District 2 BOYS Division Races (updated 1/17)
DISTRICT 2 BOYS DIVISION ANALYSIS
games through 1/17
WYOMING VALLEY CONFERENCE
DIVISION 1
Crestwood (8-0, 12-2) 5A
Hazleton Area (8-0, 9-3) 6A
Pittston Area (5-3, 9-5) 5A
Dallas (4-4, 7-7) 5A
Wilkes-Barre Coughlin (2-6, 3-10) 5A
Wyoming Valley West (1-7, 1-13) 5A
In Division 1, both Crestwood and Hazleton Area remain perfect through 8 games and are all set to renew their rivalry Friday night in Mountain Top. That should be an exciting match-up as the Cougars have been able to develop several of their newer players through the first half of the season. Over their last four wins, senior playmaker Da’mir Faison has been steady, averaging nearly 20 ppg. In their hard-fought 54-48 win over Wilkes-Barre Meyers last week, Andrew Vayda added 16 points. Mike Joseph’s squad then kicked their offense into high gear in wins over Wyoming Area (82-40) and Wilkes-Barre Coughlin (82-45). Nikolas Norman and Jecxander Moranta-Alvarez combined for 22 in the win over the Warriors while Vayda and Warren Seigendall teamed up for 25 against the Crusaders. In the loss, Coughlin got 24 combined points from Anthony Egidio and Matt Egidio. Tuesday night, Faison led 10 players on the scoresheet in a 72-50 victory over Wyoming Valley West. The Spartans got 8 combined triples and 14 points each from Danny Gibbons and Christian Michak. Crestwood started off last week with a very impressive 82-51 crossover win over Wilkes-Barre GAR as five players reached doubles (Ryan Petrosky 20 with 3 treys, Camden Boris 17 with 5 treys, Mike Palmiero 14, Brad Papura 13, and Jacob Zaleski 10). Petrosky then netted 17 with 3 triples while Sean Murphy and Boris each added 10 points in a 68-33 crossover win over Berwick. In an entertaining Saturday afternoon matinee, Boris and Murphy each scored 11 as the Comets were able to pull away late for a 53-47 win over a solid Pittston Area squad. The Patriots (who did not convert any triples) got 17 from Logan Booth and 14 from Brennan Higgins. Tuesday night, Boris led the way for the Comets with 18 (including 4 treys) while Palmiero and Murphy teamed up for 21 in a 56-43 victory over Dallas (Luke DelGaudio netted 20 and Jack Farrell 11 for the Mountaineers). Pittston Area (at 5-3) wrapped wins over Wyoming Area (70-47) and Coughlin (57-56) around their losses to Crestwood and Wilkes-Barre GAR (76-62). Mike George scored 22, Higgins 20, and Booth 10 in the win over Wyoming Area. In the loss to GAR, four Pats reached doubles (Higgins 11, George 15, Sevion Leak 10, and JJ Walsh 12). After the loss to Crestwood, PA bounced back on Tuesday to nip Coughlin, getting 22 from Higgins while George, Booth, and Andrew Krawczyk combined for 25. The Crusaders got 21 from Brandon Hall plus 21 combined from Aaron Bennett and Anthony Egidio. Dallas (at 4-4) has traded wins and losses over the last week. They got scoring from 11 players, including 21 combined from Jack Farrell and Logan Evanosky as they rolled over Berwick, 64-37. In their 59-51 crossover loss to Nanticoke Area, Farrell and DelGaudio each hit 12 and Nick Nocito 11). Farrell then led the way with 15 while Nocito and Austin Finarelli teamed up for 25 in a 70-48 win over WVW (the Spartans got 17 with 5 triples from Michak and 11 from Roland Hamad). Elsewhere, Wilkes-Barre Coughlin dropped a pair of crossover games to Tunkhannock (63-44) and Wilkes-Barre Meyers (52-39) as Brandon Hall had a 2-game total of 29 points for the Crusaders. And Valley West also dropped crossovers to Nanticoke Area (55-52) and Tunkhannock (56-33). The Spartans got 34 combined from Hamad, Tom Federici, and Saquan Portee in the loss to the Trojans. Coming up on Friday, besides the mega showdown between Hazleton Area and Crestwood, Dallas will hosts Pittston Area. Next Tuesday, Hazleton Area entertains Pittston Area in a key match-up.
DIVISION 2
Nanticoke Area (5-3, 10-3) 4A
Wilkes-Barre GAR (5-3, 8-5) 4A
Tunkhannock (4-5, 8-6) 4A
Wilkes-Barre Meyers (2-6, 2-11) 4A
Wyoming Area (1-7, 2-10) 4A
Berwick (0-9, 0-14) 4A
In Division 2, Nanticoke Area and Wilkes-Barre GAR are tied for first place with Tunkhannock one game back. Teams wrapped up crossovers against Division 1 and are now taking on Division 3 squads. Nanticoke Area logged wins over Wyoming Valley West (55-52) and Dallas (59-51) before dropping a 51-42 loss to powerful Wyoming Seminary. The Trojans then bounced back to get by top rival Hanover Area (50-34) Tuesday night. In their win over WVW, Nate Kreitzer hit 17 (with 3 triples) and Trahjan Krupinski added 14. Kreitzer then netted 23 points (with 5 treys) while Jake Krupinski and Colby Butczynski combined for 27 in the win over Dallas. Kreitzer and Butczynski totaled 28 points with 6 combined triples in their loss to Sem. In their win over Hanover Area, GNA got 14 from Kreitzer while Trahjan Krupinski, Butczynski, and Jake Krupinski teamed up for 32 points. Wilkes-Bare GAR got 19 points from Will Johnson and 12 from Curon Smith but dropped an 82-51 loss at Crestwood. The Grenadiers then played terrific in a 76-62 win over Pittston Area getting 27 from Curtis Smith and 24 from Johnson. Johnson then hit 29 points and Jared O’Day scored 14 as GAR lost to Holy Redeemer, 62-52. On Tuesday, the Grenadiers jumped out to a 29-20 halftime lead as they got by MMI Prep, 60-53. Johnson has another incredible game, netting 36 points while Curtis Smith added 13. Tunkhannock (at 4-4) came away with three wins in their four games. The Tigers controlled the middle periods (34-13) getting 18 points from Jack Chilson, 15 (with 3 triples) from Tyler Faux, and 12 (with 4 triples) from Nick Reposa in a 63-44 win over Wilkes-Barre Coughlin. Faux then netted 25 points (with 3 treys) while Ryan Harder and Avery Billings combined for 21 in a 56-33 victory over Wyoming Valley West. Against MMI Prep, Faux exploded for 32 points with 5 triples while Chilson added 14. In their 55-44 loss to Holy Redeemer, Faux and Billings teamed up to score 31 points. Wilkes-Barre Meyers picked up their second division win, 52-39 over Wilkes-Barre Coughlin, as Kendall Brewster netted 21 and Blake Masker added 11. The Mohawks played very well in a 54-48 loss to Division 1 front-runner Hazleton Area as Brewster hit 26 points (with 6 triples) and Masker added 16. Masker and Jordan Diggs then combined for 29 points as Meyers fell to a Lake-Lehman rally, 43-42. On Tuesday, in a 56-47 loss to Northwest Area, Cole Walker, Masker, and Brewster combined for 34 points. Wyoming Area did not notch any wins last week but the Warriors got 15 points from Sam Solomon and 12 from Dan Wiedl in a 70-47 loss to Pittston Area. Wiedl then hit 13 in a loss to Hazleton Area. The Warriors then got 16 points from Cole Coolbaugh, 15 from Wiedl, and 12 from Jake Greenfield in a 69-56 loss to Northwest Area (WA led at the break in that one, 31-29). Wiedl and Coolbaugh then teamed up for 28 points in a 61-47 loss to Lake-Lehman. And Berwick got a 3-game total of 42 points from Zach Evans in losses to Dallas, Crestwood, and Wyoming Seminary. Coming up on Friday, Nanticoke hosts Northwest Area and Wilkes-Barre GAR entertains Lake-Lehman. Next Tuesday, Nanticoke travels to Holy Redeemer for a pivotal matchup while GAR visits Northwest and Tunkhannock travels to Wyoming Seminary.
DIVISION 3
Wyoming Seminary (7-0, 12-1) 3A
Holy Redeemer (6-1, 10-2) 3A
Northwest Area (5-3, 9-4) 2A
Hanover Area (5-3, 7-7) 4A
Lake-Lehman (2-5, 4-9) 3A
MMI Prep (1-6, 5-8) 1A
In Division 3, Wyoming Seminary remained perfect at 7-0 with Holy Redeemer (6-1) trailing by one game and Northwest Area two games back. The Blue Knights placed four players in doubles (Dimitri Gnall 26, Todd Phillips 15, Jeremy Callahan 13, Jake Koretz 11, and Nicholas Ganter 10) in a 78-61 win over Hanover Area. The Hawks got 23 from Asad Whitehead, 15 from Khairi Carson plus 10 each from Evan Materna and Justin Kopko. Seminary then held off a furious second half rally by Holy Redeemer to notch a 45-43 win as Gnall netted 20 and Koretz 11. Nick Prociak led the Royals (who trailed at the break, 31-20) with 19 points. Against Nanticoke, Sem rallied from a 17-9 deficit to defeat the Trojans, 51-42. Gnall hit 13, Callahan 10 while Phillips and Koretz combined for 17. Then, in Tuesday’s crossover 41-19 win over Berwick, Gnall and Ganter teamed up for 19 points. Holy Redeemer defeated Lake-Lehman 53-39 as Prociak and Collin Cook combined for 39 of their points. Max Paczewski hit 11 points for the Black Knights. The Royals then bounced back from their loss to Wyoming Seminary with crossover victories over Wilkes-Barre GAR (62-52) and Tunkhannock (55-44). Prociak had a 2-game total of 47 points while Cook had 30 points across both games. Northwest Area came away with wins over MMI Prep (56-52), Wyoming Area (69-56), and Wilkes-Barre Meyers (56-47) wrapped around a loss to Hanover Area (62-36). The Rangers placed four in doubles (Sam Saxe 15 with 3 triples, Walker Yaple 13, Jaxson Yaple 10, and Bryce Koser 10) in the win over MMI (the Preppers got 26 points with 4 treys from Matt Marchetti and 12 points (on 4 triples) from Keefer Hoover. In the loss to Hanover Area, the Hawkeyes got 17 points from Whitehead and 15 from Carson. NW rebounded against Wyoming Area as they got a great effort from Walker Yaple (33 points with 5 triples) and Koser (17 points). The Ranges kept the momentum going against Meyers as they got 12 each from Tyler Stevens, Saxe, Jaxson Yaple, and Koser. Hanover Area got 14 points from Whitehead in a 50-34 crossover loss to Nanticoke Area on Tuesday. Lake-Lehman picked up back to back crossover wins over Wilkes-Barre Meyers (43-42) and Wyoming Area (61-47). In the win over Meyers, the Black Knights rallied from a 35-26 deficit as they got 14 points from Paczewski and 11 (plus the winning free throw) from Neil Dougherty. L-L staged another rally in their win over Wyoming Area getting 18 from Paczewski, 16 from CJ Cerone, and 12 from Ibrahim Dabsheh. MMI Prep got their first division win, 51-49, over Lake-Lehman as they got 14 each from Mason Marchetti and Matt Marchetti plus 10 from Tyler Degenhart. The Black Knights, who led 41-40 entering the final period, got 16 from Dabsheh, 15 from Paczewski, and 10 from Cerone. In a crossover loss to Tunkhannock, MMI got 13 from Degenhart. And in a 60-53 loss to GAR, the Preppers placed four into doubles (Matt Marchetti 16, Keefer Hoover 14, Mason Marchetti 12, and Marcus Kassick 10). On Friday, Northwest Area travels to Nanticoke while Holy Redeemer visits Meyers. Next Tuesday, Holy Redeemer entertains Nanticoke Area, Northwest Area hosts GAR, and Wyoming Seminary plays Tunkhannock.
LACKAWANNA LEAGUE
DIVISION 1
Abington Heights (5-0, 11-2) 5A
Scranton Prep (4-1, 11-2) 4A
Valley View (4-1, 10-4) 4A
Scranton (3-2, 7-6) 6A
West Scranton (1-4, 5-8) 5A
Scranton Prep and Abington Heights got together Tuesday night in front of a sellout crowd in Clarks Summit with first place on the line in Division 1. With the Cavaliers throttled to some degree with senior playmaker Leo O’Boyle sidelined, the Comets took full advantage from start to finish to post a convincing 68-40 win. AH had things rolling on all facets of their game, especially with their court vision and tenacious defense. George Tinsley had a standout performance for AH with 27 points, 10 rebounds, 4 assists, and 4 blocks. Jack Nealon found his shooting touch hitting 16 points (with 4 triples) while Trey Koehler added 11. Scranton Prep got 19 combined points from Mario Rotell and Brian Boland. Last week, the Comets got a 50-37 victory over West Scranton as they controlled the middle stanzas (32-18) and got 34 combined from Tinsley and Koehler. The Invaders got 14 points (with 4 treys) from Cayden Merrifield. In a 62-25 crossover win over Western Wayne, Corey Perkins had a breakout game with 25 points while Tinsley and Jack Nealon each netted 8 points. Scranton Prep also logged a victory over West Side, 72-33, as the Cavs jumped out to a 23-5 lead. They placed four players into doubles (Rhys Merritt 17, Greyson Schermerhorn 12, Rotell 12, and Nick Genco 10). West got another solid effort from Merrifield (15 points). Valley View (at 4-1) got a 69-63 crossover win over North Pocono and a 54-31 win over West Scranton sandwiched around a 78-56 loss to Scranton. The loss dropped the Cougars into a second place tie with Prep. In their come-from-behind win over NP, Jaden Duplessis led the way with 24 points while Marc Kudrich and Zack Kovalchik each added 13. In their loss to Scranton, VV got 22 (with 4 triples) from Kudrich and 13 from Duplessis. The Knights got terrific performances from Tahg Jones (23 points, 6 triples), Marcus Bauman (22), and Derome White (with 18 points). Wednesday night, Valley View got 23 points (with 4 triples) from Kudrich and 12 from Dixon Black. The Invaders got 25 combined points from Merrifield, Nick Gioia, and Nick Forsette. Scranton followed their big win over Valley View with a come-from-behind 62-59 overtime crossover victory over Delaware Valley. Bauman and White again delivered a big game, netting 27 and 17. John Rose also hit 3 triples. On Friday, Valley View hosts Scranton Prep while Scranton travels to play Division 2 leader Wallenpaupack. Next Tuesday, Abington Heights hosts Valley View while West Scranton (vs. Wallenpaupack), Scranton Prep (vs. Delaware Valley), and Scranton (vs. Western Wayne) highlight crossover action.
DIVISION 2
Wallenpaupack (3-2, 9-4) 5A
Honesdale (3-2, 8-6) 5A
Delaware Valley (1-4, 6-7) 6A
North Pocono (1-4, 4-10) 5A
Western Wayne (0-5, 7-7) 4A
In Division 2, Honesdale surged into a first place tie with Wallenpaupack (both at 3-2) as the Hornets came away with a trio of division wins over Delaware Valley (61-52), Wallenpaupack (56-43), and Western Wayne (59-46). Against Del-Val, Honesdale took a 29-23 halftime lead, but had to rally for the win as they got 19 points from Colin Rickard and 12 from Chris Cespedes. The Warriors, who stormed back to take a 38-35 advantage, got 21 points (with 5 triples) from Blake Gearhart and 14 points (with 3 treys) from Jackson Shafer. Against Paupack, the Hornets controlled the middle periods (27-14) as they placed four players into doubles (Cespedes 13, Rickard 12, Joey Scarfalloto 11, and Will Howell 10). The Buckhorns got 17 points (3 triples) from Elijah Rosenthal and 10 from Derrick Vosburg. Honesdale completed their 3-0 run on Tuesday with a victory over Western Wayne as Rickard (19), Howell (14 with 3 treys), Cespedes (10), and Scarfalloto (10) led the way. In the loss, the Wildcats continue to get outstanding efforts from Zachary Rovinsky (20 points) and Dahlton Frisbie (19 points with 3 triples). Wallenpaupack gained close wins over Western Wayne (48-42) and North Pocono (55-51) wrapped around the loss to Honesdale. Rosenthal netted 27 points with 7 triples and Vosburg added 9 in the win over WW (the Wildcats got 19 from Frisbie and 12 from Rovinsky). In the win over NP, Rosenthal again led the way with 19 (including 4 treys) while Vosburg and Gabe Springer combined for 23 points. The Trojans got 18 from Ryan Ruddy, 15 from Robert VanBrunt, and 10 from Damarco Maglio. North Pocono also dropped a 69-63 crossover loss to Valley View as they got 15 from Ruddy, 13 from Zach Walsh, and 10 from VanBrunt. The Trojans did pick up their first division victory with a 53-51 win over Delaware Valley. VanBrunt netted 15 while Walsh, Ruddy, and Matt Domanish teamed up for 27 points. Del-Val got 18 from Gearhart and 15 from Shafer. In a crossover overtime loss to Scranton, the Warriors got another terrific game from Gearhart (22 points with 4 triples) and Shafer (17 points). On Friday night, Wallenpaupack hosts Scranton while Honesdale entertains Abington Heights. Next Tuesday, North Pocono travels to Honesdale and Wallenpaupack heads to take on West Scranton.
DIVISION 3
Holy Cross (4-0, 9-4) 2A 1-0 crossover
Mid Valley (4-1, 10-2) 3A 0-0 crossover
Lakeland (2-2, 9-4) 3A 1-0 crossover
Dunmore (2-2, 6-7) 3A 1-0 crossover
Carbondale (2-3, 6-7) 3A 0-0 crossover
Riverside (1-3, 5-8) 3A 1-0 crossover
Old Forge (0-4, 5-8) 2A 0-1 crossover
Holy Cross (4-0) appears to be getting back to full strength in Division 3 as they get ready to travel to take on second place Mid Valley Friday night. It’s always fun when those two teams get together. The Crusaders got a big win over Lakeland last week, 55-48, as they got 19 points from Tyler Mozeleski, 16 from Leahy O’Connor, and 13 from Kieran Burrier. The Chiefs got 25 combined points from Jake Curnow and James Lewis. Holy Cross then placed five into doubles (Mozeleski 17, O’Connor 13, Burrier 10, Caleb Callejas 10, and Tom Montefour 10) in a 63-46 win over Carbondale (who got 10 each from Ray Ofner and Mike Zazzera). On Tuesday night, the Crusaders jumped out to a 42-17 halftime lead as they defeated Riverside 65-39. O’Connor netted 19, Mozeleski 17, while Montefour and Burrier teamed up for 15. The Vikings got 17 points (with 3 triples) from Michael Rickert. Right on their heels, Mid Valley (4-1) also put together three wins, getting by Dunmore (31-27), Old Forge (53-30), and Carbondale (56-34). The Spartans rallied from a 24-19 deficit to get by the Bucks as Shane Rosencrans led the way with 11 (including 3 treys). Dunmore got a combined 22 points from Daniel Walsh, Frank Ruggerio, and Thomas Dougherty. Against Old Forge, Rosencrans, Vinny Talluto, and Mike Miller combined for 31 points while the Blue Devils got 24 points from Dante Lucarelli. On Tuesday, MV topped Carbondale as Talluto netted 15, Rosencrans 13, and Collin Hazelton 10. The Chargers got 9 players into the scoring column, highlighted by Zazzera with 10 points. Lakeland and Dunmore (both at 2-2) met up on Tuesday with the Chiefs prevailing 54-36. In the win, they got 15 points (with 3 triples) from Caleb Vigil, 14 from Lewis, and 12 from Curnow. Dunmore got 20 combined points from Daniel Walsh and Kevin Walsh. Carbondale picked up their second division win over Old Forge, 63-43, as Zazzera (17 points) and Jeff Katchmore (15 points on 5 triples) led the Chargers. The Blue Devils got 6 combined triples from Lucarelli (13 points) and Sean Donovan (9 points). And Riverside secured their first division victory with a come-from-behind 49-43 win over Lakeland as Collin Kneiss, Michael Antoniacci, and Michael Rickert teamed up for 32 points. The Chiefs, who led 14-5 early, got 21 combined points from Lewis and Curnow. In crossover action, Dunmore placed 11 players onto the scoresheet, highlighted by Kevin Walsh with 11, as they defeated Forest City 72-21. Riverside took a 19-7 lead on their way to a 46-32 win over Mountain View as Rickert (20 points) and Razen Reyes (11) paced the Vikes. And Old Forge rallied in the third period, but dropped a 48-39 crossover game to Montrose as Lucarelli (16) and Robell Dease (13) led the Devils. Friday’s schedule includes the big game at Mid Valley as the Crusaders host Holy Cross. Next Tuesday, Holy Cross hosts borough rival Dunmore, Carbondale visits Lakeland, and Riverside entertains Old Forge in one of the great District 2 rivalries.
DIVISION 4
Mountain View (4-0, 5-7) 2A 0-1 crossover
Lackawanna Trail (4-1, 6-7) 2A 0-0 crossover
Susquehanna (3-1, 8-5) 2A 0-1 crossover
Blue Ridge (2-3, 4-9) 2A 0-0 crossover
Elk Lake (1-3, 4-8) 2A 0-1 crossover
Forest City (1-3, 1-11) 2A 0-1 crossover
Montrose (0-4, 3-9) 3A 1-0 crossover
In Division 4, a terrific race is developing as Mountain View (4-0) currently leads Lackawanna Trail and Susquehanna. On Tuesday, the Eagles led 30-17 at the break and then held off Susquehanna for a 54-53 victory. Mt. View was led by Mikey Schermerhorn with 19 points (3 triples) and Mike Farrell (16 points). The Sabers got 18 points (with 4 treys) from Adam Rockwell, 15 from Bryce Baldwin, and 10 from Mason Deakin. Mountain View also got a 60-48 win over Elk Lake as Schermerhorn had a fantastic night, netting 35 points (with 6 triples). The Warriors got 16 from Nate Preston and 9 from Kevin Valvano. Lackawanna Trail (4-1) picked up three wins, over Forest City (47-30), Montrose (72-29), and Blue Ridge (56-48). Richard Helbing netted 22 in their win over Forest City (the Foresters got 8 each from Cade Hartman and Tyler Clift). In their win over Montrose, Josh Rzucidlo hit 20 points (with 4 triples), Helbing 17, Zach Stec 13, and Luke Walker 11 for LT (Rapisardi and Gilhool teamed up for 20 points for the Meteors). Against Blue Ridge, Trail jumped out to a 21-12 lead getting 15 from Helbing plus 11 each from JP Gilroy and Nico Berrios. The Raiders got 15 points from Sam Cosmello and 17 combined from Ben Black and Kaleb Folk. Susquehanna came away with victories over Elk Lake and Blue Ridge before their one-point loss to Mt. View on Tuesday. The Sabers got 27 points from Bryce Baldwin, 18 from Mason Deakin, and 14 from CJ Stone in the 71-63 win over Elk Lake. In the loss, the Warriors got balanced scoring from Hunter Bomboy (15), Adam Anderson (15), Joe McAleer (14), and Kevin Valvano (13). Susquehanna then edged Blue Ridge 54-51 as they got 13 each from Stone and Deakin plus 21 combined from Anthony Dolfini and Baldwin. The Raiders got another strong effort from Sam Cosmello with 21. Blue Ridge picked up their second division win, 55-42 over Montrose, as they got 19 points (with 3 triples) from Kaleb Folk and 14 from Carson Koehler. Brennan Gilhool netted 27 in the loss for the Meteors. And Elk Lake picked up their first division victory, 71-46 over Forest City. Hunter Bomboy and Kyle Vanderfeltz (each with 12) led 13 players who scored for the Warriors. The Foresters got 15 points (with 4 treys) from Evan Piatak and 8 from Jay Lipko. In crossover games, Mikey Schermerhorn netted 9 points for Mountain View in a 46-32 loss to Riverside. And Montrose defeated Old Forge 48-39 as the Meteors got 12 points from Jacob Weaver, 11 from Evan Snyder plus 25 combined from Rapisardi, Gilhool and Tyler Rebello. On Friday, Lackawanna Trail hosts Susquehanna in a key game.
