District 2 Basketball Tournament (Boys 2A Preview)

Written by: Jon K on February 17, 2020

BOYS CLASS AA

(1) Holy Cross (20-2) vs. (8) Blue Ridge (9-13)

(4) Elk Lake (11-11) vs. (5) Old Forge (9-13)

(2) Lackawanna Trail (13-9) vs. (7) Susquehanna (8-14)

(3) Mountain View (11-10) vs. (6) Northwest Area (7-15)

FAVORITE:  Holy Cross        

KEEP AN EYE ON:  Mountain View             

DON’T COUNT OUT:  Lackawanna Trail, Old Forge          

BEST QUARTER-FINAL:  Elk Lake vs. Old Forge             

BEST SEMI-FINAL:  Lackawanna Trail vs. Mountain View   

THE NITTY-GRITTY: 

     The Boys 2A bracket has a decided favorite in top-seed Holy Cross.  The 20-2 Crusaders dropped a mid-December 62-56 loss to Dallas and a 66-62 mid-January loss at Riverside and have non-league wins over Scranton Prep, Holy Redeemer, and Valley View.  They have an experienced lineup that has their sights set on another deep state playoff run.  Their outstanding senior backcourt includes Kieran Burrier (14.4 ppg, 22 triples), Leahy O’Connor (11.5 ppg with 24 treys), and Caleb Callejas (7.3 ppg, 29 triples).  Inside, they have 6-2 junior Patrick Bennie (10.5 ppg) along with 6-1 senior Joe Osborne (4.2 ppg).  Holy Cross is guided by career 500-game winner Al Callejas.  Lackawanna Trail is the #2 seed.  The Lions led the Lackawanna League Division 4 race much of the season until dropping 3 of their final 5 games.  They have a duo of talented seniors guards, Nico Berrios (11.8 ppg) and Josh Rzucidlo (11.5 ppg) who have combined for 63 triples.  They also have a versatile 6-4 senior forward, Richard Helbing, who leads the way with 16.4 ppg and has 12 triples on the year.  Mountain View, who finished the season winning 9 of 11 games, is the #3 seed.  The Eagles success at the end of the year clinched the division championship.  Like Trail, they are another squad with plenty of senior talent.  On the perimeter, they have sophomore Ryan Henke (7.9 ppg with 24 triples) and senior Wyatt Brozonis (6.9 ppg and 15 treys).  Their standout senior forward, 6-3 Mike Fanelli, is outstanding, hitting 14.9 ppg with 30 triples.  Preston Petts, a 6-2 senior forward, contributed 6.3 ppg.  Elk Lake, the #4 seed, finished the year 11-11 and winning their final three games.  The Warriors feature a trio of sophomores and will be looking to use this tourney experience for future seasons.  Mike Mowry, a forward, averages 14.5 ppg and has 26 triples.  He is joined by senior Brant Marshall who hits 14.5 ppg.  Another pair of sophomore guards, Trevor Graham and Jake Gustin net a combined 13.7 ppg and have 36 triples.  Old Forge, the #5 seed, struggled a bit in the competitive Lackawanna League Division 3, going 2-10.  The Blue Devils are another squad with plenty of underclassmen and will be looking toward next year to make a serious run at a title.  Junior guard Michael DiGregorio nets 13.3 ppg.  He is joined by junior Sean Donovan (8.3 ppg with 46 triples) and Casey Holtzman, a freshman hitting 5 ppg.  Inside, Old Forge has 6-2 junior Dante Lucarelli (9.2 ppg with 18 treys) and sophomore Ayden Davitt (6.9 ppg).  Northwest Area, the #6 seed, has a trio of talented players that can light up the scoreboard.  Senior playmaker Walker Yaple averages 14 ppg and has connected on 38 triples.  Senior forward Matt Saxe averages 8.7 ppg and has 29 treys.  And junior guard Matt Pierontoni contributed 5.9 ppg and tallied 31 triples.  Susquehanna Community finished division play with a 7-5 mark including late season victories over top contenders Lackawanna Trail and Mountain View.  The #7 seed Sabers get balanced scoring from a pair of seniors and juniors.  Gavin Baker, a 6-3 junior forward, hits 10.4 ppg while Garrett Decker, a junior guard, nets 8.7 ppg.  Senior guards Jakub Tomczyk (7.2 ppg) and Matt Phillips (6.1 ppg) have combined for 61 triples.  Blue Ridge, the #8 seed, also gets balanced scoring.  The Raiders are paced by 6-3 senior forward Gavin Rosa (13.5 ppg).  Senior guard Ben Bleck adds 10.8 ppg.  Juniors Calvin Schneider (a forward) hits 8.7 ppg (with 14 treys) while Carson Koehler (a guard) contributes 7.1 ppg (with 16 triples).  Two teams will advance to the state playoffs.     

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