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.
UPDATED 1/27/09
Crestwood 50, Hazleton 46 (OT)
WVC Division 1, First
Half Championship
Welcome back to the Northeast Beat. First half play concluded in the Wyoming
Valley Conference last week, highlighted by Crestwood dealing Hazleton Area a
second straight defeat in three nights. Though the net result may have been the same, the Cougars definitely
elevated their game by scoring as many points in the first quarter (21) as they
did through almost third periods Monday night. Early on, Hazleton was scorching the Kings College
nets, going out to a 5-point lead before holding a slim 26-25 advantage at the halftime
break. Adam Davis in particular was
sensational for Mike Joseph as he scored 22 points on the night. Defensively, everything seemed to be working for
Hazleton as explosive
Comet offensive standouts Adam Fazzini and Josh Popowycz were held check. But, as is usually the mark of any
championship team, Mark Atherton got significant production from a pair of
lesser know offensive threats, Eric Bogumil (3 treys, 11 points) and Chris
Vega. In the end, the game was
well-played on both ends of the court and fans (and beat writers) are already excited
for their second half meeting (February 10, at Hazleton). As a footnote, the league lined up one of the top area hoops venues
(Kings Scandlon gym) for what they hoped would be a 3,000+ crowd. Not sure if it was the weeknight game, the
icy cold weather, or maybe it was previous, lopsided Comet win, but the place seemed
to be barely half-filled. Traditional rivalries
aside, this is definitely one of the best hoops matchup in the district right
now.
LEAGUE SECOND HALF PLAY RESUMES IN WVC AND LL
Second half play resumed last week in the Wyoming Valley
Conference with Hazleton
rebounding for nail-biting wins over Pittston and Tunkhannock. Pittston, a team which had widespread pre-season
hype as a possible division champion, seems to have weathered through a tough
period. With the addition of Matt Zera
back in their lineup, the Patriots are going to be a team to watch. After giving Hazleton all they could handle, they now get
their chance Tuesday night when they head south to play Crestwood. That begins a tough week-long stretch for
Crestwood, as the Comets play 4 games in a five day period. After Pittston, they battle highly-regarded
and top District 3 AAAA power Reading
(16-3) in exhibition action Wednesday, Tunkhannock on Thursday night, and
finish with Coughlin at home Saturday night. Elsewhere, Holy Redeemer and the Zachs Attack seems to rolling along nicely
with big double-digit wins over Dallas and Coughlin. In Division 3, Nanticoke knocked off
first half champion GAR in a low scoring contest. It was a big win for the Trojan program. Meanwhile, the Lackawanna League is returning
from a week-long hiatus to resume second half play Tuesday night. Things will heat up quickly, though, as they
have a 3-game league schedule on tap. Hopefully,
the predicted snowfall will not impact any Tuesday night games, but Wednesday
disruptions seem likely for the girls lineup. No one wants to see the league face scheduling nightmares similar to
those that the WVC experienced just two weeks ago. Here we snow again.
COACHES VERSUS CANCER THIS WEEKEND
Why not give the Wii the night off and check out a local game
before this season is going, going, gone. And what better time than this weekend (January 30 and 31) as virtually
every District 2 home game will be hosting a Coaches vs. Cancer fundraiser for
the American Cancer Society. Lace up
your sneakers and support this outstanding community initiative.
See you in the bleachers!
BOYS FIRST HALF DIVISION CHAMPIONS
CONGRATULATIONS to all of the District 2 first half boys
champions.
WYOMING
VALLEY CONFERENCE
Division 1 (Crestwood,
5-1, won playoff against Hazleton)
Division 2 (Wilkes-Barre Coughlin,
5-1)
Division 3 (Wilkes-Barre GAR, 6-0)
Division 4 (Wyoming Seminary, 4-2)
LACKAWANNA
LEAGUE
Division 1 (Abington Heights, 7-0)
Division 2 (Holy
Cross, 7-0)
Division 3 (Mountain View, 7-0)
THIS WEEKS DISTRICT 2 BOYS TOP 10 (games through 1/26)
1. Holy Cross (13-1) 2A
2. Williamsport
(13-2) 4A
3. Abington
Heights (13-1) 3A
4. Crestwood (14-2) 3A
5. Hazleton
(13-4) 4A
6. Holy Redeemer (11-6) 3A
7. Scranton
Prep (12-3) 3A
8. Wilkes-Barre
Coughlin (13-4) 3A
9. Dallas
(12-5) 3A
10. (tie)
Wilkes-Barre GAR
(13-3) 2A
10. (tie) Mountain
View (11-3) 2A
OTHERS TO WATCH
Blue Ridge (8-5), Dunmore (10-5), Elk Lake (13-2), Nanticoke
(10-7), MMI Prep (9-6), Montrose (9-4), North Pocono (8-7), Old Forge (8-7), Valley
View (8-7), West Scranton (11-4), Wyoming Area (9-8)
DISTRICT 2 BOYS TOURNAMENT KEY DATES
As announced by the District 2 committee last week, here are
the important dates. Admission will be
$5 for adult and $3 for students.
February 11 (Wednesday) last date to decline participation, by certified letter
February 16 (Monday) Pre-tourney meeting at East Mountain Inn, 4 pm
February 18 (Wednesday) Play-in Round (AA, AAA if necessary)
February 20 (Friday) AA, AAA First Round and A, AAAA Quarter-finals
February 23 (Monday) AA, AAA Quarter-finals and A, AAAA Semi-finals
February 25 (Wednesday) AA, AAA Semi-finals
February 27 (Friday) all Final and Consolation games
March 3 (Tuesday)
State Play-In games for A and AAAA Runner-ups
March 6 (Friday)
A, AAA PIAA First Round
March 7 (Saturday) AA, AAAA PIAA First Round
DISTRICT 2 BOYS PLAYOFF GLANCE
The District 2 tourney may be 22 days away, but it is not
too early to take a quick glance at what may be developing this year. As with any given year, the final bracket
positions will hold the key to all the drama and often stirs the most
debate.
In AAAA, there
are only 6 teams participating, including Williamsport. The Millionaires are the lone quad-A member
of District 4 so they compete through the District 2 Tournament. Confidence is sky-high in Billtown and
well-deserved. Reaching the 12-win
plateau to qualify for the playoffs was a mere formality this year as the
state-ranked Top 10 Millionaires will be setting their sights on avenging a
heart-breaking 4OT loss in the D-2 AAAA title game last year. Overall records are used to seed the top
three teams. Currently, Williamsport
and the top 4A team from both the Lackawanna League and Wyoming Valley
Conference (likely to be Scranton and Hazleton) occupy the top
positions. Although Hazleton has the playmakers to potentially
score some inside points, their guards will be seriously tested by the
swarming, relentless defense that Port brings up and down the court. The goods news for District 2 fans is that
runner-up is not eliminated from state competition, but will now play a
District 1 team in a play-in game.
In AAA, the field
may be as loaded as fans have ever seen in quite a while. Potentially, there could be four division
champions represented. And if the
bracket was not challenging enough, this year brings the addition of perennial
powerhouse Abington
Heights who moved down
from 4A to 3A this season. The Comets,
along with Crestwood, Holy Redeemer, and Scranton Prep have shown that they have
solid, well-balanced teams who can play with anybody. Just a notch below these elite teams, there
are squads like W-B Coughlin, West Scranton, Dallas,
Valley View, and Nanticoke
who have to talent to definitely get into the championship rounds and quality
for the state playoffs. Then, there are
those teams that reside in the tougher league divisions and may own deceivingly
sub-.500 records. North
Pocono and Wyoming Area were both expected to complete for
division titles, but have come up short so far. And if anyone underestimates teams like Pittston (3-5) or Tunkhannock (1-7),
they might be facing a long bus ride home, because both those teams have
improved tremendously in the second half of the season. Just ask Hazleton coach Mike Joseph. Three teams will advance into state competition.
In AA, there are
17 teams eligible and first half division champions Holy Cross, Mountain View, and
Wilkes-Barre GAR are leading the way right now. Other Lackawanna League teams such as Dunmore, Elk
Lake, and Riverside will be a tough out and capable of
advancing to the finals. There will be
three teams moving into state competition.
In 1A, there are
only 6 teams competing with Old Forge, MMI Prep and Forest City
being the frontrunners. As in the 4A
category, the runner-up will play in a play-in game to quality for the state
tourney.
WILLIAMSPORT
IMPROVES SEASON MARK TO 13-2
The Millionaires continue to pile up the wins and likewise continue
to move up the state rankings. Last
week, they took a 20 point halftime lead over Hollidaysburg (7-6) and never
looked back, in their 84-47 win as they placed five players in double figures
(Isaiah Twine 15, Jadiah Lynch 12, Sean Ruane 15, Dontahe Jordan 18, and Codie
Engel 11). The Cherry and White then
took on undefeated AAA Shamokin on the road. The Indians (13-1) got handed their first loss, but did impress with
steady guard play and strong inside scoring. Port pulled away from a 59-54 game to win by 13 points, 76-63. Isaiah Twine netted 18, Jadiah Lynch 15, and
Dontahe Jordan 23. On Saturday, Williamsport added a
steady, though unspectacular win over Monsignor Bonner (6-10), 81-70, at the
Kobe Bryant Classic. Twine scored 16,
Lynch 21, and Jordan
added 17 for the Millionaires. Monday
night, Williamsport got by District 4 traditional powerhouse, Danville (10-6)
65-54, although the Ironmen left the Millionaires a bit stunned early, leading
18-11 after the first period. Allen
Taylor regrouped his squad, who grabbed a slim 29-27 halftime lead. Dontahe Jordan had a big night, scoring 23 points. This week, they host the Williamsport
Showcase on Saturday against White Plains (NY) before entertaining local rival
Loyalsock on Monday. The Magic Dome
should be hopping and filled to capacity for that one.
UPCOMING DISTRICT 2 TOP BOYS GAMES
TUESDAY, 1/27
Pittston at Crestwood (WVC Division 1)
Dallas at Hazleton (WVC Division 1/2 crossover)
MMI Prep at Nanticoke
(WVC Division 3/4 crossover)
Abington Hts. at Scranton (Lackawanna Division 1)
West Scranton at Scranton
Prep (Lackawanna
Division 1)
Valley View at Old Forge (Lackawanna Division 2)
Riverside at Dunmore (Lackawanna Division 2)
Mt. View at Montrose (Lackawanna Division 3)
Elk Lake at Forest
City (Lackawanna Division 3)
WEDNESDAY, 1/28
Reading
(16-3) at Crestwood (exhibition)
THURSDAY, 1/29
Tunkhannock at Crestwood (WVC Division 1)
North Pocono at Scranton (Lackawanna Division 1)
Old Forge at Dunmore (Lackawanna
Division 2)
Mt. View at Blue Ridge (Lackawanna Division 3)
FRIDAY, 1/30
Wyoming Valley West at Hazleton
(WVC Division 1)
Pittston at Holy Redeemer (WVC Division 1/2 crossover)
Dallas at Wyoming Area (WVC Division 2)
Hanover at Nanticoke (WVC Division 3)
WB-GAR at WB-Meyers (WVC Division 4)
MMI Prep at Wyoming
Seminary (WVC Division 4)
SATURDAY, 1/31
WB-Coughlin at Crestwood (WVC Division 1/2 crossover)
Adelphi Academy at Wyoming
Seminary
White Plains (NY) at Williamsport (Williamsport
Showcase)
Scranton Prep at North Pocono
(Lackawanna
Division 1)
Dunmore at Valley View (Lackawanna Division 2)
Riverside at Holy Cross (Lackawanna Division 2)
Blue Ridge at Montrose (Lackawanna Division 3)
MONDAY, 2/2
Loyalsock at Williamsport
TUESDAY, 2/3
Pittston at Tunkhannock (WVC Division 1)
Hazleton
at WB-Coughlin (WVC Division 1/2 crossover)
Crestwood at Wyoming Area (WVC Division 1/2 crossover)
Nanticoke
at Lake-Lehman (WVC Division 3)
Wyoming Seminary at WB-GAR (WVC Division 3/4 crossover)
Northwest at MMI Prep (WVC Division 4)
Scranton Prep at Scranton (Lackawanna
Division 1)
Valley View at Riverside (Lackawanna Division 2)
Forest City at Mt. View (Lackawanna
Division 3)
LLHOOPS NORTHEAST BEAT BOYS PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
Matt Zera (5-11,
senior) a four-year starter for Pittston returned to the Patriot lineup and
made an immediate impact on his team. Matt netted 15 points in a 63-50 win over Tunkhannock. He added 14 more points in a heart-breaking
65-64 loss to Hazleton. The senior also chipped in 20 points to lead
Pittston to an emotional 66-56 win over rival Wyoming Area.
Evan Byers (6-0,
junior) was the sole returning starter to the Wyoming Seminary lineup this
season. Evan scored 20 points in a
crossover win over Hanover Area. He
added 14 more point sin a win over Northwest, 35-24, keying a first place
position in the WVC Division 4 standings.
DISTRICT 2 BOYS BASKETBALL STANDINGS AND ANALYSIS
WYOMING
VALLEY CONFERENCE
Team (second half,
first half, overall records)
x (first half
champion)
DIVISION 1
Hazleton
Area (2-0, 5-1, 13-4)
x-Crestwood (1-0, 5-1, 14-2)
Wyoming
Valley West (1-1, 2-4, 6-11)
Pittston (1-1, 2-4, 7-9)
Tunkhannock (0-2, 1-5, 5-10)
Hazleton
gained a pair of road wins last week, but they were anything but easy. The Cougars trailed Pittston 24-19 after the
first period, but managed to pull out a 65-64 win over the resurgent
Patriots. The return of Matt Zera to the
Pittston lineup gives them an added dimension and puts them right back in the
division race. Pittston placed five
players in double figures, led by Zera scoring 14 and teammate Bernie Moska
netting 15 in the loss. For Hazleton, Dan Maguschak
scored 22, Adam Davis hit 5 treys (17 points), and Paris Cleveland added
16. Pittston bounced back for a 66-56
crossover win over rival Wyoming Area as Matt Zera and Dan Irvin each scored 20
points (the game was tied 43-43 after three periods). Hazleton
headed for their longest division road trip of the season to Tunkhannock minus
the services of Paris Cleveland (out with a minor injury). Tunkhannock played an inspired ball game,
rallying from a 39-35 deficit to tie the game at 45 halfway through the final
period. The Tigers got an offensive
boost off the bench from Mike Papi (17 points), but Hazleton eventually
prevailed 51-48 as Joe Madochick score 18 and Dan Maguschak netted 18. Crestwood re-scheduled their game with
Coughlin from Thursday to this Saturday, but added a low-scoring win over
Wyoming Valley West, 37-30, as Adam Fazzini scored 18 (Ali Muhammed netted 15
for WVW who led 18-13 at halftime). WVW
got a division crossover win over Berwick, 63-43, as Jack Crossin scored 32
points for the Spartans. As we
mentioned, Crestwood has a full week, hosting three league games (Pittston
Tuesday, Tunkhannock Thursday, and Coughlin Saturday). The Comets also entertain powerhouse Reading
on Wednesday (if weather permits) and travels to play Wyoming Area next Tuesday. If weather postpones their game against
Reading again, it may be difficult to find an open date to play the game before
the District 3 seedings meeting. Hazleton hosts Dallas
Tuesday, longtime nemesis WVW on Friday, and heads to play at Coughlin next
Tuesday. Pittston has an interesting
crossover game at Holy Redeemer on Friday night before traveling to play
Tunkhannock next Tuesday.
DIVISION 2
Holy Redeemer (2-0, 4-2, 11-6)
x-Wilkes-Barre Coughlin (1-1, 5-1, 13-4)
Dallas
(1-1, 4-2, 12-5)
Wyoming
Area (1-2, 2-4, 9-8)
Berwick (0-2, 0-6, 0-14)
Holy Redeemer seems to have found some of the confidence and
consistency that they were missing at times during the first half of the
season. The Royals notched an impressive
win over Dallas
(58-41) as Zach Redding scored 20 (6 treys) and Peter Alexis added 14. Henry Messinger continues to play very well
for the Mountaineers as he scored 29 points in the loss. Messinger added 25 more in a 52-26 win over
Berwick. On Saturday, Mark Belinski had
to be equally impressed when his Holy Redeemer team withstood every Coughlin
challenge in a 57-42 win over the Crusaders. Zack Ell scored 16 for HR while Brian Weiscarger netted 15 for
Coughlin. Coughlin bounced back for a
41-39 win over Wyoming Area Monday night. Last week, Wyoming Area was down 15-3 at one point to Tunkhannock, but rallied
for a 52-47 win as Bernard Edmonds scored 33 points (Ryan McCarthy had 17 for
the Tigers). Coming up this week, Holy
Redeemer hosts Wyoming Valley West on Tuesday, Pittston on Friday, before
heading to Berwick next Tuesday. Coughlin host Berwick Friday, plays at Crestwood Saturday, and hosts Hazleton next
Tuesday. Other key games this week
include Dallas at Hazleton (Tuesday), and
Wyoming Area hosting both Dallas
(Friday) and Crestwood (next Tuesday).
DIVISION 3
Nanticoke
(2-0, 4-2, 10-7)
x-Wilkes-Barre GAR (1-1, 6-0, 13-3)
Lake-Lehman (1-1, 4-2, 8-8)
Wilkes-Barre
Meyers (1-1, 2-4, 4-13)
Hanover
(0-2, 0-2, 4-12)
Nanticoke
defeated first half champion Wilkes-Barre GAR 35-29 as the Trojans took a
10-point lead into the locker room on Saturday. Sean Bieski netted 20 points in the big win. Bieski added 25 more points in a 66-49 win over
West Side Tech. GAR got 18 points from
Ryan Womack in their 54-38 in over Lake-Lehman (Mike Eckman scored 15 for the
Black Knights). Eckman had 24 and Matt
Boyle 18 in a 62-52 Lake-Lehman win over West Side Tech. Elsewhere, Meyers held on despite a furious
final period rally by Hanover to post a 50-48 over the Hawks as John Montalvo
and Keyton Winder each scored 14 for the Mohawks (Meyers was leading 38-20
after three quarters). This week, Nanticoke hosts MMI Prep
Tuesday night while GAR heads to play St. Michaels. Friday, rivalry night takes top billing as Nanticoke hosts Hanover and
GAR plays at Meyers. Next Tuesday, GAR
entertains an improving Wyoming Seminary squad while Nanticoke heads to play Lake-Lehman.
DIVISION 4
x-Wyoming Seminary (2-0, 4-2, 7-7)
MMI Prep (2-0, 3-3, 9-6)
Northwest (1-1, 3-3, 7-10)
West Side Tech (0-2, 1-5,
4-12)
St. Michaels (0-2, 0-6, 1-10)
MMI Prep got a 57-53 win over Meyers as Tyler Breznitsky and
Justin Yakukowski each netted 20 points. The Preppers also had a 52-19 win over St. Michaels. MMI added a strong exhibition 58-43 win over
nearby Weatherly as Breznitsky lit up the nets for 36 points. Wyoming Seminary remained tied with MMI by
defeating Hanover (61-44) as Evan Byers scored
20 points (Rich Colorusso had 18 for Hanover). The Blue Knights also added a 35-24 win over
Northwest as Byers scored 14 points (including 10 free throws). Northwest remained a game back with a 62-27
win over St. Michaels. This week, on
Tuesday, MMI travels to play at Nanticoke
while Seminary hosts West Side Tech. Friday night, the big game is at Seminary as they entertain MMI. Next Tuesday, MMI hosts Northwest and
Seminary heads to play GAR in a tough crossover matchup.
LACKAWANNA
LEAGUE
Team (second half,
first half, overall records)
x (first half
champion)
DIVISION 1
x-Abington
Heights (0-0, 7-0, 13-1)
Scranton
Prep (0-0, 6-1, 12-3)
Scranton
(0-0, 5-2, 7-8)
West Scranton (0-0, 4-3, 11-4)
North Pocono (0-0, 3-4, 8-7)
Honesdale (0-0, 2-5, 5-10)
Delaware
Valley (0-0, 1-6, 2-13)
Wallenpaupack (0-0, 0-7, 5-11)
Abington Heights wrapped up an undefeated first half with a
win over North Pocono, 57-43, as the Comets
jumped out to a 36-13 halftime lead. Eric Hardaway and Ross Danzig each scored 14 points in the win. Scranton won
the city battle over West Scranton 57-53 as
Bilal Floyd and Terry Turner combined for 34 points for the Knights and Tom
Horan netted 23 for the Invaders. The
game was back and forth all night and really had the intensity to spark some
needed enthusiasm into the city hardwood rivalry. Scranton Prep finished one game back and got
a huge game from Pat Mineo (30 points, 8 treys) to defeat Delaware Valley,
56-34. In non-league action, West
Scranton got 20 points from Tom Hughes, and 15 each from Ethan Dunn and Tyler
Hughes in their 59-36 win over Forest
City. Also, Delaware Valley
played well but came up a bit short in a 40-35 loss to East Stroudsburg
North. This week, on Tuesday, Abington Heights
plays at Scranton while Prep hosts West Scranton in a pair of fantastic games matching top
division teams. On Thursday, Scranton entertains North Pocono
in a key game. On Saturday, North Pocono hosts Scranton Prep. Next Tuesday, Scranton entertains Scranton Prep in what may
be another division elimination contest.
DIVISION 2
x-Holy Cross (0-0, 7-0, 13-1)
Dunmore (0-0, 6-1, 10-5)
Valley View (0-0, 5-2, 8-7)
Old Forge (0-0, 4-3, 8-7)
Riverside
(0-0, 3-4, 7-8)
Carbondale
(0-0, 2-5, 3-12)
Mid Valley (0-0, 1-6, 6-9)
Lakeland
(0-0, 0-7, 1-13)
Holy Cross showed no lingering signs from their first loss
of the season by rolling over Valley View (54-28) and securing first half
honors. Louis Cipriano netted 17 points
for the Crusaders who led 30-11 at halftime. Dunmore got 18 points from Jack Rowland to get by Carbondale, 53-38. The Bucks added a non-league win over
Lackawanna Trail (70-40) as Pat Ross scored 12 points (4 treys). In what may be the most heated rivalry in all
of District 2, Old Forge got by Riverside
in overtime, 56-48, as Matt Rava and Gabe Wilson combined for 33 points to lead
the Blue Devils. Ryan Chisdock netted 16
points for the Vikings. This week, on
Tuesday Old Forge hosts Valley View and Dunmore entertains Riverside in key games. Thursday has Old Forge heading to play Dunmore. Saturday
brings Dunmore playing at Valley View and Holy Cross hosting Riverside. Next Tuesday, Valley Views plays at Riverside.
DIVISION 3
x-Mountain View (0-0, 7-0, 11-3)
Elk
Lake (0-0, 6-1, 13-2)
Montrose (0-0, 5-2, 9-4)
Blue Ridge (0-0, 3-4, 8-5)
Forest
City (0-0, 3-4, 6-9)
Lackawanna Trail (0-0, 3-4, 5-9)
Susquehanna (0-0, 1-6, 6-9)
Western Wayne (0-0, 0-7,
1-13)
Mountain View
got a big 59-46 win over Lackawanna Trail to wrap first half honors. Luke Jenkins scored 24 points while Jon
McBride added 17 for Eagles (Bobby Pacholec scored 22 for the Lions). Jeff Madrak scored 20 points to lead Elk Lake
to a 57-47 win over Montrose. The
Warriors also added pair of non-league wins last week. First, Jeff Madrak and Sean Morahan combined
for 30 points in a 57-23 win over Western Wayne. Then, Madrak added 20 points in a 64-45 win
over Lakeland. Forest
City notched a 48-44 win over Blue Ridge as Jesse Walsh scored 15. Elsewhere, Montrose got a great game from
Alan Charles (16), Rob Volk (12), and Andy Burgh (11), but dropped a tough
54-51 exhibition game to Chenango
Valley. Coming up this week, on Tuesday, Montrose
hosts Mt. View and Elk Lake plays at Forest City. Thursday, Blue Ridge hosts Mt. View. On Saturday, Montrose entertains Blue Ridge. Next Tuesday,
Elk Lake
plays at Blue Ridge and Mt. View hosts Forest
City.
GIRLS BASKETBALL GIRLS BASKETBALL GIRLS
BASKETBALL
GIRLS FIRST HALF DIVISION CHAMPIONS
CONGRATULATIONS to all of the District 2 first half girls
champions.
WYOMING
VALLEY CONFERENCE
Division 1 (Hazleton, 5-1, won playoff
against WVW)
Division 2 (Holy
Redeemer, 6-0)
Division 3 (Nanticoke, 5-0)
Division 4 (Wyoming Seminary, 3-2)
LACKAWANNA
LEAGUE
Division 1 (Abington Heights,
6-1, won playoff against Scranton)
Division 2 (Dunmore, 7-0)
Division 3 (Forest City
5-2, won playoffs against Montrose, Mt.
View)
THIS WEEKS DISTRICT 2 GIRLS TOP 10 (games through
1/26)
1. Holy Redeemer (16-2) 3A
2. Hazleton
(16-2) 4A
3. Dunmore (14-1) 2A
4. Abington
Heights (12-4) 3A
5. Wilkes-Barre
Coughlin (14-4) 3A
6. Old Forge (13-2) 1A
7. Berwick (15-3) 3A
8. Holy Cross (13-3) 2A
9. Nanticoke
(14-3) 3A
10. North Pocono (11-5) 3A
OTHERS TO WATCH
Forest City (9-6), Lackawanna Trail (9-7), Lake-Lehman (13-4),
Mid Valley (11-5), Mountain View (8-7), Scranton (9-8), Scranton Prep
(9-5), Valley View (10-6), Wyoming
Valley West (11-8)
DISTRICT 2 GIRLS TOURNAMENT KEY DATES
As announced by the District 2 committee last week, here are
the important dates.
February 11 (Wednesday) last date to decline participation, by certified letter
February 16 (Monday) Pre-tourney meeting at East Mountain Inn, 4 pm
February 18 (Thursday) Play-in Round for AA, if
necessary)
February 21 (Saturday) AA, AAA First Round and A, AAAA Quarter-finals
February 24 (Tuesday)
AA, AAA Quarter-finals and A, AAAA Semi-finals
February 26 (Thursday)
AA, AAA Semi-finals
February 28 (Saturday)
all Final and Consolation games
March 3 (Tuesday)
State Play-In games for A and AAAA Runner-ups
March 6 (Friday)
AA, AAAA PIAA First Round
March 7 (Saturday)
A, AAA PIAA First Round
UPCOMING DISTRICT 2 TOP GIRLS GAMES
WEDNESDAY, 1/28
Scranton at North Pocono (Lackawanna Division 1)
Mid Valley at Holy Cross (Lackawanna Division 2)
Carbondale at Valley View (Lackawanna Division 2)
Dunmore at Old Forge (Lackawanna
Division 2)
Lackawanna Trail at Montrose (Lackawanna Division 3)
Williamsport at State College
THURSDAY, 1/29
Hazleton at Wyoming Valley
West (WVC Division 1)
Holy Redeemer at Pittston (WVC Division 1/2 crossover)
W-B Coughlin at Berwick (WVC Division 2)
Nanticoke
at Hanover (WVC Division 3)
Wyoming
Seminary at MMI Prep (WVC Division 4)
FRIDAY, 1/30
North Pocono at Scranton Prep
(Lackawanna
Division 1)
Valley View at Dunmore (Lackawanna Division 2)
Holy Cross at Riverside (Lackawanna Division 2)
Old Forge at Mid Valley (Lackawanna Division 2)
Forest
City at Lack. Trail (Lackawanna Division 3)
SATURDAY, 1/31
North Schuylkill at Williamsport
MONDAY, 2/2
WB-Coughlin at Hazleton
(WVC Division 1/2 crossover)
Berwick at Holy Redeemer (WVC Division 2)
Lake-Lehman at Nanticoke
(WVC Division 3)
MMI Prep at Northwest (WVC Division 4)
Scranton at Scranton
Prep (Lackawanna
Division 1)
Riverside at Valley View (Lackawanna Division 2)
Dunmore at Mid Valley (Lackawanna
Division 2)
Carbondale at Holy Cross (Lackawanna Division 2)
Mt. View at Forest
City (Lackawanna Division 3)
Williamsport at Athens
LLHOOPS NORTHEAST BEAT GIRLS PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
Emily Hoolick (senior)
led Hanover Area to a pair of big wins last week. Emily scored 21 points in a 65-51 win over
Division 4 first half champ Wyoming Seminary. The senior also contributed 17 points in a 45-41 non-league win over Pottsville.
Mariah Deibert (5-7,
junior) continues to play very well for Abington Heights. Mariah netted 18 points in the Lackawanna
Division 1 first half playoff win against Scranton
(40-36). The junior hit a key trey in
the 3rd quarter to help pull away from the Lady Knights.
DISTRICT 2 GIRLS BASKETBALL STANDINGS AND ANALYSIS
WYOMING
VALLEY CONFERENCE
Team (second half,
first half, overall records)
x (first half
chamption)
DIVISION 1
x-Hazleton Area (3-0, 5-1, 16-2)
Wyoming
Valley West (1-2, 5-1, 11-8)
Crestwood (1-2, 1-5, 8-11)
Pittston (0-3, 3-3, 8-10)
Tunkhannock (0-3, 0-6, 5-12)
Hazleton
has moved out to a two game lead in Division 1. The Lady Cougars are really playing spectacular ever since their loss to
Holy Redeemer. Last week they rolled
over Wyoming Valley West in a first half playoff game (59-31) as Alyssa
Flanagan netted 17 points. Then they
added wins over Pittston (74-23, as Christy Sereta and Melanie Palko combined
for 22 points) and over Tunkhannock (70-23). On Monday night they got a 60-33 win over Dallas. WVW is two games back after getting by Crestwood, 56-46, but dropping a
crossover game to powerful Holy Redeemer, 53-42. Elsewhere, Pittston notched a non-league win
over GAR (58-25) as Lauren Smicherko scored 20 points. This week, Hazleton heads to play WVW Thursday in what
is already a must win for the Lady Spartans. Pittston hosts Holy Redeemer in a crossover matchup. Next Monday, Hazleton entertains Wilkes-Barre Coughlin in
what should be an interesting crossover game. No word on when Hazleton
is planning to reschedule their exhibition game against Scranton Prep.
DIVISION 2
x-Holy Redeemer (3-0, 6-0, 16-2)
Berwick (3-0, 4-2, 15-3)
Wilkes-Barre
Coughlin (2-1, 4-2, 14-4)
Wyoming
Area (2-1, 0-6, 7-10)
Dallas
(0-3, 2-4, 4-13)
Holy Redeemer and Berwick are tied at the top of the
division with undefeated marks. The Lady
Royals put 14 players in the scoring column and got a convincing 71-42 win over
Coughlin. Lauren McGinley netted 14
points for the Lady Crusaders. Holy
Redeemer also notched a 67-35 win over Dallas
as Christine Perterlin scored 16 points. On Monday night HR defeated Wyoming Valley West, 53-42. Berwick defeated WVW 52-41 as Cynthia
Hallowich and Katlin Michaels scored 15 points each (Sara Klick netted 17 for
WVW). They then got a 44-26 win over
Dallas as Katlin Michaels scored 17 points and finally added a win over
Tunkhannock Monday night Coughlin
defeated Wyoming Area 45-20 Monday night. Coming up this week, on Thursday, Berwick hosts Coughlin in a pivotal
division game for the Lady Crusaders. Also, Holy Redeemer visits Pittston. Next Monday, Coughlin heads to play Hazleton and Berwick visits Holy Redeemer in
a possible division showdown for first place.
DIVISION 3
x-Nanticoke (3-0, 5-0, 14-3)
Lake-Lehman (3-0, 3-2, 13-4)
Wilkes-Barre
Meyers (3-0, 4-2, 9-10)
Hanover
(1-2, 4-2, 8-11)
Wilkes-Barre
GAR (0-2, 1-5, 1-16)
There is a logjam of 3-0 teams at the top of Division
3. Nanticoke
rolled over West Side Tech (78-35), GAR (72-26, as Kelsey Yohey scored 18), and
MMI (63-24) Monday night. Lake-Lehman
(playing without injured Selana Adamshick for the rest of the year) got by GAR
and West Side Tech as Katee Pelleschi had a 2-game total of 33 points. The Black Knights also got by Hanover 48-38 Monday
night. Meyers defeated MMI, 56-38, as
Kristyn Rattigan scored 14. The Lady
Mohawks also got by Hanover,
61-54 as Madison Lavery netted 23 and Ashlee Ward scored 16. Monday night they slipped by Northwest,
26-24. This week, Hanover
hosts rival Nanticoke
Thursday, while Nanticoke hosts Lake-Lehman in a key game next Monday.
DIVISION 4
x-Wyoming Seminary (2-1, 3-2, 7-9)
MMI Prep (0-2, 2-3, 4-12)
Northwest (0-2, 2-3, 3-15)
West Side Tech (0-3, 0-5,
0-14)
Wyoming Seminary seems to be building a commanding lead in
Division 4 with wins over Northwest (41-21) and West Side Tech Monday
night. The Blue Knights also battled a
strong Athens
squad in exhibition action, but came up short, 51-38 (Lauren Skudelski scored
22 points). Seminary heads to play MMI
Prep on Thursday. If MMI can pull the
upset, then their Monday matchup at Northwest could be a key game.
LACKAWANNA
LEAGUE
Team (second half,
first half, overall records)
x (first half
champion)
DIVISION 1
x-Abington
Heights (1-0, 6-1, 12-4)
North Pocono (1-0, 4-3,
11-5)
Scranton
Prep (1-0, 5-2, 9-5)
Honesdale (1-0, 2-5, 7-9)
Scranton
(0-1, 6-1, 9-8)
Wallenpaupack (0-1, 2-5, 7-9)
West Scranton (0-1, 2-5, 5-10)
Delaware
Valley (0-1, 1-6, 3-13)
To finish off first half action, Abington
Heights took on Scranton in a playoff game last Wednesday at
Valley View high school. The Lady Comets
held early leads before Scranton
rallied to trim the deficit to 2 points at halftime (19-17). When the Scranton defenders packed in to deny the ball
to Jamie Halloran, the Comets (Liz Kilzi and Mariah Deibert) nailed a few treys
to put them in the lead for good. Keying
on Halloran and challenging AH to hit their outside shots seemed to be a safe
gamble as the talented center netted 24 points against North
Pocono just two nights earlier. Deibert played very well, scoring 18 points. Scranton
definitely has their opportunities to put points on the board, but they missed
what seemed to be many layups. Terika
Turner was their high scorer with 13 points. Abington Heights
started out strong in second half, again getting by Scranton 50-40 Monday night. North Pocono got passed Wallenpaupack 53-42
and Prep nipped West Scranton 58-54, also on
Monday. This week, the schedule gets
hectic and may be impacted by a Wednesday snowstorm. Wednesday, the key game will be Scranton visiting North Pocono while AH visits Delaware Valley. Friday, Prep hosts North Pocono and Scranton entertains Wallenpaupack. Next Monday, Scranton heads to play Scranton Prep in a key
matchup while AH hosts Paupack. No word
on when Abington Heights has rescheduled their game
against East Stroudsburg South.
DIVISION 2
x-Dunmore (1-0, 7-0, 14-1)
Old Forge (1-0, 5-2, 13-2)
Holy Cross (1-0, 4-3, 13-3)
Mid Valley (1-0, 3-4, 11-5)
Valley View (0-1, 3-4, 10-6)
Riverside
(0-1, 3-4, 8-8)
Carbondale
(0-1, 3-4, 7-8)
Lakeland
(0-1, 0-7, 1-15)
First of all, there were several noteworthy performances on
the final night of first half play. Dunmore rolled over Carbondale
75-31 as Ashley Murray (21 points), Lauren Carra (19), and Taylor Pallotta (17)
paced the Lady Bucks. Coleen Walsh
scored 18 for the Chargerettes. Riverside upset Old
Forge, 62-51, in their heated rivalry as Jess Segilia netted 16, Morgann Haduck
16, and Angela Dente 15. The Vikings
rallied to outscore the Blue Devils 35-24 in the second half. Mid Valley, behind 22 points from Danielle Terranella
and 17 from Alyssa Merenich, defeated Lakeland
(73-52). Ruth Butts scored 22 for Lakeland and Sara Teeple
added 17. Moving on to second half
action, Dunmore defeated Riverside (67-47), Holy Cross toped Lakeland (68-42),
Mid Valley beat Carbondale (60-42), and Old Forge got by Valley View
(59-49). There are some terrific games
upcoming this week. First off, on
Wednesday, Holy Cross hosts Mid Valley in a great matchup. Also, Old Forge
hosts Dunmore. On Friday Dunmore hosts Valley View, Holy Cross visits Riverside, and Old Forge travels to Mid
Valley. Next Monday, Dunmore plays at
Mid Valley and Valley View entertains Riverside. Dunmore is
clearly the team to beat in this division, but just below them is a bunch of
very solid teams.
DIVISION 3
Lackawanna Trail (1-0, 4-3, 9-7)
Mountain View
(1-0, 5-2, 8-7)
Elk
Lake (1-0, 4-3, 7-8)
Western Wayne (1-0, 3-4,
5-11)
x-Forest
City (0-1, 5-2, 9-6)
Montrose (0-1, 5-2, 7-9)
Blue Ridge (0-1, 1-6, 6-10)
Susquehanna (0-1, 1-6, 3-13)
The first half ended with a three-way tie for first
place. The first playoff game matched Forest City
against Montrose. Amanda Collins netted
22 and Cassie Erdmann 17 as the Lady Foresters defeated the Meteors,
55-39. In the title game against Mountain View, Katie Yale led the way with 12 points and
some terrific defensive play to secure a 33-30 win and first half honors for Forest City. The game did feature some sloppy moments and
a bunch of turnovers. Stepping back to
the final night of first half play, Karley Caines netted 19 points for Elk Lake
in their 47-37 win over Montrose. She
added 20 points in a non-league loss to Wyalusing, 69-59. Western Wayne
got 28 points from Charlcie Brink in a 58-55 win over Susquehanna (Hannah Price netted 20 for the Lady
Sabers). Western Wayne added an
exhibition win over Lakeland (56-45) as Courtney
Kromko scored 20 points (Sara Teeple scored 20 for Lakeland). On Monday night Elk Lake got a big win over first half champ Forest City
(42-39), Lackawanna Trail edged Susquehanna (45-39), Mt. View nipped Montrose
(55-53), and Western Wayne rolled over Blue Ridge (50-32). On Wednesday, Montrose hosts Lackawanna
Trail. Friday, Forest City
plays at Trail. Next Monday, Forest City
entertains Mountain View
in a key matchup of division leaders.
That’s it for this edition of the NEP Beat. See you next time!
Question or Comments, email us at LLHoops.NEP-Beat@att.net
Jon K.
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