LLHoops Northeast Beat Tip-Off Column
Written by: Jon K on November 30, 2023
Welcome to the 2023-2024 District 2 basketball season and another year of coverage by the LLhoops Northeast Beat.
2022-2023 Season Was Oh-So-Sweet
The season preview column most often looks back on some of those memorable hoops’ campaigns that came ever so close to reaching the ultimate achievement of playing for a state championship in Hershey. But, not this year. This year is different. The Dunmore Lady Bucks held off a talented Lancaster Catholic squad at the Mecca to punch their ticket to the Giant Center where they defeated River Valley, 42-30, to capture the 3A Title. That was a victory for the entire community to share together.
Several other Girls’ squads had very successful seasons ending in the semi-finals. The Scranton Prep Classics advanced in 4A before losing to the eventual state champion, powerhouse Lansdale Catholic. Montrose also took their fans on an incredible 2A state playoff run that ended to perennial District 6 contender Homer Center. And maybe the old cliché “the thrill of victory and agony of defeat” sums of the amazing 1A state playoff run by the Lady Eagles from Mountain View where they dropped a heart-breaker to Lourdes Regional, 34-33, in the 1A semi-finals.
For the Boys’, in 2A, fans will long remember another patented state playoff run for Holy Cross. The Crusaders came up short to eventual state champion Lancaster Mennonite at Martz Hall in what proved to be an emotion-filled evening as Al Callejas coached his final game. In Boys 3A, a second-round matchup among state powerhouses ended the season for Holy Redeemer as eventual state champion West Catholic prevailed, 56-47. Abington Heights advanced to the 5A quarter-finals where the Comets lost to nationally-ranked Imhotep Charter. ‘Tep ran away from everyone in the bracket by an average margin of victory of 35 points.
2023-2024 Season Tips Off Friday Night
District 2 Upcoming Games (link)
District 2 Tip-Off Tournaments (link)
In comparison to previous seasons, it’s a bit of a lighter schedule of games for the first week of the season as teams are working through the tighter overlap of Fall and Winter sports seasons. A couple of tourneys highlight opening weekend action with Wilkes-Barre Area entertaining a terrific field of teams including the Pack, Holy Redeemer, Mid Valley, and Emmaus. Wallenpaupack will be hosting the Hawley Tip-Off while Blue Ridge and Susquehanna Community will participate in the Susquehanna-Bradford County Tip-Off. The annual Jerry Finan Memorial Tournament will take place on Monday and Tuesday in Carbondale with West Scranton, Honesdale, and Forest City. In non-tourney tilts, a pair of teams will travel to the Lehigh Valley as Hazleton Area visits Whitehall and Scranton Prep plays at historic Bethlehem Liberty.
On the Girls’ side, there are 7 tournaments taking place throughout the region. Hazleton Area again features a balanced lineup of teams in the Lady Cougar Tip-Off including Abington Heights, Lake-Lehman, and Nazareth. Mountain View hosts a new tip-off Classic with Western Wayne, Crestwood, and Union Endicott, NY. In non-tourney play, Dunmore Bucks alum bring his 6A squad from Conestoga to battle the Lady Bucks on Saturday afternoon. Scranton will travel to take on perennial Schuylkill League powerhouse, Marian Catholic, also on Saturday.
Remember, new foul shot rules have eliminated 1+1 foul shots. Players go to the charity strip on the 5th foul of each quarter for a pair of free throws. Team fouls reset at the beginning of each quarter (no reset for OT). It should be interesting to see the impact on game results, if any.
If you’re interested in seeing the District 2 Top 10 Rankings, be sure to stop back on January 1 as they will be posted at that time.
We’re BACK !!!
This season LLHoops is celebrating 24 years of hoops coverage. The Northeast Beat has been fortunate to be along for many of those years and it’s been an incredible ride. Dell Jackson, our ever-adaptable webmaster, has worked tirelessly to provide compelling content that keeps fans engaged. Despite the annual challenges to “keep the lights on”, things look promising for another successful season. A website redesign is ahead along with a few other fun ideas. Dell has stayed true to his core values over the years that earned LLHoops much respect and credibility throughout the state. Along with his co-pilot, Andy Herr, they provide blanket coverage of the entire Lancaster-Lebanon League. It’s an incredibly positive relationship among coaches, media, and fans. The Northeastern PA Report is back again this year. The focus will continue to provide game wraps and weekly updates. Opportunities exist for sponsorship ads with plenty of local District 2 visibility. If interested, definitely contact Dell for rates.
The NEP Beat appreciates all of the continued and growing support from coaches, players, student groups, fans, and administrators. We’re beyond proud to again be onboard to share the stories and news taking place all across Wyoming Valley Conference and Lackawanna League hardwoods.
Division Play in District 2
For anyone that might not be familiar with the District 2 layout, there are 39 total teams competing (plus Williamsport in the 6A playoff sub-regional).
The Wyoming Valley Conference has 15 teams in two divisions.
Division 1 has Berwick, Crestwood, Dallas, Hazleton Area, Pittston Area, Tunkhannock, Wilkes-Barre Area, and Wyoming Valley West.
Division 2 has Hanover Area, Holy Redeemer, Lake-Lehman, Nanticoke Area, MMI Prep, Wyoming Area, Wyoming Seminary.
The Lackawanna League has 24 teams in four divisions.
Division 1 has Abington Heights, Scranton, Scranton Prep, Valley View, and West Scranton.
Division 2 has Delaware Valley, Honesdale, North Pocono, Wallenpaupack, Western Wayne.
Division 3 has Carbondale, Dunmore, Holy Cross, Lakeland, Mid Valley, Riverside, Old Forge.
Division 4 has Blue Ridge, Elk Lake, Forest City, Lackawanna Trail, Montrose, Mountain View, and Susquehanna.
Wyoming Valley Conference play gets underway December 21 (girls) and December 22 (boys) and goes through February 8. Lackawanna League action gets going on January 2 (boys) and January 3 (girls) and goes through February 15. This year, Lackawanna girls’ games will be on a Tuesday/Friday schedule with boys playing on Mondays/Thursday. The WVC holds a 4-team playoff to determine an overall conference champion.
LLHoops Again Helps Raise Awareness and Funds for #LightUpMBC
You may have noticed throughout early October some social media posts for the annual October 13 #LightUpMBC campaign. This year over 300 landmarks in all 50 states and around the world participated by illuminating in green, pink, and teal to raise awareness and research funds for metastatic (stage 4) breast cancer. The campaign goes way beyond breast cancer awareness to spark a new conversation about metastatic disease. Sadly, 30% of all patients diagnosed with early-stage breast cancer will have a recurrence of metastatic breast cancer (stage 4) when the cancer spreads to other areas of the body (bones, lungs, liver, or brain). At that point there is no cure and 98% of all breast cancer deaths are a result of MBC. The goal is to help transition MBC into a chronic, manageable disease. On a national level, the 2023 campaign goal of $500,000 was surpassed and is currently at an incredible $606,500. Through their partnership with METAvivor Reaearch and Support, EVERY SINGLE DOLLAR raised will go toward metastatic breast cancer research. Locally, some big things are being planned for a #LightUpMBC 2024 fundraiser event.
Stop back next week for more on tip off weekend.
See you in the bleachers !
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