Phil’s Popcorn Games (District 2 Quarter-Final Previews)
Written by: Jon K on February 20, 2023
Phil’s Popcorn Games
District 2 Quarterfinals
by Phil Thrash
It’s that time of the year folks, division races are a thing of the past. WVC? LL? It doesn’t matter anymore as we come together for the highly anticipated PIAA District 2 Basketball Tournament.
Some classification may look like a formality, although that is hardly ever the case, while other brackets are much more competitive with multiple teams deserving a trip to the state tournament. And a few stellar campaigns will end abruptly this week.
As the tournament draws closer to early March, the games heat up and the margin for error tightens as the focus shifts toward Mohegan Sun Arena. But that doesn’t mean that the quarterfinal round isn’t full of excitement. Let’s take a closer look at three of the most intriguing games on the Tuesday/Wednesday quarterfinal schedule.
So, grab some popcorn, take a seat and enjoy the hoops. The district tournament never disappoints. Get ready, it’s almost showtime.
Boys 5A Quarterfinal (Tuesday, February 21)
#5 North Pocono (13-9) at #4 Crestwood (12-10)
On the surface it appears that the Trojans and Comets had very middling seasons, however a closer look reveals that both teams navigated through very demanding schedules that featured several tough losses and statement victories.
Both teams feature top-tier guards, A.J. Nemtiz (North Pocono) and Drew Sechleer (Crestwood), plus forwards, Chris Walsh (North Pocono) and Brandon Burbank (Crestwood), that are set to face-off for an opportunity chance to play top-seed Abington Heights in the semifinals.
How talent-filled is the bracket? Well, it’s not often that you play well enough to win your division and still don’t get the chance to host a district playoff game, but that’s exactly what Lackawanna League Division 2 Champs, North Pocono, need to overcome. The Trojans turned heads their way during the regular season with crossover victories over the top two seeds in the 4A classification (Valley View and Scranton Prep) so North Pocono knows they can compete with anyone in the district. Led by two key seniors, A.J. Nemitz (15.7 ppg and 2.5 triples per game and Chris Walsh (11.9 ppg), North Pocono will be looking to take control on the offensive end and slow their counterparts.
The Trojans will walk into Crestwood’s gym in the midst of a four-game winning streak and their last loss was a close game against 5A powerhouse Dallas (50-46).
It’s important to note that Crestwood came into this season with more question marks than answers, but this is a team that has come together nicely. Their experience in the Robert McGrane Tournament could prove to be pivotal come districts. Holy Redeemer may have walked away victorious in that holiday event, but a 10-point loss to the Royals gave fans a hint of things to come. A month later, the Comets got a stunning victory over top rival Hazleton Area, 43-42. While the Wyoming Valley Conference Division 1 may not have been as rugged as in past years, it does feature three of the top four seeds in the 5A class in addition to three of the district’s 6A schools.
To go against the Trojans’ trio of Nemetz, Walsh and Noah West, the Comets will look to Drew Sechleer (13.9 ppg) and Brandon Burbank (9.5 ppg). The pair have combined for 66 triples on the season and will seek to advance the Comets into the semifinals….against the Comets.
Boys 3A Quarterfinal (Tuesday, February 21)
#5 Carbondale (12-10) at #4 Riverside (13-9)
You’ll play a lot of teams once, you’ll play your divisional opponents twice, but when you play someone for a third time…it’s a tie-breaker for the biggest prize of all.
Carbondale and Riverside will have that opportunity Tuesday night. The Chargers and Vikings split their regular-season series with the home team taking home each win, Carbondale 58-51 and Riverside 64-49. It’ll be hard for either team to show something that their opponent hasn’t already seen. Execution, foul-shooting, and the hot-hand often plays a role in the final outcome of these matchups.
Carbondale features three different scorers with 200+ points on the season; Jaymire Allen (13.5 ppg), Tyler Donato (12.2 ppg) and Preston Casey (10 ppg). While leading scorer Allen was held to only nine points in the first matchup in which the Vikings pulled away in the final period, he led all scorers leading the Chargers to victory in the second meeting with a 19-point performance. Carbondale played division champion (and top 2A seed) Holy Cross competitively in a 54-49 loss a week ago.
Like Carbondale, the Vikings also feature three 200+ point scorers: Frankie Antoniacci (16.7 ppg), Connor McNally (12.2 ppg) and Matthew Godlewski (10 ppg). Riverside will be looking to another stellar performance from McNally as he beat his season average in both contests, with 16-point and 18-point performances. The Vikings struggled down the stretch winning only two of their final seven games. However, the pair of wins were over division leaders, Holy Cross and Mid Valley.
Girls 5A Quarterfinal (Wednesday, February 22)
#6 Dallas (12-10) at #3 Abington Heights (15-7)
Quite frankly it doesn’t seem to matter how Dallas enters the district tournament, someway-somehow they’re destined for a date with Abington Heights. And since the Lady Mounts moved from 4A to 5A two seasons ago, Dallas fell to the Lady Comets in both contests. On Wednesday, the two teams which are both ranked in the LL Hoops District 2 Top 10, will meet again in the district tournament. And this has a lose-and-go-home result.
In 2021 the teams played for district gold and the Lady Comets took home the hardware with a 63-58 victory. Last season they faced off in the semifinal round, with the Lady Comets advancing and eventually taking home district gold once again. Abington’s girls’ program has a knack of winding up at the Arena. So, experience is definitely on their side. But, a glance at the Dallas bench reveals they also feature plenty of experience. Vince Bucciarelli, who accepted the Lady Mounts coaching position back in June, will certainly have a bittersweet homecoming to AH where he coached for 30+ seasons.
The road for both teams is bound to be daunting as neither squad obtained a top-two seed so their playoff path will take them on a different journey.
Earlier this season, the Lady Mounts were working through a somewhat disappointing 6-9 record and appeared to be a non-threat in division play. But, after coming off back-to-back mid-season losses, they got an impressive road win over Hazleton Area that seemed to build their confidence tremendously. Another win over the Lady Cougars (and one over Wyoming Valley West) enabled a season-ending 6-1 stretch that made them a legitimate contender. Led by Molly Walsh (13 ppg), Dallas will also look toward experienced players Elizabeth Viglone (228 points) and Victoria Spaciano (200 points) to chase their ticket to the PIAA State Tournament. While the seedings might claim otherwise, it might not be fair to call a win by the Lady Mounts an upset. This team has worked too hard to be taken too lightly.
The Lady Comets are also clicking at the right time, winning four of their last five contests. They benefit from twice playing against Scranton Prep in division play. A regular season ending loss to surging Lackawanna Division 2 champion Wallenpaupack dropped Abington Heights to the #3 seed and so their road to the state tourney isn’t as straight-forward as they would have liked. They have a balanced lineup led by Caroline Murray (10.5 ppg), Madison Zalewski (207 points) and Maggie Coleman (204 points). The trio combines for 4.3 triples per game.
Follow LLhoops on Twitter @LLhoops
