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Lake-Lehman girls basketball team joining vets in district title games

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Police: Self-described ‘middleman’ arrested in Hazleton in meth deal

The District 2 boys basketball championship weekend won&#8217;t waste any time.What is perceived as the best matchup &#8212; at least on paper &#8212; kicks off five title games at Mohegan Sun Arena as top-seeded Wyoming Seminary faces No. 2 Holy Redeemer for the Class 3A title.Seminary won the first meeting 45-43 on Jan. 11 when Dimitri Gnall blocked a Redeemer 3-point attempt at the buzzer. Redeemer won the rematch 61-47 on Feb. 1.The Blue Knights, though, eventually edged Redeemer for the Wyoming Valley Conference Division 3 title and went on to win the inaugural WVC Championship tournament.&#8220;My boys are looking forward (to playing Redeemer) in a respectful way,&#8221; Seminary coach Pete Moses said. &#8220;They&#8217;re are a lot of relationships. They have a lot of friends on the Redeemer team. The Redeemer team has a lot of friends on our team. I think it&#8217;s a healthy rivalry.&#8221;It&#8217;s the biggest rivalry of the five District 2 five titles to be decided. As for the D2-A championship, MMI Prep won that by default as the district&#8217;s only team in that class.Here&#8217;s a look at the five games.DISTRICT 2 CLASS 3ANo. 2 Holy Redeemer (20-3)vs. No. 1 Wyoming Seminary (24-2)8 p.m. ThursdayThe tipoff: Seminary won the 2018 title by defeating Redeemer 56-39. Redeemer earned the 2017 championship with a 38-36 victory over Mid Valley.&nbsp;The Seminary journey: The Blue Knights topped Lake-Lehman 72-32 in the quarterfinals and Lakeland 67-46 in the semifinals.The Redeemer journey: After defeating Riverside 73-55 in the quarterfinals, Redeemer was expected to have a tough time with Mid Valley in the semifinals. Instead, the Royals won 62-41.The last time: The teams played twice during the WVC season. Seminary won 45-43 on Jan. 10. Redeemer won 61-47 on Feb. 1.The streaks: Besides the regular-season loss to Redeemer, Seminary&#8217;s other setback was 52-50 to Abington Heights on Dec. 18. The Blue Knights needed a 16-0 run to overcome Nanticoke Area 51-42 on Jan. 12. They also won the first-ever WVC Championship with wins of 56-50 over Crestwood and 53-43 over Nanticoke Area.Redeemer was in control of WVC Division 3 until a flat performance in a 38-36 loss to Hanover Area cost the Royals a chance at the title. The Royals also lost 68-54 to Pittston Area in the McGrane Tournament over the Christmas break.The shooting stars: Seminary returned four starters from last season&#8217;s district champion &#8212; seniors Dimitri Gnall and Nick Ganter and juniors Jeremy Callahan and Todd Phillips. New starter Jake Koretz played a lot as a freshman a season ago. Gnall is the two-time WVC Division 3 MVP. He&#8217;s the only starter who averaged in double digits during the WVC season, tossing in 17.5 per game, but all five are capable scorers.Redeemer senior Collin Cook has been one of the steadiest performers in the WVC over the past three seasons. He enters the game 10 points shy of 1,000 for his career. Big Nick Prociak has been a force inside. Jared Piontkowski, another inside guy, has come on lately. Freshman Justice Shoats has lived up to his preseason billing and forms a solid backcourt with senior Derek Answini.The future: Both teams will play in the state tournament on March 9. The winner gets the District 12 fourth seed. The loser plays the District 4 second seed.The conquest: By far the best matchup among the boys games. This one could go either way.DISTRICT 2 CLASS 5ANo. 2 Crestwood (20-6)vs. No. 1 Abington Heights (22-2)8 p.m. FridayThe tipoff: Crestwood will be in the state playoffs for the first time since 2009. Abington Heights will be making its 13th consecutive appearance in states.&nbsp;The Crestwood journey: Crestwood&#8217;s defense has been outstanding in the postseason as the Comets defeated West Scranton 45-32 in the quarterfinals and Wallenpaupack 44-33 in the semifinals.The Abington journey: After disposing of North Pocono 71-25, Abington Heights was in a tussle in the semifinals before defeating Dallas 59-51.The last time: The teams&#8217; last playoff meeting came in 2012 with Abington Heights defeating Crestwood 49-38 in the D2-3A semifinals.The streaks: Crestwood started the season 2-2 then won 12 in a row before being tripped up by Dallas 55-47 on Feb. 2. The losses since then have been twice to Hazleton Area, with the latter in the WVC Division 1 title game, and to Wyoming Seminary in the WVC Championship semifinals.Abington Heights has won 18 in a row since a 56-48 loss to Emmaus on Dec. 22. The other loss was 57-46 to Pottsville on Dec. 15. Emmaus played for the D11-6A championship Wednesday night. Pottsville will play for the D11-5A title on Thursday.The shooting stars: Crestwood has four starters capable of shooting 3-pointers &#8212; seniors Camden Boris, Sean Murphy and Mike Palmiero and sophomore Ryan Petrosky. The other starter is junior Brad Papura, who is the tallest guy in the lineup at 6-foot-3 and does most of his work in the paint.Abington Heights won the PIAA Class 5A state championship last season and returned some key performers. George Tinsley, a 6-foot-5 senior, can play inside or outside. Senior Jack Nealon is a 3-point ace and senior Trey Koehler is also a threat outside the arc.The future: Both teams will be in the state tournament starting March 8. The winner gets the District 1 fourth seed. The loser plays the District 12 third seed. Wallenpaupack will be District 2&#8217;s third seed and play the District 1 third seed.The conquest: Crestwood has several 3-point shooters and those guys need to be on because points in the paint could be hard to come by.DISTRICT 2 CLASS 2ANo. 2 Northwest (15-9)vs. No. 1 Holy Cross (19-5)2 p.m. SaturdayThe tipoff: Holy Cross has never missed the state playoffs in its 12-year existence. Northwest made states last season after a 14-year absence.&nbsp;The Northwest journey: The Rangers defeated Old Forge 54-38 in the quarterfinals and Susquehanna 47-29 in the semifinals.The Holy Cross journey: The Crusaders routed their two playoff opponents &#8212; Blue Ridge 75-47 in the quarterfinals and Lackawanna Trail 55-28 in the semifinals.The last time: The game is a rematch of last season&#8217;s D2-2A title game won by Holy Cross 55-39.The streaks: Northwest hit a rough patch at the start of February, losing four times in five games. However, all five games were played in a seven-day span due to postponements. So perhaps the Rangers got a little worn down. They are surrendering 38.5 points over the last four games, all victories.Holy Cross lost four of five games during a span from mid-December to the new year. The only loss since then was 48-45 to Mid Valley on Jan. 18. The Crusaders&#8217; last district loss was 76-73 to Elk Lake in the 2016 semifinals.The shooting stars: Four Northwest seniors &#8212; Bryce Koser, Sam Saxe, Tyler Stevens and Jaxson Yaple &#8212; have been along for quite a ride with the programs. As freshmen, they took some tremendous beatings in winning five games. The victory total upped to seven a year later and 11 the following season. They&#8217;ve been the glue to a program that was a doormat before their arrival.Holy Cross never has a bad team. It&#8217;s had some that weren&#8217;t as strong as others, but the Crusaders never bottomed out in their 12 seasons. This season&#8217;s pipeline of talent doesn&#8217;t feature a lot of height. But the team is loaded with shooters headed by senior Tyler Mozeleski and juniors Kieran Burrier and Leahy O&#8217;Connor.The future: The teams move to the state tournament on March 8. The winner plays the District 4 third seed. The loser gets the District 4 champion.The conquest: If Northwest plays like it did against Susquehanna, then Holy Cross could have its hands full.DISTRICT 2 CLASS 4ANo. 2 Nanticoke Area (21-6)vs. No. 1 Scranton Prep (21-3)4 p.m. SaturdayThe tipoff: Prep will be going for its fifth consecutive district title. Nanticoke Area last won a district championship in 2003.&nbsp;The Nanticoke Area journey: After handling rival Hanover Area 65-45 in the quarterfinals, the Trojans needed a 3-pointer by Colby Butczynski with 3.6 seconds left to defeat Tunkhannock 49-48 in the semifinals.The Prep journey: The Cavaliers had little trouble marching through the bracket. They defeated Meyers 61-39 in the quarterfinals and Western Wayne 50-31 in the semifinals.The last time: The teams played a memorable D2-4A semifinal game in 2017, with Prep winning 72-66 in double overtime.The streaks: Nanticoke Area stumbled when the calendar flipped to 2019, losing three of five games. But those losses came to three teams playing at the arena this weekend &#8212; Hazleton Area, Crestwood and Wyoming Seminary. A pair of one-point wins over Meyers and Tunkhannock later in the season were head-scratchers.Prep lost twice to Abington Heights during the Lackawanna League season, 68-40 and 60-51. The Cavaliers&#8217; other loss was 61-36 to District 1 Class 6A power Pennridge on Dec. 22. They had a couple late-season scares, defeating Valley View and Scranton by two points each.The shooting stars: WVC Division 2 MVP Nate Kreitzer is one of the top guards in the state. He has NBA range on 3-pointers. Junior Colby Butczynski and sophomore Jake Krupinski have picked up the scoring pace, especially when opponents key on Kreitzer. Seniors Trahjan Krupinski and Dylan Szychowski do the grunt work inside, with Krupinski the better of the inside scorers.Prep brings better size into the game. Leo O&#8217;Boyle, a 6-foot-8 junior, makes everything go. He is an excellent athlete and the starting quarterback on the football team. Rhys Merritt, a 6-6 sophomore, is among the team&#8217;s top scorers. The perimeter players aren&#8217;t too shabby, either. Brian Boland and Mario Rotell are a pair of 6-2 juniors. Prep doesn&#8217;t shoot many 3-pointers, but when the Cavs do the ball is in the hands of Boland or O&#8217;Boyle.The future: The teams will move to the state tournament on March 8. The winner gets the District 3 fourth seed. The loser plays the District 4 third seed. Western Wayne will be District 2&#8217;s third seed and play the District 4 champion.The conquest: Nanticoke Area didn&#8217;t get many good looks beyond the arc vs. Tunkhannock. That needs to change against Prep.DISTRICT 2 CLASS 3ANo. 3 Scranton (10-13)vs. No. 1 Hazleton Area (17-7)8 p.m. SaturdayThe tipoff: Hazleton Area was the only team in the four-team bracket with a winning record.&nbsp;The Scranton journey: Scranton edged Williamsport 61-60 in overtime in a mild upset.The Hazleton Area journey: Hazleton Area defeated Delaware Valley 61-40 in the semifinals.The last time: Hazleton Area defeated Scranton 61-51 in last season&#8217;s title game.The streaks: Hazleton Area stumbled out of the gate with three losses. Then came a nine-game winning streak followed by three losses in four games. The only loss since for the WVC Division 1 champion was 68-64 to Nanticoke Area in the WVC Championship semifinals.Scranton has won two in a row only twice this season. The Knights started the season at 3-1 and didn&#8217;t pick up consecutive wins until mid-January when they defeated Valley View and Delaware Valley.The shooting stars: WVC Division 1 MVP Da&#8217;Mir Faison and point guard Sparky Wolk were the only starters returning from a Hazleton Area team that lost in overtime in last season&#8217;s PIAA Class 6A state semifinal. Faison was a bit overshadowed in last year&#8217;s lineup, but nonetheless was a standout. It took time to get the piece around the duo with Andrew Vayda, Kyle Franek, Warren Seigendall, Scott Campbell and Jecxander Moronta contributing to the team&#8217;s success.At 6-foot-5, Scranton senior Marcus Bauman matches up with Faison. He is the Knights&#8217; leading scorer and rebounder. The backcourt is a bit undersized but talented with seniors DeRone White and Tahy Jones. Neither tops 6-foot. But Hazleton Area needs to be cautious because Scranton lost by two points to Scranton Prep a few weeks ago.The future: It&#8217;s a winner-takes-all scenario. Only the champion advances to the state tournament where it will play the District 1 seventh seed on March 9.The conquest: If Scranton is to pull off an upset, stopping or slowing down Faison will be the first step.<style>
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<div class="neCaption">Crestwood&#8217;s Sean Murphy and the rest of the Comets have a tall task in the District 2 Class 5A championship game when they play defending PIAA Class 5A state champion Abington Heights. Game time is 8 p.m. Friday at Mohegan Sun Arena. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/web1_TTL022019HSBB-Crestwood-WestScranton_1-1.jpg</photo0><caption0>Crestwood&#8217;s Sean Murphy and the rest of the Comets have a tall task in the District 2 Class 5A championship game when they play defending PIAA Class 5A state champion Abington Heights. Game time is 8 p.m. Friday at Mohegan Sun Arena. </caption0><photoCredit0>Bill Tarutis | For Times Leader </photoCredit0></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/web1_TTL011119HSBB-Sem-Redeemer_4.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Holy Redeemer&#8217;s Collin Cook, right, tries to get past Wyoming Seminary&#8217;s Todd Phillips in a WVC boys basketball game on Jan. 10 won by Seminary 45-43. The teams play at 8 p.m. Thursday at Mohegan Sun Arena for the District 2 Class 3A championship. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo1>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/web1_TTL011119HSBB-Sem-Redeemer_4.jpg</photo1><caption1>Holy Redeemer&#8217;s Collin Cook, right, tries to get past Wyoming Seminary&#8217;s Todd Phillips in a WVC boys basketball game on Jan. 10 won by Seminary 45-43. The teams play at 8 p.m. Thursday at Mohegan Sun Arena for the District 2 Class 3A championship. </caption1><photoCredit1>Bill Tarutis | For Times Leader </photoCredit1></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta>By John Erzarjerzar@www.timesleader.com</bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta>Reach John Erzar at 570-991-6394 or on Twitter @TLJohnErzar</shirttailMeta></div>

District 2 boys basketball: Previewing all five championship games