Northeast PA Report – Preseason Column
Written by: Jon K on November 25, 2022
Welcome to the 2022-2023 District 2 hoops season and the LLhoops Northeast Beat.
2021-2022 Season Gave Fans Plenty of Excitement
While District 2 hoops fans did not get the chance to see any local teams lifting up an oversized Hershey bar on the Giant Center hardwoods, there were plenty of incredible hoops memories that will last for many years. The Holy Redeemer boys’ squad came up just short to eventual state-champion Devon Prep, 73-72 in overtime, at the historic Bethlehem Liberty gymnasium. Despite that heartbreak, the Royals were able to celebrate an impressive earlier playoff victory over Executive Education Academy, outscoring the talent-filled Raptors’ lineup 17-0 in overtime. In another playoff thriller, the Dallas Mountaineers topped West Philadelphia from the Philly Pub League (79-68 in overtime) before bowing to perennial state champion Neumann-Goretti. The Mounts had their fans cheering as they bolted out to a 13-1 lead before the powerful Saints’ inside game established momentum. Both Holy Cross and Old Forge took their fanbase on yet another deep playoff run before dropping games to Philly juggernaut Constitution. The Crusaders rode an inspirational wave of emotion honoring their ailing head coach while the Blue Devils again toppled a highly-respected opponent from Lancaster. Pittston Area advanced to the second round of states before dropping a close game to athletic Shippensburg. And, in the 6A class, Scranton defeated a pair of District 1 opponents before closing out their season to Lower Merion.
If working through adversity and emotional perseverance could be measured, the Dunmore girls’ program delivered everything they could to extend their campaign after the season-ending injury to North Carolina-bound Ciera Toomey. The Lady Bucks rallied from a 5-point deficit with 42 ticks left to force overtime as they got 35 points from Moriah Murray to defeat Villa Joseph Marie. However, in a much-anticipated third round matchup, Jim Thorpe flipped the script in getting a pulsating 40-39 win, their only lead of the game. Scranton Prep concluded their highly-successful season, again having to face Philly Catholic League’s Archbishop Wood, a formidable force among PA girls’ hoops. Both Riverside and Western Wayne fell to District 12 squads. The Lady Vikes dropped a close third round game to Imhotep Charter 46-40 and the Lady Wildcats fell to Conwell-Egan, 58-55. In 5A playoffs, Abington Heights and Pittston Area each lost by a single point. Wilkes-Barre Area, the 6A champion, played very well against powerhouse Methacton from District 1 before seeing their season end, 56-44.
2022-2023 Season Tips Off Next Week
The 2022-2023 season is shaping up to an exciting combination of teams. Several squads return a majority of their lineup and will challenge for division titles. Others (including a few perennial contenders) must replace key parts of their roster. The Neast Beat will post division previews in December, but a couple races have already got our attention. Lackawanna League Boys’ Division 3 should be a tremendous battle with every matchup being pivotal. Lots of experience to be found there. And both the Wyoming Valley Conference and Lackawanna League Girls’ Division 1 races promise to deliver some terrific showdowns throughout the season.
Coaches vs. Cancer Media Day November 27
Now entering its 16th season, the annual NEPA Coaches vs. Cancer kickoff program, behind the leadership of Scranton Prep head coach Andrew Kettel, gets an exciting makeover to bring together players, coaches, and fans for an exciting, interactive event. There will be a spotlight on 2022 champions, various skills competitions, a coaches’ corner, and media row. At its core will be the district-wide commitment to raise awareness and cancer fundraising for this year’s campaign. The inaugural event gets underway on Sunday, November 27 at 3 pm at the Riverfront Sports Complex in Scranton ($10 admission).
Keeping the Lights On
This season LLHoops is celebrating 23 years of hoops coverage. The Northeast Beat has been along for many of those years and it’s been a fun ride. Dell Jackson, our resilient webmaster, has worked hard to provide relevant content (adding streaming games and podcasts) that keeps fans engaged. Despite the annual challenges for netting advertising dollars, things look promising for another successful season. He stuck to values that earned LLHoops respect and credibility throughout the state. Dell, along with co-pilot Andy Herr, provides blanket coverage of the entire Lancaster-Lebanon League while Bruce Badgley is all over the Berks area. The Northeastern PA Report is back again this year. The focus will again be to provide game wraps and weekly updates. Weekly Top 10 Ratings will get going on January 1. Opportunities exist for sponsorship ads on the NEP Beat that provide plenty of visibility for local businesses – contact Dell for rates.
The NEP Beat appreciates all of the continued 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 across District 2
For anyone that might not be familiar with the District 2 landscape, 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 (defending boys’ champion), Hazleton Area, Pittston Area (defending girls’ champion), Tunkhannock, Wilkes-Barre Area, and Wyoming Valley West.
Division 2 has Hanover Area, Holy Redeemer (defending boys’ champion), Lake-Lehman (defending girls’ champion), Nanticoke Area, MMI Prep, Wyoming Area, and Wyoming Seminary.
The Lackawanna League has 24 teams in four divisions.
Division 1 has Abington Heights, Scranton (defending boys’ champion), Scranton Prep (defending girls’ champion), Valley View, and West Scranton.
Division 2 has Delaware Valley, Honesdale, North Pocono, Wallenpaupack (defending boys’ champion), and Western Wayne (defending girls’ champion).
Division 3 has Carbondale, Dunmore (defending girls’ champion), Holy Cross, Lakeland, Mid Valley (defending boys’ champion), Riverside, and Old Forge.
Division 4 has Blue Ridge, Elk Lake (defending boys’ champion), Forest City, Lackawanna Trail, Montrose (defending girls’ champion), Mountain View, and Susquehanna.
Wyoming Valley Conference play gets underway December 21 (girls) and December 22 (boys) and goes through February 9. Lackawanna League action gets going on January 2 (girls) and January 3 (boys) and goes through February 16.
2022-2023 Classification Changes Impact PIAA Playoff Qualifiers
There are several District 2 boys’ teams that will change classifications for the 2022-2023 and 2023-2024 enrollment cycle. Among WVC teams, Dallas moves up to 5A and Wyoming Valley West to 6A while Tunkhannock drops down to 4A. In the Lackawanna League, four schools drop down a class – Susquehanna Community to 1A, Montrose to 2A, Mid Valley to 3A, and Valley View 4A. These changes will also impact the PIAA state playoff qualifies as only one (1) Boys’ 2A will advance. Interestingly, and for the first time in many years, two (2) 6A teams will qualify.
There will also be 10 Girls’ teams that will change classifications. In the WVC, both Lake-Lehman and Holy Redeemer will drop down to 3A while Wyoming Valley West moves up to 6A. In the Lackawanna League, Valley View moves up to 5A, Elk Lake up to 3A, and Forest City up to 2A while four others drop down – Scranton to 5A, Dunmore to 3A, Montrose to 2A, and Mountain View to 1A. These new classifications will have a significant impact for state qualifying. Only one (1) 2A team will advance, 3A and 5A will each pick up a qualifier (2 to 3) while 4A will go from 3 to 2 teams.
LLHoops Helps Raise Record Funds for #LightUpMBC
This year, LLHoops was proud to sponsor the annual #LightUpMBC campaign on October 13 as 166 cities and 290 landmarks participated by illuminating in green, pink, and teal to raise awareness and research funds for metastatic (state 4) breast cancer. The campaign is unique in that it goes beyond breast cancer awareness to spark a new conversation about metastatic disease. Unfortunately, 30% of all patients diagnosed with early-stage breast cancer will have a recurrence of metastatic breast cancer (stage 4) when the cancer spreads beyond the breast. There are lots of misperceptions about MBC. There is no cure and 98% of all breast cancer deaths are a result of MBC. The goal is to increase research funding (above the current 5% level) to help transition MBC into a chronic, manageable disease.
On a national level, the 2022 campaign goal of $350,000 was surpassed and reached beyond $445,000 !!! Through their partnership with METAvivor Reaearch and Support, every dollar raised will go to fund peer-reviewed metastatic breast cancer research. Locally, the Lackawanna County Courthouse and Scranton Cultural Center participated. We hope to expand this effort in 2023 across more areas of NEPA, including launching a few fundraising events. If you’re interested in learning more about #LightUpMBC and/or participating, send an email or DM on Twitter.
Stop back next week for Tip-Off weekend game previews.
See you in the bleachers !
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