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N.Eastern PA Report
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ed note: We are pleased to have
the some info from the North Eastern part of the state. We are pleased to
have a long time LLHoops fan ,
Jon K. to contribute. Thanks Jon. Hope you enjoy. PLEASE HIT YOUR BROWSER “REFRESH” BUTTON TO MAKE
SURE YOU ARE VIEWING THE MOST RECENT UPDATE OF THE N.EAST PA BEAT.
UPDATED 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 Year – JC Show (Abington Heights) Boys Freshman of the Year – Austin Yanora (Tunkhannock) Boys Coach of the Year – Al 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 Year – Dallas 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. |
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