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N.Eastern PA Report
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Past Columns |
ed note: We are
pleased to have the some info from the North Eastern part of the state. We
are pleased to have a long time LLHoops fan , Jon K. to contribute. Thanks
Jon. Hope you enjoy. PLEASE HIT YOUR BROWSER “REFRESH”
BUTTON TO MAKE SURE YOU ARE VIEWING THE MOST RECENT UPDATE OF THE N.EAST PA
BEAT. UPDATED 3/9/2010 First Round Friday previews have been posted Play-in game previews have been posted below CONGRATULATIONS to all of the 2009-2010 District 2 playoff champions. Game recaps are posted below. The District 2 Boys and Girls Top 10 are
also updated this week along with the Players of the Week. Boys highlights are listed first – scroll
further down the page for girls’ recaps.
State
playoff schedules are posted - preview capsules will be posted by
mid-week. As in previous years, games
will be grouped by the day in which they will be played. That is, previews for the Friday games
(Boys A and AAA, Girls AA and AAAA) have been posted; the Saturday games will
be posted on Wednesday. Discussion of
the games involving teams participating in the Tuesday play-in games (for A
and AAAA) have also been uploaded.
Remember, these games will be played on the home courts of the
District 1 representatives. District 2 Teams in PIAA
Playoffs TUESDAY, MARCH 9 BOYS AAAA PLAY-IN GAME (2-2)
Hazleton (19-5) at (1-9) Council Rock North (22-5), 7 pm For
the second year in a row, Hazleton
Area must travel down to the Philly area to follow a more challenging
path to the AAAA first round. But,
unlike last year, at least they won’t have to battle one of the craziest,
raucous student cheering sections in all of PA. Last years’ game at Glen Mills was an amazing experience and every bit as hot and
humid as a tropical rainforest. This
year, the venue switches to Council
Rock North, who was a 39-33 winner over Upper Dublin for the #9 seed and play-in berth. The Indians are coached by Derek Wright, the younger brother of
Villanova men’s head coach Jay Wright.
They compete in the Suburban
One National Conference where they grabbed division honors this
season. Rock has a pair of sensational
sophomores in 5-10 point guard Aaron
Morgan and 6-4 forward Arron
Goodman. In their win over UD,
Goodman grabbed 19 rebounds- he’s been a steady player since breaking into
the starting lineup in his freshman year.
Another key player is 6-3 guard Andrew
Stress – a solid three-point shooter.
Junior 6-5 forward Charlie
Anatasi is another excellent rebounder.
The Indians have no problem going 8 players deep. For the most part CR-North likes to play a
very physical game and is fundamentally strong at defense, rebounding, and
playing team basketball. Hazleton Area has seen Derek Wright’s
squad in previous years as they participated in a few Cougar Classic Holiday
tourneys. Hazleton definitely has a
chance in this one, but Mike Joseph must
figure out a way to dictate the tempo of the game – as Chester did in a
District 1 win over the Indians. The
winner advances to Saturday’s first round against District 3 champion, Reading at Hersheypark Arena. BOYS A PLAY-IN GAME (2-2)
MMI Prep (8-16) at Phil-Mont Christian (14-12), 7 pm MMI Prep will also play in
another A play-in game this season, visiting Phil-Mont Christian Academy (near Plymouth-Whitemarsh). The Falcons are led by first year head
coach Glenn Dolton whose team
competes in the Bicentennial Athletic
Conference. The scouting report on
Phil-Mont really centers on one player, Maurice
Griffin – senior guard averaging 22 ppg.
His play at times has been dominating.
Griffin is a dangerous
three-point threat and he scored 36 in a win against Faith Christian and 32 in
a loss to Christopher Dock earlier this year. MMI will have to protect
the ball and maybe get the Falcons
into a few trap situations. The winner
advances to Friday’s first round game against the District 12 champion, Math, Civics and Sciences (21-5) at
South Philadelphia HS. GIRLS AAAA PLAY-IN GAME (2-2)
Wyo. Valley West (21-4) at (1-9) North Penn (18-9), 7 pm Wyoming Valley West, still stinging from
another bitter last minute defeat to rival Hazleton Area in the District 2 title game, must regroup quickly
and focus on their next opponent, a play-in game at North Penn. The Maidens
have had a roller-coaster season which hit a high point after breaking open a
24-24 tie against Spring-Ford to capture the #9 seed from District 1 with a
49-39 win. North Penn is a senior-laden squad that is anchored by a sister
duo in the middle. Senior 5-10 forward
Shannan Knauer and sophomore
sibling Steph Knauer (6-0 center)
combined to net 18 point in the playback victory. They definitely have team height as senior
center Taylour Alston and and
freshman forward Lauren Crisler
are both 6-1. WVW should be able to counter with Sami Himlin and Tara Zdancewicz. North Penn features guards Dana Nelson (5-7 senior), Brenda McDermott (5-6 soph), and Mary Ward (5-8 senior). Look for the Lady Spartans to be right in
this matchup and have a great chance to advance to Friday’s first round game
against District 3 champion, Central
Dauphin (23-6) at Lebanon HS. GIRLS A PLAY-IN GAME (2-2)
Forest City (15-9) at (1-3) Girard College (14-9), 7 pm Forest City travels to play at Girard College, a 63-45 winner over
Phil-Mont Christian for a play-in berth.
The Lady Cavaliers are an aggressive team on defense and forced the
Falcons into 25 miscues. They compete
in the Bicentennial Athletic League Independence Division. The report on Girard College really centers on sophomore center Kahleah Copper, a sensational
playmaker that roams all over the floor.
She scored 23 points in the win over Phil-Mont. Christina
Blye is another one of their top players.
The winner moves on to play the District 12 champion, Palumbo (9-8) at St. Josephs Prep on
Saturday. FRIDAY, MARCH 12 BOYS AAA FIRST ROUND (2-1)
Abington Hts. (27-2) vs. (3-4) E. Pennsboro (20-7), Scr. 7 pm (2-2)
Holy Redeemer (24-3) vs. (3-3) Steel-High (20-8), Hershey 6:30 (2-3)
W-B Coughlin (19-8) vs. (3-1) E. York (28-0), Dallastown 7:30 No
other team in District 2 has been playing as flawlessly and overpowering down
the stretch as Abington Heights. None.
However, for as talented as their starting five are – and they are all
very solid with fantastic team chemistry, the Comets lack depth, and that can
prove to be a serious problem in the state playoffs. They will be trying for their first ever
state playoff basketball win – but it will be nowhere near a slam dunk. Their opponent, East Pennsboro, has been given many compliments recently - and
deservedly so. They erased a 22-point
deficit in a 7-minute span of a first round District 3 game to defeat
Middletown 56-52. Then, they nearly
shocked undefeated District 3 champion Eastern York by leading 26-19 at
halftime before dropping a 66-52 loss in the semi-finals. The Panthers
have a nice mix of size and experience.
And despite only having one senior in their starting lineup, they have
an incredible amount of veteran poise.
These guys do not get rattled.
And Abington Heights put a
lot of wins together this season by getting teams completely out of their
comfort zones. Albert De Los Santos (11.6 ppg), the heart of this team, is a
terrific ball handler who really play the game with great intensity. Junior 6-2 guard Kelvin White is another player that is high-flying on the
court. This promises to be an
excellent first round game. The winner
advances to play either Pottsville
(11-1, 23-4) or Mifflinburg (4-2,
22-3). District
2 runner-up Holy Redeemer will
take on one of the states legendary programs, Steelton-Highspire, in historical Hershey Arena. The
Rollers are a solid team - and when athletic 6-8 senior forward Jeff Davis is in their lineup, they
obviously become a much tougher opponent because of the offensive rebounding
he brings onto the court. Senior guard
Ryan Hill (headed to Bucknell next
year) averages almost 17 ppg while senior guard Jermel Fleming is a dangerous outside threat. Inside, Troy Love, a 6-5 senior center, brings a powerful force to the
middle. Holy Redeemer counters with Penn State verbal, 6-11 Peter Alexis who has been averaging
nearly 30 ppg. The winner moves on to
play either powerhouse Neumann-Goretti
(12-1, 25-1) or Susquehanna Township
(3-5, 16-9). District
2, #3 seed, Wilkes-Barre Coughlin,
will have their hands full when they visit District 3 champion (and
undefeated) Eastern York. The Golden Knights saw an 18-point lead
disappear against Lancaster Catholic in the District 3 title game, but
managed to grab a 55-53 win via a Nate
Bollinger basket with less than 3 seconds remaining. Bollinger,
a 6-2 senior guard, only added to Eastern’s powerhouse lineup after he
transferred in from Spring Grove. The
dynamic duo for the Golden Knights all season has been 6-6 junior Andrew (Red) Nicholas (verbal to
Rutgers) and 6-0 junior point guard Austin
Tillotson. The Crusaders feature a
pair of solid players in Joe Caffrey
and Brett Warren. The winner will next play either Dobbins (12-2, 16-8) or Springfield Delco (1-2, 18-8). BOYS A FIRST ROUND (2-1)
Old Forge (14-10) vs. (4-3) Sayre (17-8), Marywood U. 7:30 pm Sayre has plans of playing
in the District 4 title game, but suffered a gut-wrenching 49-47 semi-final
loss to Mansfield – they let a 10-point third quarter lead slip away. The Redskins
have two players that average in double figures, Taylor Skerpon (18 ppg) and Dom
Villanti (16 ppg). Like Old Forge, Sayre competed in a league which had some bigger schools
competing with winning records. The Redskins have a reputation for
starting off games slowly, so the Blue
Devils might be able to jump out to an early lead. The winner will advance to play either Greenwood (3-2, 23-3) or Church Farm (1-2, 17-6). GIRLS AAAA
FIRST ROUND (2-1)
Hazleton (20-6) vs. (3-6) Red Lion (24-4), Weatherly MS 7 pm The
word is that they are very athletic and like to play swarming defense. Which team are we talking about? Well, both actually. This one might not get out of the 30s – but
that isn’t necessarily saying that it won’t be one of the more exciting first
round Girls AAAA matchups. Although
these teams seem to mirror each other with their effective trapping defenses,
how they got here was distinctly opposite.
After Hazleton Area made a
defensive stand to tie the score in their title game against WVW, Kayla Mantush streaked down court for
a wide open layup. Red Lion, on the other hand, lost to
CD East on a similar type play in which Panther forward Katie Lytle found
Steph Perez open for a game-winning opportunity. Despite the Lady Lions coming into the
District 3 as the top seed, they found the going difficult. They are led by Sara Innerst, a 5-6 senior that averages 10.8 ppg. Gisselle
Truiett, a 5-9 junior, is especially tough on defense. Red Lion only allows 32 points per
game. Hazleton Area, on the other
hand, has a potent perimeter game to complement their tough inside play. The winner will advance to play either Reading (3-3, 23-4) or Council Rock South (1-5, 20-7). GIRLS AA FIRST ROUND (2-1)
Dunmore (22-4) vs. (4-2) Towanda (20-6), Marywood U. 6 pm (2-2)
Mid Valley (16-9) vs. (4-1) Loyalsock (20-6), Shikellamy 6 pm (2-3)
Lake-Lehman (21-5) vs. (1-1) Spring. Monto (15-9), N’town 5 District
2 champion Dunmore will take on
District 4 runner-up Towanda, a
61-39 loser to Loyalsock in the title game.
Despite their low point total, the Black Knights have a high-powered
offense (they scored 89 points in a win over Southern Columbia). Kylee
Sutton, a 1,000 point scorer is their top backcourt player (she netted 30
in a win over SC) and Mariah Monohan
is a slick point guard. Loyalsock was
able to force 18 turnovers in transition.
Other top scorers for Towanda
include Darien Lantz (assist
leader) and Allison Wickwire (top
rebounder). Dunmore has been playing about as good as any team during the
second half of the season, but they will need another defensive gem to keep
Towanda off the scoreboard. The winner
will advance to play either Kennedy-Kendrick
(12-2, 2-21) or Penn Argyl (11-2,
17-9). Mid Valley, the District 2
runner-up will take on Loyalsock,
the District 4 champ. The Lady Lancers
are a perfect example at how a season can really turn around as they were
sitting on a 2-4 record, but have rattled off 18 wins in the last 20
games. They feature a trio of players
that score in double figures - 1,000 point scorer, forward Keely Henninger, Sami Lane, and Jonalda
Williams. Henninger (the sole senior starter) and Williams registered double-doubles in their title win over Towanda. Williams
is very tough inside. Cassandra Soars is their terrific
sophomore guard who really excels at playing tough defense. This is going to be a difficult game for Mid Valley, but the Spartanettes have
the lineup to compete as long as they do not lose their poise. The winner will next play either Lancaster Mennonite (3-2, 22-6) or
the winner of a play-in game. District
2, #3 seed Lake-Lehman will be
taking on the District 1 champion, Springfield
Montco. The Spartans defeated St.
Pius X (winning of the last seven District 1 AA titles) 38-27 for the
championship. They are paced by Elise DiFilippo (who scored 14 in
their title win), Annie Crudele (a
player that do it all), and Molly
Wheatley (a key rebounder). Other
scoring is provided by Morgan Smith,
Briana Scafidi, Taylor Koroncai, and Maureen Leis. The winner will next play either York Catholic (3-1, 24-3) or Bodine (12-4, 14-6). SATURDAY, MARCH 13 BOYS AAAA FIRST ROUND (2-1)
Scranton (20-6) vs. (3-6) Warwick (17-10). Marywood U. 4:30 BOYS AA FIRST ROUND (2-1)
Holy Cross (21-5) vs. (4-2) Loyalsock (22-3), Scranton 4:30 (2-2)
Dunmore (22-5) vs. (4-1) Hughesville (23-2), W’port 3 pm (2-3)
W-B GAR (19-7) vs. (1-1) St. Pius (17-7), Coatesville 3:30 pm GIRLS AAA FIRST ROUND (2-1)
Abington Hts. (23-2) vs. (3-4) Palmyra (18-7), Scranton 3 pm (2-2)
Holy Redeemer (20-6) vs. (3-3) Oley V. (24-3), Hershey 1 pm (2-3)
W. Scranton (21-5) vs. (3-1) Trinity (22-6), E. Pennsboro 3 pm GIRLS A FIRST ROUND (2-1)
Old Forge (16-6) vs. (4-3) Mansfield (17-8), Marywood U. 3 pm DISTRICT 2 CHAMPIONSHIP RECAPS BOYS AAAA CHAMPIONSHIP (2) Scranton 43, (1) Hazleton Area 36 The
game featured a ton of effort – it was just that the execution seemed to be a
bit lacking for a majority of the contest.
Yes, it was downright ugly at times, and the kind of game that had
fans on both sides grabbing onto the hardwood bleachers at Kings College in
frustration. When was the last time Mike Joseph saw his Cougars miss 21
of 22 trey attempts and register a measly 22% overall for the game? And when was the last time Tony Battaglia witnessed his
high-flying Knights committing nine third period turnovers, scoring almost 30
points below their season average, but yet battling to a commanding lead in a
title matchup? In a game in which
neither team could establish any momentum or continuity, it seemed that Paris Cleveland’s slam dunk from an Adam Davis feed at the 6:50 mark of
the 4th period (giving Hazleton a
29-25 lead) might have been the defining moment in the game. It was, but not the one that erupting
Hazleton fans expected. A nifty Terry Turner spinning layup and a
trey by the Knight’s non-flashy, get-it-done floor general Tim Fisch keyed a 5-0 Scranton
run. An Eric Radishofski putback put the Cougars back up - momentarily
(31-30). Another Fisch trey and pair of baskets by (guess who, Tim Fisch) wrapped around a Hazleton
turnover gave Scranton a huge
cushion with two and a half minutes remaining, leading 37-31. Hazleton
never managed to trim the gap under three points the rest of the way. Fisch
finished the game with 12 points. Ian Redetzsky had three big treys in
the first half for Scranton as
they had built a 17-9 lead before Hazleton
rallied behind Cleveland and Dwayne Gilley (10 points) with a 13-2
run to take a 22-19 halftime lead. The
victory signaled Scranton’s first
ever boys’ District 2 AAAA
championship. With the win, the
Knights will get a local playoff game next Saturday. And for the second year in a row, Hazleton Area will need to win a AAAA
play-in game Tuesday night in order to advance to the state tourney on
Saturday (against District 3 champion, powerhouse Reading). BOYS AAA CHAMPIONSHIP (2) Abington Heights 56, (1) Holy Redeemer 40 After
almost being too sick to even leave the locker room after halftime, Nate Basalyga stormed back onto the scene
and continued his mastery over Peter
Alexis - holding the 6-11 inside force to only 7 points (well below his
season average of just under 30 ppg).
It was the Comets that used some incredibly hot shooting (with 7 first
half treys) to pull away from a 22-21 lead with a 10-0 run to got up 32-24 at
the break. The Royals used a 4-2 third
quarter spurt to cut it to 34-28, but Abington
regained their form and methodically continued to build their lead in
front of the somewhat partisan, near capacity crowd at Kings College. For the Comets, Ross Danzig and Luke
Peterson each netted 17 (Peterson
had 5 treys) while Ryan Vassil
scored 14. On the night, AH converted 9 of 15 treys. For Holy Redeemer, Peter Frank scored 11 while Austin
Carr added 7. Both teams move on
to state competition this Friday. Wilkes-Barre Coughlin came out on top in
the consolation game, 51-50 over West
Scranton, and will also move on to the state tournament. It was a great back and forth game that
went down to the very last second once again for Invader fans. Jeff
Kinney scored two free throws for Coughlin
with 30 seconds left for the lead. In
the closing 10 seconds, both Tyler
Hughes (13 points) and Tom Horan
(18 points) missed shots that could have won the game for West Scranton. The Crusaders got a terrific game from Brett Warren (23) and Joe Caffrey (14) who combined to
score 37 of their 51 points. The teams
combined to convert 18 of 19 free throws.
BOYS AA CHAMPIONSHIP (5) Holy Cross 53, (2) Dunmore 37 Even
though Dunmore and Holy Cross battled to three
nail-biting finishes this year, the Crusaders also cruised to a blowout win
over the Bucks in another season matchup.
Though most everyone was expecting another photo finish, they got the
blowout once again. Holy Cross jumped out to a 10-3 lead
and it ballooned to a commanding 27-10 advantage at the break. Eric
O’Hora (19 points) played spectacular on both offense and defense holding
Dunmore high-scorer Pat Ross to 9 points. Louis
Cipriano added 15 and Pat Purcell
scored 11 in the win. The Bucks got 14
from Jake Rowland, but only hit
25% of their shots overall. Both teams
move into the state playoffs each facing solid, seasoned squads from District 4. In
the consolation, Riverside used an
attacking, fast-paced offense led by Gerry Kincel (17 points) to grab a 15-4
lead on Wilkes-Barre GAR, but saw
it trimmed to a 6-point advantage as GAR
finished the first quarter on a 7-2 run.
The teams were knotted up at halftime 24-24, but the Vikings used a
10-2 run to go out to a 34-26 lead thanks to a pair of treys from Tommy Armillary in the third. However, the Grenadiers continued to hang
tough, created turnovers, and used a 17-8 edge to win the game 47-42. For GAR, Darian Twyman, Darrell
Crawford, and Christian Skrepenak
all netted 10 each. Neither team had
much luck from 3-point land as they combined to only convert 4 of 23
attempts. BOYS A CHAMPIONSHIP (1) Old Forge 41, (2) MMI Prep 37 In
the Class A championship, MMI Prep was seemingly unfazed by Old Forge’s 3-time defending 1A
championship resume and boisterous student cheering section, as they jumped
out to a 19-12 lead at halftime. Given
some locker room adjustments by their longtime head coach Al Semenza, the Blue Devils went on a
15-7 run to grab their first lead (27-26)
- which they extended to 31-26 after three periods. The Preppers would not go away and had a
chance to trim the deficit to a single point with less than 2 minutes left,
but missed a one and one opportunity. Old Forge went on to the 41-37
victory. Despite not scoring a point
in the first half, Tony Goodall
netted 15 in the second half and Dom
Avvisato added 13 for the Blue Devils.
Ryan Forte and Fran Swankoski scored 10 each for
MMI. THIS WEEK’S
DISTRICT 2 BOYS TOP 10 (games through March 6) 1.
Abington
Heights (27-2) AAA Champion 2.
Scranton
(20-6) AAAA Champion 3.
Holy
Redeemer (24-3) AAA Runner-up 4.
Hazleton
Area (19-5) AAAA Runner-up 5.
Holy
Cross (21-5) AA Champion 6.
Dunmore
(22-5) AA Runner-up 7.
Wilkes-Barre
Coughlin (19-8) AAA 3rd 8.
West
Scranton (18-9) AAA season complete 9.
Crestwood
(19-5) AAA season complete 10.
Wilkes-Barre GAR (19-7) AA 3rd OTHERS TO WATCH Old Forge
(14-10) LLHOOPS DISTRICT
2 BOYS PLAYERS OF THE WEEK Tim Fisch (5-10 junior guard) was the
offensive difference for Scranton in
delivering a hard-fought 43-36 District 2 AAAA championship win over Hazleton
Area. Tim scored a pair of treys, the
second of which put the Knights up for good, leading 33-31. He had 12 points total in the game. Eric O’Hora (senior guard) scored 19
points and played sensational defense for Holy Cross in a 53-37 District 2 AA win over division (and
cross-town) rival Dunmore. DISTRICT
2 BOYS PLAYOFF RECAP CLASS AAAA SATURDAY,
FEBRUARY 27 (QUARTER-FINALS) (1)
Hazleton Area (18-4) (bye) (4)
Delaware Valley 64, (5) Wallenpaupack 52 (ends at 5-18) (2)
Scranton (18-6) (bye) (6)
Williamsport 79, (3) Wyoming Valley West 76 (ends at 8-15) TUESDAY,
MARCH 2 (SEMI-FINALS) (1)
Hazleton 63, (4) Delaware Valley 40 (ends at 7-17) (2)
Scranton 62, (6) Williamsport 47 (ends at 5-19) SATURDAY,
MARCH 6 (FINAL) (2) Scranton 43, (1) Hazleton Area 36 CLASS AAA WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 24 (PLAY-IN ROUND) (17)
Honesdale 47, (16) Wyoming Area 41 (ends at 1-22) SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 27 (FIRST ROUND) (1)
Holy Redeemer 68, (16) Honesdale 39 (ends at 7-17) (8)
Pittston Area 45, (9) Tunkhannock 36 (ends at 11-12) (4)
West Scranton 42, (13) Dallas 41 (ends at 8-14) (5)
Scranton Prep 48, (12) Valley View 39 (ends at 5-17) (2)
Abington Heights 70, (15) Berwick 32 (ends at 3-20) (10)
N. Pocono 50, (7) Nanticoke Area 46 (ends at 7-16) (3)
Crestwood 71, (14) Lake-Lehman 43 (ends at 4-19) (6)
W-B Coughlin 70, (11) Western Wayne 42 (ends at 8-15) MONDAY, MARCH 1 (QUARTER-FINALS) (1)
Holy Redeemer 58, (8) Pittston 42 (ends at 13-11) (4)
W. Scranton 43, (5) Scranton Prep 31 (ends at 15-9) (2)
Abington Hts. 64, (10) N. Pocono 42 (ends at 11-13) (6)
Coughlin 47, (3) Crestwood 40 (ends at 19-5) WEDNESDAY, MARCH 3 (SEMI-FINALS) (1)
Holy Redeemer 97, (4) W. Scranton 83 (3OT) (2)
Abington Heights 60, (6) Wilkes-Barre Coughlin 36 FRIDAY, MARCH 5 (FINAL, CONSOLATION) FINAL (winner,
loser advance to states) (2)
Abington Heights 56, (1) Holy
Redeemer 40 CONSOLATION (winner advances to states) (6)
W-B Coughlin 51, (4) West Scranton 50 (ends at 18-9) CLASS AA WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 24 (PLAY-IN ROUND) (17)
Mid Valley 57, (16) Lakeland 43 (ends at 2-21) SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 27 (FIRST ROUND) (1)
W-B Meyers 64, (16) Mid Valley 32 (ends at 6-18) (8)
Riverside 52, (9) Elk Lake 42 (ends at 13-11) (13)
Carbondale 40, (4) Wyo. Seminary 35 (ends at 15-7) (5)
Holy Cross 67, (12) Northwest Area 24 (ends at 11-12) (2)
Dunmore 69, (15) West Side CTC 31 (ends at 3-15) (7)
Lackawanna Trail 65, (10) Mt. View 63 OT (ends at 11-12) (3)
Montrose 45, (14) Blue Ridge 38 (ends at 8-14) (6)
W-B GAR 70, (11) Hanover Area 56 (ends at 13-10) TUESDAY, MARCH 2 (QUARTER-FINALS) (8)
Riverside 35, (1) W-B Meyers 32 (ends at 18-6) (5)
Holy Cross 63, (13) Carbondale 37 (ends at 14-10) (2)
Dunmore 68, (7) Lackawanna Trail 45 (ends at 16-8) (6)
Wilkes-Barre GAR 63, (3) Montrose 55 (ends at 22-4) THURSDAY, MARCH 4 (SEMI-FINALS) (5)
Holy Cross 41, (8) Riverside 41 (2)
Dunmore 66, (6) W-B GAR 52 SATURDAY, MARCH 6 (FINAL, CONSOLATION) FINAL (winner, loser advance to states) (5)
Holy Cross 53, (2) Dunmore 37 CONSOLATION (winner advances to states) (6) W-B GAR 47, (8) Riverside 42 (ends at
15-11) CLASS A SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 28 (QUARTER-FINAL) (4)
Susquehanna 68, (5) St. Michaels 44 MONDAY, MARCH 1 (SEMI-FINALS) (1)
Old Forge 40, (4) Susquehanna 29 (ends at 5-19) (2)
MMI Prep 37, (3) Forest City 34 (ends at 4-19) THURSDAY, MARCH 4 (FINAL) (1) Old Forge 41, (2) MMI Prep 37 GIRLS BASKETBALL GIRLS BASKETBALL GIRLS BASKETBALL GIRLS BASKETBALL GIRLS BASKETBALL GIRLS BASKETBALL GIRLS BASKETBALL DISTRICT 2 CHAMPIONSHIP RECAPS GIRLS AAAA CHAMPIONSHIP (3) Hazleton Area 45, (1) Wyoming Valley West 40 Hazleton Area and Wyoming Valley West met up for the
5th time this season. The Lady Cougars
had won both regular season matchups while the Lady Spartans captured both
playoff tilts. With the AAAA
championship on the line, it seemed that WVW’s
playoff winning streak would continue as they grabbed a 38-34 at the 2:51
mark via a long-range trey from Amy
Aguilar. But, instead of staying
aggressive on offense, the Lady Spartans tried to take some time off the
clock and get Hazleton to commit a
few key fouls that would have potentially made a huge difference down the
stretch. But, those fouls never
materialized because Hazleton used
their defense and lightning quick guards to put themselves right back into
the game. After a pair of free throws
by Kayla Mantush (at 1:38) and
another pair by Nicole Lisnock
(with 1:06 left), the game was tied at 38.
That’s when Brianna Dudeck made
a fantastic steal at half court and drove in for a game-leading 40-38
layup. After a Dudeck free throw made it 41-38, Nina Liguori made 2 shots from the charity stripe to make it
41-40. Then, with 20 ticks left, Mantush broke wide open down court
and hit an open layup for a 43-40 advantage.
WVW missed a pair of free
throws with 2.3 seconds left and Hazleton had secured the district crown. Lisnock played a great game, scoring 16
points and limiting Sami Himlin to
only 5 points. Mantush added 11. Jamie Swaboski led WVW with 14 (with 4 treys). GIRLS AAA CHAMPIONSHIP (1) Abington Heights 28, (2) Holy Redeemer 25 Abington Heights trailed Holy Redeemer 16-11 at the break, but
used an overpowering, attacking offense in the third period to key a 13-0 run
and grab a 26-19 lead with 6:22 left in the game. Holy
Redeemer regained their composure with a 6-1 run, making the gap two
points (27-25), but were unable to cash in on several opportunities to tie
the game. Maggie Fruehan was spectacular for the Lady Comets on the boards
(12 rebounds) and scoring 9 points. Sam Paolucci netted 8. The only real problem area for AH was that they struggled from the
free throw line, only hitting 3 of 14 attempts. Monica
Wignot was leading scorer for the Lady Royals with 13 points, but no
other players could get into any offensive synch. The win marks the 22 straight win for the
Lady Comets. In
the consolation game, West Scranton
earned their first trip to the state playoffs in 15 years with a 50-26 win
over Nanticoke. The Lady Invaders held a 29-22 lead after
three periods, but used a 21-4 burst to lock up the victory. Nora
Joyce (15 points) and Sabrina
Coleman (17 points and 13 rebounds) were big contributors to the West win. Jennifer
Harnischfeger completed a sensational high school career by scoring 11
points. The two teams combined to
commit 52 turnovers. GIRLS AA CHAMPIONSHIP (1) Dunmore 52, (7) Mid Valley 21 After
the teams moved out to a 6-6 tie, the Lady Bucks grabbed an 11-8 lead after
the first period. Dunmore then outscored Mid
Valley 29-4 over the next two periods to seize total control of the AA
championship. Ashley Murray scored 22 (16 in the first half) and Cayla Boland added 13 in the
win. Mid Valley only hit 3 field goals in the entire game, but got 15
of 18 shots from the foul line. Alli Walsh scored 14 (12 for 12 from
the charity stripe) for the Spartanettes. In
the consolation game, Lake-Lehman
advanced to state competition with a 45-29 win over WVC Division 2 rival Wilkes-Barre Meyers. Jessica
Neare and Selena Adamshick
each scored 14 and Gaby Olshemski
added 10. Meyers got a good game from
guard Maureen Lisman with 11
points. GIRLS A CHAMPIONSHIP (2) Old Forge 44, (1) Forest City 38 Old Forge used a 15-8 second
period advantage to secure their third District 2 A title in a row, a 44-38
win over Forest City. Kim
Kaville netted 17 for the Lady Blue Devils, while Aleca Semenza added 12. Cassie Erdmann scored 15 for the Lady
Foresters. THIS WEEK’S DISTRICT
2 GIRLS TOP 10 (games
through March 6) 1.
Abington
Heights (23-2) AAA Champion 2.
Hazleton
Area (20-6) AAAA Champion 3.
Wyoming
Valley West (21-4) AAAA Runner-up 4.
Dunmore
(22-4) AA Champion 5.
Holy
Redeemer (20-6) AAA Runner-up 6.
West
Scranton (21-5) AAA 3rd 7.
Williamsport
(14-10) AAAA season complete 8.
Mid
Valley (17-9) AA Runner-up 9.
Lake-Lehman
(21-5) AAA 3rd 10.
Old Forge (16-6) A Champion OTHERS TO WATCH Forest
City (15-9) LLHOOPS DISTRICT 2
GIRLS PLAYER OF THE WEEK Nicole Lisnock (junior forward) for Hazleton Area had another solid
playoff game for the Lady Cougars. The
junior forward scored 16 points for Hazleton in their District 2 AAAA
come-from-behind 45-40 win over WVC division rival Wyoming Valley West. Lisnock netted a pair of key free throws
with 1:06 left to tie the game at 38.
Also, she played great defense on Lady Spartan playmaker Sami Himlin,
limiting her to just 5 points. Ashley Murray (junior guard) had a
big game in guiding Dunmore to a
dominating 52-21 win over Mid Valley for the District 2 AA championship. Murray scored 22 points for the Lady Bucks,
16 of which were logged in the first half.
DISTRICT 2
GIRLS PLAYOFF RECAP CLASS AAAA SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 27 (FIRST ROUND) (1)
Wyoming Valley West (21-3) bye (4)
Scranton 53, (5) Pittston 38 (ends at 14-9) (3)
Hazleton 65, (6) Wallenpaupack 39 (ends at 6-17) (2)
Williamsport 66, (7) Delaware Valley 23 (ends at 7-15) MONDAY, MARCH 1 (SEMI-FINALS) (1)
Wyo. V. West 45, (4) Scranton 32 (ends at 13-11) (3)
Hazleton 70, (2) Williamsport 50 (ends at 14-10) FRIDAY, MARCH 5 (FINAL) (3)
Hazleton Area 45, (1) Wyoming
Valley West CLASS AAA SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 27 (FIRST ROUND) (1)
Abington Heights (20-2) bye (8)
Berwick 48, (9) Dallas 32 (ends at 11-10) (4)
Nanticoke 58, (13) Tunkhannock 36 (ends at 8-13) (12)
Honesdale 61, (5) Western Wayne 22 (ends at 13-11) (2)
Holy Redeemer 63, (15) Wyoming Area 17 (ends at 8-16) (7)
Valley View 50, (10) North Pocono 42 (ends at 6-15) (3)
W. Scranton 53, (14) W-B Coughlin 26 (ends at 5-18) (6)
Scranton Prep 25, (11) Crestwood 22 (ends at 11-11) TUESDAY, MARCH 2 (QUARTER-FINALS) (1)
Abington Hts. 43, (8) Berwick 27 (ends at 14-10) (4)
Nanticoke 60, (12) Honesdale 35 (ends at 10-14) (2)
Holy Redeemer 57, (7) Valley View 45 (ends at 12-12) (3)
West Scranton 39, (6) Scranton Prep 27 (ends at 13-11) THURSDAY, MARCH 4 (SEMI-FINALS) (1) Abington Hts. 60, (4)
Nanticoke 44 (2) Holy Redeemer 50, (3) W. Scranton 45 SATURDAY, MARCH 6 (FINAL, CONSOLATION) FINAL (winner, loser advance to states) (1)
Abington Heights 28, (2) Holy
Redeemer 25 CONSOLATION (winner advances to states) (3)
West Scranton 50, (4) Nanticoke 26 (ends at 17-10) CLASS AA TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 23 (PLAY-IN ROUND) (16)
Carbondale 54, (17) Lakeland 42 (ends at 1-22) WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 24 (FIRST ROUND GAME) (4)
Wyoming Seminary 47, (13) Blue Ridge 45 (ends at 8-14) SATURDAY, FEBRUARY
27 (FIRST ROUND GAMES) (1)
Dunmore 73, (16) Carbondale 38 (ends at 7-16) (9)
Holy Cross 61, (8) Mountain View (ends at 10-13) (5)
W-B Meyers 42, (12) Northwest 23 (ends at 9-16) (2)
Montrose 67, (15) W-B GAR 38 (ends at 3-19) (7)
Mid Valley 60, (10) Elk Lake 27 (ends at 9-13) (3)
Lake-Lehman 56, (14) Lackawanna Trail 35 (ends at 5-16) (6)
Riverside 59, (11) Hanover Area 37 (ends at 8-14) MONDAY, MARCH 1 (QUARTER-FINALS) (1)
Dunmore 48, (9) Holy Cross 41 (ends at 15-9) (5)
Meyers 41, (4) Wyoming Seminary 35 (ends at 11-15) (7)
Mid Valley 50, (2) Montrose 46 (ends at 19-6) (3)
Lake-Lehman 53, (6) Riverside 46 (ends at 15-9) WEDNESDAY, MARCH 3 (SEMI-FINALS) (1)
Dunmore 59, (5) W-B Meyers 33 (7)
Mid Valley 52, (3) Lake Lehman 37 FRIDAY, MARCH 5 (FINAL, CONSOLATION) FINAL (winner,
loser advance to states) (1)
Dunmore 52, (7) Mid Valley 21 CONSOLATION (winner advances to states) (3) Lake-Lehman 45, (5) W-B Meyers 29 (ends
at 12-15) CLASS A Old Forge used a 15-8 second
period advantage to secure their third District 2 A title in a row, a 44-38
win over Forest City. Kim
Kaville netted 17 for the Lady Blue Devils, while Aleca Semenza added 12. Cassie Erdmann scored 15 for the Lady
Foresters. WEDNESDAY, MARCH 3
(FINAL) (2)
Old Forge 44, (1) Forest City 38 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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