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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”
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BEAT. UPDATED 2/24/2010 DISTRICT 2 PLAYOFF PREVIEWS ADDED BELOW HERE
WE SNOW AGAIN GET THE LATEST GAME POSTPONMENTS http://www.piaad2.org/ RUNNING ON EMPTY Abington Heights
rallies for incredible 55-53 OT win Playing
their third playoff game in 5 days, Abington
Heights took on first half winner Scranton
at a sold-out Xavier Center on the campus of Scranton Prep Tuesday
night. The ensuing 32 minutes (plus 4
in OT) provided fans with an emotional roller-coaster that ended with a wild
celebration for Comet players and students.
After Luke Peterson put AH
ahead 53-50, making one of two free throws, Scranton brought the ball down
court with 15 seconds left, working it around to find a wide open Terry Turner at the top of the key
for a game-tying trey. Luke Peterson then took the inbounds
pass and quickly scanned the floor. He
drove the length of the court, tossing up a short, wild bank shot that went
in with less than a second remaining.
The win, the Comets 4th straight Lackawanna League Division 1
championship, seemed utterly improbable just a short time earlier when
Scranton held a 4-point lead with under 50 seconds left in regulation. Opening the game, Scranton jumped out to a
7-2 lead, but Abington stormed back with a 12-2 run to take a 14-8
advantage. From that point, both teams
battled pretty evenly until Scranton grabbed a 40-34 lead at the 5 minute
mark of the final stanza. But, the
Comets, behind the slick ball-handling and drives by Ross Danzig (18 points) and Peterson
(15 points), refused to give up. And a
little luck didn‘t hurt either, as Scranton missed back-to-back-to-back 1+1
free throw chances when they were up by four in the final minute. Scranton got a solid effort from Terry Turner who scored 15 (including
all 7 of the Knights OT points), Tim
Fisch (11), and Ian Redetzky
who had 10 points and 13 rebounds.
Overall, it was a fantastic finish to a great regular season. Abington Heights, who already had the #2
seed secured, now moves on to AAA play.
Scranton, who could have claimed the top seed in AAAA with a win,
moves into the 2-position and awaits the winner of between Williamsport and
Wyoming Valley West. DISTRICT
2 BOYS PLAYOFF PREVIEW CLASS AAAA FAVORITE - Hazleton Area WATCH OUT FOR – Scranton SLEEPER – Wyoming Valley West BEST ROUND 1 GAME – Williamsport at WVW TOP POTENTIAL
SEMI-FINAL
– Scranton vs. WVW THE NITTY GRITTY Every
since Hazleton Area ended last season with bitter consecutive losses to
Williamsport and Glen Mills, the Cougars have been on a mission to grab the
title back in 2010. But, like many
teams across District 2 this season, Hazleton had difficulty putting together
four consistent quarters of basketball this year. But, when they are on, they can play even
with almost anyone across the area.
They feature stellar decision making at the point, strong shooting
from the perimeter, and an inside game that has really come a long way behind
Eric Radishofski. Then, there is the
intangible of having one of the top playmakers in the entire conference in
Paris Cleveland – who has been working through some academic issues and has
missed a few games recently. Speaking
of playmakers, the top 4A program in the Lackawanna League, Scranton, happens
to feature one also, in sophomore Terry Turner. Like Cleveland, he can do it all. Scranton likes to play at warp speed,
having a stretch of game earlier this year averaging well over 80 ppg. They have some players that can shoot
lights out. Ian Redetzky, a rugged
player is a force all over the court, a top rebounder that will launch a
quick trey if left open. The Knights
do have some difficulties protecting the ball from time to time. Having suffered back to back losses to
Lackawanna Division 2 champion Abington Heights will likely have them a
focused and determined group. Scranton
does have youth in their lineup, but it would be unfair to call them a young
team at this point. The loss to
Abington knocked the Knights down to a 2-seed, with brings a potentially more
difficult semi-final game between WVW or Williamsport. The Spartans have Eugene Lewis and Jim
Smicherko who can really put up the points.
The Millionaires, who bring a lowly 4-18 mark into the playoffs,
cannot be overlooked, as they have been getting excellent play at point from
Rafiq Taylor along with Codie Engel.
They defeated an admittedly down Altoona team last week and gave
University City a battle last weekend. FRIDAY,
FEBRUARY 26 (QUARTER-FINALS) (1)
Scranton/Hazleton Area (bye) (5) Wallenpaupack
(5-17) at (4) Delaware Valley (6-16) (2)
Hazleton Area/Scranton (bye) (6)
Williamsport (3-18) at (3) Wyoming Valley West (8-14) TUESDAY,
MARCH 2 (SEMI-FINALS) SATURDAY,
MARCH 6 (FINAL) CLASS AAA FAVORITES – Abington Heights,
Holy Redeemer WATCH OUT FOR – Scranton Prep,
Crestwood, Coughlin, West Scranton SLEEPERS – Pittston,
Tunkhannock BEST ROUND 1 GAME – Tunkhannock at
Pittston TOP POTENTIAL QUARTER-FINAL – Crestwood vs.
Coughlin THE NITTY GRITTY As
was the case last year, the AAA classification is loaded and should present a
number of terrific first and second round games. Though Holy Redeemer and Abington Heights
appear to have the talent to make a run for the title game, there are a
number of teams that could get hot and make a push for a state playoff
berth. Abington Heights is not a deep
team at all, but they are very good, having tremendous skill and court
smartness at every position. But, Nate
Basalyga, their 6-8 center must continue to stay out of foul trouble. The Comets play a patented matchup zone
defense that is very effective. Even
though Abington did grab a decisive win over Holy Redeemer in the early
stages of this season, it does mean much now as the Royals were tinkering
with their lineup at that moment and big man Peter Alexis (6-11 junior)
really had not gotten into any offensive flow. Another matchup would be must-seem
basketball. The next several teams
(Crestwood, Coughlin, West Scranton, and Scranton Prep) all have a legitimate
chance of getting to the semi-final round.
Each team was extremely competitive in division play and has solid
guards. West Scranton has some good
shooters and inside muscle and could face fellow LL Division 1 foe Scranton
Prep. The Cavaliers seem to have
talented guards all over the court – Adam Schroth and freshman Karlon Quiller
can shoot lights out when they get in a zone.
Crestwood had a fine season despite two lopsided losses to Hazleton
and Coughlin plays great team basketball behind Joe Caffrey and Brett
Warren. One of the more interesting
first round games features Pittston and Tunkhannock. That should be another great battle - the winner likely getting another chance
to face Holy Redeemer. Any way you
slice it, District 2 will be well-represented in state playoff competition. WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 24 (PLAY-IN ROUND) (17)
Honesdale (6-16) at (16) Wyoming Area (1-21) THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 25 (FIRST ROUND) (9)
Tunkhannock (11-11) at (8) Pittston Area (12-10) (13)
Dallas (8-13) at (4) West Scranton (16-7) (12)
Valley View (5-16) at (5) Scranton Prep (14-8) (14)
Lake-Lehman (4-18) at (3) Crestwood (18-4) (11)
Western Wayne (8-14) at (6) W-B Coughlin (16-7) (15)
Berwick (3-19) at (2) Abington Heights (22-2) FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 26 (FIRST ROUND) (16)
Honesdale/Wy. Area winner at (1) Holy
Redeemer (21-2) (10) North Pocono (10-12) at (7) Nanticoke
Area (7-15) MONDAY, MARCH 1 (QUARTER-FINALS) WEDNESDAY, MARCH 3 (SEMI-FINALS) FRIDAY, MARCH 5 (FINAL, CONSOLATION) CLASS AA FAVORITES
– Holy Cross, Dunmore WATCH
OUT FOR – Meyers, Montrose SLEEPERS
– Riverside, Lackawanna Trail, GAR BEST
ROUND 1 GAME – Elk Lake at Riverside TOP
POTENTIAL QUARTER-FINAL – Montrose vs. GAR
THE
NITTY GRITTY It’s
hard to pick against the Lackawanna Division 1 champion and runner-up in Class
AA. Dunmore and Holy Cross both have
skilled, deep lineups that play with terrific intensity. Fans are already clamoring about seeing
them play Round 5 for the district title.
Ironically, the Bucks come into the tourney as the #2 seed and the
Crusaders as a #5 selection. That’s
because Meyers got the top seed with an undefeated record in WVC Division 3
action. And Montrose (the LL Division
3 champ) and Wyoming Seminary (the WVC Division 4 winner) got the 3 and 4
positions. Meyers has quietly put together
a championship season based on the team-first concept. They have some athletic players who will
get their chance to shine, as a possible second round game against either
Riverside or Elk Lake could await them.
Montrose comes into the playoffs having withstood almost every test in
the Lackawanna Division 3. They are balanced
with good ball handlers and play great defense. They are not flashy, but they are
fundamentally sound. Wyoming Seminary
has some very solid guards and should have an interesting game against
13-seed Carbondale. The Chargers would
love to re-gain some of the magic that propelled them to a great first half
of the season. GAR has several
exceptional athletes and a dominating inside game. Two of the better first round games include
Elk Lake visiting Riverside and Lackawanna Trail hosting Mt. View. Both of those look to be toss-ups. The race for the #3 and #4 state playoff
berths appears to be fairly wide open and it should be exciting to see how it
plays out. WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 24 (PLAY-IN ROUND) (17)
Mid Valley (5-17) at (16) Lakeland (2-20) THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 25 (FIRST ROUND) (14)
Blue Ridge (8-13) at (3) Montrose (21-3) (15)
West Side CTC (3-14) at (2) Dunmore (19-4) FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 26 (FIRST ROUND) (16)
Mid Valley/Lakeland winner at (1) W-B
Meyers (17-5) (9)
Elk Lake (13-10) at (8) Riverside (13-9) (12)
Northwest Area (11-11) at (5) Holy Cross (17-5) (13)
Carbondale (13-9) at (4) Wyoming Seminary (15-6) (11)
Hanover Area (13-9) at (6) W-B GAR (16-6) (10)
Mountain View (11-11) at (7) Lackawanna Trail (15-7) TUESDAY, MARCH 2 (QUARTER-FINALS) THURSDAY, MARCH 4 (SEMI-FINALS) SATURDAY, MARCH 6 (FINAL, CONSOLATION) CLASS A FAVORITE
– Old Forge THE
NITTY GRITTY Without
question, Old Forge is the overwhelming selection to grab Class A
honors. The Blue Devils bring a somewhat
deceptive record into the playoffs, competing in the rugged Lackawanna
Division 2. MMI Prep is seeking to get
back to state playoff competition after participating in the memorable 1A play-in
game that got postponed due to a leaky roof last year. THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 25 (QUARTER-FINAL) (5)
St. Michaels (1-14) at (4) Susquehanna (4-18) MONDAY, MARCH 1 (SEMI-FINALS) (1)
Old Forge (12-10) vs. Winner of (4) vs. (5) game (2)
Freeland MMI Prep (7-15) vs. (3) Forest City (4-18) WEDNESDAY, MARCH 3 (FINAL) DISTRICT 2
GIRLS PLAYOFF PREVIEW CLASS AAAA FAVORITE
– Wyoming Valley West WATCH
OUT FOR – Williamsport, Hazleton Area SLEEPERS
– Pittston Area, Scranton BEST
ROUND 1 GAME – Pittston Area at Scranton
TOP
POTENTIAL SEMI-FINAL – Hazleton Area vs. Williamsport THE
NITTY GRITTY Most
of the eyes on this tournament have been focusing on the WVC Division 1
champion and runner-up, Wyoming Valley West and Hazleton Area, as the clear
frontrunners for AAAA gold. And for
good reason, both squads have exceptional guard play and capable inside
scoring. After some initial debate
about seeding positions, Williamsport was awarded the 2-seed, while Hazleton
was positioned as a 3-seed. The
Cougars may have one of the speediest players in the entire district in
senior Brianna Dudeck - the anchor on Joe Gavio’s ballclub. Inside, Nicole Lisnock has been steady in
both rebounding and scoring. Their
7-year reign as division champions ended with a 36-33 loss to Valley
West. Overall, the Lady Spartans may
be the more complete team, having sharpshooters Amy Aguilar and Nina Liguori
along with playmaker Sami Himlin and improving forward Tara Zdancewicz. Scranton, a team with lots of individual
talent around the floor, has shown flashes of greatness this year, taking
Abington Heights to the limit twice and losing two 1-point games to
highly-regarded West Scranton. But,
then there were several disappointing losses.
The Lady Knights have a reputation of catching fire some playoff time,
so anything is possible. Of course,
they first have to get by 5-seed Pittston, a team that has been flying high
this season behind the scoring of Lauren Smicherko and freshman Mia Hopkins. One team that could really thwart a
Hazleton vs. WVW title game could be Williamsport. The Lady Millionaire program has steadily
improved over the last several years, from 2-22 a couple years ago to a 9-13
mark last season. Port’s 13-9 record
clearly shows that they experienced their share of ups and down, but their
independent schedule typically also brings some strong competition. They have a balanced lineup that features a
talented inside duo in Rachel Fatherly and Molly Dincher. Point guard Meredith Manchester and Alicia Ross
have been playing well. Do not be
surprised if the Cherry and White advance to the title game. THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 25 (QUARTER-FINALS) (1)
Wyoming Valley West (21-3) bye (6)
Wallenpaupack (6-16) at (3) Hazleton Area (18-6) (7)
Delaware Valley (7-14) at (2) Williamsport (13-9) FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 26 (QUARTER-FINAL) (5)
Pittston (14-8) at (4) Scranton (12-10) MONDAY, MARCH 1 (SEMI-FINALS) FRIDAY, MARCH 5 (FINAL) CLASS AAA FAVORITES
– Abington Heights, Holy Redeemer WATCH
OUT FOR – West Scranton, Nanticoke SLEEPERS
– Scranton Prep, Valley View, Berwick, Western Wayne BEST
ROUND 1 GAME – Crestwood at Scranton Prep
TOP
POTENTIAL QUARTER-FINAL – Valley View vs. Holy Redeemer THE
NITTY GRITTY Abington
Heights picked up the top seed and first round bye by going undefeated in
Lackawanna Division 1 play. They Lady
Comets do not bring a superstar player as in some previous tournaments, but
they do have great balance and solid role players. As consistent as AH has been all season,
it’s tough to pick against Holy Redeemer, a team that has been pointing to a
championship run all season. The Lady
Royals have an extremely deep lineup with Olivia Francisco playing especially
well of late. Their all-everything
playmaker, Monica Wignot, is expected to return from an ankle injury – and
that may be enough to garner them a district championship. Below the top seeds, there are a bunch of
good teams that can definitely pull off an upset. Both Nanticoke and West Scranton are teams
that play with tremendous intensity.
They have the ability to defeat a better team because of their
defensive pressure. Both teams have
solid guard play - Jenn Harnischfeger
and Nora Joyce are both terrific players.
Sabrina Coleman brings a dominating presence inside for the Lady
Invaders. Western Wayne had a terrific
first half of the season, taking Montrose to a playoff game. Charlcie Brink is their top scorer. Scranton Prep can never be counted out as
the Classics can play defense about as well as any team in the tourney. Valley View really bounced back after their
super center Rebecca Keegan returned from an earlier injury. And even though they might have some trouble
handling a quarter-final game against Abington Heights, both Berwick and
Dallas have some talented players and enjoyed fine campaigns this year. FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 26 (FIRST ROUND) (1)
Abington Heights (20-2) bye (9)
Dallas (11-9) at (8) Berwick (13-9) (12)
Honesdale (9-13) at (5) Western Wayne (13-10) (13)
Tunkhannock (8-12) at (4) Nanticoke Area (15-9) (14)
W-B Coughlin (5-17) at (3) West Scranton (18-4) (11)
Crestwood (11-10) at (6) Scranton Prep (12-10) (10)
North Pocono (6-14) at (7) Valley View (11-11) (15)
Wyoming Area (8-15) at (2) Holy Redeemer (17-5) TUESDAY, MARCH 2 (QUARTER-FINALS) THURSDAY, MARCH 4 (SEMI-FINALS) SATURDAY, MARCH 6 (FINAL, CONSOLATION) CLASS AA FAVORITE
–Dunmore WATCH
OUT FOR – Mid Valley, Lake-Lehman, Montrose
SLEEPERS
– Holy Cross, Meyers, Riverside BEST
ROUND 1 GAME – Elk Lake at Mid Valley
TOP
POTENTIAL QUARTER-FINAL – Mid Valley vs. Montrose THE
NITTY GRITTY Even
in a season in which most observers thought that Dunmore would be rebuilding,
the Lady Bucks merely retooled a bit and resumed their championship form –
their winning streak is over 60 consecutive wins in the Lackawanna League
division 2 and counting. That is
remarkable consistency. Dunmore knew
that they had a good perimeter game, but they have gotten terrific inside
play and solid role players. Look for
them to get to the title game. The
bottom bracket is more wide open, as teams such as Lake-Lehman, Mid Valley,
Riverside, and Montrose all look to make a championship game run. The Black Knights feature one of the top
juniors in the WVC in Selena Adamshick.
Just having her and her 20+ scoring average helps. Holy Cross has put together a fine season –
with their center Julie Kosin. And
Wilkes-Barre Meyers or Wyoming Seminary can definitely advance into the
semi-finals. In short, AA looks to be
a wide-open field TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 23 (PLAY-IN ROUND) (16)
Carbondale 54, (17) Lakeland 42 (ends at 1-22) WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 24 (FIRST ROUND GAME) (13)
Blue Ridge (8-13) at (4) Wyoming Seminary (10-14) THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 25 (FIRST ROUND GAMES) (16)
Carbondale (7-15) at (1) Dunmore (18-4) (9)
Holy Cross (14-8) at (8) Mountain View (10-12) (12)
Northwest Area (9-15) at (5) W-B Meyers (10-13) (14)
Lackawanna Trail (5-15) at (3) Lake-Lehman (19-4) (11)
Hanover Area (8-13) at (6) Riverside (14-8) (10)
Elk Lake (9-12) at (7) Mid Valley (13-8) (15)
W-B GAR 3-18) at (2) Montrose (18-5) MONDAY, MARCH 1 (QUARTER-FINALS) WEDNESDAY, MARCH 3 (SEMI-FINALS) FRIDAY, MARCH 5 (FINAL, CONSOLATION) CLASS A THE
NITTY GRITTY Despite
only two teams entering the 1A classification, this should be a dandy of a
matchup. Old Forge, a team which had
very high expectations entering the season, merely found themselves in an
extremely balanced division against teams like Dunmore, Valley View, Mid
Valley, Holy Cross, and Riverside. The
Lady Blue Devils are still a very solid team with guards Aleca Semenza and
Chrissy Belko plus center Kim Kaville.
Forest City also brings an experienced lineup into the game as the
Lady Foresters get balanced scoring from Katie Yale, Amanda Collins, Cassie
Erdmann, and Kiersten Collins. WEDNESDAY, MARCH 3
(FINAL) (1)
Forest City (15-8) vs. (2) Old Forge (15-6) UPDATED 2/23/2010 Welcome
back to the Northeast Beat. Division play has wrapped up across most of
District 2, except for boys
Division 1 of the Lackawanna League where Abington Heights has forced an all-season division championship
game Tuesday night at Scranton Prep (7 pm) against Scranton, the first half winner.
The Comets battled their way through a 3-way tie, winning playoff
games against West Scranton (Friday) and Scranton (Sunday) after second half
play finished in a 3-way tie. Fatigue
an issue? As stated best by Ken
Bianchi following their win over Scranton – the players would probably be
ready to play again right away. For
more details on those games, plus some playoff title game recaps from WVC
girls’ action, scroll further down for weekly highlights in each division of
the Wyoming Valley Conference and Lackawanna League. The
District 2 basketball committee met Monday afternoon to announce the pairings
for the upcoming open tournament which begins this week. The NEP Beat will be posting a preview
later in the week, highlighting some of the top potential matchups. For now, the brackets are posted below –
and will be updated throughout the tourney.
THIS WEEK’S
DISTRICT 2 BOYS TOP 10 (games through February 21) 1.
Holy
Redeemer (21-2) AAA 2.
Hazleton
Area (18-4) AAAA 3.
Abington
Heights (22-2) AAA 4.
Scranton
(18-5) AAAA 5.
Dunmore
(19-4) AA 6.
Holy
Cross (17-5) AA 7.
Crestwood
(18-4) AAA 8.
West
Scranton (16-5) AAA 9.
Scranton
Prep (14-8) AAA 10.
(tie) Wilkes-Barre Meyers (17-5) AA 10. (tie) Montrose (21-3) AA
OTHERS TO WATCH Carbondale
(13-9), Elk Lake (13-9), Hanover (13-9), Lackawanna Trail (15-7), Mountain
View (11-11), Northwest (11-11), Old Forge (12-10), Pittston (12-10),
Riverside (13-9), Tunkhannock (11-11), Wilkes-Barre Coughlin (16-7),
Wilkes-Barre GAR (16-6), Wyoming Seminary (15-6) LLHOOPS.COM DIST.
2 BOYS PLAYERS OF THE WEEK Christian Laputka (5-9 senior point
guard) has developed into one of the finest point guards in the entire
Wyoming Valley Conference. The slick
ball-handling Hazleton Area floor
general, normally know for his crisp passes and assist numbers, has gotten
offensive down the stretch. Laputka
netted 15 points in a Division 1-clinching 52-32 victory over Crestwood. Brian Connors (6-0 senior forward)
is one of several key contributors to Dunmore’s
Lackawanna League Division 2 championship win over Holy Cross. Connors, a gutsy player who has a knack of
being around the ball, calmly sank a putback shot with one second remaining
for their 53-51 title win, their first league championship in 16 years. He had 8 total points, 4 steals and 7
rebounds in the game. DISTRICT 2 BOYS
RECAP AND ANALYSIS WYOMING VALLEY CONFERENCE Team (second half record, first
half, overall) x–won
first half title y-won
second half title z-won
all-season championship DIVISION 1 (FINAL) xyz-Hazleton Area (7-0, 5-1, 18-4) Crestwood
(6-1, 4-2, 18-4) Tunkhannock
(4-3, 2-4, 11-11) Wyoming Valley
West (3-4, 2-4, 8-14) Pittston
(2-5, 4-2, 12-10) Hazleton
Area traveled to nearby Mountaintop for a Division 1 showdown against co-leader Crestwood Tuesday before a
sellout crowd. The Comets jumped out
to a 7-0 run to start the game, electrifying their hometown fans. With the Cougars again playing without one
of their top playmakers (Paris
Cleveland) things did not look good as they did not light up the
scoreboard until midway through the opening period. But, when they did get started, their dominance
was impressive as they went on a 25-2 tear to take control of the game. Mike Joseph’s squad controlled the boards
in the first half as Eric Radishofski
continues to be tough inside, scoring 13 points. Christian
Laputka also had a fine game netting 15 points. DJ
Myers, a streaky shooter canned 3 treys for 9 points. For Crestwood, the 52-32 loss marked
another lopsided defeat to the Cougars.
They were paced by Mike
Abramcheck who contributed a solid effort with 12 points. Elsewhere in the division, Eugene Lewis had a phenomenal game
scoring 36 points in a 71-56 win over Pittston Area. Jim
Smicherko added 12 for the Spartans who were tied at halftime 26-26. The Patriots got balanced scoring from Kendric Wiggins (15), Mike McGarry (12), Dwight Houseman (10), and Aaron Joyce (10). In a crossover game, Tunkhannock dropped a
47-33 loss to Holy Redeemer. The final
score was not so indicative of the Tigers’ effort as they only trail 30-26
after three periods (Mike Papi
scored 13 in the loss). DIVISION 2 (FINAL) xyz-Holy Redeemer (7-0, 5-1, 21-2) Wilkes-Barre
Coughlin (3-4, 5-1, 16-7) Dallas
(2-5, 2-4, 8-13) Berwick
(1-6, 0-6, 3-19) Wyoming
Area (0-7, 1-5, 1-21) Holy
Redeemer cruised to a second half and overall championship in Division 2. In their final league game, Steve Ruch and Austin Carr combined to score 23 points in a 47-33 crossover win
over Tunhkannock. Wilkes-Barre
Coughlin got 18 from Joe Caffrey
and 12 from Brett Warren to get by
Dallas 69-36. And Berwick had a big
second half, outscoring Wyoming Area 36-22, to defeat the Warriors
53-38. The Bulldogs got a good game
from Cody Arner (17 points) and Casey Davenport (13 points). Wyoming Area got 9 from Louis Vullo, and 8 each from Matt McDermott and Randy McDermott. DIVISION 3 (FINAL) xyz-Wilkes-Barre Meyers (7-0, 6-0,
17-5) Wilkes-Barre
GAR (6-1, 5-1, 16-6) Hanover
(4-3, 4-2, 13-9) Nanticoke
(4-3, 2-4, 7-15) Lake-Lehman
(1-6, 1-5, 4-18) Wilkes-Barre
Meyers locked up the all-season championship in Division 3 with a 69-48 win over Lake-Lehman. The Mohawks got balanced scoring from Naquan Spicer (18), Ryan Krawczeniak (15), and Nahee Brown (with 11). The Black Knights got a solid game from Kevin Bohan (13 points) and Drew
Grobewski and Carson Baker (who
combined to score 21 points).
Wilkes-Barre GAR completed a good regular season with a 52-36 win over
Hanover Area. The Grenadiers got 37 of
their points from Darian Twyman, Christian Skrepenak, and Darian Crawford. The Hawks got 17 from Nate Jendrzejewski in the loss – they rebounded with a 72-29 win
over St. Michaels as Pat O’Donnell
netted 16. Elsewhere, Nanticoke Area
pulled away from a close halftime lead over Northwest to defeat the Rangers
48-33 as Jarad Kmietowicz, Cael Evans, and Zak Morgis all scored in double figures. Shawn
Hillard scored a dozen for Northwest.
DIVISION 4 (FINAL) xyz-Wyoming Seminary (6-1, 5-1,
15-6) Northwest
(4-3, 3-3, 11-11) MMI Prep
(2-5, 3-3, 7-15) West Side
Tech (1-6, 1-5, 3-14) St.
Michaels (0-7, 0-6, 1-14) Wyoming
Seminary wrapped up the Division 4
title by jumping out to a 21-3 lead on St. Michaels and cruising to a 58-27
victory. Kai Smith and Connor
Kimcheloe combined to score 21 points for the Blue Knights. Corey
Prince had 16 for St. Michaels.
Elsewhere, MMI Prep got 17 from
Fran Swantoski, 12 from Ryan Forte and 10 from Connor McNeils to defeat West Side
Tech, 62-46. Cody Eshelman had 18 for WST.
LACKAWANNA LEAGUE Team (second half record, first
half, overall) x–won
first half title y-won
second half title z-won
all-season championship DIVISION 1 y-Abington Heights (6-1, 6-1,
22-2) x-Scranton (6-1, 7-0, 18-5) West
Scranton (6-1, 4-3, 16-7) Scranton
Prep (4-3, 5-2, 14-8) North
Pocono (3-4, 3-4, 10-12) Delaware
Valley (2-5, 1-6, 6-16) Wallenpaupack
(1-6, 1-6, 5-17) Honesdale
(0-7, 1-6, 6-16) Last
week, Scranton topped West Scranton (53-36) and Abington Heights rolled over
North Pocono (57-30) to create a 3-way logjam atop the Division 1 standings. In
their win over city rival West Side, the Knights got 15 from Terry Turner (Tom Horan had 14 for the Invaders). Abington got 18 from Ryan Vassil and 11 from Nate
Basalyga in defeating the Trojans.
To break the tie, Scranton won the coin toss. That meant that the Comets would face West
Scranton once again, just one week after the Invaders upset them on their
home court. Their game at Carbondale
was a defensive slugfest (AH up 6-0 end of the first, 15-8 at halftime) with
a lot of missed on both ends of the court.
The Invaders were able to trim the deficit to 4 points (27-23) with 5
minutes remaining, but the Comets were able to secure a 38-27 win. Ross
Danzig netted 13 points while Mike
Burke and Luke Peterson both
showed flashes of speed, making nifty drives to the basket when other Comets
were being double-teamed. That win set
up a second half title game Sunday night between Abington Heights and
first-half winner Scranton. The Comets
bolted out to a 22-5 lead after the first period scoring off their patented
half-court game. The Knights were able
to eventually nudge the tempo more to their liking to stay within striking
distance. Scranton used a 14-5 run
opening the final period to narrow the gap to 53-48 and even got within 57-53
as the game entered the last two minutes.
But AH regrouped, converted their free throws and secured an emotional
63-56 win. Four players reached
double-figures for Ken Bianchi – Ross
Danzig (20), Nate Basalyga
(16), Mike Burke (13), and Ryan Vassil (12). The Knighted were led by Terry Turner with 20 points and Ian Redetsky (with 11). That sets up Tuesday night’s all-season
championship game between the same two teams at the same venue. An overflow crowd is expected at the
Scranton Prep Xavier Center. With no ticket pre-sale planned, fans are
urged to get there early. In other Division 1 action, Scranton Prep got
24 points from Karlon Quiller and Adam Schroth to rally passed Delaware
Valley 47-42 (Del-Val led 22-17 at halftime and 33-31 after three
stanzas). Isaiah Slutter nailed a half court buzzer-beater to give
Wallenpaupack a 45-44 win over rival Honesdale. Slutter
had 17 in the win and Wade West
and Nick Joyal had a combined 23
points for the Hornets. And North
Pocono topped Delaware Valley 58-44 after the teams were tied 24-24 at
halftime. Frank DePietro netted 20 for the Trojans while Roman Koval had 12 and Justin Haddix added 11. For the Warriors, Brandon Andradi netted 16 and Brandon Sheldon had 14). DIVISION 2 (FINAL) y-Holy Cross (7-0, 6-1, 17-5) xz-Dunmore (6-1, 7-0, 19-4) Riverside
(5-2, 5-2, 13-9) Old Forge
(4-3, 3-4, 12-10) Carbondale
(3-4, 3-4, 13-9) Valley
View (2-5, 3-4, 5-16) Mid Valley
(1-6, 0-7, 5-17) Lakeland
(0-7, 1-6, 2-20) Holy
Cross completed an undefeated second half by trouncing Valley View (67-19) as
Eric O’Hora scored 21 and Brett Podhyski added 14. That set up an overall title game at
Carbondale Friday night between Holy Cross and first half winner Dunmore
before a near-capacity crowd. In that
matchup of Dunmore rivals, the game seemed to reaching a tipping point with
Holy Cross leading 36-25 with just under 4 minutes remaining in the third
quarter. It was at that moment when Mike Ehnot of Dunmore went flying for
a loose ball toward the end of the Crusaders sideline row of chairs. Without much attention at the moment, few
noticed that he had accidently toppled the teams’ water cooler, spilling
about 5 gallons of water onto the edge of the court and beneath the Holy
Cross bench. The ensuing 25-minute
stoppage in play to clean up the mess definitely seemed to rejuvenate the
Bucks and cool off the Crusaders.
Although they held a 7 point lead after three periods (39-32), the
Bucks continued to slice into the deficit, outscoring Holy Cross 9-2 (16-5
since the spill) to knot the game at 41.
Despite the Crusaders grabbing leads of 47-43 and 51-47, Dunmore kept
going strong to the basket as a pair of Jake
Rowland free throws and a Rowland layup
from a nifty Pat Ross pass tied
the game at 51. Dunmore later gained
possession, ran the clock down, and got a championship-clinching put-back
from gutsy Brian Connors with one
second left to unleash a wild half court celebration. The win gave Dunmore their first division
title in 16 years. For the Bucks, Jake Rowland netted 16 and Pat Ross
added 15. Holy Cross got 10 from Louis Cipriano, 12 from Brett Podhyski, and 10 from Pat Purcell. In other division season-ending action,
Pat Ross netted 28 and Jake Rowland added 19 as Dunmore
defeated Carbondale 74-58 (Gino
Carachilo and Dylan Cerra each had 17 for the Chargers). Riverside netted 9 team treys and placed
four players in double figures as the Vikings defeated arch rival Old Forge,
61-57. They were led by Michael King (17), Tom Armillay (14), Lou Munley (12), and Jerry Reilly (with 10). The Blue Devils rallied from a 12 point
halftime deficit, but fell short as Tony
Goodall netted 20 and David Argust
added 19. And Mid Valley topped
Lakeland 67-38 as Mike Swinski and
Jared Stankiewicz combined to
score 21 points (Kyle Kiehart had
17 for the Chiefs). DIVISION 3 (FINAL) xyz-Montrose (6-1, 6-1, 21-3) Lackawanna
Trail (5-2, 6-1, 15-7) Mountain
View (5-2, 4-3, 11-11) Elk Lake
(4-3, 6-1, 13-10) Western
Wayne (4-3, 2-5, 8-14) Blue Ridge
(3-4, 2-5, 8-13) Forest
City (1-6, 1-6, 4-18) Susquehanna
(0-7, 1-6, 4-18) Montrose
secured the Division 3 all-season
title by gaining a heart-pumping 4 overtime thriller over Elk Lake 72-67 as Alan Charles scored 18, Bill Stranburg 16, Jeff Liddick 11, and Rob Volk 10. Both teams shot well from the free throw
line, converting 39 of 51 free throws.
The Warriors placed five players in double figured (Steve Rezykowski 17, Will Bennett 15, Tyler Williams 12, Joe
Woolcock 11, and Mark Bush
10). Elsewhere in the division, Mountain
View knocked Lackawanna Trail out of a first place tie by defeating the
Lions, 63-56 as Peter Hartman
netted 14, Julian Williams 12, and
Luke Jenkins also added 12.
Bobby Pacholec paced Lackawanna Trail with 21 points. Sean
Sheridan scored 20 points (and grabbed 20 rebounds) and Nic Baldo added 19 points as Western
Wayne defeated Susquehanna 52-44 (Andrew
Tomczyk scored 19 for the Sabers).
Blue Ridge got 16 from Marvin
Green to rally by Forest City 39-29 (the Forester led 19-12 at halftime,
but got outscored 27-10 in the second half).
In non-league action, Brandon
Stone hit 43 points for Susquehanna in an 82-48 win over Deposit Central
(NY) who got 31 points in the loss from Ben
Thomas. And Elk Lake edged
Lakeland 58-53 as Mark Bush and Bryan Grosvenor combined to score 26
for the Warriros (Kiehart had 17
for Lakeland). GIRLS BASKETBALL GIRLS BASKETBALL GIRLS BASKETBALL GIRLS BASKETBALL GIRLS BASKETBALL GIRLS BASKETBALL GIRLS BASKETBALL THIS WEEK’S DISTRICT 2
GIRLS TOP 10 (games through February 21) 1.
Abington
Heights (20-2) AAA 2.
Wyoming
Valley West (20-3) AAAA 3.
Holy
Redeemer (17-5) AAA 4.
Hazleton
Area (18-6) AAAA 5.
Dunmore
(18-4) AA 6.
West
Scranton (18-4) AAA 7.
Williamsport
(13-9) AAAA 8.
Pittston
(14-8) AAA 9.
Lake-Lehman
(18-4) AA 10.
Montrose (18-5) AA OTHERS TO WATCH Berwick
(13-9), Crestwood (11-10), Dallas (11-9), Forest City (15-8), Holy Cross
(14-8), Mid Valley (13-8), Nanticoke (15-8), Old Forge (15-6), Riverside
(14-8), Scranton (12-10), Scranton Prep (12-10), Valley View (11-11), Western
Wayne (13-10) LLHOOPS DIST. 2 GIRLS
PLAYERS OF THE WEEK Lauren Skudalski (junior guard) helped guide Wyoming Seminary to the WVC Division
4 title last week with a 37-23 win over Northwest. She scored 14 points with some sensational passes
and great moves to the basket. The
junior plays with terrific tenacity. Rachel Fatherly (sophomore forward) helped Williamsport put together possibly
their two best efforts of the season last week. She netted 14 points and hit one of two
free throws with no time left on the clock to send the game into overtime
against Altoona. The super sophomore
then scored 21 points and pulled down 16 rebounds in a 57-34 win over a
highly-regarded University City squad (13-6). DISTRICT 2 GIRLS
RECAP AND ANALYSIS WYOMING VALLEY CONFERENCE Team
(second half record, first half, overall) x–won
first half title y-won
second half title z-won
all-season championship DIVISION 1 (FINAL) y-Hazleton Area (7-0, 5-1, 18-6) xy-Wyoming Valley West (6-1, 5-1,
20-3) Pittston
(4-3, 3-3, 14-8) Crestwood
(3-4, 1-5, 11-10) Tunkhannock
(1-6, 1-5, 8-12) As the
saying goes – all good things must come to an end. Well, that probably depends on one’s point
of view. For Wyoming Valley West,
ending Hazleton Area’s 7-year reign as Division 1 champions was an historic
moment for the Lady Spartan program.
The two powerful programs battled for the overall division
championship last Thursday at the Berwick middle school with Valley West
prevailing 36-33. The game was knotted
at 23 after three periods when it seemed as if Hazleton was pulling away,
leading 29-25 with under 4 minutes remaining.
However, two foul shots by Sara
Himlin (11 points) and a key trey by Amy
Aguilar (also with 11) put WVW up 30-29 with about 2:10 left. After the Lady Cougars again went up 31-30,
a Himlin basket plus a foul made
the score 33-31 in favor of Valley West.
Brianna Dudeck, Hazleton’s
speedster guard then drove full court to net a game-tying layup, but missed
the ensuing free throw. Down the
stretch, the outcome came via the foul line as the Lady Spartans converted 3
of 4 attempts for their final point total.
Despite Hazleton missing a few opportunities from the charity stripe, Dudeck was still able to launch a
last-second trey that was off target at the buzzer. Nicole
Lisnock had another great effort for Hazleton, scoring 10 points. With the win, WVW gained the top seed in
the Class AAAA playoffs and a first round bye. DIVISION 2 (FINAL) xyz-Holy Redeemer (6-1, 6-0, 17-5) Berwick
(3-4, 4-2, 13-9) Dallas
(3-4, 4-2, 11-9) Wilkes-Barre
Coughlin (1-6, 1-5, 5-17) Wyoming
Area (1-6, 0-6, 8-15) In a
division game that was re-scheduled, Dallas got 19 points from Katie Darling to top Wilkes-Barre Coughlin
52-21. The Lady Mounts outscored the
Lady Crusaders 35-6 in the middle periods.
Kacee Rava netted 7 points
for Coughlin. In non-league action,
Marian Catholic, a perennial Schuylkill League powerhouse pulled away from a
38-37 lead after three periods to defeat highly-regarded Holy Redeemer
54-45. The Fillies were paced by Jen Linkchorst with 16 and Danielle Tristani with 13. The Lady Royals got 19 from Olivia Francisco and 10 from Christine Peterlin. DIVISION 3 (FINAL) xyz-Lake-Lehman (7-0, 4-1, 18-4) Nanticoke
(6-1, 4-1, 15-8) Wilkes-Barre
Meyers (3-3, 5-1, 10-13) Hanover
(3-3, 3-3, 8-13) Wilkes-Barre
GAR (1-5, 1-5, 3-18) DIVISION 4 (FINAL) yz-Wyoming Seminary (5-1, 3-2,
10-14) x-Northwest (2-4, 3-2, 9-14) MMI Prep
(1-5, 1-4, 3-19) In the Division 4 overall championship game
between Wyoming Seminary and Northwest played at Berwick last Thursday, the
Lady Blue Knights got a great game from Ann
Romanowski (11) and great passing from Lauren Skudalski (14 points, 8 in final period) to defeat the
Lady Rangers 37-23. Sam Matschat led Northwest with 10
points. LACKAWANNA LEAGUE Team (second half record, first half,
overall) x–won
first half title y-won
second half title z-won
all-season championship DIVISION 1 (FINAL) xyz-Abington Heights (7-0, 7-0,
20-2) West
Scranton (6-1, 6-1, 18-4) Scranton
Prep (5-2, 4-3, 12-10) Scranton
(4-3, 4-3, 12-10) Delaware
Valley (2-5, 0-7, 7-14) Wallenpaupack
(2-5, 1-6, 6-16) North
Pocono (1-6, 4-3, 6-14) Honesdale
(1-6, 2-5, 9-13) Abington
Heights clinched the all-season Division
1 championship with a 41-26 win over North Pocono as they outscored the
Lady Trojans 26-11 in the middle periods and hit 13 of their 16 free
throws. Jamie Montella scored 9 points for the Lady Comets. Scranton Prep edged Delaware Valley 32-29
as Mauve Gilhooley and Megan McDonald combined to score 13
points. Kim Commisso scored 15 for the Lady Warriors. And Honesdale got a big third quarter
outscoring Wallenpaupack 17-5 to defeat the Lady Buckhorns, 46-29. Ann Albers
scored 16 for the Lady Hornets and Annie
Vega had 12 for Paupack. In
non-league play, Scranton Prep got solid performances from Ellen FitzPatrick and Lindsay Schroth (each scored 10) to
defeat Montrose 39-18. Dallas Ely netted 12 for the Lady
Meteors. DIVISION 2 (FINAL) xyz-Dunmore (7-0, 7-0, 18-4) Old Forge
(5-2, 3-4, 15-6) Valley
View (5-2, 3-4, 11-11) Mid Valley
(4-3, 4-3, 13-8) Riverside
(3-4, 6-1, 14-8) Holy Cross
(3-4, 4-3, 14-8) Carbondale
(1-6, 1-6, 6-15) Lakeland
(0-7, 0-7, 1-21) Dunmore
secured the overall title in Division
2 by defeating Carbondale last Tuesday 63-45 as the Lady Bucks placed
four players in double figures (Cayla
Boland netted 20, Ashley Murray
19, Alexa Gerchman 11, and Corina Palko 10). For the Chargerettes, Cassie Catanzaro scored 15 and Brittany Mang added 14. DIVISION 3 (FINAL) xyz-Montrose (7-0, 6-1, 18-5) Forest
City (6-1, 5-2, 15-8) Elk Lake
(5-2, 2-5, 9-12) Western
Wayne (4-3, 6-1, 13-10) Mountain
View (2-5, 5-2, 10-12) Blue Ridge
(2-5, 3-4, 8-13) Lackawanna
Trail (2-5, 1-6, 5-15) Susquehanna
(0-7, 0-7, 0-20) Last
Wednesday, Western Wayne got 19 from Courtney
Kromko to defeat Susquehanna 53-15.
In non-league play, Deposit Central (NY) also got by the Lady Sabers,
42-29. 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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