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Girls basketball: Scranton Prep pulls away from Berwick in District 2 Class 4A finals

WILKES-BARRE TWP. — It wasn’t exactly like last year, but it was close in a few aspects.

Riverside guard Brandon Reed was once again a nemesis. Wyoming Seminary shot selection wasn’t what coach Pete Moses wanted at times. And the result — while this time going to overtime and in a different round — was the same.

Riverside 55, Seminary 50 in the District 2 Class 3A boys basketball championship game Thursday night at Mohegan Sun Arena.

Reed scored 24 points as Riverside (17-2) won its first district title since 2011. The Vikings play Wednesday in the first round of the PIAA Class 3A playoffs at District 3 champion Lancaster Catholic (18-4).

Wyoming Seminary (14-3) saw its season end for a second consecutive season at the hands of Riverside. The Blue Knights were upset in the semifinals last season 77-69. Normally, a runner-up district finish would be good enough to advance to the PIAA state playoffs. Not so this year, as the PIAA is taking only district champions because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“It is what it is. It’s a COVID year and we have to accept that,” Moses said. “I got to go in (the locker room) and give a difficult speech to these guys.”

Reed lit up Seminary for 20 points in last year’s matchup and scored a game-high 24 on Thursday. He scored consecutive baskets in the fourth quarter to erase a 40-38 deficit. Seminary knotted the game 45-45 on a 3-pointer by Jake Koretz to send the game into overtime.

Reed, though, connected on a mid-range jumper to start the extra four minutes and later hit a pair of free throws to give Riverside a 51-47 lead with 38.5 seconds remaining.

“Every since last year, we’ve been itching to get back here,” said Reed, whose team was routed by Holy Redeemer in last season’s championship game. “During the regular season, we worked so hard to get back here and knew it was our last shot to go out and win a district championship.”

Three Seminary seniors scored all the team’s points. Ethan Meuser, a 6-foot-7 center, had 14 and 6-3 forward Gavin Flanley scored a team-high 19. Koretz had all of his 17 points after halftime.

Moses, though, believed his Blue Knights didn’t take advantage of their size and questioned some shot selection late in regulation and overtime.

“I wasn’t happy with it the last three minutes of the second half or overtime,” Moses said. “We were in the bonus and didn’t shoot enough free throws. We didn’t get the paint touches. Ethan Meuser didn’t get the ball enough and we definitely preached that.”

Same as last year when Seminary went to perimeter too often after falling behind 37-28 at halftime.

Riverside was just fine with Seminary shooting farther away from the basket, especially at the arena, where most games have been low scoring throughout the years and perimeter shooters have a tendency to struggle.

“Playing at the arena, we were willing to give up the outside shot in situations,” Riverside coach Josh Aniska said. “We knew they were going to try to pound the ball inside on us because we’re a little undersized and at a disadvantage there.”

Seminary took its first lead, 28-26, on an inside basket by Meuser with 3:58 left in the third quarter. The lead changed five more times in regulation.

District 2 Class 3A championship

Riverside 55, Wyoming Seminary 50 OT

WYOMING SEMINARY (50) — Jake Koretz 7 0-4 17, Ethan Meuser 4 6-6 14, Gavin Flanley 9 0-1 19, Andrew Maddock 0 0-1 0, Jakson Amend 0 0-0 0, Isaiah Stull 0 0-0 0. Totals 20 6-12 50.

RIVERSIDE (55) — Brandon Reed 9 5-8 24, Mike Rickert 2 0-0 5, Todd Monahan 3 2-2 8, Frankie Antoniacci 4 2-2 12, Cross Mercado 3 0-0 6, Josh Godlewski, Hunter Geise 0 0-0 0, Anthony Karpinski 0 0-0 0. Totals 20 9-12 55.

Wyo.Seminary`13`15`11`5 — 50

Riverside`10`12`13`10`10 — 55

Three-point goals — WS 4 (Koretz 3, Flanley). RIV 4 (Reed, Rickert, Antoniacci 2).

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Boys basketball: Wyoming Seminary boys lose in overtime to Riverside in D2-3A finals