could be in store. In Division
2, Dunmore (5-0) leads Holy Cross (4-1) by one game and three other
teams by 2 games. If the Bucks win
out, they win first half honors.
Tuesday, they play Lakeland (0-5) at home. Holy Cross hosts surging Old Forge (3-2),
also on Tuesday. If both teams win,
the Crusaders will hoping that Carbondale can defeat Dunmore Friday night and
that they can get by Valley View to force a playoff game. In Division
3, Montrose and Elk Lake are both tied atop the division with
undefeated 5-0 records. Lackawanna
Trail is one game back (at 4-1). The
Lions host Elk Lake tonight in a must win game. Montrose should like their chances to get
by Forest City. On Friday night,
Lackawanna Trail visits Mountain View (3-2) and Montrose visits Elk Lake in
what could be a winner-take-all game.
Or, there could be a 3-way logjam at the top. THIS WEEK’S
DISTRICT 2 BOYS TOP 10 (games through January 18) 1.
Hazleton
Area (10-2) AAAA 2.
Scranton
(10-3) AAAA 3.
Abington
Heights (12-1) AAA 4.
Dunmore
(10-3) AA 5.
Crestwood
(11-2) AAA 6.
Holy
Redeemer (11-2) AAA 7.
Holy
Cross (8-4) AA 8.
Wilkes-Barre
Coughlin (11-2) AAA 9.
Montrose
(12-1) AA 10.
Scranton Prep (8-4) AAA OTHERS TO WATCH Carbondale
(10-3), Elk Lake (7-5), Hanover (7-6), Lackawanna Trail (8-4), North Pocono
(6-5), Northwest (7-6), Old Forge (8-5), Pittston (7-5), Tunkhannock (6-7),
West Scranton (9-3), Wilkes-Barre GAR (8-5), Wilkes-Barre Meyers (8-5),
Wyoming Seminary (5-5) UPCOMING DISTRICT
2 TOP BOYS GAMES TUESDAY,
1/19 Wyoming
Valley West at Pittston (WVC Div. 1) Crestwood
at Holy Redeemer (WVC Div. 1/2 crossover) Tunkhannock
at Wilkes-Barre Coughlin (WVC Div. 1/2 crossover) Nanticoke at
Wyoming Seminary (WVC Div. 3/4 crossover) Northwest
at Hanover Area (WVC Div. 3/4 crossover) Abington
Heights at West Scranton (LL Div. 1) Old Forge
at Holy Cross (LL Div. 2) Riverside
at Carbondale (LL Div. 2) Elk Lake
at Lackawanna Trail (LL Div. 3) WEDNESDAY,
1/20 Williamsport
at Chester FRIDAY,
1/22 Tunkhannock
at Wyoming valley West (WVC Div. 1) Hazleton
at Holy Redeemer (WVC Div. 1/2 crossover) Wilkes-Barre
Meyers at Nanticoke (WVC Div. 3) Wilkes-Barre
GAR at Northwest (WVC Div. 3/4 crossover) Scranton
at West Scranton (LL Div. 1) North
Pocono at Abington Heights (LL Div. 1) Dunmore at
Carbondale (LL Div. 2) Old Forge
at Riverside (LL Div. 2) Holy Cross
at Valley View (LL Div. 2) Lackawanna
Trail at Mountain View (LL Div. 3) Montrose
at Elk Lake (LL Div. 3) SATURDAY,
1/23 Williamsport
at Central Dauphin Dallas at
Wyoming Seminary (non-league) West
Scranton at Forest City (non-league) Mountain
View at Troy (non-league) East
Stroudsburg North at Delaware Valley (non-league) MONDAY,
1/25 Lackawanna
Trail at Wyoming Seminary (non-league) Scranton
Prep at Pocono Mountain West (non-league) Shamokin
at Williamsport TUESDAY,
1/26 Williamsport
at Wyoming Valley West LLHOOPS.COM DIST.
2 BOYS PLAYERS OF THE WEEK Adam Davis (6-0 senior) helped Hazleton notch a pair of key wins in
WVC Division 1 action last week. Adam
scored 17 points in a come-from-behind 49-46 win at Pittston. The senior then keyed a hot start for
Hazleton against Crestwood, scoring 21 points in their 61-45 victory. Terry Turner (6-4 sophomore) is a big
reason why Scranton is becoming
one of the highest scoring teams in the district this season. Terry netted 17 points in a Lackawanna
Division 1 win over Honesdale. The
sensational sophomore playmaker then added 21 more points in a big 73-58 win
over cross-town rival Scranton Prep.
DISTRICT 2 BOYS
RECAP AND ANALYSIS WYOMING VALLEY CONFERENCE Team (first half record,
overall record) DIVISION 1 Hazleton
Area (4-0, 10-2) Crestwood
(3-1, 11-2) Pittston
(2-2, 7-5) Wyoming
Valley West (2-2, 4-8) Tunkhannock
(1-3, 6-7) Hazleton
Area was very fortunate to be able to regroup at Pittston Area last
Tuesday. The Cougars trailed 21-2 in
the first period before beginning to slowly chip away at the deficit. Adam
Davis netted 17 points in the 49-46 comeback victory (Dwight Houseman had 12 for
Pittston). The same night, Crestwood
needed double overtime to get by a determined effort by Tunkhannock
(55-53). The Comets outscored the
Tigers 10-3 in the final period as Mike
Abramcheck led the way with 21 points.
Tunkhannock got balanced scoring with 4 players in double
figures. That set the stage for a huge
showdown last Friday night in Hazleton between the Cougars and Crestwood in
front of one of the bigger crowds witnessed this year. Mike Joseph’s squad started with an
opening, crowd-pleasing trey by Davis (21
points) and really put together one of their finest shooting night of the
season, hitting almost 50% of their shots in a 61-45 win. Paris
Cleveland added 17 points for Hazleton who built a lead to as many as 26
points in the second half (56-30). DJ Meyers ended any thoughts of a
third quarter rally by nailing two big treys.
John Lashko scored 18
points for the Comets. Pittston
traveled to play Tunkhannock in an interesting matchup last Friday. Though the Tigers held a 3-point lead after
three periods (36-33), the Patriots rallied for a 55-54 win as Dwight Houseman netted 18 and Mike McGarry added 16. For Tunkhannock, Mike Callum and Mike Papi
each scored 16. One team that may not
have garnered a lot of attention thus far, but may become a significant
factor in the second half race is Wyoming Valley West. The Spartans are a young team, but they
have plenty of talent and one of the better coaches on the league. They jumped out to a 32-7 lead as Eugene Lewis scored 19 and Jim Smicherko added 16 in a 73-39 win
over Wyoming Area. Then, they pulled
off one of the bigger upsets of the season as they outscored Wilkes-Barre
Coughlin 35-18 in the middle periods for a 65-56 victory over the
Crusaders. One again, Lewis (21 points) and Smicherko (23 ) had huge
efforts. Joe Caffrey netted 27 points in the game that was postponed from
Friday night to Saturday afternoon because of the rumored threats of a
student body confrontation at the game.
Under increased security, no incidents were reported. The two big games in the division this week
both involve crossover games at Holy Redeemer. On Tuesday, Crestwood takes on the Royals before
Hazleton visits the Wilkes-Barre school on Friday night. If Hazleton wins out, they claim the first
half title. A loss and Crestwood could
inch their way back into a share of first place. DIVISION 2 Wilkes-Barre
Coughlin (3-1, 11-2) Holy
Redeemer (3-1, 11-2) Dallas
(1-3, 5-6) Wyoming
Area (1-3, 1-11) Berwick
(0-4, 2-11) Holy
Redeemer took a 14-3 lead over Dallas and coasted to a 65-40 win over the
Mountaineers as Peter Alexis
netted 22 points. Then, on Friday
night, Alexis added 14 and Austin Carr added 12 in a hard fought
39-31 win over Berwick. The Bulldogs
only trailed by a single point (32-31) after three periods got 14 points from
Eric Schleich. Wilkes-Barre Coughlin defeated Berwick
50-26 as Brett Warren scored 17,
but dropped a game to Wyoming Valley West Saturday afternoon. That loss created a tie at the top of the
division between the Royals and the Crusaders. Coughlin host Tunkhannock Tuesday night
before visiting Wyoming Area Friday.
Holy Redeemer hosts Crestwood Tuesday before entertaining Hazleton
Area on Friday night. DIVISION 3 Wilkes-Barre
Meyers (4-0, 8-5) Wilkes-Barre
GAR (3-1, 8-5) Hanover
(2-2, 7-6) Nanticoke
(2-2, 3-10) Lake-Lehman
(0-4, 2-10) Wilkes-Barre
Meyers rolled over West Side Tech 81-38 as Ross Levan led the way with 12 points. The Mohawks added a crossover win over
Wyoming Seminary, 46-28, as Eddie
Walters scored 15 (Will Moore
had 13 for the Blue Knights). GAR
remained a game back with a tough win over Lake-Lehman (43-35) as Darian Twyman netted 16. The Black Knights only trailed by 2 points
with about two minutes remaining in that game. GAR added a win over Hanover 49-42 as Twyman scored 14 and Darrell Crawford also had 14. Elsewhere, Nanticoke got by Lake-Lehman
46-35 (Cody Bukowski had 14 for
the Trojans), but lost to rival Hanover Area 48-47. The Hawkeyes jumped out to a 15-4 lead
after the first period as Nate
Jendrzewski scored 12 (for the Trojans, Cael Evans scored 14 and Jared
Knietowicz had 13). On Tuesday,
Meyers hosts Lake-Lehman in what could be a very interesting game and GAR
entertains West Side Tech. On Friday
night, Meyers visits Nanticoke and GAR heads to play a crossover game at
Northwest. DIVISION 4 Northwest
(3-1, 7-6) Wyoming
Seminary (3-1, 5-5) MMI Prep
(2-2, 3-9) West Side
Tech (1-3, 2-6) St.
Michaels (0-4, 0-5) Northwest
registered a pair of wins last week.
First, they defeated St. Michaels 53-19 and then topped MMI Prep 48-30
as Steve Merth scored 14
points. Wyoming Seminary got 11 points
from Emmanual Brown in a 50-30 win
over MMI, but dropped into a first place tie with Northwest after losing a
crossover game to Meyers, 46-28.
Elsewhere, Cody Eshelman
netted 18 points as West Side Tech defeated St. Michaels 60-41. Also, in exhibition action, Northwest lost
to Southern Columbia 54-51 and MMI got 15 from Ryan Forte but dropped a 48-44
loss to Weatherly Monday night. Coming
up this week, on Tuesday Wyoming Seminary hosts Nanticoke and Northwest heads
to play Hanover Area. On Friday,
Northwest entertains GAR and Wyoming Seminary hosts West Side Tech. LACKAWANNA LEAGUE Team (first half record,
overall record) DIVISION 1 Scranton
(5-0, 10-3) Abington
Heights (4-1, 12-1) West
Scranton (4-1, 9-3) Scranton
Prep (3-2, 8-4) North
Pocono (2-3, 6-5) Delaware
Valley (1-4, 4-7) Wallenpaupack
(1-4, 4-9) Honesdale
(0-5, 5-8) Scranton
continues their undefeated run through the division. They got 17 points from Terry Turner and 15 from Nathan Lewis in an 82-51 win over
Honesdale. Turner then added 21 points and Bilal Floyd netted 19 (with 4 treys) to get by Scranton Prep
73-58. The Knights had 9 team treys on
the evening and jumped out to a 21-2
lead on the Cavaliers only to see Prep go on a 26-8 run to cut the deficit to
a single bucket (37-35). Adam Schroth scored 21 points for
Scranton Prep. Abington Heights and
West Scranton remained one game back.
Abington got by Prep 32-26 as Ross
Danzig netted 13 (Scroth had 12) and also topped Wallenpaupack (63-40) as
Danzig scored 14 and Luke Peterson netted 16 for the
Comets. West Scranton got a great game
from Tyler Hughes and Tom Horan (each scored 24 points) in
a 79-76 win over North Pocono (Trojans got 18 from Jack Williams and 14 each from Roman Koval and Justin Haddix). The Invaders also defeated Honesdale 43-25
as Horan netted 19. Elsewhere, Isaiah Slutter scored a
game-winning shot for Wallenpaupack (32-31 over Delaware Valley). North Pocono got 16 from Frank DePietro and 15 from Justin Haddix to defeat Delaware
Valley 62-58 (Brandon Angradi had
23 for the Warriors). In non-league
action, Justin Haddix scored 17
points as North Pocono defeated East Stroudsburg South, 81-61. This week, West Scranton hosts Abington
Heights in a tremendous matchup of second place teams. Count on a capacity crowd to be on hand for
the tip-off of the JV game in this one.
Scranton hosts Delaware Valley.
On Friday night, Scranton visits arch rival West Scranton while
Abington Heights hosts North Pocono. DIVISION 2 Dunmore
(5-0, 10-3) Holy Cross
(4-1, 8-4) Carbondale
(3-2, 10-3) Old Forge
(3-2, 8-5) Riverside
(3-2, 6-8) Valley
View (2-3, 2-10) Mid Valley
(0-5, 4-9) Lakeland
(0-5, 1-11) Dunmore
rallied from a 43-29 deficit with 6 minutes remaining to defeat Holy Cross in
overtime (58-56) last Tuesday. Mike Ehnot netted 17 and Jake Rowland 16 (Brett Podhyski had 18 for the Crusaders in then loss). The Bucks also defeated Mid Valley, 68-38,
as Pat Ross scored 21 and Rowland added 17. Holy Cross rebounded to get by Carbondale
73-59 as Louis Cipriano scored 22
and Podhyski had 16). The loss by Carbondale was their second of
the week, losing to a much improving Old Forge squad 60-50. Tony
Goodall scored 29 points for the Blue Devils who hit an impressive 21 of
23 free throws on the night. Old Forge
also added a 57-49 win over Lakeland as Dom
Avistato netted 19. Riverside
picked up a pair of wins last week also.
The Vikes defeated Mid Valley 56-34 as Jerry Reilly scored 18.
They then got 24 points and 11 rebounds from Jerry Kincel in a 71-54 win over Valley View. The Cougars have been struggling this
season, but got a big game from Nyheem
Wartman (15 points, 13 rebounds) in a 65-42 win over Lakeland (Eric Grabowski had 15 fro the
Chiefs). This week Dunmore hosts
Lakeland Tuesday before visiting Carbondale Friday night. If the Bucks stumble, Holy Cross could
force a tie by getting by Old Forge (at home) Tuesday and Valley View on the
road Friday. DIVISION 3 Montrose
(5-0, 12-1) Elk Lake
(5-0, 7-5) Lackawanna
Trail (4-1, 8-4) Mountain
View (3-2, 5-7) Western
Wayne (2-3, 3-8) Forest
City (1-4, 3-9 Blue Ridge
(0-5, 3-9) Susquehanna
(0-5, 2-10) Montrose
and Elk Lake are tied for first place.
Montrose got 21 points from Rob
Volk in a 69-55 win over Western Wayne.
The Meteors also came away with a 72-36 win over Susquehanna as Steve Squiers netted 23 and Colby Major added 16. Elk Lake got 13 from Steve Rezykowski to edge Mountain View 39-37 (Peter Hartman had 14 for the
Eagles). The Warriors then trailed
Blue Ridge 18-7 after one quarter, but rallied for a 52-46 win as Rezykowski added 17 more. One game back, Lackawanna Trail got 15 from
Steve Miller in a 49-47 win over
Blue Ridge (Alex Cardoza had 14
for Blue Ridge). The Lions added a
57-55 win over Western Wayne as Steve
Miller had a monster game with 23 points and 25 rebounds. Elsewhere, Jason McGovern had 19 for Forest City in their 55-53 win over
Susquehanna (Brandon Stone had 25
for the Sabers). Mountain View got a
combined 28 points from Luke Jenkins
and Peter Hartman in a win over
Forest City. Jenkins netted 10 points in a non-league 50-46 overtime Mt. View
win over Wyalusing. Nic Baldo scored 17 for Western Wayne
in a loss to East Stroudsburg North. Brandon Stone had 19 for Susquehanna in
a loss to Northeast Bradford. This
week, Lackawanna Trail hosts Elk Lake in a big game Tuesday before heading to
play at Mountain View Friday. Also, on
Friday, the showdown for the first half could happen as Elk Lake hosts
Montrose. GIRLS BASKETBALL GIRLS BASKETBALL GIRLS BASKETBALL GIRLS BASKETBALL GIRLS BASKETBALL GIRLS BASKETBALL GIRLS BASKETBALL THIS WEEK’S DISTRICT
2 GIRLS TOP 10 (games through January 18) 1.
Holy
Redeemer (10-3) AAA 2.
Hazleton
Area (11-3) AAAA 3.
Abington
Heights (12-2) AAA 4.
Wyoming
Valley West (11-2) AAAA 5.
Dunmore
(10-4) AA 6.
West
Scranton (10-3) AAA 7.
Pittston
(9-4) AAA 8.
Williamsport
(8-5) AAAA 9.
Scranton
(8-6) AAAA 10.
Riverside (10-4) AA OTHERS TO WATCH Berwick
(9-5), Crestwood (7-4), Dallas (7-5), Forest City (7-5), Holy Cross (9-4),
Honesdale (7-7), Lake-Lehman (10-3), Mid Valley (8-5), Mountain View (7-6),
Montrose (8-4), Nanticoke (8-5), North Pocono (5-7), Old Forge (10-3),
Tunkhannock (7-5), Valley View (6-8), Western Wayne (7-6), Wyoming Area (6-8) UPCOMING DISTRICT 2
TOP GIRLS GAMES TUESDAY,
1/19 Western
Wayne at Mountain View (LL Div. 3) Montrose
at Forest City (LL Div. 3) WEDNESDAY,
1/20 Williamsport
at Hollidaysburg THURSDAY,
1/21 Wyoming Valley
West at Tunkhannock (WVC Div. 1) Holy
Redeemer at Hazleton (WVC Div. 1/2 crossover) Crestwood
at Berwick (WVC Div. 1/2 crossover) Pittston
at Dallas (WVC Div. 1/2 crossover) Nanticoke
at Wilkes-Barre Meyers (WVC Div. 3) West
Scranton at Scranton (LL Div. 1) Abington
Heights at North Pocono (LL Div. 1) Carbondale
at Dunmore (LL Div. 2) Riverside
at Old Forge (LL Div. 2) Valley
View at Holy Cross (LL Div. 2) Mountain
View at Lackawanna Trail (LL Div. 3) Blue Ridge
at Forest City (LL Div. 3) Elk Lake
at Montrose (LL Div. 3) SATURDAY,
1/23 Crestwood
at Pottsville (non-league) Holy Cross
at Lake-Lehman (non-league) Forest
City at West Scranton (non-league) Williamsport
at Wyalusing MONDAY,
1/25 Lake-Lehman
at North Pocono (non-league) Wyoming Seminary
at Carbondale (non-league) Pittston
at Northwest (non-league) Wilkes-Barre
GAR at Crestwood (non-league) Elk Lake
at Mid Valley (non-league) LLHOOPS.COM DIST. 2
GIRLS PLAYERS OF THE WEEK Jen Harnischfeger (5-2 senior guard) is helping Nanticoke Area to the top of the WVC
Division 3 standings. Last week, she
scored 26 points in a 53-31 win over rival Hanover. Jen then netted 24 points, including her
career 1,000 point, in a big win against Lake-Lehman (44-36). Monday she added 9 points in a win over
Wyoming Seminary. Angela
Dente (5-5 senior guard) had a big week for Riverside resurgence in Division 2 of the Lackawanna League. She scored 21 points in a 48-44 win over
Mid Valley. Angela then added 9 points
in a last-second victory over Valley View.
Finally, the senior netted 13 points for the Lady Vikings in a 53-34
win over Carbondale Monday night. DISTRICT 2 GIRLS
RECAP AND ANALYSIS WYOMING VALLEY CONFERENCE Team
(first half record, overall record) X – clinched first half title DIVISION 1 Hazleton
Area (5-0, 11-3) Wyoming
Valley West (4-1, 11-2) Pittston
(3-2, 9-4) Crestwood
(1-4, 7-5) Tunkhannock
(1-4, 7-5) Hazleton
holds a 1-game lead over Wyoming Valley West, but with Holy Redeemer on their
schedule for Thursday night (at home), the possibility of a first place tie
between the Cougars and Wyoming Valley West could definitely happen. Hazleton played great defense and shot the
ball very well in a 65-35 win over Crestwood last week. Michele
Vowler had 18 points (4 treys) and Nicole
Lisnock and Brianna Dudeck
each added 12. Monday night, the Lady
Cougars got by Wyoming Area 57-32 as Lisnock,
Dudeck and Janelle Ziminski
lead the way (Casey Bohan had 13
points for the Lady Warriors). Valley
West got 15 from Sami Himlin to
defeat Wilkes-Barre Coughlin 57-43 (Kacee
Rava had 28 for Coughlin - Rava also
scored 27 Monday night in a loss to Tunkhannock), The Lady Spartans then defeated Pittston
Monday night 64-49 as Himlin again
netted 15, including her career 1,000 point.
Teammate Amy Aguilar added
16 while Lauren Smicherko scored
21 for the Lady Patriots. Smicherko had a big night last week,
hitting 32 points in a 62-31 win over Tunkhannock. On Thursday night, WVW visits
Tunkhannock. If they can get by the
Lady Tigers, they will then be hoping for a share of first place should
Hazleton lose to Holy Redeemer (who already captured the first half title in
Division 2). . DIVISION 2 x -Holy
Redeemer (5-0, 10-3) Berwick
(3-2, 9-5) Dallas (3-2,
7-5) Wyoming
Area (0-5, 6-8) Wilkes-Barre
Coughlin (0-5, 3-11) Holy
Redeemer locked up first half honors Monday night with a 50-37 win over
Crestwood as Christina Flaherty
scored 15. Last week, the Lady Royals
defeated Berwick 61-43 as Nicole Maximowicz
netted 14 and Laura Casey and Monica Wignot each scored 10. Over the weekend, Holy Redeemer hosted a
strong Northampton (11-0) team from the Lehigh Valley Conference. The Koncrete Kids got a big first quarter
boost from Alyssa Bonenberger (8
of her 18 points), but HR only trailed 32-30 after three periods (and by only
four with under 2 minutes remaining).
But Northampton converted key free throws to seal the 40-34
victory. Christine Peterlin scored 9 for the Lady Royals, who played
without Monica Wignot for part of
the game (injury). Elsewhere in the
division, Berwick defeated Dallas Monday night 34-26. The Lady Dawgs dropped a non-league game
over the weekend to East Stroudsburg South (41-33) as Megan Nastelli netted 10 (Carly
Gallagher had 19 for ES-South).
DIVISION 3 Nanticoke
(4-0, 8-5) Lake-Lehman
(4-1, 10-3) Wilkes-Barre
Meyers (4-1, 6-9) Hanover
(2-3, 4-10) Wilkes-Barre
GAR (0-4, 1-11) Nanticoke
has surged to the top of the division with an undefeated mark. The Trojanettes got 24 points from Jen Harnischfeger (including her
career 1,000 point) to defeat Lake-Lehman 44-36. Then, on Monday night they got a 55-36
victory over Wyoming Seminary as Sami
Gow netted 27. Wilkes-Barre Meyers
and Lake-Lehman both remain a half game back.
Meyers got a 44-33 win over Seminary as Maddie Lavery scored 25 points.
Lake-Lehman notched a 43-35 win over the Lady Mohawks Monday night as Lavery scored 17 (Selana Adamshick had 16 for
Lake-Lehman). Elsewhere, Hanover
gained a pair of big wins. Last week Raisha Piper scored 19 and Chelsie Cormier added 15 for their
66-40 win over Wilkes-Barre GAR (Keyotta
Richardson had 19 for GAR). Then,
on Monday night, the Lady Hawks defeated Northwest 59-37 as Michelle Bugonowicz scored 20
points. In non-league action, Marian
Catholic got passed Meyers 41-28 last weekend. On Thursday, Nanticoke visits Meyers in a
big game. DIVISION 4 Northwest
(2-2, 5-8) Wyoming
Seminary (2-2, 3-10) MMI Prep
(1-3, 1-10) Wyoming
Seminary dropped a pair of crossover games, 44-33 to Meyers and 55-36 to
Nanticoke Monday night. Northwest got
a 54-30 win over MMI Prep as Kayla
Hennigan netted 14, but dropped a game to Hanover Monday night. Seminary will get a forfeit win over West
Side Tech Thursday. So, if Northwest
can get by Wilkes-Barre GAR on the road the same night, there will be a
1-game playoff for first half honors.
LACKAWANNA
LEAGUE Team (first half record, overall record) DIVISION 1 Abington
Heights (6-0, 12-2) West
Scranton (5-1, 10-3) Scranton
(4-2, 8-6) North
Pocono (4-2, 5-7) Scranton
Prep (2-3, 4-8) Wallenpaupack
(1-4, 4-8) Honesdale
(1-5, 7-7) Delaware
Valley (0-6, 4-8) With one
game remaining, Abington Heights can secure the first half title with a win
at North Pocono Thursday night. If the
Lady Comets stumble, West Scranton can force a tie with a win over rival
Scranton. Abington Heights got a 54-26
win over Wallenpaupack last week as Sam
Paolucci and Maggie Fruehan
each scored 10 points. Then, on Monday
night, they got by previously undefeated West Scranton 43-32 in a game that
was filled with turnovers and cold shooting.
Mariah Deibert scored 16
points for the Comets, who registered their final 18 points from the charity
stripe. Sabrina Coleman scored 13 for the Lady Invaders. Coleman
hit 17 points for West last week in their come-from-behind 58-54 overtime
win over Honesdale. The Lady Hornets
rallied with a 22-11 fourth period advantage as Marisa Gallik scored 23 points.
Though eliminated from the first half race, Scranton and North Pocono
have got to be pleased with how they finished. Scranton shook off a sluggish start (only
leading 17-15 the half) for a 50-34 win over Scranton Prep as Kayla Bailey scored 16 and Emily Baldacci added 14. Monday night, the Lady Knights got 27 from Sarah Corbett and 17 from Shanelle McGowan to defeat Delaware
Valley 73-47 (Kim Commisso had 17
for the Lady Warriors). North Pocono
defeated Del-Val 40-24 as Christie
Bonacci netted 14. She added 20
points Monday night and Jill Perih
scored 16 as the Lady Trojans defeated Honesdale 67-54. Mary
Martin had 21 for the the Lady Hornets.
The Scranton Prep at Wallenpaupack game was rescheduled for
tonight. DIVISION 2 Dunmore
(6-0, 10-4) Riverside
(5-1, 10-4) Old Forge
(3-3, 10-3) Holy Cross
(3-3, 9-4) Mid Valley
(3-3, 8-5) Valley
View (3-3, 6-8) Carbondale
(1-5, 5-8) Lakeland
(0-6, 1-13) With one
game remaining, Dunmore leads Riverside by a game. The Lady Bucks hosts Carbondale Thursday
night and can wrap up the first half. Riverside
visits bitter rival Old Forge, in a must-win game for the Lady Vikes. Last week, Dunmore played without Cayla Boland (out sick) and got 7
team treys (some key ones by Megan
Murrin) in a 56-46 win over Mid Valley.
Ashley Murray netted 19 and
Nicole Korgeski added 16 for
Dunmore. The Lady Spartans are playing
through their share of injuries, but got a nice effort from Alyssa Miraglia (15 points). Monday night, Dunmore rolled over Lakeland
(57-19) as Murray scored 18. Riverside got a game-winning put-back shot
by Kayla Cavanaugh (14 points)
last week for a pulsating 44-42 win over Valley View. The Lady Vikings notched 9 team treys on
the evening. Rebecca Keegan scored 14 points for the Lady Cougars. Monday night, Angela Dente score 13 points for Riverside in their 53-34 win
over Carbondale. Out of the first half
race, Holy Cross got 32 points and 19 rebounds from Julie Kosin in a 60-57 win over Carbondale (Jodi Wallis had 20 for the Chargerettes). Old Forge topped Holy Cross Monday night
(49-42) as Kosin netted 21 and Aleca Semenza had 14 for the Lady
Blue Devils. Also Monday, Mid Valley
got 19 from Alli Walsh in a 60-39
win over Valley View. DIVISION 3 Montrose
(4-1, 8-4) Forest
City (4-1, 7-5) Mountain
View (4-1, 7-6) Western Wayne
(4-1, 7-6) Blue Ridge
(3-3, 6-7) Lackawanna
Trail (1-4, 3-8) Elk Lake
(1-4, 3-9) Susquehanna
(0-6, 0-11) With a
pair of key games postponed for Monday (to Tuesday), the first race is wide
open with 4 teams battling with 4-1 records.
Last week, Forest City defeated previously unbeaten Mountain View
56-35 as Cassie Erdmann and Katie Yale each had 14 points. Montrose kept a share of the lead with a
60-20 win over Susquehanna as Dallas
Ely scored 19 points. And Western
Wayne got 20 from Charlcie Brink
in their 46-26 win over Lackawanna Trail.
Elsewhere, Shanna Hettinger
scored 19 points for Blue Ridge in their 47-40 win over Elk Lake. Tuesday night Western Wayne visits Mountain
View and Forest City hosts Montrose to give the winners an advantage heading
into Thursday night. On the final
night of action, Mt. View visits Lackawanna Trail, Forest City hosts Blue
Ridge, Montrose entertains Elk Lake, and Western Wayne plays Susquehanna at
home. Expect some type of playoff
needed to sort all this out. 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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