District 2-4 Subregional Final

Abington Heights and Williamsport came into Mohegan Sun Arena Saturday night to vie for a spot in the state tournament. The defenses were dominant early, and at the end of the first quarter, Williamsport led 9-4. Things would heat up in the second quarter, Williamsport would outscore the Comets 13-11 and lead 22-15 at the half. Abington Heights started the third quarter on an 8-0 run and took the lead at 25-23 but Williamsport scores the last five points of the third quarter and lead 28-26 after 3. Tim Toro of Abington Heights scored 3 straight points to give the Comets the lead for good, eventually increasing the lead to six but Williamsport would answer and cut the lead to 2 but Abington Heights would hit their free throws to take the victory 42-36. Seth Maxwell had a game-high 19 points and Tim Toro added 10. For the Millionaires, Nyric Gosley led the way with 14 points and Stanley Scott added 6 points.

Thoughts on the game: Best game of the day and it was expected. Seth Maxwell had a great game, scoring 19 points and having a key block in the final minutes to help the Comets take the Subregional title. For Williamsport, they played a great game tonight, especially Nyric Gosley, who had 14 points.

District 2 AA Boys Final

Meyers and Elk Lake came in vying for the District 2 title. Meyers came in as the top seed and Elk Lake came in as the No 2 seed. Both teams came in as polar opposites, with Elk Lake being the high scoring team and Meyers being the team that has allowed the least in the District Playoffs. Elk Lake started the game with a basket by Seth Tewksbury but Meyers would go on a 17-0 run only ending on a basket by Seth Tewksbury to end the quarter at 17-4. JJ Heft of Elk Lake scored the first basket of the second quarter and would score 4 points in the quarter but Meyers would lead at halftime 28-14. Meyers would give up 8 points in the third but score 12 and would lead 40-22. The Mohawks would cruise in the fourth quarter and take the District title 50-29. Ryan Wasley had a game-high 14 points and Matt Dessoye added 9 for the Mohawks. For Elk Lake, Bailey Newhart had 7 points, and Seth Tewksbury and Rierdan Ryan added 5 points each.

Thoughts on the game: Great game by the Meyers defense on Bailey Newhart, he couldn't get his usual looks and kept him only to 7 points. Meyers height was the biggest advantage tonight, getting several offensive rebounds and getting second chances.

District 2 AAA Girls Final

Scranton Prep and Abington Heights came together for the third time this season, but this time, it was for a District title. The first quarter was even til Abington Heights went on a 7-2 run to end the quarter and would lead 11-6 after 1. Prep would answer in the second quarter however with a basket and free throw from Julia Sirotnak and Scranton Prep would only trail by 2 at halftime 16-14. Scranton Prep would tie the game at 18 early in the quarter but Abington Heights would answer by going on a 9-0 run and would lead 30-23 at the end of the third. Abington Heights would reduce Scranton Prep to 1 point in the fourth quarter and would go on to win the District Title 42-24. Nicole Getz and Hannah Kowalski each had a game-high 13 points and Alessia Brunori added 6 points for Abington Heights. For Scranton Prep, Jillian Paulus led the Lady Classics with 12 points and Julia Sirotnak added 7.

Thoughts on the game: Abington Heights played a great game on defense, allowing only 1 point in the fourth quarter. Nicole Getz and Hannah Kowalski had great games today, being parts of the big runs they had to get them the District title. For Scranton Prep, good game by Jillian Paulus who scored 12 points.

District 2 Boys A Final (Forest City vs Old Forge)

Old Forge and Forest City came to the Mohegan Sun Arena to vie for the District Crown. Forest City came in looking to dethrone Old Forge who has won the District Title for 3 straight seasons. Old Forge started off the game on a 7-2 run and Nick Pelosi hit a buzzer-beating 3 to give Old Forge a 17-6 lead after 1. Forest City's Adam Kowalewski would try his hardest to keep Forest City in the game but Old Forge only gave up 1 field goal in the second quarter and would lead 26-11 at halftime. In the third quarter, Ben Grochowski would score 9 points, including a jumper with time expiring to give the Blue Devils a 41-27 lead after 3. Old Forge would just cruise in the fourth and take the District 2 A title for the 4th straight year 59-40. Ben Grochowski led the Blue Devils with 23 points and Jaret Horn added 15 points. For the Foresters, Adan Kowalewski had a game-high 26 points and Noah Yates added 9.

Thoughts on the game: Great game by Ben Grochowski. His game on the boards and his inside game gave Old Forge the advantage over Forest City. Not to be forgotten, Nick Pelosi's 3 in the first quarter from way downtown to beat the buzzer. For Forest City, great game by Adam Kowalewski, scoring 26 points.

District 2 Girls A Final (Lackawanna Trail vs Forest City)

Lackawanna Trail and Forest City played Saturday afternoon to play for the District 2 A Championship and a spot in the state playoffs. Forest City started the game off with a 9-0 lead and would lead 16-7 after 1 thanks to Kendra Bendyk's 9 points. The Lady Lions would cut the lead to 6 with a 3-pointer by Lexi Kwiatkowski but Forest City would go on a 7-0 run and would lead 25-12 at halftime. The Lions cut the lead to 11 but the Lady Forestees went on a 6-0 run to end the quarter.  Lackawanna Trail started the fourth on a 5-0 run but it wasn't enough to fuel a comeback and Forest City would take the victory and win the District 2 A Title 40-29. Kendra Bendyk had a game-high 15 points and Skylar Fortuner added 10 for the Lady Foresters. For the Lady Lions, Allison Decker had 7 points and Lexie Kwiatkowski added 6.

Thoughts on the game: Kendra Bendyk had a great first half, scoring 14 of her 15 in the first half and a great second half by Skyler Fortuner, scoring 8 of her 10 points in the second half. For Lackawanna Trail, this team is very young, with a lot of sophomores and a few freshman playing key roles.

District 2 AAA Boys Final (Berwick vs Scranton Prep)

Scranton Prep and Berwick came to the Mohegan Sun Arena to vie for the District Crown. Scranton Prep, the top seed in the District Tournament came in looking for back-to-back titles. Berwick, the seventh seed came into the Mohegan Sun Arena beating Dallas, Nanticoke and GAR and looking for it's first District Championship since 1980 and first ever District 2 title. First quarter started off with some jitters, both teams missing shots til Brett Para broke the scoring drought with a 2 pointer, then Logan Bailey scored to make it 4-0. Berwick would get on the scoreboard with a 3-pointer by Tyler Evans and was fouled but missed the free throw. Berwick would keep within distance of Scranton Prep by the end of the quarter, trailing 19-10 at the end of the first quarter. After Tyler Evans got them within 6 points, Scranton Prep would go on a 15-0 run and would lead 42-22 at the half. Scranton Prep would keep on going in the third quarter, going on an 11-0 to end the third quarter and lead 57-27. Scranton Prep would cruise through the fourth quarter eventually putting in their subs and win back-to-back District 2 3A Boys Championships by the score of 70-45. Logan Bailey led Scranton Prep's scoring by having a game-high 19 points and Wes Simons added 10 points. For Berwick, Tyler Evans had 13 points and Jude Goodard added 11. Alec Markle had 9 fourth quarter points for the Bulldogs

Thoughts on the game: Scranton Prep proved tonight why they won Division 1 of the Lackawanna League and were the top seed in the District 2 tournament. Despite being cold early, they eventually heated up, going on big runs and putting the Bulldogs away early. For Berwick, the was possibly the toughest opponent they have seen all season. Tyler Evans had a great game, scoring 13 points.

District 2 Girls 4A Title Game (Pittston Area vs Hazleton Area)

The Hazleton Area Lady Cougars and the Pittston Area Lady Patriots faced off for the third time this season with the Lady Cougars taking both games. They also played in last year's District Final which Pittston Area won. Hazleton Area came out hot, going on an 11-2 run and just going from there. Four different Cougars scored in the quarter and would lead 23-11 after 1. Pittston Area tried their hardest to get back into the game, but everytime Hazleton Area had an answer and the Cougars would lead 39-18 at the half. Maddie Mrochko got hot in the third quarter for Hazleton Area, scoring 7 straight points and would end up leading 52-23 after 3 quarters. Hazleton Area would cruise in the fourth quarter and take the District 2 4A Girls Championship  by the score of 70-32. Mackenzie Yori had a game-high 25 points for the Lady Cougars. Ashley Martincek added 14 for Hazleton Area. For Pittston Area, Marley O'Brien had 17 points and Kristen Durling added 7 points.

Thoughts on the game: A dominant game by Hazleton Area. They had a big lead in the first quarter and they never took the pedal off the gas. The Cougars seemed like they couldn't miss their shots tonight, especially Ashley Martincek, who had 14 and in all, 4 Lady Cougars had points in double digits. For Pittston Area, great game by Marley O'Brien who had 17 points.

District 2 AA Girls Final (Holy Cross vs Holy Redeemer)

Holy Cross and Holy Redeemer battled Friday afternoon for the AA Girls District Championship. Holy Redeemer was looking for it's first District Title since 2009. Holy Cross was looking for it's first Girls Basketball District Title. Lauren Franklin of Holy Cross would score the first basket of the District Finals but the Royals went on a 7-0 run and would lead 13-8 after a quarter of play. Holy Cross would not quit, Alyssa Alfano hit a 3 to start the quarter and Abby Anderson's made free throw would cut the lead but Talia Kosierowski hit a 3 to extend their lead to 4. Holy Cross would eventually take the lead at 25-24 on a Lauren Franklin 2. The rest of the quarter would be back and forth and would be tied at 29 at halftime. Holy Redeemer's Rebecca Prociak scored 4 straight points to start the quarter til a Lexi Walsh 3 ended the run, but Redeemer would go on a 6-0 run to end the quarter and only gave up the one 3-pointer and lead 40-34 after 3. In the fourth quarter, Holy Cross cuts the lead to 3 late in the game but the Royals hit their free throws and seal the District and their first District Title since 2009 by the score of 52-47. Talia Kosierowski led the Royals scoring with 14 along with 2 other Royals in double digit scoring. Lydia Lawson had 11 points and Meghan Corridoni added 10 points for the Royals. For the Crusaders, Abby Anderson had a game-high 15 points and Alyssa Alfano added 13.

Thoughts on the game: Talia Kosierowski had a great game, not only by scoring 14 points but by several plays on defense, not to be overlooked but Meghan Corridoni had a great fourth quarter, scoring 6 of her 10 points. For the Crusaders, I thought they played a great game but only scoring 3 points in the third quarter ended up biting them in the end. Congrats to Holy Redeemer for winning the District 2 Girls AA Title.

Mid Valley vs Holy Redeemer (District 2 Girls AA Semifinals)

Mid Valley and Holy Redeemer came to Yatesville for the chance to play in the District Final. Holy Redeemer started the game hot, outscoring Mid Valley 26-4 in the first quarter. Holy Redeemer just cruised throughout the first half and led 39-8 at the half. Holy Redeemer would end up winning the game 66-28. Rebecca Prociak had a game-high 20 points for the Royals, while Meghan Corridoni added 10 points. For the Lady Spartans, Mariah Ford led the way for Mid Valley with 6, Morgan Haefele and Lauren Williams added 4 each.

Thoughts on the game: Just a dominant performance by the Lady Royals. They came out and didn't look back, playing great defense off their press and had a great game by Rebecca Prociak who had 20 points. For Mid Valley, this run they had to the District Semifinals with the young team they have, only start 1 senior.

Scranton Prep vs Nanticoke (District 2 AAA Semifinals)

Nanticoke and Scranton Prep traveled to Pittston Area for the right to advance to the Mohegan Sun Arena on Saturday. Scranton Prep would start off leading 4-0 but Nanticoke would go on an 8-0 run to lead 8-4 but Scranton Prep would get a basket from Tiffany Powell and two made free throws from Jillian Paulus to lead 10-8 after 1. Scranton Prep would continue their run in the second quarter, going on a 12-0 run in total and gave up only 2 points to take a 20-10 lead into the locker room. The Classics would lead as much as 15, but Kayla Aufiero of Nanticoke would score 5 points to cut Scranton Prep's lead to 10 after 3. In the 4th quarter, Nanticoke would make a furious comeback, Kayla Aufiero would give Nanticoke a 8-0 run, cutting the lead to 2, but Scranton Prep would seal the game and advance to the District Final 40-36. Julia Sirotnak scored 13 points for the Classics and Holly Devesky added 9. For Nanticoke, Kayla Aufiero had a game-high 18 points and Gianna Roberts added 11.

Thoughts on the game: Great game by Scranton Prep, Julia Sirotnak had a great game and the defense played great, allowing 9 points in the second and third quarters combined. Nanticoke played a great 4th quarter, led by Kayla Aufiero who had 10 points in the 4th but just fell short of the comeback.

Berwick vs Nanticoke (District 2 Boys AAA Quarterfinal)

Berwick and Nanticoke traveled to Crestwood High School in Mountain Top in hopes of advancing to the semifinals on Monday. Berwick lead for the most part of the 1st qtr but Nanticoke's Scott Stout hit a three to give Nanticoke a 7-6 at the end of 1. Berwick would an early lead in the second but a 6-0 run gave Nanticoke a 13-10 lead and would lead as much as 7 in the second but Berwick ended cutting it to 4 at halftime at 20-16. Nanticoke through most of the third quarter and taking a 3 point lead at the end of the third thanks to a jumper by Scott Stout. Nanticoke lead 38-30 when Justin Casey had an intentional foul and Berwick Head Coach Jason Kingery got a technical and both Tyler Evans and Scott Stout hit both of their free throws to make it 40-32. Nanticoke would lead as much as 10 but Berwick would go on a 11-0 run to make it 42-38. Berwick would take a lead off a Tyler Evans three but Ed Lukowski would hit 1 of 2 to tie it 45. With 13.2 remaining, the initial Berwick shot missed but in traffic, Tyler Evans had a putback shot to give Berwick a 47-45. Last chance for Nanticoke, Brent Piontkowski's 3 was off but Luke Butcynski grabbed the rebound but couldn't put in and Berwick advances to the semifinals with a 47-45 victory over Nanticoke. Tyler Evans had a game-high 24 points and Kyle MacMillan added 10 points for the Bulldogs. Luke Butcynski had 19 points while Scott Stout added 17 for the Trojans.

Thoughts on the game: Great game by both teams and congrats to Berwick for advancing to the semifinals. Tyler Evans came through in the clutch for Berwick when they needed him the most. Hitting a three to give them a lead and then hitting a putback shot to give them the lead for good. For Nanticoke, great games by Luke Butcynski and Scott Stout, they added 19 and 17 respectively. This game was one game it was a shame one team had to lose.

Valley West vs Hazleton Area (District 2 Girls 4A Semifinals)

Valley West and Hazleton Area came to Crestwood High School in Mountain Top. Hazleton Area took advantage of a high scoring first quarter as they led 16-12 at the end of 1. Valley West would cut the lead to 3 but Hazleton Area would go on a 16-3 run to lead 34-18 at the half. The Cougars would lead as much as 22 in the third, but Valley West would cut it to 15 at the end of the third. Valley West would dominate in the fourth and would get it as close as 5 but free throws and back to back steals and baskets from Kendra Pfeil gave Hazleton Area a 10 point and would hold on and advance to the District 2 Girls 4A Final by the score of 60-49. Mackenzie Yori had a game high 30 points and Kendra Pfeil added 18 for the Cougars. For the Spartans, Jordan Reilly had 21 points and Erin Gibbons added 11.

Thoughts on the game: Great game by the Cougars' Mackenzie Yori and Kendra Pfeil who not only contributed on the scoresheet but on the defensive side of the ball causing several steals. Great fourth quarter by Valley West, almost pulling off the comeback and great game by Jordan Reilly who scored 21 points and had several rebounds.

Pittston Area vs Crestwood (District 2 First Round)

Pittston Area came into the District 2 Playoffs as the No 13 seed as they traveled to Mountain Top to take on the No 4 seeded Crestwood Comets. Pittston Area would lead throughout most of the first quarter but Crestwood would take an 11-10 in the final seconds of the first and lead at the end of 1. Pittston Area would take the lead early and would outscore Crestwood 14-4 in the quarter. Dylan Osticco hit a buzzer-beating layup to take a 24-15 lead at halftime. Crestwood and Pittston Area would manage 1 point in the first three minutes of the third and Crestwood would cut the deficit to 6 but Pittston Area would answer with several baskets and take a 9 point lead after 3 quarters. Pittston Area would lead as much as 12 points but Crestwood would answer back, cutting the lead to 6 with under a minute to play but Pittston Area would upset Crestwood 42-39. Jordan Black lead the Patriots with 11 points and Dylan Osticco added 9. For Crestwood, Josh Malkemes had a game-high 13 points and Lance Blass added 9.

Thoughts on the game: Great win for the Patriots, an overall team effort for Pittston Area. They deserved to win and played a great game on defense. I believe every player that got on the floor scored. Pat Mitchell played great in the second half, scoring 6 of his 8 points in the 2nd half, as well as Jordan Black, who had 6 of his 11 in the second half. For Crestwood, great game by Josh Malkemes, who scored 13 points, as well as Lance Blass who added 9.

WVC Boys Division 2 Championship (GAR vs Nanticoke)

GAR and Nanticoke battled Saturday afternoon for the WVC Boys Division 2 championship at Wilkes University's Marts Center. Nanticoke would have a 13-7 lead late in the first quarter but sparked by Tino Altavilla, GAR would take a 16-15 lead after 1. Nanticoke in the second quarter, out scored GAR 9-5 and would lead 25-20 at halftime. Nanticoke played well in the third quarter but GAR would play as well cutting the lead to 3 at the end of the third quarter. Nanticoke would lead as much as 7 in the fourth but GAR fought back to force overtime. Nanticoke had a chance with 2.2 seconds left but Ed Lukowski's 3 went in and out. Both teams had chances in double overtime but Brent Piontkowski couldn't slam it home and GAR couldn't get a putback shot in time so they went to triple overtime. In triple overtime, Will Johnson hit a shot to give GAR the lead but one last chance for Nanticoke, Scott Stout missed a 3 and then Ed Lukowski missed and GAR wins the Division 2 title 58-57. Tino Altavilla led GAR with 15 points and freshman Will Johnson had 12. For Nanticoke, Scott Stout and Luke Butczynski had 15 points each and Brent Piontkowski had 13 for the Trojans.

Thoughts on the game: First of all, congrats to GAR for winning the Division 2 title, they will be the 2 seed in the District 2 3A Playoffs. Nanticoke had several chances to win the game in regulation and in overtime but couldn't seem to hit free throws. Tino Altavilla gave GAR a spark in the first quarter, hitting some big 3s giving them a lead after the first and a bunch during regulation and overtime. Will Johnson had a great game, sinking the game winner and scoring 12. For Nanticoke, great game by several Trojans, including Brent Piontkowski, Scott Stout and Luke Butcynski. They gave the Trojans every chance to take the division today.

Tunkhannock at Crestwood (Girls)

Crestwood celebrated their senior night on Wednesday night as they hosted Tunkhannock. The game started off tied at 3 but Crestwood would go on 13-0 run and would lead 16-3 after 1. Tunkhannock came out in the second quarter scoring the first four points of the quarter but Crestwood would outscore Tunkhannock once again 16-11 and lead 32-14 at the half. In the third quarter, Crestwood would increase their lead to as much as 25 and would lead 45-23 after 3. Tunkhannock would outscore Crestwood 15-11 in the fourth quarter but wouldn't be enough as Crestwood took the victory on their senior night 56-39. Maddie Ritsick had a game-high 21 points for Crestwood and Abbie Macko added 9. For Tunkhannock, Christine Rossi led the scoring for Tunkhannock with 17 and Sydney Faux added 10.

Thoughts on the game: Great game by Crestwood overall, played great offensively and defensively. They were leading comfortably after 3. For Tunkhannock, impressed by Christine Rossi, scoring 17 and creating turnovers on defense as well as Sydney Faux with her shot, scoring 10.

Valley West at Crestwood (Girls)

The Wyoming Valley West Lady Spartans came up to Mountain Top Monday night to take on the Crestwood Lady Comets. First quarter would be back and forth but Valley West would have a 15-11 lead after one quarter. The second quarter would end up being low scoring with both teams scoring 15 points combined. Valley West take a 23-18 lead at halftime. The third quarter would be interesting, Abbie Macko gave Crestwood the lead at 27-26 with about 2 min left in the third quarter but Jordan Reilly would score inside to take back the lead on the next possession and would lead 30-27 after 3. The fourth quarter is where Valley West would pull away. The Spartans went on a 12-0 that started in the third quarter and the momentum kept going in the fourth quarter. Crestwood would keep it interesting however, eventually pulling within 4 points with 40 seconds left but Valley West would get the road win 51-43. Gabbie Smicherko led the Spartans in scoring with 17 and Erin Gibbons added 14. For Crestwood, Maddie Ritsick had a game-high 18 points and Abbie Macko had 9.

Thoughts on the game: Close game for three quarters. Valley West looked very good, and I was impressed by Jordan Reilly, although she had 7 points, she was a big reason they pulled away in the fourth quarter. Also a great game by Gabbie Smicherko and Erin Gibbons. Crestwood gave Valley West a good fight til the end even taking a lead in the third quarter but lost it on the next possession and they would fight til the end of the game but came up short.

District 2 Boys Basketball Bracketology

Here we are, the last week of the regular season and the District playoffs are almost here. So here's a rundown of each classification.

4A

1 Hazleton Area 17-3 (Division Leader)

2 Abington Heights 18-2

3 Scranton 13-7

4 Williamsport 11-8

5 Delaware Valley 9-11

6 WVW 6-14

7 Wallenpaupack 3-17

Rundown: Hazleton Area can clinch the WVC Division 1 title with a win in one of their final two games. Abington Heights can possibly get back the division but need a Scranton Prep loss in order to force a one-game playoff or for Scranton Prep to lose their final two games and for Abington Heights to win their final two game to clinch the division outright. Delaware Valley is still in the race for the Lackawanna League Division 2 title, only trailing North Pocono by a game. Del

Val needs one win and a North Pocono loss in order to force a one game playoff for the title. So it could be possible that Abington Heights could be the three seed in the District 2 4A playoffs because division championships go ahead of record.

3A

1 Scranton Prep 10-1 (Division Leader)

2 GAR 10-1 (Division Leader)

3 North Pocono 7-4 (Division Leader)

4 Crestwood 10-2

5 Nanticoke 9-2

6 Berwick 7-5

7 West Scranton 6-4

8 Honesdale 5-6

9 Wyoming Area 5-6

10 Coughlin 5-7

11 Dallas 5-7

12 Lake-Lehman 4-7

13 Valley View 2-9

14 Pittston Area 2-10

15 Tunkhannock 2-10

16 Western Wayne 0-11

Rundown: Scranton Prep, GAR and North Pocono lead their respective Divisions by a game. Scranton Prep is the most likely to sweep their final two games and take Lackawanna League Division 1. GAR has one tough matchup with city rival Meyers. They knock off Meyers, they would just need to knock off Hanover Area to clinch the WVC Division 2 title. North Pocono has the toughest schedule remaining, with West Scranton and division rival Honesdale remaining. If Crestwood wins out, they clinch as high as the 3 seed if Del Val overtakes North Pocono for the LL Division 2 title or they would be the 4 seed. Nanticoke needs the most help, they need to win both their games and for GAR to lose one of their two games in order to force a one-game playoff.

2A

1 Meyers 11-0 (Division Champs)

2 Elk Lake 10-0 (Division Leader)

3 Mid Valley 8-2 (Division Leader)

4 Montrose 9-1

5 Holy Cross 8-2

6 Dunmore 7-3

7 Wyoming Seminary 6-5

8 Holy Redeemer 6-5

9 Blue Ridge 5-5

10 Carbondale 4-6

11 Mt View 4-7

12 Riverside 3-7

13 Hanover Area 3-8

14 Lakeland 2-9

15 Northwest 0-11

Rundown: Meyers can clinch the Top seed by winning their final two games against city rivals GAR and Holy Redeeemer. Elk Lake can overtake the Top seed if they win their final two games and Meyers loses once. Mid Valley won the first half title in LL Division 3 but Holy Cross leads for the second half title but Mid Valley and Holy Cross face off against each other on Thursday night.

A

1 Forest City 5-5

2 Old Forge 4-7

3 Lackawanna Trail 3-8

4 MMI 1-10

5 Susquehanna 0-10

Rundown: The top seed could either be Forest City, Old Forge or Lackawanna Trail depending on how they do in their final two games.

District 2 Girls Bracketology

Well here we are, last week of the regular season and District Playoffs right around the corner, I'll be looking at each classification for the girls and here we go

4A

1 Hazleton Area 17-3 (Division Leader)

2 Wallenpaupack 15-5 (Division Champ)

3 Pittston Area 14-6

4 WVW 13-7

5 Williamsport 10-9

6 Scranton 10-10

7 Delaware Valley 2-18

Rundown: Wallenpaupack has clinched the Lackawanna League Division 2 title and Hazleton Area only needs one win to clinch the WVC Division 1 title and the Top seed in the District 2/4 Sub-Regional Tournament. Only seed that is sealed up is Delaware Valley being the last seed. Pittston Area is only a game ahead of Valley West for the three seed.

3A

1 Nanticoke 11-0 (Division Champs)

2 Abington Heights 10-1 (Division Leader)

3 West Scranton 8-3

4 Wyoming Area 8-3

5 Dallas 8-4

6 Scranton Prep 7-4

7 Hanover Area 6-5

8 Crestwood 6-6

9 North Pocono 5-6

10 Lake-Lehman 5-6

11 Berwick 5-7

12 Western Wayne 4-7

13 Honesdale 2-9

14 Valley View 2-9

15 Tunkhannock 2-10

16 Coughlin 0-12

Rundown: Nanticoke has clinched one of the top two seeds in the District 2 3A Playoffs. They can clinch the Top seed by winning their final two games. Abington Heights can clinch the Lackawanna League Division 1 title with a win in one of their final two games. No one at this point has clinched a seed in 3A thus far. West Scranton and Wyoming Area cannot go lower than the 7 seed and that's only if they lose their final 2 regular season games.

2A

1 Dunmore 10-0 (Division Leader)

2 Holy Redeemer 11-1 (Division Champ)

3 Elk Lake 9-1

4 Holy Cross 9-1

5 Riverside 6-4

6 Blue Ridge 6-4

7 Lakeland 6-5

8 Montrose 5-5

9 Northwest 5-6

10 Meyers 4-7

11 Carbondale 3-7

12 GAR 3-8

13 Wyoming Seminary 3-8

14 Mid Valley 2-8

15 Mt View 1-10

Rundown: Holy Redeemer has clinched the WVC Division 3 title and Dunmore has a big game with Holy Cross Monday night which can determine the second half champ in Division 3 of the Lackawanna League. Elk Lake currently leads the standings for the second half title but may have to play for an overall title to determine the LL Division 4 champion. As of right now, Dunmore, Redeemer, Elk Lake and Holy Cross have clinched the Top 4 seeds in the District 2 2A playoffs. The teams standing 5-9 could go in any order at this time.

A

1 Forest City 9-1

2 Susquehanna 3-7

3 Lackawanna Trail 3-8

4 MMI 0-11

5 Old Forge 0-11

Rundown: Forest City has clinched the top seed in the District 2 A Playoffs regardless if they win their division or not. Susquehanna and Lackawanna Trail will be either the 2 or 3 seed. MMI and Old Forge will be either 4 or 5.

Dallas at Crestwood (Boys Basketball)

Crestwood coming off a loss at Hazleton Area hosted Dallas on Thursday night. Crestwood started off with a 4-0 lead but Dallas would answer back with 4 straight points but Crestwood would pull away and lead 12-6 at the end of 1. Crestwood would lead 17-9 but Dallas would go on a 10-4 run and Crestwood would enter halftime leading by 2, 21-19. Crestwood would start to pull away in the third quarter with help of back-to-back threes by Robbie Hopkins and Kyle Gegaris. Collin Pertl would hit a buzzer beating jumper but Crestwood would lead at the end of 3 36-27. Crestwood would start the fourth on 12-3 and take the victory 52-32. Robbie Hopkins would have a game-high 15 points for Crestwood and Mendell Foreman added 10. For Dallas, Joey Parsons and Tanner Gattuso scored 6 points each.

Thoughts on the game: Dallas played well in the first half to get Crestwood's lead to 2 at half. Crestwood in the second half would pull away, scoring 31 points in the half.

Wyoming Seminary at Nanticoke (Boys)

Nanticoke came into tonight hosting Wyoming Seminary. The Trojans and the Blue Knights went back and forth til the end of the first quarter when they lead 13-7 after one. Nanticoke would go on a run in the second quarter, outscoring the Knights 16-10 to lead at halftime 29-17. The second half would be all Nanticoke as they would allow 6 points in the third quarter and would lead 31-17. Nanticoke gave up 2 points in the 4th and go on and blow out the Blue Knights 49-25. The highlight of the game went to Luke Butczynski when in the 4th quarter, he took a steal and broke away from everybody for a two-handed dunk. Luke Butczynski and Scott Stout both had a game-high 12 points for Nanticoke and Brent Piontkowski added 10 points for the Trojans. For the Blue Knights, Tyler Maddock had 8 points and John Kehl had 5.

Thoughts on the game: Great game by the Trojans, especially on the defensive side in the second half, allowing 8 points in the half, 2 in the 4th quarter. Luke Butczynski had a great game as well, hitting a couple 3s and an impressive dunk. I was also impressed by Tyler Maddock who scored 8 points.

Hazleton Area at Crestwood (Girls)

Hazleton Area came into tonight's game in first place, one game ahead of Pittston Area as they took on Crestwood. Crestwood knocked off Pittston Area on Thirsday night. Fast paced action started off the game as Crestwood took a 13-11 lead after a quarter of play but the Cougars went on a huge run in the second quarter, taking a 15-13 lead with 5:02 in the second quarter. They ended up going 10-0 run and would be up as much as 11 and lead by 7 at half 25-18. Hazleton would lead as much as 12 in the third but Marlee Dillon of Crestwood hit a buzzer-beating layup but the Cougars would lead 36-26 after 3. Hazleton Area would pull away and take the victory 54-40. The Cougars were led by Kendra Pfeil who had a game-high 19 points. Joining her in double digits was Mackenzie Yori who scored 11 of her 16 points in the second half and Maddie Mrochko with 11. For Crestwood, Maddie Ritsick had 18 points and Julia Makowski scored 8.

Thoughts on the game: I came out impressed by Kendra Pfeil, who had 19 points as well as Mackenzie Yori who scored 11 of her 16 in the second half, as well as several steals. The Lady Cougars may not a very tall team but they are a scrappy group with their pressing and tough defense. For Crestwood, Maddie Ritsick had 18 points, much of them being tough shots with several players around her.