Letter to the Editor: Phasing out auto registration stickers will benefit police, says PennDOT chief

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Bill Jones: You have power to be positive influence on child’s life

<p>For high school basketball players advancing to this weekend&#8217;s PIAA District 2 championships, it&#8217;ll feel like a big-time game on par with those that CBS airs in March.</p><p>Big stakes.</p><p>Big crowd.</p><p>And bigger venue &#8211; by far &#8211; than the places these teenagers are accustomed to playing.</p><p>The Mohegan Sun Arena, which seats about 8,300, will serve as the site for eight games Friday and Saturday, pitting teams such as the Pittston Area and Hazleton Area girls squads against one another for district bragging rights and a shot to advance to a state title.</p><p>Formerly held in local school or college gyms, the district championships will unfold in the Wilkes-Barre Township arena for the first time since the place opened in November 1999. It&#8217;s a milestone of sorts for the District 2 athletic committee, whose members in November announced they had inked a three-year deal with the arena for an undisclosed sum. Among the teams participating in the inaugural championships there will be girls representing Holy Redeemer and Abington Heights, and boys from Abington Heights, Berwick and Meyers.</p><p>In all, 16 area teams will pursue their hoop dreams in the &#8220;house&#8221; whose primary tenant is the American Hockey League&#8217;s Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. For fans, it represents a potentially more pleasing game-day experience &#8211; with ample parking and presumably fewer pedestrian logjams as people come and go between contests.</p><p>For players, it means an opportunity to showcase their skills on a grand court with free-standing baskets, not those affixed to a nearby wall, and a state-trophy-hunt atmosphere. The NBA&#8217;s New York Knicks have played there (in preseason action). So have the Harlem Globetrotters. Ditto for a couple of NCAA teams, including Syracuse University.</p><p>During pregame warm-ups on Friday and Saturday, the high school players might be hit with a few big-gulp moments, realizing this is the same venue where music icons including Janet Jackson and Elton John performed. But between tip-off and the final buzzer, players should remember this: The hoop is 10 feet off the floor &#8211; same height as in every regulation game you&#8217;ve ever played.</p><p>Have fun during your well-deserved time in the arena spotlight.</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">Levaugn Soules and his Meyers High School teammates are among those players expected to compete in the PIAA District 2 basketball championships this weekend, held for the first time at the Mohegan Sun Arena. The venue seats more than 8,000. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/web1_MeyersRiverside3.jpg</photo0><caption0>Levaugn Soules and his Meyers High School teammates are among those players expected to compete in the PIAA District 2 basketball championships this weekend, held for the first time at the Mohegan Sun Arena. The venue seats more than 8,000. </caption0><photoCredit0>Sean McKeag | Times Leader </photoCredit0></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><factboxMeta><p><strong>IF YOU GO</strong></p><p>For game times and other District 2 high school basketball championship information, visit the Mohegan Sun Arena&#8217;s website, at mohegansunarenapa.com, and click on &#8220;<a href="http://mohegansunarenapa.com/events/piaa-district-ii-high-school-basketball-championships/" target="_blank">PIAA District 2 BBall</a>.&#8221;</p><p>Ticket prices are $7 for adults and $4 for students. All ticket sales are cash sales only. Tickets will be sold at the arena box office on the day of the game; no advance sales. Parking fees are included with the ticket price, according to information provided on the arena&#8217;s website. &#8220;Tickets are good for all games scheduled on that day as long as you stay inside the venue,&#8221; it states.</p></factboxMeta></div>

Our Opinion: Area’s high school basketball players go ‘big time’ at Mohegan Sun Arena