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Rivalry brewing for Pittston Area, Hazleton Area girls in district championship rematch

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Veterans affairs committee chairman demands answers on allegations nurse drank at casino, assisted in surgery

Calmer yet still animated, Berwick boys basketball coach Jason Kingery talked about his team&#8217;s unexpected journey to Friday night&#8217;s District 2 Class 3A championship game.&#8220;No one thought we could beat Dallas. No one thought we could beat Nanticoke. No one thought we could beat GAR,&#8221; Kingery said. &#8220;But we&#8217;ve played hard all year with the exception of one or two games. These guys are resilient and they work.&#8221;Guess what. No one &#8212; except for maybe the Dawgs themselves &#8212; thinks sixth-seeded Berwick (16-9) can defeat powerful No. 1 seed Scranton Prep (23-2) when the teams take the floor at 8:30 p.m. at Mohegan Sun Arena.Kingery came to Berwick from West Virginia five years ago. He inherited a program that was, quite frankly, a complete mess. Berwick had lost 64 of 69 games in the previous three seasons. The situation became so bad that football coach Gary Campbell had to jump in to finish coaching one season when the head coach quit abruptly. Campbell was the fourth head coach in three seasons.Berwick went 11-12 in Kingery&#8217;s first season, but backslid to 2-21 in 2013-14. Three of the players on that two-win team &#8212; forwards Tyler Evans and Kyle McMillan and guard Max Melito &#8212; form the core of this season&#8217;s squad which will try to secure the first boys basketball district title since 1980 when the school was part of District 4.&#8220;It&#8217;s crazy to think about it to be honest,&#8221; said Evans, the school&#8217;s all-time leading scorer. &#8220;Max and I have been working with coach Kingery, trying to get the guys to come out for the team when we were freshmen and sophomores. We made tremendous progress from four years ago. It feels great.&#8221;Prep, though, is a team which can make opponents feel pretty lousy. The Cavaliers came into the season as the premier team in District 2, although Abington Heights and Hazleton Area could have provided valid arguments. They&#8217;ve steamrolled opponents throughout the season and have defeated their three district opponents by an average of 47.6 points. Berwick&#8217;s three wins have been by a combined 12 points.Shooting guard Logan Bailey is Prep&#8217;s catalyst. He and fellow backcourt mates Paddy Casey and Nick Dende all average in double figures. Dende and Pat Cosgrove are 3-point aces. The Cavaliers are the defending champion and will be heading to the state tournament for the fourth time in five seasons.Berwick will also be heading to the state playoffs on March 4. Friday&#8217;s winner gets the District 4 runner-up, either Shamokin (25-1) or Lewisburg (24-2). The lost plays the District 3 fourth seed, either Lampeter-Strasburg (25-3) or Milton Hershey (24-2).<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta>By John Erzarjerzar@www.timesleader.com</bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><factboxMeta>District 2 Class 3ABoys Basketball ChampionshipBerwick (16-9) vs. Scranton Prep (23-2)8:30 p.m. Friday, Mohegan Sun ArenaAdmission: $7 adults; $4 studentsNote: There is no re-entry. If you leave the arena after a game and return for another, you must pay full price</factboxMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta>Reach John Erzar at 570-991-6394 or on Twitter @TLJohnErzar</shirttailMeta></div>

Berwick certainly the underdawg in District 2 Class 3A basketball finals