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N.Eastern

PA Report

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Past Columns

2010-2011 Season Wrap

2011-2012 Boys Records

2011-2012 Girls Records

District 2 Boys Previews

District 2 Girls Previews

2011 Holiday Tournaments

12/15/11

12/20/11

1/4/12

1/10/12

1/17/12

1/25/12

1/31/12

2/7/12

2/14/12

2/22/12

2012 Tournaments

LIAA Realignment

D2 Playoff Qualifying

2012 District 2 Tourney

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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 5/7/12

 

ATTENTION Athletic Directors:  All-District 2 letters are in the mail

 

Stop back this weekend for a final update and list of some teams to watch heading into next season.

  

 

 

 

UPDATED 5/4/12

 

 

 

 

ALL-DISTRICT 2 BOYS 2011-2012 TEAM

 

Brandon Angradi (Delaware Valley, 6-4, Senior, G, 19.1 ppg)

Jake Brown (Wallenpaupack, 5-11, Junior, G, 19.6 ppg)

Travis Buckner (Hazleton Area, 6-0, Senior, G, 15.5 ppg)

Marcus Cobb (W-B Coughlin, 5-11, Senior, G, 14.1 ppg)

Malik Draper (Scranton, 6-4, Senior, G, 15.3 ppg)

Kyle Kiehart (Lakeland, 6-0, Junior, G, 19.2 ppg)

Ryan Krawczeniuk (W-B Meyers, 5-11, Junior, G, 14.8 ppg)

James McCann (Wyo. Valley West, 5-9, Senior, G, 13.0 ppg)

Matt Sharpe (Wilkes-Barre GAR, 6-0, Senior, G, 9.3 ppg)

JC Show (Abington Heights, 6-1, Soph, G, 16.0 ppg)

Jerry Kincel (Riverside, 6-2, Senior, G/F, 21.5 ppg)

Terry Turner (Scranton, 6-6, Senior, G/F, 12.5 ppg)

Matt Clark (Dunmore, 6-5, Soph, F, 13.5 ppg)

Shane Dunn (Dallas, 6-3, Senior, F, 12.9 ppg)

John Fazzini (Crestwood, 6-2, Senior, F, 14.0 ppg)

James Fives (Scranton Prep, 6-4, Soph, F, 13.7 ppg)

Isaiah Francis (W-B GAR, 6-2, Soph, F, 10.1 ppg)

Eugene Lewis (W-B Meyers, 6-3, Senior, F, 17.5 ppg)

Jordan Meyer (Honesdale, 6-3, Senior, F, 14.5 ppg)

Rasheed Moore (W-B Meyers, 6-4, Junior, F, 13.0 ppg)

Steve Stravinski (Pittston Area, 6-2, Senior, F, 20.7 ppg)

Ronny Tomasetti (Mid Valley, 6-4, Junior, F, 14.7 ppg)

James Hawk (Tunkhannock, 6-10, Senior, C, 14.5 ppg)

Josh Kosin (Holy Cross, 6-7, Junior, C, 17.8 ppg)

Steve Miller (Lackawanna Trail, 7-1, Senior, C, 22.5 ppg)

 

 

 

ALL-DISTRICT 2 BOYS AWARDS

 

Boys Player of the YearJC Show (Abington Heights)

Boys Freshman of the YearAustin Yanora (Tunkhannock)

Boys Coach of the YearAl Callejas (Holy Cross)

 

 

 

 

ALL-DISTRICT 2 GIRLS 2011-2012 TEAM

 

Tricia Byrne (Scranton Prep, 5-5, Soph, G, 15.0 ppg)

Ashley Dunbar (Dallas, 5-4, Junior, G, 13.0 ppg)

Dallas Ely (Montrose, 5-8, Senior, G, 21.6 ppg)

Carly Erdmann (Forest City, 5-9, Soph, G, 17.6 ppg)

Alexa Gerchman (Dunmore, 5-7, Senior, G, 11.4 ppg)

Samantha Gow (Nanticoke Area, 5-5, Senior, G, 9.8 ppg)

Lauren Hoyt (Abington Heights, 5-5, Senior, G, 7.2 ppg)

Allison Kraky (Lakeland, 5-5, Senior, G, 12.6 ppg)

Caroline Mancuso (Valley View, 5-6, Senior, G, 13.3 ppg)

Mary Martin (Honesdale, 5-5, Junior, G, 13.5 ppg)

Tiffany O’Donnell (Abington Heights, 5-6, Senior, G, 12.3 ppg)

Kaitlyn Smicherko (Wyo. Valley West, 5-8, Senior, G, 10.7 ppg)

Nikki Sutliff (Lake-Lehman, 5-5, Senior, G, 10.4 ppg)

Danielle Terranella (Mid Valley, 5-7, Senior, G, 20.9 ppg)

Lauren Carey (Old Forge, 5-7, Soph, F, 11.1 ppg)

Mia Hopkins (Pittston Area, 5-9, Junior, F, 20.2 ppg)

Alexis Lewis (Holy Redeemer, Freshman, F, 14.8 ppg)

Sydney Myers (Crestwood, 6-1, Junior, F, 9.7 ppg)

Kellie Nash (Riverside, 5-7, Senior, F, 11.3 ppg)

Danielle Tuzinski (Hanover Area, Senior, F, 17.2 ppg)

Katie Wolfe (Nanticoke Area, 5-9, Senior, F, 12.2 ppg)

Tara Zdancewicz (Wyo. Valley West, 5-10, Senior, F, 17.4 ppg)

Lisa Kintner (Tunkhannock, 6-1, Senior, C, 12.5 ppg)

Alexix Roman (Wallenpaupack, 6-0, Junior, C, 15.6 ppg)

Alivia Womelsdorf (Northwest Area, 6-0, Junior, C, 19.0 ppg)

 

 

 

ALL-DISTRICT 2 GIRLS AWARDS

 

Girls Player of the YearDallas Ely (Montrose)

Girls Freshman of the Year -  Alexis Lewis (Holy Redeemer)

Girls Coach of the Year  Al Smith (Montrose)

 

 

 

 

 

 

UPDATED 4/5/12

 

 

 

 

CONGRATULATIONS!!!

 

PENNSYLVANIA

 GIRLS ALL-STATE SELECTIONS

 

 

AAAA Second Team

     Tara Zdancewicz (Wy. Valley West) 5-10 Sr., 17.4 ppg

 

AAA Second Team

     Mia Hopkins (Pittston Area) 5-10 Jr., 20.3 ppg

 

AA First Team

     Dallas Ely (Montrose) 5-8 Sr., 23.7 ppg

 

AA Second Team

     Danielle Terranella (Mid Valley) 5-7 Sr., 20.9 ppg

 

A Second Team

     Carly Erdmann (Forest City) 5-8 Soph., 17.6 ppg

 

 

 

 

 

 

UPDATED 4/3/12

 

 

 

 

CONGRATULATIONS!!!

 

PENNSYLVANIA

 BOYS ALL-STATE SELECTIONS

 

 

AAAA Third Team

     Malik Draper (Scranton) 6-4 Sr., 15.3 ppg

     Jahad Thomas (Williamsport) 6-2 Jr., 14.5 ppg

 

AAA Third Team

     JC Show (Abington Hts.) 6-2 Soph., 17.1 ppg

 

AA First Team

     Josh Kosin (Holy Cross) 6-7 Jr., 17.9 ppg

 

AA Second Team

     Jerry Kincel (Riverside) 6-2 Sr., 21.5 ppg

     Eugene Lewis (W-B Meyers) 6-3 Sr., 17.5 ppg

 

AA Coach of the Year

     Al Callejas (Holy Cross)

 

 

 

 

 

 

UPDATED 3/27/12

 

Welcome back to the Northeast Beat. 

 

The final boys and girls District 2 Top 10 Ratings are now posted below.  Not sure when the talent has been so evenly balanced among the top five teams.  Williamsport fans will notice that their top-ranked team is not included in the final ratings.  Being a member of District 4, the Millionaires are included only during the regular season as a barometer of how they will stack up come District 2/4 AAAA playoff time.             

 

 

Check back for all-star game highlights and the announcement of the LLHoops.com All-District 2 teams.

 

 

 

2011-2012 DISTRICT 2 BOYS FINAL TOP 10 

 

1.  Wilkes-Barre Meyers (24-3) 2A 

2.  Scranton (19-5) 4A

3.  Holy Cross (25-6) 2A

4.  Abington Heights (24-6) 3A

5.  Delaware Valley (21-8) 4A

6.  Riverside (23-5) 2A

7.  Hazleton Area (20-5) 4A

8.  Scranton Prep (18-8) 3A

9.  Wilkes-Barre GAR (20-3) 2A 

10.  Crestwood (14-11) 3A

 

HONORABLE MENTION

Blue Ridge (15-8), Dallas (15-9), Dunmore (19-8), Holy Redeemer (10-13), Lackawanna Trail (12-12), Lakeland (18-10), Lake-Lehman (12-10), Mid Valley (14-9), Montrose (18-9), North Pocono (11-14), Pittston (13-10), Tunkhannock (14-10), Wyoming Valley West (11-13).   

 

 

 

 

2011-2012 DISTRICT 2 GIRLS final TOP 10

 

1.  Montrose (26-3) 2A

2.  Abington Heights (23-5) 4A

3.  Dunmore (24-5) 2A

4.  Honesdale (22-6) 3A

5.  Nanticoke (24-4) 3A 

6.  Dallas (14-8) 3A  

7.  Scranton Prep (18-8) 3A

8.  Old Forge (19-7) A  

9.  Wallenpaupack (16-10) 4A

10.  Wyoming Valley West (19-6) 4A

 

HONORABLE MENTION

Crestwood (14-9), Forest City (14-13), Hazleton (9-15), Holy Cross (13-13), Holy Redeemer (14-9), Lackawanna Trail (11-13),  Lake-Lehman (17-7),  Lakeland (13-9), Mid Valley (17-12), North Pocono (11-12), Northwest (14-9), Pittston (17-7), Riverside (17-10), Tunkhannock (15-7), Valley View (13-11), Wilkes-Barre Meyers (11-12).  

 

 

 

 

Some highlights from Day 2 of the PIAA State Championships are now posted below.  The weekend weather, at least on Friday, was incredible.  Almost too nice to be walking into an arena – almost.  All of the championship games were entertaining despite several lopsided matchups and some of the smallest crowds seen to date at Penn State.  The reasons for the lower ticket sales are well-documented and just part of the new landscape of Pennsylvania basketball.  To give proper credit, the university does a top notch job in running the event.  The new Bryce Jordan Center video boards are terrific.  There were very few miscues on clock and scoring management.  For some reason, only the Saturday evening games got the star-treatment (fully-darkened arena) for player introductions.  The other games had the concourse video “ribbon” fully lit during intros.  Seems trivial, but what a difference it made from a player’s (floor) perspective.  GREAT job by Megan Gallik (from Honesdale HS) singing the national anthem on Saturday evening.  The NEP Beat was again fortunate to be sitting around a great group of hoops fans - though the two who were knitting were clearly two more than we expected to see.  That’s OK because the marriages that can survive March Madness, stay together.  A few loyal fans from Pine Grove were probably not the only ones struggling to figure out how District 12 runs their playoffs (AA plays AAA).  And it’s always nice to see a familiar face from the Lehigh Valley (ND-GP girls scorekeeper) who always astounds us with his hoops knowledge.  Kudos to the State College Hampton Inn for providing outstanding customer service and accommodations this year.  Their efforts really stood out.                         

 

I can’t remember a year when so many good local teams turned into extremely competitive ones as the calendar turned into March.  Based on the number of weekend conversations with fellow hoops fans from around the state, District 2 basketball gained some well-deserved respect by way of their upsets over District 3 powerhouses (Chambersburg and Berks Catholic) and taking several District 12 squads (Boys’ Latin and Imhotep Charter) right to the final buzzer.

 

 

 

 

UPCOMING DISTRICT 2

 SENIOR ALL-STAR GAMES

 

 

BOYS

 

LACKAWANNA LEAGUE

·       March 27 @ Valley View HS (7:30 pm)

 

WYOMING VALLEY CONFERENCE

·       March 30 @ Holy Redeemer HS (7:45 pm)

 

 

 

GIRLS

 

LACKAWANNA LEAGUE

·       March 26 @ Forest City HS (7:30 pm)

 

WYOMING VALLEY CONFERENCE

·       March 30 @ Holy Redeemer HS (6:30 pm)

 

 

 

 

PIAA STATE CHAMPIONSHIP HIGHLIGHTS

 

DAY 2

 

This year’s PIAA game program features a cover photo of Corinna Palko from Dunmore’s 2011 Class AA Girls state championship appearance.

 

 

Best Clutch Shot  -  Sheldon Jeter (Beaver Falls)

 

Best Clutch Steal  -  Shakur Nesmith (Imhotep Charter)

 

Best Team Passing  -  Archbishop Wood

 

Best Cheerleaders  -  Chester

 

Luckiest Trey  -  Amber Hess-Moore (Steelton-Highspire)  

 

Best Blocked Shot   -  Devin Liggeons (Imhotep Charter)

 

Most Annoying New Promotion  -  second quarter pretzel toss

 

Best Fans  -  Beaver Falls

 

Best Steal and Layup  -  Jazmine Blanding (Steelton-Highspire)

 

Best Backdoor Scoring  -  Archbishop Wood

 

Best Sneakers  -  Chester, Steel-High, Brandon Austin, Nigel Grant

 

Best Student Fan Support  -  Lower Merion

 

Best Slam Dunk #1  -  Khyree Wooten (Imhotep Charter) 

 

Best Slam Dunk #2  -  Rondae Jefferson (Chester)

 

Best Point Guard  -  Jackie Pierson (Archbishop Wood)

 

Best Inside Spin Move  -  Brandon Austin (Imhotep Charter)

 

Best Burger and Shake  -  Baby’s Diner (downtown)

 

Best Hoops Co-Pilot  -  my dad (let’s do it again next year)

 

 

 

 

 

UPDATED 3/23/12

 

 

UPDATES FROM PIAA STATE CHAMPIONSHIPS

 

DAY 1

 

This year’s PIAA game program features a cover photo of Corinna Palko from Dunmore’s 2011 Class AA Girls state championship appearance.

 

 

Best Slam Dunk(s)  -  Savon Goodman (Constitution)

 

Best Defensive Effort  -  Seton LaSalle girls team

 

Best Second Half Performance  -  Sarah Curran (Arch. Carroll)

 

Best Cheerleaders  -  Neuman-Goretti

 

Frustration Award  -  Rachel Forjan (York C.) missing 1,000 pts.

 

Best Scoring Duo  -  Goodman / Walker (Constitution)

 

Most Annoying Promotion (6th year in a row)  -  T-shirt cannon guy

 

Best Blocked Shot  -  John Davis (Neumann-Goretti)

 

Best Backcourt Steal  -  Tamir Bolger (Constitution)

 

Best Backdoor Score  -  Trey Hosack (Lincoln Park)

 

Best Sneakers  -  Boys AA Title Game

 

Best (unexpected) Fan Support  -  Constitution

 

Best Freshman  -  Nicolete Newman (Seton LaSalle, 16 points) 

 

See You Next Year  -  Seton LaSalle Girls Team

 

Best Post-Game Munchies  -  Damon’s Grill

 

 

 

 

 

UPDATED 3/22/12

 

 

The NEP-Beat is headed back to Happy Valley for the weekend and will report on all the championship game highlights.  Stop back on Sunday for the final District 2 Top 10 Ratings.  In the coming weeks, senior game top moments and District 2 all-star teams will be posted.    

 

 

 

 

 

 

CRUSADERS BATTLE TO THE END

Holy Cross take defending state champ Imhotep Charter to the final seconds before dropping heart-breaking 37-35 loss in AA Eastern Final

 

 

 

 

 

UPDATED 3/21/12

 

 

TITLE HOPES DISINTEGRATE

Montrose drops Eastern Final to seasoned York Catholic squad, 60-37;  Meteors 25-game winning streak halted as Dallas Ely is held to 9 points;  community and student fan support impressive through state playoff run  

 

 

 

 

 

 

UPDATED 3/20/12

 

 

10-YEAR ANNIVERSARY

March 20, 2002 - Gerry McNamara scored 55 points (41 in first half) as Bishop Hannan defeated District 3 powerhouse Trinity 83-76 in the PIAA Class AA Eastern Final played at a sold-out Martz Hall in Pottsville;  the Golden Lancers then went on to gain a 70-68 state title win over Sto-Rox three days later   

 

 

 

 

 

UPDATED 3/19/12

 

 

 

PIAA SEMI-FINAL PREVIEWS 

 

 

 

 

BOYS AA

 

HOLY CROSS CRUSADERS

 

(2-2) Holy Cross (25-5) vs. (12-4) Imhotep (21-8)

March 14 @ Bethlehem Liberty 7pm

 

KEY PLAYERS

 

Holy Cross                                                          Imhotep Charter

00-Josh Kosin (6-6 jr C, 17.9 ppg)                     15-Kyree Wooten(6-2 sr G, 15 ppg)

13-Connor Callejas (5-8 soph G, 11.0 ppg)      1-Brandon Austin (6-6 jr G/F, 10.3 ppg)

21-Ron Heyen (6-2, sr G, 3.6 ppg)                      3-Kamini Jordan (sr PG, 8.3 ppg)

11-Ryan McGoff (5-9 sr G, 2.8 ppg)                    5-Nigel Grant (6-6 jr F, 4.4 ppg)

35-Casey Gaughan (6-0 jr F, 5.2 ppg)               23-Shakur Nesmith (sr F, 3.5 ppg)

 

There isn’t much that Holy Cross and Imhotep Charter have in common, except maybe that both would love to completely forget about their first half performance in their last state playoff game.  Against Pine Grove on Saturday, Holy Cross managed just a single field goal and trailed 15-7 going into the locker room.  Things were not much better for the Panthers who put up a mere18 points and trailed underdog Bishop McDevitt by 10 points at the break.  Both teams would eventually get back on track in the second half and advance to the semi-finals.  The Crusaders next take on Imhotep Charter, a team with quite a winning tradition.  The Panthers have been virtually unbeatable in the Philly Public League over the last four seasons.  And they have made a statewide reputation for themselves winning gold trophies in 2009 and 2011.  Despite being the #4 seed out of District 12, Imhotep remains one of the top AA teams in the city.  They dropped a rare 66-61 Pub playoff loss to Communications Tech, but bounced back to defeat Del-Val Charter for the 4-seed heading into states.  Interestingly, Holy Cross has already defeated the District 12 Champion, Comm. Tech, in double overtime 58-56.  Imhotep features several impressive athletes.  6-2 senior guard Khyree Wooten (a 1,000 point scorer) averages 16.1 ppg.  He has incredible leaping ability and will really wow the crowd if given an opportunity to slam dunk.  Wooten netted 21 in their 60-52 first round win over Delone Catholic and 10 points in their last win over Bishop McDevitt.  Imhotep also has 6-6 junior guard Brandon Austin (an early commitment to Penn State).  He averages 10.3 ppg and 7.5 assists per game.  Austin finished with 24 points and 11 rebounds in their last win.  The Panthers also have an improving 6-6 junior forward, Nigel Grant (4.4 ppg), who will cause havoc underneath.  He is joined inside by 6-5 senior Shakur Nesmith (3.5 ppg).  Their 5-10 senior point guard is Kamini Jordan who averages 8.3 ppg.  The Panthers also get contributions from 6-2 freshman guard Devin Liggeons.  Imhotep typically won’t settle for just taking jump shots.  The Panthers are a good rebounding team and play tough defense.  In the second half against Bishop McDevitt, they launched a ferocious full court press that resulted in numerous second half turnovers.  The Crusaders are going to have to be very careful with the ball.  The winner advances to the state championship (Saturday, 2 pm at Penn State) against either District 7 Champion Beaver Falls (27-3) or Quaker Valley (7-7, 24-4).       

 

 

 

 

 

GIRLS AA

 

MONTROSE LADY METEORS

 

(2-1) Montrose (27-2) vs. (3-1) York Catholic (29-3)

March 13 @ Martz Hall, Pottsville 7pm

 

KEY PLAYERS

 

Montrose                                                          York Catholic

13-Dallas Ely (5-8 sr G, 22 ppg)                        4-Rachel Forjan (5-8 sr G, 11.0 ppg)

32-Sara Krupinski (5-8 sr G, 10.7 ppg)           12-Karli McFatridge (5-8 sr. G, 10.7 ppg)

24-Myra Lattimore (5-9 soph F, 7.1 ppg)       42-Carly Marks (5-11 sr F, 4.0 ppg)

14-Meghan Gilhool (5-3 fresh F, 3.6 ppg)       Morgan Klunk (5-11 jr F, 13.1 ppg)

25-Nicki Lewis (5-5 soph G, 2.8 ppg)               Deanna Chesko (5-6 soph G, 2.0 ppg)

 

It seems that fourth quarter surges by York Catholic are just as much a part of Irish basketball as, well, winning championships.  They used a 24-10 final period run to erase a deficit and defeat Dunmore 54-41 in second round action.  Against undefeated Mount Carmel Friday night, York Catholic used an 11-0 spurt to start the fourth quarter and upset the Lady Tornadoes (who earlier led 48-39) by a margin of 70-67.  Though a major piece of their roster left when Kady Schrann graduated last year, the Irish managed to simply re-tool their lineup and have yet another opportunity to advance to an incredible 6th PIAA title game in the last 7 years.  Last year they dropped a quarter-final game to Mid Valley.  YC has a trio of terrific seniors, but it is their 5-11 junior swing player Morgan Klunk (13.3 ppg) that really makes them excel.  She scored 19 in their first round win over Imhotep Charter and 22 in their win over Mt. Carmel.  She also netted 20 and grabbed 13 boards in the District 3 title win over Delone Catholic.  Klunk has outstanding ball-handling skills and is not shy about popping a long shot (has 19 treys on the season).  Rachel Forjan (a 5-8 senior guard, 16 against Imhotep) averages 11.1 ppg.  She is their big threat from the perimeter and has 38 treys on the year.  Their other guard, Karli McFatridge (a 5-8 senior), nets 10.5 ppg.  She scored 15 against Dunmore (going 10 of 12 from the charity stripe).  They also feature 5-11 senior Carly Marks and 5-6 sophomore Deanna Chesko.  The Irish always feature good ball movement and will work for a good shot.  They will be looking to contain Dallas Ely, but that is easier said than done.  The Lady Meteors have a solid lineup and have already come away with very impressive wins over Carver E & S and Delone Catholic.  Their devoted and large contingent of student fans will be on-hand at The Mecca.  If you can’t make it to Pottsville, you can follow the action on a LIVE chat from the York Varsity Blog.  The winner advances to the state championship (Friday, noon at Penn State) to play either undefeated District 7 Champion Seton LaSalle (28-0) or District 10 Champion Villa Maria Academy (24-4).           

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

UPDATED 3/17/12

 

 

 

PIAA QUARTER-FINAL RECAPS 

 

 

BOYS AAA

(12-2) Boys Latin Charter 76, (2-1) Abington Heights 72 OT (ends at 24-6)

 

Oh, so close.  Abington Heights was able to recover from a lightning quick 7-0 run that put them into a 44-42 deficit after three quarters.  But, a rarely seen 5-point play by Boys’ Latin (trey in air with foul called underneath) with under 45 seconds remaining in OT was too big a hurdle to match.  Unfortunately for the Comets, the Warriors seemed to convert every one of their ten 3-pointers at critical moments when AH held 4 or 5 point leads.  This was a game that definitely could have gone their way as a turnover or free throw here or there turned out to be the difference.  Despite the cavernous setting at Parkland and small turnout by BL, the Comet fans had the place rocking all night.  AH missed a pair of free throws late in regulation (with the game knotted at 61) but Carlos Taylor (who netted his 1,000 point and scored 25) missed the final corner shot.  The Comets moved out to a 68-64 advantage in overtime, but the Warriors again tied the game at 68.  A pair of free throws by JC Show (35 points) gave AH a brief lead before the 6-0 run by BL.  With four of their starters returning next season, Abington Heights should be considered as a team to watch closely in 2012-2013.                    

 

 

BOYS AA

(2-2) Holy Cross 37, (11-1) Pine Grove 31 (ends at 21-8)

 

Things definitely did not look good after the first 16 minutes for Holy Cross.  Pine Grove came out with a very patient attack behind their experienced backcourt duo.  And the Cardinals defense thwarted any good shots or second chances.  The story at halftime revealed a single field goal and a 15 to 7 deficit for the Crusaders.  After beginning the third period with deficits of 19-10 and 21-12, Holy Cross came alive with a 13-0 run to go up 25-21.  Pine Grove was only getting one shot and the Crusaders were getting their running game going.  Down the stretch, Connor Callejas was steady from the charity stripe, hitting 6 of 6 chances.  Pine Grove was paced by Kyle Burke and Larry Zimmerman who combined to score 23.  

 

 

GIRLS AA

(2-1) Montrose 52, (3-2) Delone Catholic 50 (ends at 23-6)

 

Not sure that District 2 fans (and college coaches) realize what a talented player Dallas Ely is.  Some might argue that her brilliant effort against Delone Catholic (27 points) simply negated a typical day on the court by McDonalds All-American and Duke recruit Sierra Moore (28 points, 12 rebounds).  The NEP Beat prefers to call if a magnificent performance against every defensive scheme the Squirettes could muster.  Ely nailed 16 of 18 free throws, including a clutch pair as she drove in and got fouled by Moore with 13 ticks left.  With time running out, Moore brought the ball up court and a non-play resulted in a desperation shot that missed from near mid-court.  Delone Catholic elected not to use their final timeout on the possession.       

 

 

GIRLS A

(11-2) Marian Catholic 44, (2-1) Old Forge 39 (ends at 19-7) 

 

In the closing moments of the game, Old Forge squandered opportunities to narrow the margin.  But, some poor free throw shooting by Marian Catholic (only 5 for 14 in the final two minutes) gave them those chances.  So, maybe in the end, everything balanced out.  After trailing 25-17, Old Forge used a 7-0 run to close the gap and eventually take a 31-30 lead midway through the final period.  The Fillies responded immediately as Kaysi McLaughlin (11 points) hit a trey to again go up 33-31.  Despite the missed foul shots, Marian was able to finally put the game away after hitting 1-2 from the line and then getting a bucket by Tristani to go up 41-35.  The Fillies got 11 points and 8 boards from Kelly Shober while the Lady Blue Devils got 13 from Morgan Malia.  Top scorer Lauren Carey was held to only 3 points.   

 

 

 

 

 

UPDATED 3/17/12

 

 

HOLY CROSS ADVANCES

Crusaders use 13-0 rally in 3rd quarter to defeat Pine Grove;  Imhotep next 

 

 

 

METEORS STREAKING

Montrose girls defeat Delone Catholic; will play York Catholic for trip to BJC 

 

 

 

COMETS SUFFER OT LOSS

Boys Latin rare 5-point play in final minute swings momentum in 76-72 defeat

 

 

OLD FORGE GIRLS DEFEATED 

Marian Catholic Fillies pull away late for  44-39 win over Lady Blue Devils

 

 

 

 

 

UPDATED 3/14/12

 

 

State quarter-final previews now posted below.  Good luck to all the teams this weekend.

 

 

 

 

CONGRATULATIONS TO

 

ABINGTON HEIGHTS COMETS

 

HOLY CROSS CRUSADERS

 

MONTROSE LADY METEORS

 

OLD FORGE LADY BLUE DEVILS

 

for advancing to the quarterfinal round of the PIAA state playoffs on Friday, March 16 and Saturday, March 17.

 

 

 

 

 

PIAA QUARTER-FINAL PREVIEWS 

 

 

 

 

 

FRIDAY, MARCH 16 GAMES

 

 

 

 

BOYS AAA

(2-1) Abington Hts. (24-5) vs. (12-2) Boys Latin (24-6) @ Parkland 7:30pm

 

OK, first things first.  Yes, they really do teach (and stress the importance of) Latin at Boys’ Latin Charter.  Ironically, last year, Abington Heights eliminated Latin as part of their World Language program.  It was directly related to state funding budget cuts.  Back to basketball.  Abington Heights’ 56-53 win over Berks Catholic was a game which Comets fans will remember for years to come.  Sophomore JC Show (27 points) was spectacular - showing a level of poise, strength and quickness which the Saints simply didn’t expect to see, especially from a player his age.  But, Show had tremendous help from his teammates, especially on the defensive end where they bottled up (Donovon) Jack time and time again.  The Comets play terrific team basketball.  It was a stunning loss for BC who most hoops observers had put into in a showdown with Boys’ Latin to see who might get the opportunity to de-throne powerhouse Neumann-Goretti (for a trip to Happy Valley).  In their next game on Friday night, Abington is going to have to protect against being mentally spent after that draining win Tuesday.  A lot of energy and emotion went into that matchup.  Every “W” takes the Comets to a tougher level of competition, but they do get rewarded with playing in some of the state’s marquee playoff venues.  Hazleton Area has a fabulous facility (wow, how about that, a PA system that the fans can actually hear – but the loudest buzzer around), but Parkland may be the best overall facility in eastern PA.  Against Boys Latin, Allentown Central Catholic played one of their finest games of the season before dropping the 67-65 loss.  The Vikings may have been a bit outmatched in the speed and quickness department, but they played very tough, never letting the game slip out of reach entirely.  The reality, however, is that the Warriors are lightning-quick, so getting a workable angle on them as they drive to the hoop is difficult.  Fouling becomes a concern for AH.  As teams learn this time of year, it’s impossible to prepare for sheer speed.  Boys Latin was formed just a few years ago and has already risen to the elite of the Philly Pub League (where they are positioned into Division A, the top teams under the new division alignment).  They defeated Communications Tech in the Pub playoffs 70-59 before dropping an 85-60 loss to 1A powerhouse Constitution.  They already have one of the top area scorers in 5-10 senior guard Maurice Watson (2,324 points, 22 ppg) who will play for Boston University.  He has the second highest point total in Public League history (to Maureece Rice with 2,681 from 2000-2003).  But, that is only the start of their scoring juggernaut.  Yahmir Greenlee (5-9 junior guard, 13.5 ppg) topped 1,000 points in their first round 70-49 win over Pope John Paul II.  And, needing only 14 points against Abington Heights, 6-4 senior guard Carlos Taylor (12 ppg) will likely reach that same century plateau sometime Friday night.  He is headed to UMass-Lowell.  Very impressive to have three 1,000 point scorers within the same starting five.  Against ACC, Watson scored 14 while Greenlee and Taylor netted 17 each.  Boys Latin also features 6-0 senior guard Rahshan Wooten-Miller (6.2 ppg), 6-4 junior forward Ismael Kagone, 6-5 senior forward Khadafi Robinson , and 6-5 junior forward Eric Lark (football QB).  The Comets exhibit a grit and intensity that is classic trademark of District 2 basketball.  Win or lose, they have already reached heights beyond anyone’s wildest expectations.  The winner advances to play either District 1 Champion Holy Ghost Prep (29-1) or District 12 Champion Neumann-Goretti (25-3).                            

 

 

 

GIRLS AA

(2-1) Montrose (26-2) vs. (3-2) Delone Catholic (23-5) @ Hamburg 6pm

 

Montrose came away with an impressive 55-49 win over Carver E & S after trailing by 7 points entering the final period.  Dallas Ely really stepped by netting 41 points against the high-regarded District 12 opponent.  Sara Krupinski had to leave the game when she caught an elbow to the forehead, an injury which later required seven stiches.  The Lady Meteors have been playing exceptional defense all season, but will need their best effort against McDonalds All-American and Duke recruit Sierra Moore.  The 5-11 guard can do it all, going into the basket or pulling up for a short jumper.  Overall, Moore has outstanding skills.  She has 2,567 career points and averages 24.5 ppg.  In trying to research her only weakness, all we could come up with is that she is sometimes too unselfish.  That says a lot.  The Squirettes also have several other solid starters in 5-10 senior Courtney McMaster, 5-9 junior Abby Sponseller, 5-7 junior Bethany Ball, and 5-7 freshman Madelyn Comly.  Comly, Ball, and McMaster combined to score 38 in their first round win over South Williamsport.  Ball is one of their top 3-point shooters.  They also get key playing time from senior Maria Photiades and Julie Mall.  Montrose needs to be careful about getting into early foul trouble.  The winner will advance to play either District 3 Champion York Catholic (27-3) or District 4 champion Mount Carmel (27-0).           

 

 

 

 

 

 

SATURDAY, MARCH 17 GAMES

 

 

 

 

BOYS AA

(2-2) Holy Cross (24-5) vs. (11-1) Pine Grove (21-7) @ Hazleton 2:30 pm

 

Surprise, surprise.  A District 2 playoff game that does not involve a District 12 opponent.  Wednesday’s impressive wins by Holy Cross and Pine Grove took care of that. The Crusaders rallied from a 10-point deficit after three quarters (42-32) to defeat perennial Philly Pub contender Communications Tech 58-56 in double overtime.  Josh Kosin netted 28 points in the win.  Their next opponent took on another Pub powerhouse, Vaux.  In that game, the Cardinals shooters, especially Larry Zimmerman, were on fire.  Team wise they hit 55% of their shots and Zimmerman (who netted 42) was an incredible 14 of 18 from the floor.  Overall, it was a near perfect effort from Pine Grove who also handled the ball extremely well, only giving it up nine times.  After dropping the Schuylkill League title game to Pottsville, they bounced back to win the District 11 championship 43-41 over Shenandoah Valley.  In the state playoffs, the Cardinals rallied to defeat District 12’s Delaware Valley Charter 53-51 as Zimmerman (6-1 senior guard, 16.4 ppg) scored 15.  Forward Kyle Burke (6-4 senior, 17.5 ppg) contributed 25 points in that victory.  Pine Grove also features 6-0 senior guard Chris Rossi (2.8 ppg) plus forwards Jake Wolfe (6-1 junior, 6 ppg) and Addam Zerbe (6-4 senior, 1.4 ppg).  Clearly, Zimmerman and Burke provide the bulk of their offense (almost 34 of 52 ppg).  They also get contributions from 5-10 senior guard Nick Todero, 6-0 senior guard Ty Zimmerman, and 5-10 junior forward Brett Kriser.  The Cardinals, like the Crusaders, are playing with a refuse to lose mentality.  When Vaux cut their deficit to 47-40 early in the final period, they went on a 17-5 tear to ice things up.  Holy Cross, on the other hand, needed two extra OT stanzas to get things settled.  In the end, a win is a win, and that’s all that matters.  The two teams will play an afternoon matinee in Hazleton, which is sure to be packed for that one.  The winner advances to play either (you guessed it) a team District 12, either Imhotep Charter (12-4, 19-8) or Bishop McDevitt (12-2, 12-12).                      

 

 

 

GIRLS A

(2-1) Old Forge (19-6) vs. (11-2) Marian Catholic (21-6) @ Hazleton 1pm 

 

For one team, preseason expectations have them right on track.  For another, team chemistry, ball-handling and great defense have all propelled them into a most unexpected position, the state quarter-finals.  Old Forge has definitely been battle tested through the rigors of Lackawanna League Division 2 basketball which feature state playoff teams like Dunmore and Mid Valley.  But their performance Wednesday night against District 3 winner Lebanon Catholic was quite impressive as the Lady Blue Devils prevailed 66-43 (Lauren Carey hit 40 points).  Their next opponent, Marian Catholic, is no stranger to the state playoffs.  In fact, the Fillies won the gold trophy back in 2007-2008.  Interestingly, one of the key players on that team (Libby Shober) has a younger sister on this year’s squad.  Senior 5-10 forward Kelly Shober (9.9 ppg) is one of their key players.  Shober anchors the inside along with 5-9 senior forward Danielle Tristani (10.2 ppg).  Outside, their senior sharpshooter is Kaysi McLaughlin (11.4 ppg, 50 treys).  Their point guard is sophomore Gabby Green 6.8 ppg) while junior guard Sam Faust (5.5 ppg) completes the Fillies lineup.  Top reserves include Lindsay Nemeth, Emily Sofranko, and Kim Wilson who combine for about 5 ppg.  Marian went up against undefeated Tri-Valley in the District 11 title game and dropped a 60-52 loss to the undefeated Lady Dawgs.  It was the third loss of the year to Tri-Valley (include the Schuylkill League championship game).  Their other losses came against powerhouse teams Lourdes Regional, Dunmore (half court shot at the buzzer), and undefeated Mount Carmel.  One interesting stat is the Fillies are 17-0 this season when they allow fewer than 40 ppg.  In the PIAA playoffs, Marian pounded Line Mountain 65-35 as Shober and Tristani combined to net 30.  In their second round 56-39 win over Harrisburg Christian which included a 19-2 run, Shober again came up big with 18 points and 11 rebounds.  They also forced 28 turnovers.  The win gave Fillies head coach Paul Brutto career win #600 (454 in 22 years at Marian Catholic, 146 in 10 seasons at Shenandoah Valley).  While it appears that the Fillies have ample size and skill, their depth is not as solid as earlier in the season due to some injuries.  This definitely has the makings of an interesting matchup.  The winner moves on to play either undefeated District 11 Champion Tri-Valley (28-0) or defending state champion Steelton-Highspire (3-2, 25-3).                       

 

 

 

 

 

PIAA SECOND ROUND SCORES 

 

 

BOYS AAAA

(3-2 ) Harrisburg 58, (4-1) Williamsport 57 OT (ends at 18-9)

(11-3) Easton 54, (2-2) Delaware Valley 50 (ends at 21-8)

 

BOYS AAA

(2-1) Abington Heights 56, (3-1) Berks Catholic 53 (ends at 28-3)

 

BOYS AA

(12-4) Imhotep Charter 66, (2-1) Wilkes-Barre Meyers 51 (ends at 24-3)

(2-2) Holy Cross 58, (12-1) Communications Tech 56 OT (ends at 20-10)

(12-2) Bishop McDevitt 51, (2-3) Riverside 55 OT (ends at 23-5)

 

 

GIRLS AAAA

(3-2) Central Dauphin 29, (2-1) Abington Heights 27 (ends at 23-5)

 

GIRLS AAA

(1-1)   Villa Maria Academy 41, (2-2) Nanticoke 20 (ends at 24-4) 

 

GIRLS AA

(2-1) Montrose 55, (12-1) Carver E&S 49 (ends at 17-6)

(3-1) York Catholic 54, (2-2) Dunmore 41 (ends at 24-5)  

 

GIRLS A

(2-1) Old Forge 66, (3-1) Lebanon Catholic 43 (ends at 20-7) 

(3-2) Steelton-Highespire 63, (2-2) Forest City 44 (ends at 14-12)  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

UPDATED 3/12/12

 

 

 

 

PIAA SECOND ROUND PREVIEWS 

 

 

 

TUESDAY, MARCH 13 GAMES

 

 

 

 

BOYS AAA

(2-1) Abington Hts. (23-5) vs. (3-1) Berks Cath. (28-2) @ Hazleton 7:30pm

 

Abington could use a little more height in their second round game against District 3 champion Berks Catholic.  The Comets, without a player over 6-4, will be facing a front court of 6-5, 6-5, and 6-9.  If their name isn’t readily familiar to local fans, Berks Catholic was formed when Reading Holy Name and Reading Central Catholic (a 1A hoops powerhouse in recent years) were consolidated.  Their star play, 6-9 Donovon Jack, is headed to play basketball at Duquesne University next year.  He has 1,707 career points (16.9 ppg, 10 rpg) and converted 73% of his shots (27 of 37 in the D3 tourney).  The Saints also feature 6-5 senior swingman Marquis Marshall (15 ppg) and Nick Lentz (6-5 senior) inside.  They will often be content to run a patient half-court offense led by sophomore Chris Warren (6 ppg) and 6-0 junior Mike Miller (6.2 ppg).  Warren hits 81% from the free throw line.  Berks Catholic has won 10 straight games and typically does not allow over 40 ppg.  The matchup pairs two of the top coaches from District 2 and District 3.  Snip Esterly (570 wins) leads the Saints while Ken Bianchi (623 wins) guides the Comets.  The winner advances to play either Boys Latin Charter (12-2, 23-6) or Allentown Central Catholic (11-1, 16-9).                 

 

 

 

GIRLS AAAA

(2-1) Abington Hts. (23-4) vs. (3-2) Cent. Dauphin (17-10) @ Hazleton 6pm

 

When you think of District 3 girls basketball, Central Dauphin is one of the teams that comes to mind instantly.  This year’s edition of the Rams may be a bit ahead of schedule, though, as their starting lineup features three juniors and a sophomore.  They dropped the District 3 title game to Red Lion 53-32, but rebounded last Friday for a 50-36 win over a run-and-gun squad from District 12, Northeast Philly.  This matchup will be much more deliberate and controlled as the Lady Comets run many offensive and defensive schemes.  Central Dauphin’s lone senior starter is 5-5 guard Gabby Scott.  She recorded 7 steals against NE Philly.  Their other guard is 5-6 sophomore Jayneisha Davis (6.6 ppg).  They also feature a talented junior duo of twin sisters in 5-10 forward Precious Martin (very quick, 12.7 ppg) and 5-7 guard Perfect Martin (great defender, 3.4 ppg).  They also have 5-11 junior forward Amanda Stouffer (5.5 ppg).  Junior 6-1 forward Madison Hatcher shook off a back injury in the Red Lion game to post 10 points in their win over NE Philly.  Abington Heights has been getting exceptional guard play and effectively working the ball into their inside players.  And the shots have been dropping nicely.  The winner moves on to play either District 12 Champion Archbishop Carroll (25-2) or Downingtown West (1-3, 25-3).              

 

 

GIRLS AA

(2-1) Montrose (25-2) vs. (12-1) Carver E&S (17-5) @ Hamburg 6pm

(2-2) Dunmore (24-4) vs. (3-1) York Catholic (26-3) @ Martz Hall 6pm 

 

Many hoops fans will recall the pulsating 64-61 win by Dunmore over Carver Engineering and Science in last year’s playoffs.  This year Montrose takes on Carver in a second round game.  The good news for the Lady Meteors is that Brittany Hrynko has graduated and moved on to DePaul University.  Carver does, however, return a duo of top players that combined to score 22 points in the game against Dunmore last year, Monique Whaley-Briggs (5-8 senior guard) and Yolanna Snypse (an excellent rebounder).  Whaley-Briggs (15 points) and Snypse (16 points) led the way in a 51-50 first round win over Lancaster Mennonite, hitting one of two free throws with 2.3 seconds left.  LM had a 35-23 lead early on before Carver narrowed the gap to four points (39-35) heading into the final period.  Other key scoring is provided by Aaliyah Worley.  The winner advances to play either District 11 Champion Pine Grove (18-7) or Delone Catholic (3-2, 22-5).    

 

Matchups against District 3 teams at Martz Hall are fun and, well, there is some history there.  Last year Mid Valley shocked York Catholic on their way to an eastern final.  Their opponent in that game, Dunmore, returns to Pottsville to take on the Irish who recently claimed their 7th straight District 3 championship.  They have a trio of terrific seniors, but it is 5-11 junior swing player Morgan Klunk that really makes them go.  She averages 13.3 ppg and scored 19 in their first round win over Imhotep Charter (she also netted 20 and grabbed 13 boards in the D3 title win over Delone Catholic).  Rachel Forjan (a 5-8 senior, 16 against Imhotep) averages 11.1 ppg and Karli McFatridge (a 5-8 senior) nets 10.5 ppg.  They also feature 5-11 senior Carly Marks and 5-6 sophomore Deanna Chesko.  The Irish forced 23 turnovers in their 64-42 first round win, so the Lady Bucks are going to have to hold onto the ball and not let York Catholic put any big runs together.  The winner advance to play either undefeated District 4 Champion Mount Carmel (26-0) or Minersville (11-2, 18-8).          

 

 

 

 

 

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 14 GAMES

 

 

 

 

BOYS AAAA

(4-1) Williamsport (18-8) vs. (3-2) Harrisburg (20-6) @ Shamokin 7pm

(2-2) Delaware V. (21-7) vs. (11-3) Easton (21-7) @ Stroudsburg 7pm

 

Williamsport and Harrisburg meet up again, but this rematch is sure to be a lot closer than the Cougars 60-46 win in Billtown back in mid-January.  The Millionaires have won 12 of their last 13 games.  Port fans collectively held their breath as one of their top players (Jahad Thomas) suffered an ankle injury in their first round win over Souderton.  He had a monster game with 19 points and 10 rebounds.  Harrisburg erupted for a big second half to top Fels 68-58 as Steven Stoney came off their bench to scored 11 second half points.  Harrisburg is a young team with only one senior starter, but he is a very good one.  Haiishen McIntyre, a 6-2 guard, averages 24 ppg.  He hit 30 in their District 3 AAAA loss to Chambersburg.  Junior 6-5 forward Dominique Lewis had 15 points against Souderton.  This should be an excellent matchup.  The winner will advance to play either Central Bucks West (1-8, 23-5) or Central Dauphin (3-5, 27-2).      

 

Delaware Valley continues on their amazing playoff run.  At one point this season, the Warriors were actually mired in a 3-4 first half mark in league play.  Their impressive comeback win over Hazleton in the District 2 semi-finals was followed by a 54-22 blowout loss to Williamsport in the title game.  Who could have imagined that they would have put together back-to-back stunning upset wins over District 1 and 3 powerhouses like Council Rock North and Chambersburg?  And those games were played in front of vocal, sold-out, partisan crowds.  This is a team that does not panic, is extremely well-coached and, most importantly, has gained a tremendous amount of confidence heading into second round play.  They take on Easton, a team that in some ways mirrors their own surprising playoff success.  After dropping a 50-42 semi-final loss to eventual District 11 champion Pocono Mountain West, Easton took on Emmaus in the consolation game.  The Red Rovers rallied from 9 down entering the final period for a 60-56 over the Green Hornets (22-5) who were the Lehigh Valley Conference champs.  They then gained a heart-pumping first round 49-43 win over Wissahickon in double overtime.  They are led by senior 6-6 swingman Lincoln Holley (11.4 ppg) who had 17 points and 17 rebounds against Wissahickon.  DeVante Queen, their point guard (6.3 ppg) added 15 points in the win.  Senior 6-3 forward Noel Hightower was tough on the boards.  Senior 5-11 guard James Middleton averages 6.6 ppg.  Ryan Walsh (6-6 senior center, 9 ppg) got into some foul trouble with reserve soph Erik Oakley filling in nicely.  The Red Rovers did have some offensive struggles, but relied on their stellar defense and aggressive rebounding to stay within striking distance.  This game could really go either way.  Del-Val will have no problem matching Easton’s intensity.  Once again, the Warrior outside shooting game could be the key.  The winner will move on to play either Lower Merion (1-2, 26-3) or Roman Catholic (12-3, 17-9).                      

 

 

BOYS AA

(2-1) W-B Meyers (24-2) vs. (12-4) Imhotep (18-8) @ Liberty 7:30pm

(2-2) Holy Cross (23-5) vs. (12-1) Comm. Tech (20-9) @ Parkland 7:30pm

(2-3) Riverside (23-4) vs. (12-2) Bishop McDevitt (11-12) @ Liberty 6pm

 

District 2 meet District 12.  District 12 meet District 2.  Rule #1.  Never think that an 8 or 9 or 12 loss team from District 12 will be anything less than the toughest game played all year.  Rule #2.  There are 32 minutes in a basketball game.  Save your energy, you’ll need it at the end. 

 

Wilkes-Barre Meyers needs to get out of the gate with more offensive production than they did against Holy Cross and Athens.  Sure, big second half efforts got the Mohawks comfortable wins but they’ll need four solid quarters in order to defeat Imhotep Charter.  The Panthers compete in Division A of the Philly Public League where they compiled a 10-1 record this year.  They feature several impressive athletes.  6-2 senior guard Khyree Wooten (a 1,000 point scorer) averages 15 ppg.  He has incredible leaping ability and will really wow the crowd if given an opportunity to slam dunk.  Wooten netted 21 in their 60-52 first round win over Delone Catholic.  Imhotep has 6-6 junior guard Brandon Austin (an early commitment to Penn State).  He averages over 10 ppg and 7.5 assists per game.  The Panthers also have an improving 6-6 junior forward, Nigel Grant, who will cause havoc underneath.  5-10 senior point guard Kamini Jordan averages 7.5 ppg.  Imhotep shoots very few long outside shots and typically like to keep the pace up-tempo.  Meyers is going to have to be patient with the ball and not panic if they fall behind.   The winner advances to play either Bishop McDevitt (12-2, 11-12) or Riverside (2-3, 23-4).     

 

Holy Cross definitely has experience playing against District 2 powerhouses.  They will take on perennial Pub challenger Communications Tech.  The Phoenix have won eight of nine games and defeated Bishop McDevitt for the City AA title.  They also upset defending state AA champion Imhotep Charter in the district semi-finals before topping Vaux in the title game.  So, despite their 9 losses, Comm Tech is playing their best ball of the season.  In the first round they beat Columbia 65-52 in a game phayed at South Philadelphia.  They have a pair of identical twin 6-2 playmakers in Tony and Terrell Parker.  Junior forward Terrence Brown and a freshman duo (Samir Doughty and Jordan Burney) complete their lineup.  Doughty had 14 points in their win over Bishop McDevitt and 18 in a Pub semi-final loss to Boys Latin).  Off the bench 5-10 junior guard Basilk Malik has been effective.  This should be a very interesting matchup.  The Crusaders have talented guards, a terrific inside game and a top 6th man off the bench.  The winner takes on either District 11 Champion Pine Grove (20-7) or Vaux (12-3, 15-10).

 

Riverside is a team with incredible desire and intensity.  All four of their losses have come to District 2 runner-up Holy Cross.  For a while, the Vikings were not getting the attention they deserve, but upset wins over Wilkes-Barre GAR and District 4 champion Loyalsock have given them some due credit.  If fans think that their path to the second round was an unlikely one, take a look at their next opponent, Bishop McDevitt.  The Lancers have been a member of the Philadelphia Catholic League since 1963 and with their 68-44 win over Shenendoah Valley on Saturday, they gained just their second postseason win over the last 49 years (they defeated Cardinal Dougherty in 1989).  Their top player is 6-1 guard Markeise Chandler (16 points against SV).  They also feature 5-10 junior point guard Kenyatta Long.  A top rebounder, 6-3 forward Brahieme Jackson pulled down 13 boards win their first round win.  Off their bench, sophomore forward Tyrell Long was spectacular netting 25 points.  Other key players include guards Tymere Wilder and Diamir Williams.  The Lancers play a good, unselfish team basketball and play tight defense.  They can get the the basket and may tend to wear teams down in the postseason with their athleticism.  Riverside does not have a deep lineup, so they must keep this one at their pace.  The winner advances to play either Inhoptep Charter (12-4, 18-8) or District 2 Champion Wilkes-Barre Meyers (24-2).                            

 

 

 

GIRLS AAA

(2-2) Nanticoke (24-3) vs. (1-1) Villa Maria Aca. (22-4) Parkland 6pm

 

When you think about District 1 AAA girls basketball,  they are several top teams that come to mind.  But, one in particular, has shown the best consistency winning six of the last nine District 1 championships.  Villa Maria Academy is known for a solid pressure defense and creating some excellent half court traps.  The Hurricanes typically give teams four quarters of quality basketball and that often gives them just enough separation to get the win.  In their first round 59-50 win over West York, they did give up the ball an uncharacteristic 16 times, but when the game was on the line, they delivered.  VMA has a great outside/inside combo in senior guard Kellie O’Rourke (14 points and 4 treys against WY) and senior forward Maddie McTigue (16 points).  Junior point guard Lisa Mirachi is slick and already being pegged as one of the top players in the state next year.  Nanticoke is going to have to play smart ball control offense and keep turnoves to a minimum.  The winner moves on to play either Bethlehem Catholic (11-2, 24-4) or District 12 Champion Prep Charter (26-3).             

 

 

GIRLS A

(2-1) Old Forge (18-6) vs. (3-1) Lebanon Cath. (20-6) Hazleton 7:30pm 

(2-2) Forest City (14-11) vs. (3-2) Steel-High. (24-3) Hazleton 6pm 

 

Old Forge and Forest City go up against two of the premier players in small school girls basketball.  When they met up for the District 3 championship, Lebanon Catholic pulled off the upset, 84-78 over defending state champion Steelton-Highespire.  It was their 16th district title.  The Beavers got 36 points from 5-5 senior guard Stevie Fortna while Rollers junior point guard Malia Tate-DeFreitas netted 50. 

 

Lebanon Catholic is coached by veteran Patti Hower who has over 600 career wins.  The Beavers are known for solid defense and moving the ball around offensively.  Stevie Fortna is joined by 5-3 senior guard Kate Pastal (13 ppg).  Inside, 5-8 junior Abby Shay is a force and averages 10.6 ppg.  Additional starters include 5-3 senior Abby Schrum and 5-9 senior forward Erika Jackson (4.8 ppg).  As shown in their big win over Steel-High, top reserves Helene Reist (5-4 sophomore) and Holly Marinkov (5-8 junior) play key roles.  Marinkov hit a pair of key treys during a pivotal 12-5 run and Reist nailed 4 free throws in the final minute to seal the victory.  Old Forge is going to again have to focus on playing exceptional defense and keep the Beavers from building an early lead.  The winner advances to play either Marian Catholic (11-2, 20-6) or Harrisburg Christian (3-3, 24-4).  

 

899.

That’s the number of points scored this year by junior guard Malia Tate-DeFreitas (already a 2,000 point scorer).  Despite her often dominating 34 ppg average is (over 60 treys), she gets a lot of talented support around the court.  Junior guards 5-4 Jazmine Blanding (7 ppg) and 5-6 Amber Hess-Moore (8.3 ppg) are solid.  Inside, senior forwards Rayvon Donald (5-9, 8.3 ppg) and Amber Anderson (5-9, 7.9 ppg) are very tough on the boards.  The Rollers also get about 7 ppg from 5-10 junior Khadijah Robinson.  The winner advances to play either undefeated District 11 Champion Tri-Valley (27-0) or Conemaugh Valley (6-3, 19-7).                

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

UPDATED 3/10/12

 

 

WOW – what a fantastic PIAA First Round for District 2! 

 

 

 

PIAA FIRST ROUND RECAPS

 

 

 

BOYS AAAA

(4-1) Williamsport 65, (1-6) Souderton 51 (ends at 20-8)

(2-2) Delaware Valley 56, (3-1) Chambersburg 45 (ends at 18-10)

 

Williamsport pulled away from a halftime 28-28 tie by hitting 60% of their second half shots (15 of 25) and defeated Souderton 65-51.  The Millionaires played in front of a partisan, near-capacity crowd as Isaiah Washington scored 20.  Jahad Thomas netted 19 and grabbed 10 rebounds, but suffered an ankle injury.  Chris Kinley added 11.  Port limited Luke Moyer to only four second half points after allowing him to get 16 through the first two periods. 

 

Delaware Valley is quickly proving that teams do not have to be flashy to compete and advance in this year’s tourney.  The Warriors took on District 3 champ Chambersburg before an overflow audience at Milton Hershey HS and came away with the impressive upset, their second of the tournament.  After Chambersburg took an 18-11 lead, the Warriors used a 15-0 run take a 26-18 advantage going into the locker room.  C-burg used an 8-2 burst to knot the game at 28-28, but DV hung tough to move out to a 6-point lead going into the final quarter.  Down the stretch, Brandon Angradi (22 points) was superb in the 56-45 win hitting all 12 free throws on the day.  Brent Fragola handled the ball well and scored 11 points.  Chambersburg got 14 from Andrew Plank and 10 from Kellen Williams.  AJ Maun was held to only 5 points.       

 

 

BOYS AAA

(2-1) Abington Heights 62, (11-3) Northern Lehigh 54 (ends at 20-6)

(4-1) Danville 61, (2-2) Scranton Prep 50 (ends at 18-8) 

 

Abington Heights is a team that plays has a reputation for playing pretty tough defense.  But, in the first quarter, the Comets had no answer for the outside shooting of Northern Lehigh’s 6-7 Lucas Pierce who smoked the nets to score 14 points in a 20-9 run over the first eight minutes.  Amazingly, the second period had a completely opposite flow after AH switched to a man-to-man defense and got a spark from John Vassil who was inserted into their lineup when TJ Murray picked up his second foul.  His tenacious D on Pierce worked and suddenly NL started turning the ball over, and over, and over.  Mixed into the 19-0 Comet run was a technical on the NL head coach for disputing a charging call.  AH took a 31-24 lead into halftime as Devon Glose (12 points) finally stopped the scoring drought.  The Comets began to pull away from a tight 39-37 lead in the final quarter as JC Show led the way with 20 while Jason Bamford added 12.  TJ Murray and Kevin Elwell also combined for 19 in the 62-54 victory.

 

Danville came away with some better all-around rebounding, but it took a 6-0 run in the final 3 minutes to finally put away a gritty effort by Scranton Prep (who played without starter Matt Walsh due to an illness).  The Ironmen got another fantastic effort from Andrew Andreychik (27 points).  Danville led by a bucket after the first period (16-14) and then used a 12-2 second quarter run to take a 21-33 lead at the break.  Mac Temples netted 17 for the Cavaliers who were in foul troubles with starters James Fives and Noah Beh.  The two teams combined to only hit a modest 34 of 58 free throws.

 

 

BOYS AA

(2-1) Wilkes-Barre Meyers 63, (4-3) Athens 42 ends at (22-4)

(2-2) Holy Cross 62, (4-1) Southern Columbia 47 (ends at 20-7)

(2-3) Riverside 52, (4-1) Loyalsock Twp. 50 (ends at 22-4)

 

Wilkes-Barre Meyers had a miserable first period with 5 turnovers and only hitting 2 of 11 shots.  And the Mohawks found themselves trailing 11-6.  After knotting the game at 21 going into halftime, they responded with another huge second half outscoring Athens 42-21.  Rasheed Moore scored 23, Eugene Lewis 16, and Ryan Krawczeniuk 15 in their 63-42 win.  Mark Wright scored 18 for Athens.

 

Holy Cross had a struggle against Southern Columbia as their 6-point halftime lead was whittled down to a single basket (42-40) heading into the final eight minutes.  That’s when center Josh Kosin came alive scoring 7 of his 15 points to help trigger a 20-7 Crusader run to grab the first round 62-47 win.  Holy Cross also got 12 points and 10 rebounds from Robert Heyen while Connor Jones had yet another terrific effort off the bench with 14 points. For Southern, Casey Savitski scored 15 and Kristian Klebon added 14. 

 

In one of the biggest upsets of the weekend, Riverside stayed within striking distance to District 4 champion Loyalsock.  After trailing 40-32 after three periods, Jerry Kincel (who only had 7 points to that point) got hot scoring 13 of his 20 points in the final stanza.  The Lancers took a 50-49 lead with 90 seconds remaining, but the Vikings got a break as Kincel was fouled on a trey attempt with 12 seconds left.  He converted one of three to tie it at 50.  The Vikes then got the ball back but there were only 1.6 ticks left.  The inbounds pass got tipped and Nico Munley (9 points) put a shot up that went in at the buzzer to give Riverside an incredible 52-50 win (outscoring Sock 20-10 in the final quarter).  Jaron Vishnesky added 13 for Riverside who had 7 team treys in the game.  The Lancers got 14 from Roger Wilson and 18 from Jackson Kurtz.        

 

 

BOYS A

(1-2) Faith Christian 57, (2-1) Susquehanna 41 (ends at 8-16)

(1-1)   School of Church Farm 48, (2-2) Old Forge 30 (ends at 9-16)   

 

 

Susquehanna had some early success and actually held a 25-20 halftime lead over Faith Christian.  However, a 24-8 advantage in the third period put FC up 44-33.  Greg Boyd scored 19 in the win while JD Zamroz added 15.  The Sabers got 17 from Andrzej Tomczyk and 14 from Cole Mallery.

 

Old Forge only trailed Church Farm 5-2 after the first period, but a 16-7 deficit put them in a 21-7 hole at halftime.  David Argust netted 13 for the Blue Devils.  Church Farm got 24 combined from Doolum and Aonodofa Anyam.

 

 

 

GIRLS AAAA

(2-1) Abington Heights 50, (1-6) Upper Darby 40 (ends at 18-10)

 

Abington Heights got exceptional ball-handling and 11 assists from their guards in a 50-40 defeat over Upper Darby.  Lady Comet post players finished off many superb penetration drive and dish plays.  Melanie Coles had a great game scoring 14 and grabbing 10 rebounds.  Breanna Toro added 13 with 11 boards.  Tiffany O’Donnell netted 13 while Lauren Hoyt handled the ball very well.  Katie Fitzpatrick scored 19 for Upper Darby, including 8 straight to keep UD in the game after AH had taken a 20-9 lead.

 

 

GIRLS AAA

(11-3) Southern Lehigh 48, (2-1) Honesdale 43 (ends at 22-6) 

(2-2) Nanticoke 41, (4-1) Shamokin 36 (ends at 19-6)

 

After being down 15-6 after the first period, Southern Lehigh slowly chipped away at the Honesdale lead.  But, the Lady Hornets, who used some sensational defense and great floor running early, did not panic, even after Southern Leigh grabbed their first lead, 22-21.  Heading into the final period tied at 31, Honesdale went up by seven (40-33) after a steal and layup by Katie Miller at the 5 minute mark.  SL, however, rallied to take a 41-40 lead after a Melanie McDonald putback.  Honesdale committed a costly turnover leading 43-41 (2:02 left) and Melann Armory capitalized by hitting a trey to give Northern Lehigh a 44-43 edge.  It was the beginning of a 7-0 run that ended the game.  The Lady Hornets were paced by Morgan Birmelin and Mary Martin who each scored 12.

 

Nanticoke got some key foul shooting from Sami Gow (10 points, 7 of 8 free throws) to preserve a lead and hold on for a 41-36 win over Shamokin.  The Lady Indians rebounded from a 15-8 deficit early to grab a one point lead midway through the third period.  The Trojanettes, who got 14 from Katie Wolfe, regained the lead (31-29) heading into the final 8 minutes.  Kelsey Yacko had 13 points and 11 rebounds for Shamokin.   

 

 

GIRLS AA

(2-1) Montrose 57, (4-2) Wyalusing Valley 41 (ends at 22-4)

(2-2) Dunmore 50, (1-1) Christopher Dock 43 (ends at 19-6)

(4-1) Mount Carmel 63, (2-3) Mid Valley 43 (ends at 17-12)  

 

Montrose used a 20-11 fourth quarter to pull away from Wyalusing Valley and get a 57-41 win.  Dallas Ely netted 28 points (5 of 7 treys), Sara Krupinski added 11 and Myra Lattimore 10.  Alexix Day had 14 for Wyalusing.

 

Dunmore trailed Christopher Dock 33-30 after three quarters, but the Lady Bucks rallied for a 50-43 win over the District 1 champion.  Molly Burke scored 19 and Jillian Korgeski added 12 in the Dunmore win while CD got 19 from Laura Swintosky and 18 from Olivia Bradford.  The win was the 100th for head coach Ben O’Brien. 

 

Mid Valley found themselves down 16-5 to undefeated Mount Carmel and dropped a 63-43 to the Lady Tornadoes.  Alison Varano had 24 and Kim Andruscavage had 20 for Mt. Carmel.  Danielle Terranella closed out her spectacular high school career with 26 points and 16 rebounds.

 

 

GIRLS A

(2-1) Old Forge 40, (1-2) Morrisville 27 (ends at 23-3) 

(2-2) Forest City 45, (1-1) Delco Christian 42 (ends at 14-12) 

 

Old Forge played terrific defense (26 turnovers) and held on for a 40-27 win over Morrisville.  Lauren Carey netted 15 for the Blue Devils while Kievanna Lacey had 10 (with 10 rebounds) for Morrisville.

 

In the biggest girls upset of the weekend, Forest City rallied from a halftime deficit to go up 36-31 after three quarters.  Carly Erdmann scored 15 and Cassandra Bendyk added 12 for the Lady Foresters in their 45-42 win over the District 1 champion.  Stacey MacArthur had 12 for Delco.

 

 

 

 

 

 

UPDATED 3/9/12

 

 

GOOD LUCK

TO ALL OF THE DISTRICT 2 TEAMS THIS WEEKEND!

 

 

 

 

IF IT’S BROKEN, FIX IT

 

One of the hot-button topics coming out of this year’s District 2 tournament has been the bracket seeding of teams, especially in the Boys AA and AAAA classifications.  It’s an issue that has grabbed the attention of media groups covering both the Wyoming Valley Conference and the Lackawanna League.  Emotions are running high in the newspaper and on the radio airwaves.  And some might correctly argue that the issue goes even further as several well-deserving teams were left out entirely - simply because they did not make the 8-team cut.  The process by which 2A and 3A teams qualify for the district playoffs was completely revamped two years ago with the WVC using a points system and the LIAA adopting a combination of playoff games and automatic bids to select their representatives.  The district committee has always thrown their full support into developing the best possible format.  They have readily acknowledged that continued feedback and discussion needs to take place.  It’s an ongoing effort.   

 

So, what changed since last year when there was virtually no controversy following the tournament?  Actually, nothing.  In Boys AA, the 5 LIAA and 3 WVC teams were placed into pre-determined positions of the 8-team bracket.  That resulted in Wilkes-Barre GAR (20-2) facing Riverside (20-4) in a quarter-final elimination game (a 4-seed vs. 5-seed matchup).  Through much of the year, these teams were considered to be among the best teams in the entire district.  In fact their only losses came to higher-seeded teams, Holy Cross (20-4) and Wilkes-Barre Meyers (20-2), both division champions.  The only way to have avoided an early GAR/Riverside showdown would have been to deny Lakeland (17-8), the LIAA Division 3 Champion, their 3-seed tourney position.  Ironically, if the old system of rating teams (based on overall league records) was used, the matchup would have been identical.  This appears to be one of those “hate it or hate it” situations with little room for an easy solution.  Lost in the debate over which deserving team got sent home early, is the fact that Hanover Area (10-12 overall, 8-6 league) got a 6-seed over Dunmore (19-7 overall, 11-3 league).  It shouldn’t be a surprise because it’s what can (and will) happen when “teams” get pre-slotted into an 8-team bracket.  It’s based on a premise of what should happen - not what can happen.  It’s what looks fair on paper vs. what coaches, players, and fans have to deal with come playoff time. 

 

In Boys AAAA, where overall records are used for playoff seeding, the situation again boils down to the “Williamsport-factor”.  The complaints are nothing new; they just disappeared for several years when the Millionaires had struggled to even qualify for the District 2/4 sub-regional.  Scranton gained the top-seed this year.  Because of their better overall record, Delaware Valley (17-5) got the 3-seed over Williamsport (14-8).  But, that put #1 Scranton directly against the #4 Millionaires in a semi-final elimination game (which Port won in overtime).  Del-Val defeated Hazleton Area in the other semi-final, but later lost to Williamsport in the title game.  But, as the runner-up, the Warriors moved on to the play-in round, technically winning the D2 AAAA title.  Some strong arguments were heard about needing to better protect the District 2 #1 seed and slotting Williamsport into a 3 or 6-seed position.  While on the surface it seems to make sense, it would certainly generate heated protest from Billtown.  Admittedly, Scranton’s resume and lofty credentials for being the top seed was impressive, but keep in mind that Hazleton Area would have locked up that top position if they had not squandered a 10-point fourth quarter lead to WVW in their final league game.  If the roles were reversed, Cougars fans and Dave Seamon (Standard Speaker sports editor) would be ones clamoring for a seeding change as they took on Port in a semi-final elimination game.  It’s a road they’ve been down many times.  Or, in a re-vamped system (with Port slotted into the 3-seed), it would have put the Millionaires up against (guess who) Scranton.  It’s a small bracket with a big problem. 

 

One change that the NEP Beat supports for the AA and AAA classifications is that ALL teams that win at least half of their league games should qualify for the district tourney.  Just expand the current 8-team limit to accommodate the total number of teams that qualify.  It’s fairer and nowhere near the insanity of the previous used open-format.  And look into using a power ratings system (as in used in Districts 1, 3, and 11) to then seed the teams.

 

 

See you in the bleachers.                         

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

UPDATED 3/8/12

 

 

Welcome back to the Northeast Beat.

 

Previews for all the Friday and Saturday First Round games are added below.

 

 

 

 

 

PIAA FIRST ROUND PREVIEWS

 

 

 

FRIDAY, MARCH 9 GAMES

 

 

 

 

BOYS AAA

(2-1) Abington Hts. (22-5) vs. (11-3) N. Lehigh (20-5) Lack. College 7:30pm

(2-2) Scranton Prep (18-7) vs. (4-1) Danville (22-2) Shamokin HS 7:30pm

 

This was pegged to be the year that Northern Lehigh would challenge for their division and league championship as wells as a possible district title.  After finishing second in the Colonial League Northern Division, the Bulldogs dropped a 58-48 league playoff semi-final loss to Bangor.  Moving into the District 11 playoffs as the #1 seed, they were eliminated in the semi-finals once again by Wilson (43-39).  Despite their height advantage, they got out-rebounded by the Warriors and committed four uncharacteristic turnovers in the closing minutes.  The Bulldogs rebounded to win the consolation game, 49-34 over North Schuylkill.  NL has a strong inside game featuring 6-7 junior center Lucas Pierce (11.5 ppg) and 6-5 junior forward Caleb Johnson (9.7 ppg).  Outside, 6-2 senior guard Devon Glose is a league all-star who averages 8.6 ppg.  Additional perimeter contributions come from 6-0 senior Josh Pristash (5.3 ppg) and 5-10 soph Tyler Dibilio (5.6 ppg).  The Bulldogs will look to use their height advantage against the Comets.  Abington Heights plays an effective matchup zone and will need to stay out of early foul troubles.  This should be an entertaining matchup.  The winner will advance to play either Distirct 3 Champion Berks Catholic (27-2) or Philly E&T Charter (12-4, 16-10). 

 

Hitting the road Friday night, Scranton Prep will certainly have their hands full against Danville.  After dropping their first two games this season (to Pottsville and Allentown CC), the Ironmen have methodically rattled off 22 straight wins including an impressive District 4 title rout over Shikellamy, 62-36.  The Ironmen play aggressive defense and are well-known for their offensive spurts that can completely alter the momentum of a game.  They shot 50% in their win over the Braves.  Any discussion needs to begin with their senior leader, 6-0 guard Andrew Andreychik who averages nearly 20 ppg.  He’s a 1,000 point scorer who netted a dozen of their first 16 points against Shik.  Junior 5-11 guard Bret Berg added 20.  Other guards include 5-10 junior Matt McConnell, 5-11 soph Zach Kozick, and 6-0 senior Kyle Gruss.  Inside, they have 6-2 senior David Vitunac, 6-1 senior Ross Litz, and 6-1 junior Scott Heeter.  Scranton Prep played a difficult league schedule and should be able to keep this one competitive – at least for a while.  The winner moves on to play either District 1 Champion  Holy Ghost Prep (27-1) or Northeastern (3-5, 17-9).                               

 

 

BOYS A

(2-1) Susquehanna (8-15) vs. (1-2) Faith Christian (23-4) Scranton HS 6pm

(2-2) Old Forge (9-15) vs. (1-1) Church Farm (20-5) Ply-Whitemarsh 6pm   

 

Susquehanna comes into the state playoffs as district champion, but the Sabers are definitely in the role of heavy underdog against Faith Christian.  The Lions advanced to the District 1 title game after their near-perfect 67-57 win over Girard College, but then got pounded by Church Farm for the second time this year, 61-34 in the championship game.  FC really had trouble handling their speedy guards who combined to score 43 points and force 17 turnovers.  Faith Christian is led by 6-1 senior point guard Greg Boyd who averages 14.4 ppg (he netted 21 against Girard).  A pair of newcomers to their program this season really helped.  Senior guard JD Zamroz transferred into the Lions program and nets 11.7 ppg (he had 20 against Girard).  Their 6-3 senior center Will Maynard averages 13.7 ppg.  The Lions also get strong contributions from 6-0 senior guard Justin Festa and 6-4 senior power forward Alexander Woelkers (9.4 ppg).  The winner advances to play either District 3 Champion Greenwood (21-1) or Lourdes Regional (4-4, 14-12).    

 

Old Forge, fresh off their upset 68-63 win over Antietam, now goes up against one of the District 1 powerhouse teams.  Though only a single-A school, Church Farm would be competitive on the AAAA level.  They’re that good.  They soundly defeated the District 1 runner-up Faith Christian twice this year, including a 61-34 win as they captured their second District 1 championship in a row.  Their star player is 6-1 junior point guard Howard Sellers who netted 23 points in their title win over Faith Christian.  He is being recruited on the Division 1 level.  They also feature 5-8 senior guard Doolum Anyam, 5-8 sophomore Aondofa Anyam, and 5-9 senior Nolan Swiderski. The Griffins like to run a fast break if the opportunity presents, but will also run a patient half-court offense for an open jumper.  Defensively, they do force many turnovers, but mainly from an outstanding man-to-man style without lots of trapping.  The winner advances to take on either New Hope Academy (3-2, 17-8) or Muncy (4-2, 16-9) on Tuesday.       

 

 

GIRLS AAAA

(2-1) Abington Hts. (22-4) vs. (1-6) Upper Darby (18-9) Lack. College 6pm

 

Abington Heights played one of their best all-around games of the season in their district title win over Wallenpauapck.  The Lady Comets will need a similar effort against Upper Darby on Friday night.  The Royals were rated as the #7 team entering the District 1 playoffs.  After back-to-back wins over Pennsbury (56-30) and Boyertown (61-46) they dropped a quarter-final game to Council Rock South (44-32).  In the playback rounds, UD defeated Haverford (49-32) before being soundly bounced by perennial powerhouse Mount Saint Joseph, 53-27.  The Royals do have very talented guards, especially speedy Tyra Polite (14 ppg, 10 against MSJ) who can release a quick shot.  She is joined by point guard Leilani Beckman.  Inside, forward Katie Fitzpatrick (14 ppg) is athletic.  Other forwards include Taylor Newman and Riley Keough.  Abington Heights needs to counter the play of the Upper Darby backcourt and take the ball inside where they may be able to establish an advantage.  This appears on paper to be an excellent matchup.  The winner advances to play either Central Dauphin (3-2, 16-10) or Northeast (12-4, 15-6) next Tuesday.        

 

 

GIRLS AA

(2-1) Montrose (24-2) vs. (4-2) Wyalusing (22-3) Scranton HS 7:30pm

(2-2) Dunmore (23-4) vs. (1-1) Christopher Dock (19-5) Coatesville HS 6pm

(2-3) Mid Valley (17-11) vs. (4-1) Mount Carmel (25-0) Shamokin HS 6pm 

 

Montrose only lost a pair of game this year – to Lackawanna Division 1 competitors Scranton Prep and Wallenpaupack.  In their state playoff matchup against Wyalusing Valley, they will be facing a team from the Northern Tier League.  The Lady Rams feature balanced scoring and good overall team defense.  Montrose is going to have to rebound the ball to get a few fast break opportunities going.  Wyalusing has a pair of solid inside players that can dominate at times.  Alexix Daly, a 5-11 senior forward, averages 16.3 ppg and is a terrific shot blocker.  Arielle Kneller, a 5-10 junior center, nets 10 ppg.  The Lady Meteors have got to try and keep the ball away from them in the low post.  Other Lady Rams players to watch include 5-7 junior forward MacKenzie Martin as well as senior guards Laci Holden (5-5 point, very quick) and Courtney Eberlin.  They also have a promising freshman forward in 5-9 Kasey DeVoir (6.7 ppg).  This should be a great matchup with the winner advancing to play either District 12 Champion Carver E&S (16-5) or Lancaster Mennonite (3-3, 20-8).

 

Dunmore, who dropped two close games to Montrose recently, must hit the road to take on District 1 champion Christopher Dock.  The Lady Pioneers pounded New Hope Solebury 45-19.  CD is an athletic group of players and is led by their senior captains, 5-8 guard Olivia Bradford (16.4 ppg) and 6-1 center Laura Swintosky (9.8 ppg).  Against New Hope, it was their 5-8 sophomore forward Kereece Seuren who paced them with 17 points.  Other top players include 5-4 junior guard Shea Neal (an excellent defender), Aly Shilling (5-8 senior forward), Mattasyn Shisler (5-5 freshman guard), Olivia Seavy (5-7 freshman forward), and Lauren Anderson (5-10 soph forward).  Never count out the Lady Bucks, especially this time of year.  The winner advances to play either powerhouse District 3 Champion York Catholic (25-3) or Imhotep Charter (12-3, 16-5).       

 

Mid Valley’s run to the eastern title game last year began with a remarkable upset win over Mount Carmel.  It’s fair to say that the undefeated Lady Red Tornadoes will be poised and prepared to avoid another shocking loss to the Spartanettes again this year.  Mount Carmel has a flair for creating turnovers to light up their transition game.  Their starting five is very good.  Their leading scorers (both reached 1,000 points) are senior playmakers Ranotta Ahrenfeld (13.7 ppg, a great rebounder) and 5-7 Kim Andruscavage (14.7 ppg).  Ali Varano (5-5 soph) also nets in double figures (12.7 ppg) and is an outstanding defender.  Heather Bolick (5-4 senior guard) scorers 9.4 ppg and Ana Raybuck (5-9 soph) is a good shot blocker averaging 7.7 ppg.  Top reserve is Kayla Shamus, a 5-6 senior forward.  The winner moves on to play either Bishop McDevitt (12-2) or Minersville (11-2, 17-8).              

 

 

 

 

 

SATURDAY, MARCH 10 GAMES

 

 

 

BOYS AAAA

(4-1) Williamsport (17-8) vs. (1-6) Souderton (20-7) Montoursville HS 6pm

(2-2) Delaware V. (20-7) vs. (3-1) Chambersburg (18-9) Milton Hershey 6pm

 

Williamsport rolls into the state tourney winning 11 of their last 12 games.  Their first round opponent, Souderton, came into the District 1 tournament rated as the #10 team, but put together an impressive run to grab the #6 seed.  After the Indians defeated West Chester Henderson 67-55, they shot lights out (69% from 3-point land) to upset Council Rock North 70-53.  After a close quarter-final loss to eventual District 1 runner-up Lower Merion (60-54), Souderton went in to the losers bracket.  There, they topped Coatesville 66-56 and held a big lead on Norristown before the Eagles went on a 17-4 run to take the lead and eventually prevail 42-36.  The Indians have one of the top playmakers in District 1 in Ryan Connolly.  He scored 30 points in their win over Coatesville.  Senior guard Luke Moyers is also excellent.  In their win over CR-North, he netted 23 points.  Other key players include Mark Wonderling and John Kanas.  Souderton, like the Millionaires, like to play a tight and physical man defense.  If allowed to dictate the tempo, the Indians could have an edge on Saturday.  The winner advances to play either District 3 runner-up Harrisburg (19-6) or Fels (12-4, 18-8).                    

 

Amazing storylines are probably the most fascinating aspect of playoff basketball.  A few weeks ago when LLHoops was providing live updates from the District 3 quarter-finals, it was noted that one of the games featured Chambersburg vs. Dover.  Glancing at the brackets, it was a matchup of #10 and #15 seeded teams.  Yawn.  Grab some lunch over at the Parkside would have been my first thought.  But that would have been a big mistake because it turns out that Chambersburg’s second round 55-53 OT shocker over second-seeded Hershey was just beginning of an incredible run to the District 3 title.  The Trojans advanced to the semi-finals where they defeated Central Dauphin East 63-44 and then gained a pulsating championship overtime win over Harrisburg, 52-49 (their first since 2001).  All that after entering the tournament with a modest 13-9 record.  They managed to bring it all together and are riding an incredible wave of confidence right now.  The Trojans feature a pair of talented all-star guards in 6-0 junior Kellen Williams (14.5 ppg) and 6-2 senior AJ Maun (12.4 ppg).  Their other expected starters include 6-1 senior forward Andrew Plank (4 ppg), 5-10 senior guard Quinn Oyler, and 6-3 senior center Willy Sensenderfer.  Off the bench, seeing key playing time, are 6-8 junior center Mitch Stahl (7.3 ppg, one of the top volleyball players in the nation) and 5-8 junior guard Tay Charles (5.5 ppg).  Charles in particular, has come onto the scene to be a real team leader especially during this amazing playoff run.  He is their emotional pulse.  Delaware Valley has a nice blend of athletes who play very hard for 32 minutes.  They handle the ball extremely well and have a knack for working it inside.  The winner advances to play either Wissahickon (1-4, 22-5) or Easton (11-3, 20-7) next Wednesday.                          

 

 

BOYS AA

(2-1) W-B Meyers (23-2) vs. (4-3) Athens (22-3) Pittston HS, 3:30 pm

(2-2) Holy Cross (22-5) vs. (4-1) So. Columbia (20-6) Marywood U. 6:30pm

(2-3) Riverside (22-4) vs. (4-1) Loyalsock Twp. (22-3) W’Port HS 3pm

 

It’s a District 2 vs. District 4 hoop fest.  Although maybe a notch below the state championship contender level seen in previous years, D-4 still brings an excellent group of teams into the first round.  Wilkes-Barre Meyers opponent is Athens.  If it weren’t for giving up a 13 point lead in the district semi-final and seeing Southern Columbia nail a 30-foot shot at the buzzer (to win 44-42), Athens would have been in the D4 championship matchup.  The Wildcats were able rebound in the consolation game to gain a 67-53 win over South Williamsport.  One interesting local tie-in involves their head coach Bob Fauver.  He led their girls program for 16 seasons, winning 309 games, and four district championships.  He stepped away from their program in 2005 to spend some quality time with his family and to coach youth basketball.  This year Fauver decided coach the varsity boys team (and has two sons on their roster) after coaching legend Jim Davis retired with 737 wins.  Fauver is a 1976 graduate of Riverside HS.  He played college ball at both Keystone and Scranton before a two-year stint with the former Scranton Miners (of the semi-pro EBA).  Athens is a tall, athletic team that likes to play up-tempo, averaging almost 70 ppg this year.  They feature a trio of veteran starters in senior center Mark Wright and junior playmaker Garrett Clark.  Wright leads the Wildcats in scoring and Clark is a terrific defender.  Other key players include junior Ray McDougan (19 against South Williamsport), senior forward Adam McCauley, junior guard Robert Fauver and freshman guard Brandon Fauver.  And they can hit treys  - nine in their consolation victory.  Also in their resume, Athens dropped a buzzer-beater loss against powerful Danville.  They are definitely a tough opening round draw for the Mohawks.  Eugene Lewis and Rasheed Moore will be counted on to offset the Wildcats height.  The winner advances to play either District 3 Champion Delone Catholic (18-8) or Imhotep Charter (12-4, 17-8). 

 

Holy Cross takes on District 4 runner-up Southern Columbia.  The Tigers got to the D4 title game in dramatic fashion after rallying from a 13-point deficit and then getting a buzzer-beating 30-foot bomb from Casey Savitski to clinch a 44-42 upset win over Athens.  They were able to counter the Wildcats height advantage with their trap defense that created 14 turnovers in the second half.  In the championship game against Loyalsock, the Tigers were not able to contain the Lancers with their press and Loyalsock romped to a 67-49 win.  Southern Columbia had earlier defeated Loyalsock 57-55 in a game played on the Lancers home floor.  The Tigers are led by 6-0 senior playmaker Brad Fegley who averages 11.4 ppg.  He is also very quick, a dangerous outside shooter, and contributes about 7 rpg.  Their other top player is 6-1 senior Casey Savitski (11.6 ppg, 7 rpg).  Other starters include 5-10 senior forward Keith Day (8.3 ppg), 5-11 senior guard Kristian Klebon (9 ppg, 38 treys) and 5-10 freshman guard Mike Klebon.  Southern features several athletes who transitioned from their powerhouse football team this year.  The Tigers do not have much height so taking the ball inside to Josh Kosin may be a prime Crusader focus.  Holy Cross has exceptional guards who must handle to ball well and keep turnovers to a minimum.  The winner moves on to play either District 12 Champion Communications Tech (19-9) or Columbia (3-3, 17-9).   

 

When you think about consistency and District 4 AA basketball, Loyalsock is always at the top of the discussion.  Even during somewhat of a rebuilding year, when promising younger players needed to blend with a small, but talented veteran nucleus, the Lancers shined in the end.  Loyalsock pounded a Southern Columbia team (that defeated them earlier in the year) by 18 points to notch their 12th win a row.  It was their 7th district title since 2001.  Leading the way are seniors 5-11 guard Dylan Casale (10.8 ppg) and 6-2 forward Jackson Kurtz (22 points in a semi-final win over South Williamsport).  They have been spectacular through the District 4 playoffs.  Their terrific group of younger players are led by freshman guard Kyle Datres.  Roger Wilson (6-5 forward) is playing very well inside.  The Vikings must also keep an eye on junior Ryan Bogaczyk as wells as Omar Little and Jimmy Webb.  The winner will advance to play either Bishop McDevitt (12-2, 10-12) or Shenandoah Valley (11-2, 21-4).                   

 

 

GIRLS AAA

(2-1) Honesdale (22-5) vs. (11-3) So. Lehigh (23-4) Marywood U. 3:30pm

(2-2) Nanticoke (23-3) vs. (4-1) Shamokin (19-5) Shikellamy 6pm

 

Honesdale comes into the state playoffs with a definite focus to win and advance; in fact they have shown no intimidation working through a challenging field of District 2 teams on their way to winning the gold medals.  And now is not the time to throw out the winning formula that got them to the party.  But, the reality is that their first round draw, will present definite matchup challenges.  Despite being the #3 seed from District 11, Southern Lehigh (who won the Colonial League title for the second year in a row) is a very solid team.  They lost to powerhouse Becahi twice (including a 57-39 loss in the D-11 semi-finals) and D-11 champ ACC once.  They are coached by former Berwick standout Megan Dellogrotti who netted 2,299 career points (including a single game record of 62) with the Lady Dawgs.  Dellogrotti was named Allentown Morning Call Girls Coach of the Year in 2011.  Their top players are 6-1 senior forward Bridgette Dougherty (15.4 ppg), 5-10 sophomore G/F Madelene McDonald, and 5-3 senior guard Julia Nemeth (5.3 ppg).  Other starters include 5-8 sophomore G/F Melann Armory (5 ppg) and 5-8 senior guard Shannon Sullivan (2.7 ppg).  Reserves include of pair of promising younger players, 5-8 freshman Mady Campbell and 5-8 soph forward Brianna Prince.  Dougherty (a 1,000 point scorer), their team leader, is an all-conference selection who is headed to West Point.  In their District 11 consolation win over Jim Thorpe, she netted 12 while McDonald added 18.  The winner moves on to play either District 3 Champion Lancaster Catholic (26-3) or Freire Charter (12-4, 18-9).

 

Nanticoke is going to have to navigate through the decided height advantage which Shamokin brings into their first round game.  The Lady Indians had a remarkable turnaround of their season after starting 5-5.  The have won 14 straight games, including the 34-31 win over Danville in the District 4 title game (their first championship in five years).  Shamokin has a quartet of key players paced by 5-10 senior forward Steph Pancher (14 points, 14 rebounds against Danville).  She is helped inside by 5-10 junior Kelsey Yacko and 5-9 sophomore Olivia Bonshock who are both key rebounding and assist leaders.  Their top guard is 5-8 senior Keena Zalar.  Their other players include 5-7 junior guard Sami Schiccatano and 5-9 senior forward Jess Britton.  In the game against Danville, while the Lady Indians out-rebounded the Lady Ironmen 38-19, they shot an icy 25% and gave the ball away 17 times.  Nanticoke will need to continue to play solid defense and work for good 3-point opportunities.  This winner advances to play either the District 1 Champion Villa Maria Academy (21-4) or West York (3-5, 20-7).  

 

 

GIRLS A

(2-1) Old Forge (17-6) vs. (1-2) Morrisville (23-2) Marywood U. 5pm 

(2-2) Forest City (13-11) vs. (1-1) Delco Chr. (14-11) Spring-Ford 6pm 

 

The District 2 winner and runner-up will be taking on the District 1 winner and runner-up.  And just like Old Forge and Forest City are familiar foes, so too are Morrisville and Delco Christian.  They compete is the same conference, the Bicentennial Athletic League.  Even though Morrisville twice defeated Delco during the season (regular game and league playoff), the Lady Knights took the district title with a 39-32 win (limiting the Lady Bulldogs to a single field goal in the third period).  Morrisville is an experienced group of players who loves to play an up tempo run-and-gun game.  In fact they start five seniors led by forward Casandra Martinez, guard Michelle Evans, and guard Kievanna Lacey (a 1,000 point scorer).  The winner advances to play either the District 3 Champion, Lebanon Catholic (19-6) or Muncy (4-4, 17-8). 

 

Delco Christian, on the other hand, has no seniors on their roster.  And early in the season, it showed as the Lady Knights started out 4-8 before winning 11 of the next 15 games.  They are led by their top scorers 5-6 junior guard Stacey MacArthur and 5-7 junior guard Jocelyn Chavous (a great defensive player).  They also have 5-8 junior forward Anna Evans who scored 10 points against Morrisville and 5-10 sophomore forward Jamie Barr who grabbed 7 rebounds and blocked 10 shots.  Their other starter is 5-9 junior forward Neily Thompson.  The winner moves on to play either Steelton-Highespire (3-2, 23-3) or Cowanesque Valley (4-3, 18-7).                     

 

 

 

 

 

 

PIAA Play-in Round Recaps

 

 

TUESDAY, MARCH 6

 

 

BOYS AAAA

(2-2) Delaware Valley 53, (1-9) Council Rock North 46 OT

 

In the days leading up to the start of the state basketball tournament, there were some rumblings that Council Rock North might be a serious AAAA state contender despite their ninth place finish in the District 1 tourney.  After all, the Indians had a Division 1 recruit in Aaron Morgan (headed to UMBC) as wells as two other D-1 prospects.  So, confidence was likely very high for CR-North, especially because the game was being played on their home floor.  No doubt, though, that somewhere in the back of Derek Wright’s mind was his team’s loss to District 2 runner-up Hazleton Area two years earlier in the exact same play-in bracket.  Their opponent this year, Delaware Valley, was fresh off a 54-22 textbook blowout loss to Williamsport in the District 2/4 championship game.  One key thing that never got rolling against the Millionaires was the shooting touch of Brandon Angradi.  All that changed Tuesday evening as Angradi netted 24 points as he established a new Warrior career scoring mark of 1,476 points (surpassing head coach Kris Holtzer’s mark of 1,474).  After a halftime tie of 24-24, Del-Val trailed going into the final period 36 to 32.  Each time the Indians threatened to break the game open with leads of 37-32 and 39-34, Angradi responded with a clutch trey.  In fact, the Warriors responded by outscoring The Rock 12-4 to go up 46-43 approaching the 2 minute mark.  After Morgan (16 points) tied the game at 46, the Indians got the ball back and decided to run out the final 90 seconds.  But, they missed a shot as time expired.  In the overtime stanza, DV grabbed the lead and Angradi then sealed the 53-46 win by hitting 5 of 6 free throws (CR-North was held scoreless).  It was a most impressive win by Delaware Valley, a team that has terrific team chemistry and is deceivingly good.  They battle for 32 minutes.  Brent Fragola and Connor Decker combined to score 19 in the win while Rip Engle added 14 for Council Rock North.  DV now advances to take on the District 3 Champion, Chambersburg (18-9) on Saturday evening (Milton Hershey HS, 6pm).                        

 

 

 

BOYS A

(2-2) Old Forge 68, (3-4) Antietam 63

 

In their game against Old Forge, Antietam would later acknowledge that they felt they’d have an easy time winning the game as the Blue Devils entered the contest with a modest 8-15 record.  Lesson learned – by both teams.  The Blue Devils benefitted from some poor defense by the Mountaineers to storm out to a 21-3 lead after the first period.  Although Antietam did outscore Old Forge by 13 in the second half, the massive lead helped preserve the 68-63 upset win.  Brian Tomasetti scored 28 for the Blue Devils while David Argust added 15 and J Argonish contributed 14.  Antietam guard Hayden Lee (16 points) did reach career point 1,000 amidst a second period 19-point deficit.  Corey Steele added 17 for the Mounts.  Old Forge advance to take on powerful Church Farm (20-5), the District 1 Champion, on Friday evening (Plymouth-Whitemarsh HS, 6pm).              

 

 

 

GIRLS AAAA

(1-9) Upper Dublin 57, (2-2) Wallenpaupack 35

 

Over the first 8 minutes, Upper Dublin could not have started out any better and Wallenpaupck seemingly could not have struggled any greater.  The Cardinals Nest was chirping after UD hit their first four shots (3 of which were treys).  On the other end of the court, Paupack had trouble just getting the ball across mid court as five consecutive turnovers gave complete momentum to Upper Dublin.  The Lady Buckhorns committed 24 turnovers in the 57-35 defeat.  Alexix Roman and Ruth Casadevall combined to score 19.  The Flying Cardinals got 14 from Jen Myers and 22 combined from Taylor Bryant and Cutrena Goff.  

 

 

 

GIRLS A

(2-2) Forest City 40, (3-4) Hershey Christian 21

 

Forest City used a terrific man defense to limit Hershey Christian to only 9 first half points and take a 20-point into the locker room.  Carly Erdmann netted 16 for the Lady Foresters while Cassandra Bendyk added 10.  Christy Lorah had 7 for the Lady Warriors.  Forest City moves into Saturday’s first round game against District 1 Champion Delco Christian (14-11) at Spring-Ford HS, 6pm.  

 

 

 

 

 

UPDATED 3/5/12

 

 

 

PIAA Play-in Round Previes

 

 

TUESDAY, MARCH 6

 

 

BOYS AAAA

(2-2) Delaware Valley (19-7) at (1-9) Council Rock North (21-6) 7pm

 

A couple things make the play-in game against the District 1 #9 team very challenging.  First off, just qualifying through the playback brackets means that a team has won three games in a row against solid District 1 competition.  And secondly, the issue which District 2 fans may never fully accept, is that the game is staged on the home court of the District 1 school.  In the case of Council Rock North, they went into the district tourney as the #7 seeded team.  A lopsided second round loss to Souderton (70-53) sent them teetering on the brink of elimination.  However, three wins in the playback round have given the Indians renewed hope.  They first defeated Plymouth-Whitemarsh 64-59 followed by a 50-47 win over perennial powerhouse Penn Wood.  Finally, they got by Cheltenham 54-47.  CR-North is coached by Derek Wright, the brother of Villanova head men’s basketball coach Jay Wright.  They have an outstanding outside-inside combination in senior guard Aaron Morgan (12 points and 9 rebounds against Cheltenham) and 6-4 senior forward Aaron Goodman (15 points and 11 boards against the Panthers).  They also have a brother combination in Matt McCloskey (senior guard) and Kyle (junior forward) who has fought through some back-related issues.  One of their younger players, sophomore Rip Engel, netted 24 points in their win over Plymouth-Whitemarsh.  The Indians will have momentum and a large, vocal crowd on their side.  Delaware Valley needs to put Saturday’s blowout loss to Williamsport far behind them and focus on working the ball in for good shots.  The Warriors have got to get out to a fast start.  The winner advances to play the District 3 Champion, Chambersburg (18-9) on Saturday evening (6pm @ Milton Hershey HS).             

 

 

 

BOYS A

(2-2) Old Forge (8-15) at (3-4) Antietam (13-13) 7pm

 

Antietam (from the Reading area) went into the District 3 tournament as the #6 seeded team.  They defeated High Point (70-56) and Covenant Christian (60-55) before dropping a game to New Hope Academy in the semi-finals, 66-52.  They were then defeated by Camp Hill 54-50 in the consolation to move into the play-in round.  The Mountaineers feature 8 seniors, two of which provide a talented guard tandem.  Corey Steele averages 13.9 ppg while Hayden Lee (closing in on 1,000 career points) averages 17.8 ppg.  Other guards include seniors Damon Max (6.8 ppg) and Danny Schaeffer (4.7 ppg) as wells as freshman Andy Wrobel (5.8 ppg).  Tony Sanders is a solid forward (3.8 ppg).  Old Forge is going to have their hands full, but the Blue Devils are battle tested in the competitive Lackawanna League Division 2.  The winner advances to take on the District 1 Champion, Church Farm (20-5) on Friday evening (Plymouth-Whitemarsh HS, 6pm).            

 

 

 

GIRLS AAAA

(2-2) Wallenpaupack (16-9) at (1-9) Upper Dublin (22-5) 7pm

 

For the majority of the season, Wallenpaupack flew a bit under the radar as division teams like Abington Heights, Scranton Prep, and Honesdale overshadowed the Lady Buckhorns just a bit.  That all changed with their big district playoff win over WVC Division 1 champion Wyoming Valley West.  The same can be said for their play-in opponent, Upper Dublin.  First of all, District 1 is filled with talented girls basketball teams.  For much of the season, UD was a tad off the radar as SOL American Conference winner Cheltenham gained the majority of the headlines.  The Flying Cardinals moved into the district tourney as the #6 seed and started out with a big 56-30 win over Sun Valley.  However, they then dropped a 33-28 loss to Haverford, sending themselves into the playback rounds.  One there, a 41-34 win over Central Bucks South was followed by a 46-35 win over Central Bucks West.  That left only one direction left (you guessed it, Central Bucks East) and the Cardinals advanced in heart-pounding form as 6-0 junior forward Brianna Spector drained a trey at the buzzer to win, 36-33.  UD has a pair of talented guards in 5-5 senior captain Taylor Bryant (16.4 ppg, a 1,000 point scorer) and 5-5 junior Cutrena Goff (9 ppg).  Other notable players include forwards Jen Myers (5-9 senior) and Lauren Rothfield (5-9 junior).  A pair of sophomore guards also contribute, 5-7 Kayla McAneney and 5-5 Taylor Linus.  Paupack is a much better team than their lopsided district title loss to Abington Heights indicates.  They have good ball handlers who will need to get the ball into Alexix Roman.  The winner advances to play the District 3 Champion, Red Lion (28-1) on Friday night (Dallastown HS, 8pm).       

 

 

 

GIRLS A

(2-2) Forest City (12-11) vs. (3-4) Hershey Chr. (18-5) @ Milton H. 6pm

 

Hershey Christian started out District 3 play with a 57-31 win over High Point but was then throttled by Lebanon Catholic, 86-41.  In the consolation game, they were edged by Harrisburg Christian, 43-40.  The Lady Warriors top scorers are seniors Christy Lorah (8.5 ppg) and Rebecca Shirk (8 ppg). Lorah scored 11 in their loss to Harrisburg and 19 against Leb Cath.  Shirk netted 13 against H-burg Christian.  Other players to watch include senior Kaley King (6.5 ppg), junior Leah Stauffer (4.6 ppg), and sophomore Angela Shreve (5.4 ppg).  The winner will advance to play the District 1 Champion, Delco Christian (14-11) on Saturday evening (Spring-Ford HS, 6pm).    

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

UPDATED 3/4/12

 

 

Updated District 2 Top 10 Ratings now posted below. 

 

Final season ratings will be added on 3/25.

 

District 2 championship game recaps now posted below.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

DISTRICT 2 BOYS TOP 10 (games through 3/3) 

 

1.  Wilkes-Barre Meyers (23-2) 2A 

2.  Williamsport (17-8) 4A

3.  Scranton (19-5) 4A – season complete

4.  Abington Heights (22-5) 3A

5.  Holy Cross (22-5) 2A

6.  Delaware Valley (19-7) 4A

7.  Hazleton Area (20-5) 4A – season complete

8.  Riverside (22-4) 2A

9.  Scranton Prep (18-7) 3A 

10.  Wilkes-Barre GAR 20-3) 2A – season complete

 

OTHERS TO WATCH

Old Forge (8-15), Susquehanna (8-15).  

 

 

 

 

DISTRICT 2 GIRLS TOP 10 (games through 3/3)

 

1.  Abington Heights (22-4) 4A

2.  Montrose (23-2) 2A

3.  Honesdale (22-5) 3A

4.  Nanticoke (23-3) 3A

5.  Dunmore (23-3) 2A 

6.  Dallas (14-8) 3A – season complete 

7.  Scranton Prep (18-8) 3A – season complete 

8.  Wallenpaupack (16-9) 4A

9.  Wyoming Valley West (19-6) 4A – season complete

10.  Pittston (17-7) 3A – season complete

 

OTHERS TO WATCH

Forest City (12-12), Mid Valley (17-11), Old Forge (17-6). 

 

 

 

 

 

DISTRICT 2 CHAMPIONSHIP RESULTS

 

 

BOYS AAAA CHAMPIONSHIP

(4) Williamsport 54, (3) Delaware Valley 22

 

There is a clear difference between a team being a state championship pretender and a state championship contender.  How far teams advance usually depends on the matchups in the state tourney.  Well, for those District 2 fans in attendance at Wyoming Area high school Saturday afternoon, they witnessed a thoroughly dominating performance by Williamsport in their win over Delaware Valley.  At every turn, on every dribble, and through every shot attempt, the Cherry and White completely smothered the possibility of any uncontested maneuver.  Delaware Valley is a very good team that was able to adapt against Hazleton Area’s speed, but simply had no solution for the unrelenting Port attack.  No breathers.  And when a seemingly routine loose ball was tossed toward Jahad Thomas by Brandon Angradi (to create an out of bounds on Billtown), Thomas responded with lightning-quick hands to secure the ball and take it right to the hoop for a slam dunk.  It was going to be that kind of day, which for Del-Val didn’t get much better after taking a halftime 24-7 deficit into the locker room.  On the afternoon Angradi and Brent Fragola each scored 9 for the Warriors.  Thomas netted 10 (with 10 rebounds) while center Chris Kinley added 19 and Isaiah Washington contributed 9.  Overall, 11 different players scored for Williamsport.           

 

 

BOYS AAA CHAMPIONSHIP

(4) Abington Heights 55, (2) Scranton Prep 41

 

For a team which has only occasionally made noise on the statewide level, Abington Heights has been the model of remarkable consistency throughout District 2 for many years.  After a midseason slide dashed their league championship aspirations, some lesser teams may have collapsed.  Instead, the Comets re-focused their goals and found themselves vying for a district title against their most bitter rival – and in one of the most historic local venues.  Abington Heights and Scranton Prep have had some epic battles on the hardwoods through the years and Friday night was no different.  And the restoration done by Lackawanna College on the former CYC building is impressive and worthy of hosting such a prime event.  Where else can fans hear both Frank Sinatra’s “My Way” and House of Pain’s “Jump Around” during the same halftime break.  Classic.  It takes quite a crowd to fill the place.  And the impressive following of students on hand by both schools was nice to see (especially after AH had virtually no school representation at their win over Crestwood).  Both teams got off to a quick start and it quickly became clear that the Comets would have to contain Cavalier sharpshooter James Fives who nailed 3 treys in the first period.  After AH was holding a slim two-point lead (19-17) with 3:34 left before the break, they went on an 11-3 run to go up by 10.  Their lead continued to inch higher through the third quarter as the Comets took a 40-26 advantage into the final period.  They tried to take some time off the clock, not a true stall, but not attacking the basket either.  Prep’s tenacious, swarming defense created some havoc and turnovers that resulted in a 15-5 run to trim the gap to only 5 points (46-41).  The Cavs elected to begin fouling early and the Comets (who hit 17 of 21 free throws on the night) secured the 55-41 win.  JC Show netted 17 for Abington Heights along with 13 from Kevin Elwell and 11 from TJ Murray.  Jason Bamford had his shot-blocking rhythm working, getting 6 rejected shots.  Prep got 12 points from Mac Temples and 13 from James Fives (only 4 points over the final 3 quarters).                           

 

 

BOYS AA CHAMPIONSHIP

(2) Wilkes-Barre Meyers 51, (1) Holy Cross 36

 

Holy Cross got a huge first half from Josh Kosin (16 points) who was getting the better of Rasheed Moore.  And with the Crusaders increasing their 1-point halftime (20-19) lead to four points, something had to give.  The change by the Mohawks bench was to put playmaker Eugene Lewis onto Kosin to try and slow him down.  It worked.  And during the third period, Meyers point guard Ryan Krawczeniuk began to find his range.  The result was a 32-16 second half to wrap up the AA title, 51-36 over Holy Cross.  Krawczeniuk finished with 23 while Lewis added 12.  Kosin only netted two points over the final two periods.  Another difference on the scoreboard was that the Mohawks were able to get to the charity stripe often where they converted 18 of 25 chances (Holy Cross only made 4 attempts on the afternoon).  In the AA consolation game, Riverside got 25 points from Jerry Kincel to defeat Lakeland 64-50.  Although the Vikes had a 13-point halftime lead, the Chiefs made several runs toward the lead in the second half.  Lakeland was paced by Kyle Kiehart with 17 while Alex Filarsky and Eric Grabowski combined to add 21.          

 

 

BOYS A CHAMPIONSHIP

(1) Susquehanna Community 53, (2) Old Forge 45

 

This was a tough, physical game.  Old Forge took an early 10-4 lead before Susquehanna cut it to 13-10 at the end of the first quarter.  Despite top Saber scorer Cole Mallery picking up his second foul midway through the second period, Susquehanna managed to go on a 12-0 run to go up 25-20 at intermission.  Trailing 39-28 with 5:30 remaining in the contest, the Blue Devils made one final push (a 10-1 run) to cut the gap to a single bucket (40-38) with  just under three minutes left.  However, the Sabers (who hit 25 of 32 free throws) were able to secure the 53-45 win.  Andrzej Tomczyk scored 16 for Susquehanna while Cole Mallery added 13.  Brian Tomasetti netted 13 in the loss for Old Forge.  

 

 

 

GIRLS AAAA CHAMPIONSHIP

(1) Abington Heights 49, (3) Wallenpaupack 25

 

Sometimes you can just see the determination in player’s eyes and know that they are on a mission.  That was the case with Abington Heights, who controlled Wallenpaupack thoroughly in winning their third district championship in a row.  The Lady Comets used a combination of brilliant ball-handling, tenacious defense (24 turnovers) and offensive hustle (15 rebounds) to expand their 10-point halftime lead into a dominating 41-23 advantage.  Tiffany O’Donnell led with way with 17 points while Breanna Toro added 16.  Alexis Roman had 8 for the Lady Buckhorns. 

 

 

GIRLS AAA CHAMPIONSHIP

(4) Honesdale 44, (3) Nanticoke Area 32

 

The NEP-Beat had to go back into our archives this week to see what the predicted expectations were for Honesdale this year.  They were a mid-division “team to watch” and a labeled as a force to be reckoned with next year.  And while we were thinking 2013, a very talented bunch of Lady Hornets have matured remarkably well throughout the 2012 season and have brought home their first district championship since 1992.  Give top kudos to their head coach Tracy Ludwig who guided them with patience and just the right amount of toughness to help them win the gold medals.  Honesdale used a relentless, trapping, pressure defense to prevent Nanticoke from settling into any offensive sets.  The result was 20 Trojanette turnovers and them only hitting 3 of 16 trey attempts.  Abby Rickard and Mary Martin combined for 21 points in the win while Sammy Gow and Katie Wolfe netted a combined 18 points for Nanticoke.         

 

 

GIRLS AA CHAMPIONSHIP

(1) Montrose 49, (3) Dunmore 45

 

Montrose ended Dunmore’s 6-year run as district champions with a 49-45 win Saturday afternoon.  However, the final minute was riveting as the Lady Meteor 8-point lead (45-37) got chipped away by two free throws by Jill Korgeski and a Molly Burke shot off a Montrose turnover (to make the score 45-41).  In the win Dallas Ely scored 20 and Sara Krupinski 14.  Dunmore got 14 from Korgeski and 11 from Alexa Gerchman.  In the consolation game, Mid Valley held off a second half rally by Riverside to get a 49-37 win as Danielle Terranella netted 20 and Nina Kline added 11.  The Lady Vikings got 19 from Rebecca Mekilo.    

 

 

 GIRLS A CHAMPIONSHIP

(2) Old Forge 29, (1) Forest City 14

 

Old Forge took a 15-4 halftime lead and didn’t allow Forest City to score their first field goal until one minute into the third period.  Sophomore Lauren Casey scored 11 points in the Lady Blue Devils district championship win.  Carly Erdmann had 11 for the Lady Foresters.

 

 

 

 

UPDATED 3/3/12

 

 

 

MOHAWKS CLINCH AA TITLE

    Meyers big second half keys defeat over Holy Cross 51-36 

 

 

SEEING IS BEE-LIEVING

   Honesdale gains Girls AAA championship, 44-32

 

 

NOT-SO BLUE DEVILS

   Old Forge secures Girls 1A title over Forest City 29-14  

 

 

THE MAGIC IS BACK

   Williamsport dominates Delaware Valley 54-22, wins 4A title

 

 

OUT OF THIS WORLD!!

   Comets, Lady Comets, Lady Meteors bring home District 2 titles

 

 

SABERS EDGE OLD FORGE

   Susquehanna defeats Blue Devils for Boys 1A gold medals

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

CONGRATULATIONS!!!

 

 

Josh Kosin (Holy Cross) – 1,000 point

 

Al Semenza (head coach Old Forge) – career 400 win

 

 

 

 

 

 

Semi-final Recaps / Championship Previews

 

 

FRIDAY, MARCH 2 GAMES

 

 

 

BOYS AAA

 

TUESDAY,  FEBRUARY 28 (SEMI-FINALS)

(4) Abington Heights 49, (1) Crestwood 38 (ends at 14-11)

(2) Scranton Prep 59, (3) Dallas 47 (ends at 15-9)

 

Scranton Prep got balanced scoring from their backcourt and inside players to gain a 59-47 win over Dallas.  The Cavaliers took a 17-12 lead after the first period and maintained a lead throughout the contest.  Prep got another gutsy performance from Mac Temples (16 points) and James Fives (17 points).  Noah Beh and Mike McDonald each had a dozen points.  The Mountaineers, who used their athletic ability to get the ball inside, got 13 from Shane Dunn and 12 from Jason Simonovich.  In the other semi-final, Abington Heights got a boost as soph point guard JC Show returned to their lineup to score 19 points in their 49-38 win over the Crestwood Comets.  AH played sensational defense to repeatedly deny Crestwood from getting open shots.  Abington slowly built their lead after trailing by a bucket (11-9) after the first period.  Seeming to have things well in-hand (leading by 15) after a technical call on head coach Mark Atherton (disputing a non-call moments earlier), Crestwood rallied to trim the deficit to 7 points.  Abington regrouped for the win.  Jason Bamford contributed 10 points as well as some key blocked shots.  Crestwood, a team with some of the best ball handlers in the entire district, got combined 25 points from John Fazzini and Steve Roberts.          

 

 

FRIDAY, MARCH 2 (FINAL)

(2) Scr. Prep (18-7) vs. (4) Abington Hts. (21-5) @ Lack. Coll. 7:30pm

 

Both teams compete in Division 1 of the Lackawanna League and the schools share an intense, often-heated rivalry in many sports.  Facebook will be working overtime this week.  Enough said.  It doesn’t get any better than this matchup.  Add in that the game will be staged in one of the truly magnificent facilities (Lackawanna College, former CYC) just makes this showdown all the better.  Add in that the Cavaliers twice defeated AH in league play (33-30 on January 3 and 46-33 on January 28), just increases the intrigue for this one.  Throw out the earlier game as both teams played very poorly in that one.  In the rematch Cav sharpshooter James Fives netted 15 while Comet inside player Jason Bamford was held scoreless.  The loss was also part of the 4-game skid that Abington endured as second half play got underway.  Both teams will advance into the PIAA playoffs.  The winner will get a “home” game against the District 11 #3 team (Northern Lehigh or North Schuylkill) next Friday while the loser travels to play the District 4 Champion (Danville or Shikellamy).                  

 

 

BOYS A

 

TUESDAY,  FEBRUARY 28 (SEMI-FINALS)

(1) Susquehanna 42, (4) MMI Prep 39 (ends at 2-22)  

(2) Old Forge 44, (3) Forest City 28 (ends at 2-21)

 

Susquehanna Community withstood a 14-4 run as MMI Prep erased a 34-25 deficit to take a one point lead (39-38) with one minute remaining.  However, the Sabers regrouped to grab the 42-39 win as Andrzej Tomczyk netted 20.  The Preppers got a combined 25 points from George Gera and freshman Cory Rogers.  In the other semi-final, Old Forge took a 24-17 lead into the locker room and held on for a 44-28 win over Forest City.  The victory marked career #400 for 31-year Blue Devil head coach Al Semenza.  Brian Tomasetti scored 16 in the win while Jimmy Aversa added 13 (Noah Fedak had 11 for the Foresters).   

 

 

FRIDAY, MARCH 2 (FINAL)

(1) Susquehanna (7-15) vs. (2) Old Forge (8-14) @ Scranton 7pm

 

Despite their records, this title game should be very entertaining.  Old Forge is going to have play good defense and contain Saber high scorers Cole Mallery and Andrzej Tomczyk.  The winner will advance to have a very challenging game against the District 1 Runner-up (either Faith Christian or Church Farm).  The loser must take part in the “play-in” round on Tuesday (3/6) on the home court of the District 3 #4 team (Camp Hill or Antietam). 

 

 

GIRLS AAAA

 

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 28 (SEMI-FINALS)

(1) Abington Heights 46, (5) Hazleton Area 35 (ends at 9-15)

(3) Wallenpaupack 42, (2) Wy. Valley West 33 (ends at 19-6) 

 

Abington Heights took a 38-21 advantage early in the final period, but Hazleton Area did not give up as they used a 14-4 rally to cut the gap to seven points (42-35) midway through the final stanza.  The Lady Comets played tenacious defense but the Lady Cougars guards played tough.  AH was paced by Kat Rosencrance with 18 and Tiffany O’Donnell with 12.  Hazleton, who again had difficulties from the charity stripe (5 of 15 opportunities), was led by Josie Bachman with 11.  In the other semi-final, Wallenpaupack played sensational in their 42-33 win over WVC Division 1 champion Wyoming Valley West.  The Lady Buckhorns got 11 from Nickole Mann, 10 from Bridgette Mann, and 9 from Alexix Roman.  WVW concluded their season as Tara Zdancewicz netted 17 for the Lady Spartans.      

 

 

FRIDAY, MARCH 2 (FINAL)

(1) Abington Hts. (21-4) vs. (3) Wallenpaupack (16-8) @ Lack. Coll. 5:30pm

 

This championship brings together Division 1 Lackawanna League opponents.  In the pre-season, the speculation was that this might the year that the Lady Buckhorns breakout to win a league title.  Although that honor was decided between Abington Heights and Scranton Prep, Paupack has slowly developed in a championship contender – just in time to possibly grab the biggest prize of all, district gold medals.  In their first matchup back on January 12, Kat Rosencrance and Tiffany O’Donnell combined to score 30 points in a lopsided 56-37 Lady Comet win.  But, in their next meeting, the game was much closer (a 47-40 AH victory) as Lauren Hoyt netted 24.  After their inspired effort against WVW, Pauapck has got to be confident.  They have become a well-balanced team, but Alexix Roman remains their pivotal scorer.  This winner advances to host the District 1 #6 team (either Upper Darby or Mount St. Joseph) next Friday – always a tough district draw.  The loser must qualify through the play-in round on Tuesday (3/6) on the home court of the District 1 #9 team (Upper Dublin or Central Bucks East).            

 

 

GIRLS AA

 

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 28 (SEMI-FINALS)

(1) Montrose 51, (5) Riverside 42

(3) Dunmore 51, Mid Valley 41

 

Montrose rode into halftime with a 31-17 lead, but Riverside used a 16-8 run over the next 11 minutes to trim the gap to 6 points (39-33).  However, the Lady Meteors held on for the 51-42 win as Dallas Ely (27 points) and Sara Krupinski (13 points) led the way.  The Lady Vikings, who now play in the consolation game, got a combined 21 points from Rebecca Mekilo and Kellie Nash.  In the other semi-final, Dunmore took advantage of too many Mid Valley turnovers in the second half to gain a 51-41 win (their 14th straight over the Spartanettes).  After a 26-26 halftime deadlock, Mid Valley held a 34-32 lead midway through the third quarter, but a 7-0 Lady Buck run gave momentum over to Dunmore.  Alexa Gerchman (19 points) and Molly Burke (13 points) led the Lady Bucks while Danielle Terranella paced MV with a dozen points.    

 

 

FRIDAY, MARCH 2 (FINAL/CONSOLATION)

Final:  (1) Montrose (22-2) vs. (3) Dunmore (23-2) @ Carbondale 7:45pm

3rd:  (5) Riverside (17-9) vs. (7) Mid Valley (16-11) @ Carbondale 6pm

 

Dunmore and Montrose get together for a rematch from their February 21 LIAA play-in game that decided the top seed.  The Lady Meteors played a near flawless game that night as they stormed out to a 13-4 lead behind the scoring of Dallas Ely (28 points).  This one should be a terrific game with both teams advancing to the state playoffs.  The winner gets a local game against the District 4 #3 team (Sayre or South Williamsport) while the runner-up also gets a “home” game against the District 4 Runner-up (undefeated Mount Carmel or Wyalusing).  Riverside plays Mid Valley in the consolation game.  The Lady Vikes swept their games against the Spartanettes (46-36 on January 12 and 47-42 on February 6).  This one could go wither way.  The winner moves on, but faces a daunting road game against the District 4 Champion (undefeated Mt. Carmel or Wyalusing).      

 

 

 

 

SATURDAY, MARCH 3 GAMES

 

 

 

BOYS AAAA

 

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 29 (SEMI-FINAL)

(4) Williamsport 65, (1) Scranton 62 OT (ends at 19-5)

 

Williamsport battled back from a 46-40 deficit after three quarters to force overtime and eventually gain a 65-62 win over top-seeded Scranton.  The win marked the 10th in their last eleven games for the Millionaires (after being 6-7).  Port, who employed their patented full court pressure, got 18 from Isaiah Washington, 11 inside from Chris Kinley, and 8 from DeAndre Kaough (who played a key rebounding role).  The Knights early-season conclusion puts a bookend onto one of the more successful AAAA runs in District 2 recently.  Terry Turner, their sensational playmaker, concluded his high school career by netting 24 points.  Andrew Moran scored 11 while Malik Draper was limited to only 4 points.          

 

THURSDAY, MARCH 1 (SEMI-FINAL)

(3) Delaware Valley 54, (2) Hazleton Area 47 (ends at 20-5)

 

Delaware Valley made some key in-game adjustments to overcome potentially runaway leads by Hazleton Area (18-7 in the first and 21-11 in the second) to grab a 54-47 win over the Cougars.  The win gave the District 2 title to the Warriors (as Williamsport is a member of District 4), their first in 16 years.  After a 45-45 tie with 2 minutes remaining, Del-Val outscored Hazleton 9-2 down the stretch, including 5 key throws by sharpshooter Brandon Angradi (15 points).  Brent Fragola added 17 in the victory and Bryan Schor made some timely rebounds with his relentless hustle.  The Cougars, who finished the season dropping two of their final three games, got 20 from Travis Buckner, and 21 combined from Sal Biasi and Tyler Plaska.        

 

 

SATURDAY, MARCH 3 (FINAL)

(3) Delaware Valley (19-6) vs. (4) Williamsport (16-8) @ Wy. Area 2pm

 

For Delaware Valley to have a chance to defeat Williamsport, they are going to have to navigate the Williamsport press and not get in another early hole as happened against Hazleton Area.  The Millionaires have been playing very well and will look to contain Brandon Angradi.  As far as common opponents are concerned, Del-Val dropped three games to Scranton (the most recent a 64-44 loss in the LL Division 1 title game) while Port topped the Knights in overtime Wednesday night.  The winner will get a local game against the District 1 #6 team (Norristown or Souderton) while the loser must qualify through the play-in round on Tuesday (3/6) on the home court of the District 1 #9 team (Council Rock North or Cheltenham).    

 

 

BOYS AA

 

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 29 (SEMI-FINAL)

(1) Holy Cross 61, (5) Riverside 33

 

Holy Cross jumped out to a 23-8 lead and cruised to a 61-33 win over Riverside as Josh Kosin netted 36 (including career 1,000) and Connor Callejas added 10.  The Vikings, who have now dropped 4 season losses to the Crusaders, got 12 from Michael King (Jerry Kincel was limited to only 6 points).

 

THURSDAY, MARCH 1 (SEMI-FINAL)

(2) Wilkes-Barre Meyers 78, (3) Lakeland 37

 

Wilkes-Barre Meyers left no question as to the quicker, more athletic squad as the Mohawks rolled to a 44-18 advantage at the break and coasted to a 78-37 win over Lakeland.  Eugene Lewis scored 27 (with 6 dunks) while Rasheed Moore added 16.  The Chiefs got 19 from Kyle Kiehart and a dozen from Mike Striefsky.

 

 

SATURDAY, MARCH 3 (FINAL/CONSOLATION)

First:  (1) H. Cross (22-4) vs. (2) W-B Meyers (22-2) @ H. Redeemer 3pm

3rd:  (5) Riverside (21-4) vs. (3) Lakeland (18-9) @ Scranton 1pm

 

The matchup that many local fans have been awaiting has been set as Holy Cross and Wilkes-Barre Meyers will settle the district championship.  Throw their previous meeting (a 57-35 Holy Cross win back on 12/13 out the window) as it was played in the pre-Eugene Lewis period of Mohawk basketball.  The battle inside between Josh Kosin and Rasheed Moore should be worth the admission.  Around the perimeter, Lewis roams freely and will a real force to contain.  The feisty Crusader guards matching up against Ryan Krawczeniuk is another key matchup.  The winner will advance to play the District 4 #3 team (Athens or South Williamsport) while the loser will also get a “home” game against the District 4 Runner-up (Loyalsock or Southern Columbia).  In the consolation matchup, Riverside will take on Lakeland in what should be an excellent matchup.  The winner of that game will moves in the state tournament, but must travel to play the District 4 Champion (Loyalsock or Southern Columbia).             

 

 

GIRLS AAA

 

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 29 (SEMI-FINAL)

(3) Nanticoke 45, (2) Scranton Prep 38 (ends at 18-8)

 

Nanticoke, well-known for their 3-point shooting prowess, exhibited some excellent defensive skills in defeating perennial powerhouse Scranton Prep, 45-38.  The Trojanettes shook off an early 6-1 lead by Prep and moved ahead by halftime 18-14.  They then used a 9-2 run to take a 27-16 advantage while later ballooned into a 36-22 lead.  The Classics, playing without their top-scorer Tricia Byrne (broken wrist) battled back via an 11-2 rally to trim the gap to 5 points (38-33) with under a minute remaining.  Nanticoke, who converted an impressive 25 of 33 attempts from the charity stripe, got 15 from Sammy Gow while Kayley Schinski and Katie Wolfe combined to add 20.  The Classics got 4 treys (15 points) from freshman guard Jess Genco.   

 

THURSDAY, MARCH 1 (SEMI-FINAL)

(4) Honesdale 53, (8) Dallas 51 (ends at 14-8)

 

Honesdale, a team with tremendous potential with their youthful lineup, took a giant leap forward as they held on for a heart-pounding last second win over Dallas, 53-51.  Freshman Morgan Birmelin made two of her six points count as she hit a nifty layup with under a minute remaining.  Dallas, who repeatedly broke the Hornets press for all-to-easy baskets throughout the game, missed on several opportunities to tie the game in the closing moments.  Honesdale got 15 from Mary Martin, 14 from Kacie Johannes, and 11 from Katie Miller.  The Lady Mounts conclude their season by getting 18 points from Ashley Dunbar and 13 from Talia Szatkowski.   

 

 

SATURDAY, MARCH 3 (FINAL)

(3) Nanticoke (23-2) vs. (4) Honesdale (21-5) @ Pittston 2pm

 

Nanticoke has had their sights set on a district championship all season while the Hornets hope to crash their party Saturday afternoon.  The Trojanettes showed in their last win that they can turn up the defensive pressure, but they remain a team that can score (and often) from the perimeter.  Both teams will advance to the state tournament.  The champion will play a local game against District 11 #3 team (Jim Thorpe or Southern Lehigh) while the runner-up will travel to play the District 4 Champion (Danville or Shamokin).        

 

 

GIRLS A

 

THURSDAY, MARCH 1 (SEMI-FINALS)

(1) Forest City 47, (5) MMI Prep 20 (ends at 4-20) 

(2) Old Forge 48, (3) Northwest Area 28 (ends at 14-9)

 

Forest City took a 23-10 lead at the break and rolled to a 47-20 win over MMI Prep.  The Lady Foresters got 26 points and 12 rebounds from Carly Erdmann while forcing 29 Lady Prepper turnovers.  In the other semi-final, Old Forge broke away from a close halftime affair (leading 16-15) with a 32-13 advantage over the final quarters to post a 48-28 win over Northwest Area.  The Lady Blue Devils got 17 from Morgan Malia and 15 from Lauren Carey, but shot miserably from outside the arc (3 of 23).  The Lady Rangers got 14 from Sarah Shaffer and 10 from Alivia Womelsdorf (9 below her season average).     

 

 

SATURDAY, MARCH 3 (FINAL)

(1) Forest City (12-11) vs. (2) Old Forge (16-6) @ Scranton 2:45pm

 

Familiar foes get together once again to decide the championship as the last 5 years have matched Forest City against Old Forge.  The winner advances to play the District 1 Runner-up (Morrisville or Delco Christian).  The runner-up must qualify through the Tuesday (3/6) play-in round on the home court of the District 3 #4 team, Hershey Christian (18-5).      

 

 

 

UPDATED 2/29/12

 

 

 

 

 

LACKAWANNA SWEEP

  Friday’s championship action turns into LIAA hoop fest

 

Updated District 2 Tournament scores and championship matchups (see link below).  Semi-final recaps of Tuesday’s games will be posted later today.  If you’re a fan of Lackawanna League basketball, you’re in luck because all of Friday’s championship games (Boys 1A, 3A and Girls 2A, 4A) as well as the Girls 2A consolation game feature LIAA teams. 

 

             

District 2 Tourney Results (click here)

 

 

 

 

 

 

UPDATED 2/27/12

 

 

 

2012 District 2 Tournament

 

Updated 2/27/12 (Highlights/Semi-final Previews)

 

 

 

BOYS PLAYOFFS   BOYS PLAYOFFS

 

CLASS AAAA

 

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 24 (QUARTER-FINAL)

(4) Williamsport 77, (5) WVW 59 (ends at 11-13)

 

After keeping things close for a while and only trailing 10-9, Williamsport moved out to a 32-20 advantage at the break over Wyoming Valley West.  The Millionaires placed four players in double figures (Jahad Thomas 21, Chris Kinley 16, Isaiah Washington 12, Syd Dowling 11) in the 77-59 win over the Spartans.  WVW got another great effort from James McCann with 24 points while Brett Good netted 14.       

 

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 25 (QUARTER-FINAL)

(3) Delaware Valley 58, (6) Wallenpaupack 45 (ends at 8-15) 

 

Delaware Valley snapped out of a 29-25 halftime deficit with a 17-6 run to take a 42-35 lead on Wallenpaupack.  Brandon Angradi scored 31 for the Warriors in the 58-45 win over the Buckhorns.  Jake Brown and Will McLoughlin combined to score 25 for Paupack.

 

 

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 29 (SEMI-FINALS)

(1) Scranton (19-4) vs. (4) Williamsport (15-8) @ Dallas 7pm

(2) Hazleton (20-4) vs. (3) Delaware V. (18-6) @ Pittston 6pm

 

Scranton plays Williamsport in what promises to be one of the best matchups of the season.  The Knights are going to have to play in control and not get rattled by the Millionaires patented defense.  Turnovers will be key.  Scranton’s all-everything playmaker Terry Turner (12 ppg) needed to change his playing style this year and he delivered with providing a key rebounding role.  Senior guard Malik Draper (15.8 ppg) also delivered with 38 treys on the season.  They are definitely going to miss the floor leadership of junior guard Karlon Quiller (8.5 ppg) who went down with a broken ankle a few weeks ago.  But the addition of transfer junior Andrew Moran (8 ppg) at the beginning of the year is a big help.  Williamsport is a team that is currently playing better than anyone in the playoffs.  The Millionaires played a very tough schedule around the state.  They are led by junior guard/forward Jahad Thomas (14.3 ppg) while sophomore point guard Isaiah Washington contributes 12.6 ppg.  In the middle, 6-6 junior Chris Kinley (11 ppg) is a real force.  And while his numbers might not impress, senior forward Sharif Coleman is a player that does all the little things exceptionally well.  Every team has that a player that is Mr. Intangible and that player is Mr. Coleman.  Hazleton Area is going to have their hands full with the inside game of Delaware Valley.  Though not dominant by sheer size, the Warriors are extremely patient and work the ball inside.  Hazleton Area has one of the premier backcourts in the entire district.  Seniors Travis Buckner (13.9 ppg) and Tyler Plaska (8.6 ppg) along with sophomore Sal Biasi (11.9 ppg, 58 treys) are lightning quick and unselfish with the ball.  When they get in a groove they can put together a big run.  Inside, Adam Hauze and Frank Vito provide adequate ample size, as they both play taller than their size.  Vito in particular is surprisingly smooth with handling the ball and going to the basket.  Delaware Valley is a fundamentally sound team that has good athletes.  Sharpshooter senior guard Brandon Angradi (18.8 ppg, 49 treys) leads the way.  Junior guard Brent Fragola (13 ppg) is another key player for the Warriors.  Del-Val is very well-coached and has good ball movement.

 

 

SATURDAY, MARCH 3 (FINAL)

 

                                                                                                                                                                                                            

 

 

CLASS AAA

 

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 24 (QUARTER-FINALS)

(1) Crestwood 49, (8) Pittston 37 (ends at 13-10)

(4) Abington Heights 45, (5) Tunkhannock 30 (ends at 14-10)

(2) Scranton Prep 38, (7) Holy Redeemer 34 (ends at 10-13)

(3) Dallas 64, (6) North Pocono 58 (ends at 11-14) 

 

After defeating Pittston twice during the regular season, Crestwood looked to be in real trouble trailing by 10 points after the first period and 34-31 after three quarters.  But, some outstanding defense and strong perimeter shooting helped the Comets rally for the 49-37 win as they outscored the Patriots 18-3 in the final stanza.  John Fazzini netted 25 while younger brother Chris added 14.  The Pats got 16 from Steve Stravinski and 10 each from Steve Sklanka and Jordan Houseman.  Dallas also had to rally in the final minutes as they trailed North Pocono 55-49 with about 4 minutes left.  The Mountaineers then used a 14-0 run to take control and gain a 64-58 win over the Trojans.  The game featured 12 lead changes.  Dallas got 20 from Shane Dunn, 17 from Paul Brace and 12 from Jason Simonovich.  The Trojans were paced by Jack Williams with 21 while Marty Kelly and Alex Carling combined to score 23.  Scranton Prep was in a real tussle with a much-improved Holy Redeemer squad.  The game wasn’t decided until the final moments when the Royals missed a baseline trey with 3 ticks left (and Prep leading 36-34).  Mac Temples hit some key free throws late for the Cavs who were paced by James Fives with 11 points.  Holy Redeemer got 11 each from Ryan DeRemer and Shahael Wallace.  Abington Heights grabbed a 16-0 lead on Tunkhannock before the Tigers rallied to tighten the game a bit.  Kevin Elwell had 15 for AH while Jamie Egan added 11.  JC Show (who continues to fight a respiratory condition) did enter the game in the third period and helped trigger a game clinching run by the Comets.

 

 

TUESDAY,  FEBRUARY 28 (SEMI-FINALS)

(1) Crestwood (14-10) vs. (4) Abington Hts. (20-5) @ Pittston 7:45pm

(2) Scranton Prep (17-7) vs. (3) Dallas (15-8) @ Marywood 7pm

 

The Crestwood vs. Abington Heights matchup brings together two of the premier coaches in the entire district in Mark Atherton and Ken Bianchi.  This will be a chess match with the difference likely coming down to who has the hot hand.  Both teams play sensational defense.  This one might not get out of the 30s.  Despite their 10-loss record, top-seed Crestwood comes into the tourney as one of the hotter teams in the area right now.  The Comets finished in a second half division tie with Hazleton Area.  They are led by the Fazzini brothers.  John (a senior guard) averages 12.5 ppg, is a great 3-point shooter, and is the guy you want on the foul line at the end of a game.  His sophomore forward brother Chris averages almost 10 ppg.  BOTH Comet squads have limitless patience with the ball.  And other than a mid-season 4-game losing skid, Abington put together a most impressive 20-win mark (especially after graduating four starters from last year).  Ken Bianchi is their bench leader, but it’s campaigns like this year that prove his value to their program.  They are led by super-sophomore JC Show (15 ppg) who is a terrific floor general.  Around the basket, junior forward Jason Bamford is a steady contributor, especially on defense where his shot-blocking skills are well-timed.  Junior guard Kevin Elwell averages 7 ppg.  Scranton Prep is going to have their hands full with Dallas.  The Mounts have shown a knack for late comebacks as shown from their impressive win over North Pocono.  Dallas captured the WVC Division 2 title with a win over Tunkhannock.  The Mounts run the floor very well and can take the ball effectively to the bucket.  Outside, senior guards Paul Brace (8.8 ppg) and Bobby Saba (8 ppg) lead the way with senior forward Shane Dunn (11 ppg) inside.  On their resume this year was a big last-second win over WVC D-1 winner Hazleton Area.  Scranton Prep is a scrappy team that just seems to always be there in the end.  They competed in the rugged Division 1 of the Lackawanna League and that may pay big dividends in the postseason.  They do own a pair of wins over Abington Heights this year on their resume.  Sophomore James Fives (14 ppg) is a very streaky shooter along with junior guard Mac Temples (10.5 ppg).  Inside, if Noah Beh finds his range, the Cavaliers will be in business. 

 

 

FRIDAY, MARCH 2 (FINAL)

 

 

 

 

CLASS AA

 

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 25 (QUARTER-FINALS)

(1) Holy Cross 64, (8) Montrose 56 (ends at 18-9)  

(5) Riverside 42, (4) Wilkes-Barre GAR 40 OT (ends at 20-3)

(2) Wilkes-Barre Meyers 68, (7) Dunmore 39

(3) Lakeland 72, (6) Hanover 56 (ends at 10-13)   

 

Holy Cross jumped out to a 17-0 lead on Montrose using a swarming defense which created numerous turnovers.  However, the Meteors refused to crack and slowly inched their way back into the game, actually outscoring the Crusaders 56-46 the rest of the way.  Montrose closed within 6 points in the final minute of play before Connor Callejas (14 points) hit 6 free throws in the final 30 seconds to secure the 53-46 win.  Josh Kosin scored 18 (including a game-opening alley-hoop slam dunk) and pulled down 13 rebounds.  Connor Jones once again came off the Holy Cross bench to play a key role, scoring 14 points with his smooth jump shot.  Montrose got 17 from Colby Major, 14 from Cameron Dean and 21 combined from Tom Lewis and Cory Adams.  After the game, 23-year head coach for the Meteors, Todd Smith, announced his retirement from the program.  Wilkes-Barre Meyers used fast-paced attack to dominate Dunmore 68-39.  The Mohawks took a 35-13 lead in to the locker room as Ryan Krawczeniuk scored 24 while Eugene Lewis added 15,.  Dunmore got 25 points total from John Rinaldi, Jordan Dempsey and Matt Clark.  Lakeland led Hanover Area 22-9 after the first period but the Hawks rallied to eventually take a 55-54 edge with just under seven minutes remaining .  However, the Chiefs then got hot from three point land (total of 8 team treys) to finish the game on an 18-3 run to win 72-58.  Eric Grabowski netted 22 for Lakeland while Kyle Kiehart scored 19 and Alex Filarksy added 14.  Shaquille Rolle scored 17 for Hanover.  And in the most anticipated game of the weekend, Riverside got a lay-in at the buzzer by Jaron Vishnesky (following a pair of free throw missed by GAR) to send the game to overtime knotted at 37.  In OT, it was again Vishnesky, this time finding Connor Mailen (9 points each) for the winning basket.  Jerry Kincel was high scorer for the Vikings in the 42-40 win.  The Grenadiers who finished the year at 20-3 got 11 from Isaiah Francis, 10 from Shaliek Powell and 10 from Christian Skrepenak.  Team leading scorer Darrell Crawford only netted 4 points.  The teams only converted a combined 17 of 37 free throws.

 

 

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 29 (SEMI-FINALS)

(1) Holy Cross (21-4) vs. (5) Riverside (21-3) @ Marywood 8pm

(2) W-B Meyers (21-2) vs. (3) Lakeland (18-8) @ Pittston 7:45pm

 

Holy Cross faces Riverside for the fourth time this season having won the previous three encounters.   Top seed Holy Cross is the Lackawanna League Division 2 champion.  The Crusaders have a terrific forward in Josh Kosin (16.5 ppg) who netted 31 points in a LIAA seeding play-in win over Lakeland.  Connor Callejas is a slick soph guard who averages 11.5 ppg.  The Crusaders play excellent defense and are coached by one of the best, Al Callejas.  Off the bench Connor Jones has quickly established himself as a top scoring threat.  Riverside’s top scorer is senior guard Jerry Kincel who almost single-handedly defeated Holy Cross in first half play as he netted an incredible 52 points.  For the Vikes to succeed in the district playoffs, head coach Mike Morgan must get contributions from other key players like senior guard Michael King, soph guard Nico Munley and junior Jaron Vishnesky.  The three combined average 24 ppg.  Bottom line, the Vikes are going to need a better all-around performance this game in order to finally get by Holy Cross.  Wilkes-Barre Meyers, rolled through league play with a perfect 14-0 mark.  The Mohawks were good at the beginning of the year, but the addition of WVC all-star Eugene Lewis gave them an additional 14.3 ppg.  He is a terrific team player who is headed to Penn State to play football next year.  Meyers has junior guard Ryan Krawczeniuk (14 ppg) along with Rasheed Moore (13 ppg) who is a tough junior forward.  Meyers topped city rival GAR twice this year, the only two blemishes on the Grenadiers record.  Lackawanna Division 3 champion Lakeland isn’t going to be intimidated by the lofty credentials of some of the other teams.  But, playing this late in the hoops season is definitely new territory for the Chiefs.  Their top scorer is junior guard Kyle Kiehart (19 ppg).  Eric Grabowski, another solid junior guard averages 13 ppg.  Seniors Mike Striefsky and Alex Filarsky score a combined 11.8 ppg.  There is no question that Holy Cross and Wilkes-Barre Meyers appear to be on a collision course to meet in in the district championship game.  But, the runner-up also advances.                      

 

 

SATURDAY, MARCH 3 (FINAL/CONSOLATION)

 

 

 

 

CLASS A

 

TUESDAY,  FEBRUARY 28 (SEMI-FINALS)

(1) Susquehanna (6-15) vs. (4) MMI (2-21) @ N. Pocono 7:30pm 

(2) Old Forge (7-14) vs. (3) Forest City (2-20) @ N. Pocono 6pm

 

The Class 1A field bring together an overall mark of 17-49.  But, what they lack in wins will definitely be made up in competitive basketball.  Top-seed Susquehanna features a pair of outstanding scorers in junior guard Andrzej Tomczyk (20 ppg, 39 treys) who is a 1,000 point scorer and also junior Cole Mallery who can easily score well over 20 ppg.  Old Forge brings one of the top area coaches in Al Semenza.  The Blue Devils get about 9.5 ppg from junior forward Tommy Tomasetti while Jimmy Aversa (6.5 ppg) can drain a trey.  Forest City has an outstanding freshman guard in Noah Fedak (9 ppg, 44 treys) along with David Cavalieri (7 ppg).  MMI Prep, despite their record, has been much more competitive of late behind the scoring of senior guard George Gera (6 ppg) and freshman Cory Rogers (7 ppg).         

 

 

FRIDAY, MARCH 2 (FINAL)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

GIRLS PLAYOFFS  GIRLS PLAYOFFS

 

 

 

CLASS AAAA

 

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 23 (QUARTER-FINAL)

(2) Wy. Valley West 65, (7) Delaware Valley 30 (ends at 4-19)

 

WVW took a 33-17 halftime lead on their way to an impressive 65-30 win over Delaware Valley.  Tara Zdancewicz was high scorer for the Lady Spartans with 25 points.  Megan Braunagel netted 11 for the Lady Warriors.

 

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 24 (QUARTER-FINALS)

(5) Hazleton Area 43, (4) Williamsport 40 (ends at 9-13) 

(3) Wallenpaupack 51, (6) Scranton 29 (ends at 5-18) 

 

Wallenpaupack stormed out to a 20-3 advantage and coasted to a 51-29 win over Scranton as Alexix Roman scored 17 and grabbed 17 boards.  Hazleton Area had seemingly commanding leads of 28-12 (halftime) and 35-20 (after three periods), but had to hold off a furious Williamsport rally to defeat the Lady Millionaires 43-40.  The Lady Cougars got a combined 21 points from Alyssa Pfeil and Keanna Schoennagle, but hit a woeful 7 of 22 free throws.  Rachel Fatherly was limited to a dozen points for Williamsport.    

 

 

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 27 (SEMI-FINAL)

(3) Wallenpaupack 42, (2) Wyoming Valley West 33 ends at (19-6)

 

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 28 (SEMI-FINAL)

(1) Abington Hts. (20-4) vs. (5) Hazleton (9-14) @ Pittston 6pm

 

Throw the records out the door because this is going to be a a matchup between a red-hot Hazleton Cougar squad (winner of 7 of their last 11 games) and an Abington Heights team that won the Lackawannna Division 1 title.  AH features a very balanced squad and it seems that a different player steps up each game to make a defensive stop or a key basket.  Senior guard Tiffany O’Donnell is their high-scorer (12.4 ppg) while Lauren Hoyt is close behind (8 ppg).  While not a bread-and-butter threat from long-range, AH can hit from the perimeter.  They are a well-coached, disciplined team battled tested from a rugged schedule (Scranton Prep 5 times plus state ranked Cheltenham).  Hazleton Area, despite being in a rebuilding mode at the beginning of the year, has tossed aside their icy cold start.  The second half of the season brought terrific optimism as they won four division games and were within striking distance to gaining upset wins over both WVW and Holy Redeemer.  Their secret?  A winning hoops tradition that players refuse to quit on and some good old-fashioned hustle.  No big scorers, just a bunch of scrappy players like Becca Zamonas, Annie Bono, Alyssa Pfeil, Keana Schoennagle, and Alyssa Sitch.  Their record is most deceiving.   

 

 

FRIDAY, MARCH 2 (FINAL)

(3) Wallenpaupack (15-8) vs. (#1/#5 winner) @ TBA

 

 

 

CLASS AAA

 

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 25 (QUARTER-FINALS)

(8) Dallas 62, (1) Holy Redeemer 56 OT (ends at 14-9) 

(4) Honesdale 61, (5) Crestwood 43 ends at (14-9)  

(2) Scranton Prep 40, (7) Pittston 36 (ends at 17-7)

(3) Nanticoke 43, (6) Valley View 42 OT (ends at 12-12) 

 

Dallas staged a big rally after trailing top-rated Holy Redeemer 29-16.  Ashley Dunbar, held scoreless in the first half, exploded for 26 points, including a shot that sent the game to overtime knotted at 50.  The Lady Mountaineers finally took their first lead (53-52) with 3:00 left in the OT stanza.  Taner Englehart scored 11 and grabbed 11 caroms in the 62-56 win.  For the Lady Royals, Alexis Lewis scored 24 (with 15 rebounds ) and Paige Makowski added 13.  Holy Redeemer only hit 9 of 26 free throws.  Scranton Prep bounced back from a 3-point halftime deficit to top Pittston Area 40-36 as Olivia Burke scored 12 and secured 11 rebounds.  There was high concern for the Classics as team leading-scorer Tricia Byrne went out of the game with a wrist injury midway through the second quarter.  The Lady Patriots had a lot of trouble containing the tenacious Prep defense.  Mia Hopkins scored 16 for Pittston.  Nanticoke forced 28 turnovers, and they needed every one of them, to hang on to a 43-42 overtime win over Valley View.  Trailing 42-39 with only ticks left, Sammy Gow (10 points) converted one of two free throws for the Trojanettes.  On the miss, a tie up on the rebound gave the jump ball to Nanticoke.  Kayley Schinski (13 points) responded with a pulsating trey at the buzzer to keep their season alive.  Caroline Mancuso netted 13 for the Lady Cougars in the strong upset bid that came up just short.  Although Crestwood held an early 7-point lead, Honesdale used 21 turnovers to settle down and jump all over the Lady Comets, 61-43.  Mary Martin scored 14 for the Lady Hornets, Katie Miller added 20 and Morgan Birmelin contributed 12.  The Lady Comets got 12 each from Kayla Gegaris and Sydney Myers.        

 

 

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 29 (SEMI-FINALS)

(4) Honesdale (20-5) vs. (8) Dallas (14-7) @ Marywood 6pm

(2) Scranton Prep (18-7) vs. (3) Nanticoke (22-2) @ Wy. Area 7pm

 

Scranton Prep stepped out to play a tough non-conference slate.  The Classics have veteran head coach Ross Macciocco leading the way.  Tricia Byrne (soph guard) averages 16 ppg (but may miss due to a wrist injury) while junior guard Olivia Burke nets almost 10 ppg.  Jess Genco, a promising freshman guard, scores 7.4 ppg.  Prep is a very tough team to beat, but came out on the short side of the scoreboard in four of meeting with Abington Heights this year.  Nanticoke comes in the tourney as one of the most explosive teams from 3-point land.  Senior guard Sammy Gow (10.3 ppg) and junior guard Kayley Schinski (9 ppg) combined to hit over 86 treys on the season.  Senior forward Katie Wolfe (13.4 ppg) and junior Alex Brassington (7 ppg) gives the Trojanettes a terrific lineup.  They only dropped two games on the year, a close early loss to Pittston Area and a defeat to Lake-Lehman in a league matchup.  One of the teams that has flown under the radar a bit this year has been Honesdale.  Part of that is their distance to the Scranton Area, but mostly because teams like Abington Heights and Scranton Prep grabbed most of the division spotlight.  And that’s probably OK with the Lady Hornets who have been playing their best down the stretch.  Junior guard Mary Martin has been very steady hitting 12.8 ppg but freshman guard Katie Miller (9.3 ppg) has created a real buzz in the Red Palace.  Junior guard Abby Rickard and junior forward Kacie Johannes combine to add about 10 ppg.  Honesdale seems to matchup up well in their bracket.  Dallas is another team that has really been playing much better over the second half of the season.  Junior guard Ashley Dunbar (12 ppg) is good on the perimeter along with soph Sam Missal who has 23 treys on the year.  Around the basket junior Tanner Englehart nets 7.5 ppg. 

 

 

SATURDAY, MARCH 3 (FINAL)

 

 

 

 

CLASS AA

 

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 24 (QUARTER-FINALS)

(1) Montrose 52, (8) Holy Cross 49 (ends at 13-13)

(5) Riverside, 44, (4) Wilkes-Barre Meyers 41 (ends at 11-12)

(7) Mid Valley 46, (2) Lake-Lehman 40 (ends at 17-7)   

(3) Dunmore 55, (6) Wyoming Seminary 14 (ends at 7-15) 

 

Holy Cross came ohh so close to pulling off a stunning upset – or perhaps not so stunning because these same two teams played to an overtime affair during an exhibition game earlier in the season.  Although the Lady Meteors were up 14-2 early, the Lady Crusaders stormed back to take a 15-14 lead.  Holy Cross continued to hold a slight edge through the third period (34-28 with 3:00 left) and 45-42 (with 5:30 left in regulation).  However, Montrose was able to use a 6-0 run to go up by and hold on for a 52-49 victory.  Dallas Ely scored 37 of their 52 points.  For HC, Gab Giordano scored 17 while Emily Mineo added 13.  Mid Valley knocked off #2 seed Lake-Lehman 46-40, but the Spartanettes (shooting only 23%) trailed the Lady Knights 25-15 at halftime.  Mid Valley got their rebounding into high gear and outscored LL 31-15 in the second half.  Sara Jackson and Danielle Terranella combined to score 23 while Terranella grabbed 16 boards.  Cayle Spencer had 16 while Nikki Sutliff had 11 for the Knights.  Dunmore rolled to a win over Wyoming Seminary 55-14 as the Lady Bucks took a 21-4 lead after one stanza.  Alexa Gerchman scored 13 while Kayleigh Semion netted 9 (on 3 treys).  Riverside also staged an impressive comeback as the Lady Vikes trailed Meyers 23-11 going into the locker room.  Riverisde got 19 from Kellie Nash as they defeated the Lady Mohawks 44-41.  Jazma Robertson and Amy Kowalczyk each netted 10 for Meyers. 

 

 

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 28 (SEMI-FINALS)

(1) Montrose (21-2) vs. (5) Riversisde (17-8) @ Lack. College 7:45pm

(3) Dunmore (22-2) vs. (7) Mid Valley (16-10) @ Lack. College 6pm

 

It’s an all-Lackawanna championship round with Dunmore, Riverside, and Mid Valley from Division 2 and Montrose from Division 3.  The top two teams, Dunmore and Montrose, have both been setting their sights on winning a district championship for a while.  And any remaining questions about the Lady Meteors being a legitimate contender were soundly squashed with their impressive win over Dunmore in the LIAA top-seeding matchup.  So far, few teams have been able to stop their leading scorer, senior guard Dallas Ely (19.6 ppg, over 40 treys).  She is helped by senior guard Sara Krupinski (10 ppg).  Sophomore forward Myra Lattimore averages 7 ppg.  Montrose plays very well as a team.  But, so does Dunmore.  The Lady Bucks won yet another Lackawanna Division 2 title this year and are paced by guards Alexa Gerchman (10.3 ppg) and Molly Burke (8 ppg).  The two have combined to hit over 50 three-pointers on the season.  If there is something that always seems to be in their lineup, it’s outstanding younger players.  This year they feature a dynamite freshmen duo in guard Kayleigh Semion (10.5 ppg, 48 treys) and forward Jillian Korgeski.  Riverside got a big first half league win over Dunmore and the Lady Vikes feature three-point threat senior guard Rebecca Mekilo (11.7 ppg) along with senior forward Kelli Nash (11 ppg).  Mid Valley has been playing well of late.  The Spartanettes have all-state senior guard Danielle Terranella (20.5 ppg).  Her presence alone makes Mid Valley a team to watch.  They also get about 6.5 ppg from senior forward Sara Jackson. 

 

 

FRIDAY, MARCH 2 (FINAL/CONSOLATION)

 

 

 

 

CLASS A

 

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 25 (QUARTER-FINAL)

(5) MMI Prep 34, (4) Blue Ridge 29 OT (ends at 3-20)

 

MMI Prep got their first postseason win in seven years as they edged Blue Ridge in overtime 34-29.  The Lady Preppers had their share of shooting troubles missing 32 of 37 shots in the first half (only 13%).  MMI played the rest of the game minus Hayle Shearer (12 rebounds) after she left the game in their third quarter with a shoulder injury.  Maria Carrato and Kristen Purcell combined to score 6 points.  Jackie Furch had 10 points in the loss for the Blue Raiders.

 

 

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 29 (SEMI-FINALS)

(1) Forest City (11-11) vs. (5) MMI (4-19) @ Scranton 7:30pm 

(2) Old Forge (15-6) vs. (3) Northwest (14-8) @ Scranton 6pm

 

OK.  The first question might be – how did Forest City gain the top seed over Old Forge and Northwest?  Based on their division record (11-3) vs. 10-4 for the Lady Blue Devils and 7-6 for the Lady Rangers, the Lady Foresters got the top spot.  They have an outstanding sophomore guard in Carly Edrmann (17.5 ppg) who also has 50 treys on the year.  Sophomore forward Cassandra Bendyk (9.6 ppg) is another key scorer.  FC has enjoyed success over the years in the district tourney, but the nod seems to go to Northwest Area and Old Forge this year.  The Lady Blue Devils were a very competitive team in the rugged Lackawanna Division 2.  Old Forge has a ton on young players on their team, so winning the gold medals might put them a bit ahead of schedule.  They are led by a pair of sophomores in forward Lauren Carey (9.7 ppg) and guard Rhyan Barnic (7.3 ppg).  They play very well as a team.  Northwest Area features junior center Alivia Womelsdorf who netted 19.5 ppg.  Senior guard Sarah Shaffer averages 8.5 ppg and has 40 treys on the season.  The Lady Rangers played within a balanced and competitive group of teams in WVC Division 3 play.  MMI Prep, having got their first playoff win in many years, is going to enjoy the playoff atmosphere, but would be a tremendous longshot to advance.  The Lady Preppers a great trio in sophomore Maria Carrato (7.3 ppg), freshman Rachel Stanziola (8.3 ppg) and soph forward Kristen Purcell (5.2 ppg).                

 

 

SATURDAY, MARCH 3 (FINAL)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2012 District 2 Tournament Picks

 

 

BOYS CLASS AAAA

 

(1) Scranton (19-4) bye

(4) Williamsport (14-8) vs. (5) Wy. Valley West (11-12)

(2) Hazleton Area (20-4) bye 

(3) Delaware Valley (17-6) vs. (6) Wallenpaupack (8-14) 

 

FAVORITES:  Williamsport, Scranton, Hazleton Area 

KEEP AN EYE ON:  Delaware Valley   

DON’T COUNT OUT:  Wyoming Valley West 

BEST SEMI-FINAL:  Scranton vs. Williamsport  

 

 

 

BOYS CLASS AAA

 

(1) Crestwood (13-10) vs. (8) Pittston (13-9) 

(4) Abington Heights (19-5) vs. (5) Tunkhannock (14-9) 

(2) Scranton Prep (16-6) vs. (7) Holy Redeemer (10-12) 

(3) Dallas (14-8) vs. (6) North Pocono (11-13)

 

FAVORITES:  Scranton Prep, Crestwood, Abington Heights    

KEEP AN EYE ON:  Dallas  

DON’T COUNT OUT:  Pittston, North Pocono 

BEST QUARTER-FINAL:  Crestwood vs. Pittston Area   

BEST SEMI-FINAL:  Crestwood vs. Abington Heights  

 

 

 

BOYS CLASS AA

 

(1) Holy Cross (20-4) vs. (8) Montrose (18-8)

(4) Wilkes-Barre GAR (20-2) vs. (5) Riverside (20-3) 

(2) Wilkes-Barre Meyers (20-2) vs. (7) Dunmore (19-7)

(3) Lakeland (17-8) vs. (6) Hanover (10-12)   

 

FAVORITES:  Holy Cross, Wilkes-Barre Meyers    

KEEP AN EYE ON:  Wilkes-Barre GAR, Riverside     

DON’T COUNT OUT:  Dunmore, Lakeland  

BEST QUARTER-FINAL:  Wilkes-Barre GAR vs. Riverside   

BEST SEMI-FINAL:  Holy Cross vs. Wilkes-Barre GAR  

 

 

 

BOYS CLASS A

 

(1) Susquehanna (6-15) vs. (4) MMI Prep (2-20)

(2) Old Forge (7-14) vs. (3) Forest City (2-20)  

 

FAVORITE:  Old Forge 

DON’T COUNT OUT:  Susquehanna 

BEST SEMI-FINAL:  Susquehanna vs. MMI Prep  

 

 

 

 

 

 

GIRLS AAAA

 

(1) Abington Heights (20-4) bye

(4) Williamsport (9-12) vs. (5) Hazleton (8-14)

(2) Wy. Valley West (18-5) vs. (7) Delaware Valley (4-18)   

(3) Wallenpaupack (14-8) vs. (6) Scranton (5-17) 

 

FAVORITES:  Wyoming Valley West, Abington Heights    

KEEP AN EYE ON:  Wallenpaupack    

DON’T COUNT OUT:  Williamsport, Hazleton Area  

BEST QUARTER-FINAL:  Williamsport vs. Hazleton Area   

BEST SEMI-FINAL:  Wy. Valley West vs. Wallenpaupack     

 

 

 

 

GIRLS AAA

 

(1) Holy Redeemer (14-8) vs. (8) Dallas (13-7) 

(4) Honesdale (19-5) vs. (5) Crestwood (14-8) 

(2) Scranton Prep (17-7) vs. (7) Pittston (17-6)  

(3) Nanticoke (21-2) vs. (6) Valley View (12-11)

 

FAVORITES:  Scranton Prep, Nanticoke, Honesdale 

KEEP AN EYE ON:  Pittston Area, Holy Redeemer    

DON’T COUNT OUT:  Crestwood, Dallas, Valley View   

BEST QUARTER-FINAL:  Scranton Prep vs. Pittston   

BEST SEMI-FINAL:  Scranton Prep vs. Nanticoke  

 

 

 

 

GIRLS CLASS AA

 

(1) Montrose (20-2) vs. (8) Holy Cross (13-12)

(4) W-B Meyers (11-11) vs. (5) Riverside (16-8) 

(2) Lake-Lehman (17-6) vs. (7) Mid Valley (15-10) 

(3) Dunmore (21-2) vs. (6) Wyoming Seminary (7-14) 

 

FAVORITES:  Montrose, Dunmore 

KEEP AN EYE ON:  Lake-Lehman, Riverside    

DON’T COUNT OUT:  Mid Valley 

BEST QUARTER-FINAL:  Lake-Lehman vs. Mid Valley    

BEST SEMI-FINAL:  Dunmore vs. Lake-Lehman   

 

 

 

 

GIRLS CLASS A

 

(1) Forest City (11-11) bye

(4) Blue Ridge (3-19) vs. (5) MMI Prep (3-19)

(2) Old Forge (15-6) bye

(3) Northwest Area (14-8) bye

  

FAVORITE:  Old Forge 

KEEP AN EYE ON:  Northwest Area    

DON’T COUNT OUT:  Forest City 

BEST SEMI-FINAL:  Old Forge vs. Northwest Area  

 

 

 

 

 

 

DISTRICT 2 BOYS DIVISION FINAL RECORDS

   Team (second half, first half record)

      x  =  won first half 

      y  =  won second half

      z  =  won all-season championship

 

 

WYOMING VALLEY CONFERENCE

 

DIVISION 1

xyz-Hazleton Area (6-1, 5-1)

Crestwood (6-1, 4-2)

Wyoming Valley West (4-3, 5-1)

Pittston (3-4, 3-3)

Wilkes-Barre Coughlin (3-4, 1-5)

 

 

DIVISION 2

y-Tunkhannock (5-2, 3-3)

Holy Redeemer (4-3, 3-3)

xz-Dallas (3-4, 5-1

Wyoming Area (1-6, 0-6)

Berwick (0-7, 1-5)

 

 

DIVISION 3

xyz-Wilkes-Barre Meyers (7-0, 7-0)

Wilkes-Barre GAR (6-1, 6-1)

Hanover (4-3, 4-3)

Lake-Lehman (3-4, 4-3)

Wyoming Seminary (3-4, 2-5)

Nanticoke (3-4, 2-5)

Northwest (2-5, 3-4)

MMI Prep (0-7, 0-7)

 

 

 

 

LACKAWANNA LEAGUE

 

DIVISION 1

y-Delaware Valley (6-1, 3-4)

xz-Scranton (5-2, 7-0)

Scranton Prep (5-2, 6-1)

Abington Heights (4-3, 5-2)

Honesdale (3-4, 2-5)

North Pocono (3-4, 2-5)

West Scranton (1-6, 2-5)

Wallenpaupack (1-6, 1-6)

 

 

DIVISION 2

xyz-Holy Cross (6-1, 7-0)

Riverside (6-1, 6-1)

Dunmore (6-1, 5-2)

Mid Valley (4-3, 4-3)

Carbondale (3-4, 1-6)

Valley View (2-5, 3-4)

Old Forge (1-6, 2-5)

Western Wayne (0-7, 0-7)

 

 

DIVISION 3

yz-Lakeland (7-0, 6-1)

Lackawanna Trail (6-1, 4-3)

x-Montrose (5-2, 6-1)

Blue Ridge (4-3, 5-2)

Elk Lake (2-5, 4-3)

Susquehanna (2-5, 1-6)

Mountain View (1-6, 2-5)

Forest City (1-6, 0-7)

 

 

 

 

LLHOOPS BOYS PLAYERS OF THE WEEK

 

 

 

 

 

GIRLS BASKETBALL     GIRLS BASKETBALL     GIRLS BASKETBALL

           GIRLS BASKETBALL

GIRLS BASKETBALL     GIRLS BASKETBALL     GIRLS BASKETBALL

 

 

 

 

 

DISTRICT 2 GIRLS DIVISION FINAL RECORDS

   Team (second half, first half record)

      x  =  won first half 

      y  =  won second half

      z  =  won all-season championship

 

 

WYOMING VALLEY CONFERENCE 

 

DIVISION 1

yz-Wyoming Valley West (7-0, 4-2)

Crestwood (4-3, 4-2)

Hazleton Area (4-3, 2-4)

x-Pittston (3-4, 5-1)

Wilkes-Barre Coughlin (0-7, 0-6)

 

 

DIVISION 2

xyz-Holy Redeemer (7-0, 5-1)

Tunkhannock (4-3, 3-3)

Dallas (4-3, 4-2)

Berwick (2-5, 2-4)

Wyoming Area (0-7, 1-5)

 

 

DIVISION 3

y-Lake-Lehman (7-0, 6-1)

xz-Nanticoke (6-1, 7-0)

Northwest (5-2, 3-4)

Wilkes-Barre Meyers (4-3, 4-3)

Wilkes-Barre GAR (3-4, 2-5)

Wyoming Seminary (2-5, 3-4)

Hanover Area (1-6, 3-4)

MMI Prep (0-7, 0-7)

 

 

  

 

 

LACKAWANNA LEAGUE

 

DIVISION 1

xyz-Abington Heights (6-1, 6-1)

Scranton Prep (6-1, 6-1)

Honesdale (5-2, 5-2)

Wallenpaupack (4-3, 3-4)

North Pocono (4-3, 3-4)

West Scranton (2-5, 2-5)

Scranton (1-6, 3-4)

Delaware Valley (0-7, 0-7)

 

 

 

DIVISION 2

xyz-Dunmore (7-0, 6-1)

Riverside (5-2, 6-1)

Old Forge (5-2, 5-2)

Holy Cross (3-4, 2-5)

Valley View (4-3, 5-2)

Mid Valley (3-4, 3-4)

Western Wayne (1-6, 1-6)

Carbondale (0-7, 0-7)

 

 

DIVISION 3

xyz-Montrose (7-0, 7-0)

Lakeland (6-1, 5-2)

Forest City (5-2, 6-1)

Lackawanna Trail (4-3, 4-3)

Elk Lake (3-4, 2-5)

Mountain View (2-5, 2-5)

Susquehanna (1-6, 0-7)

Blue Ridge (0-7, 2-5)

 

 

 

 

 

LLHOOPS GIRLS PLAYERS OF THE WEEK

 

 

 

 

 

 

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.

 

 

 

Questions or Comments, contact us at llhoops.nep-beat@comcast.net

 

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