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New look for some Wyoming Valley Conference girls basketball teams

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WILKES-BARRE — The District 2 decision to play all district basketball championship games at the Mohegan Sun Arena the next three seasons is just fine with three coaches used to the postseason.

Dallas’ Mark Belenski, Holy Redeemer’s Paul Guido and Meyers’ Pat Toole see the move as beneficial not only for area basketball but for those teams fortunate enough to move to the state tournament.

“It puts everyone on a level playing field first of all because none of us ever played in that type of arena,” Toole said Sunday at the Wyoming Valley Conference media night. “I mean, sometimes you might be playing at Pittston where you played before. It’s a great atmosphere for the kids.”

High school basketball has been played at the arena before. Belenski coached Holy Redeemer when his team played in a tournament there. Guido was his assistant. Both didn’t know the exact year, but believed it was 2009.

“We played Bethlehem Freedom,” Guido said. “I think we won. They loved it. The warmups, the music, the facility. Even the locker room facilities and the thing in the back where they had a nice little food room for the kids to hang out so they could have a little meal before they got out of there.”

District 2 chairman Frank Majikes explained to the coaches how the district championship games will be scheduled on Feb. 26 and 27.

Majikes said three championship games will be played on Friday, Feb. 26, with start times of 4:30 p.m., 6:30 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. There will be five title contests on Saturday, Feb. 27, at noon, 2 p.m., 4 p.m. 6 p.m. and 8 p.m.

There will be two girls games and one boys game on Feb. 26. There will be two more girls games and three boys games on Feb. 27. Majikes said the District 2 athletic committee will decide which championship games will be played those days during its December meeting. The arena is also available on Sunday, Feb. 28, if games are postponed.

Third-place games to determine state qualifiers will be played on Thursday, Feb. 25, at sites other than the arena.

The District 2 model is similar to the format used in District 3, where all the championship games are played at the Giant Center in Hershey over two days.

Belenski coached now-closed Bishop O’Reilly to Class A state championships in 2004 and 2005. He believes playing in a bigger facility where the baskets are free standing with no backdrop, rather than suspended from the ceiling with a gym wall in the back, will help district champions in the state tournament.

“You get used to playing in a big gym and that’s huge,” said Belenski, who is in his first season at Dallas. “We play in a small gym around here then you go play a team from Philly or District 3 and they’re used to playing in a big gym and we’re not. It’s different shooting with no backdrop.

“District 3 plays in the Giant Center. For us to play in the Giant Center or Hershey arena, it’s a different atmosphere all together. They’re used to it. This will help us out.”

The PIAA will expand boys and girls basketball from four to six classifications starting with the 2016-17 school year. The district’s agreement with the arena is for three years, and the district will have three days of championship games in 2017 and 2018.

Majikes said the plan for those two years is to have four games per day. However, he said District 2 will have to wait until the PIAA releases state brackets for 2017 and 2018 to see if any of its classifications will be grouped with other districts in subregional tournaments.
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By John Erzar

jerzar@www.timesleader.com

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<p style="text-align: center;"><strong>BOYS BASKETBALL</strong></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><strong>WEEKEND SCHEDULE</strong></p>
<strong>Friday</strong>

(7:15 p.m. unless noted)

Bloomsburg at Northwest, 7:30 p.m.

Crestwood at Lake-Lehman

GAR at Delaware Valley

Holy Redeemer at Scranton

Pittston Area at Hanover Area

Wyoming Area at Old Forge

Wyo. Valley West at Nanticoke

<em>Nespoli Tournament at Berwick HS</em>

Wyo. Seminary vs. Western Wayne, 6 p.m.

Berwick vs. Selinsgrove, 7:30 p.m.

<strong>Saturday</strong>

MMI Prep at Shenandoah Valley, 2:15 p.m.

Dallas at Nanticoke, 7:15 p.m.

Hazleton Area at Milton, 7:30 p.m.

<em>Nespoli Tournament at Berwick HS</em>

6 p.m. - consolation game

7:30 p.m. – championship

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Reach John Erzar at 570-991-6394 or on Twitter @TLJohnErzar

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Wyoming Valley Conference boys basketball coaches like move to Mohegan Sun Arena