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Breaking down the District 2 girls basketball playoffs

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WBS Penguins’ win streak snapped in shootout loss to Syracuse

Here’s a look at the District 2 boys basketball tournament.

One thing is certain — Holy Cross won’t be back for a chance at a fifth consecutive Class 2A championship. The school announced Wednesday it is withdrawing from the tournament because of COVID-19 issues.

CLASS A

Outlook: Nothing to see here, move along. Neither team is participating.

MMI Prep, like in the fall, decided not to play sports because of COVID-19 concerns. Forest City (3-8) was limited to playing only divisional games in the Lackawanna League and opted out of the postseason.

CLASS 2A

Seeds: 1. Elk Lake (11-2); 2. Holy Cross (11-2); 3. Blue Ridge (7-5); 4. Susquehanna (7-5); 5. Northwest (10-9); 6. Old Forge (4-8); 7. Mountain View (4-7); 8. Lackawanna Trail (3-11).

Outlook: Four-time defending champion Holy Cross withdrew from the tournament on Wednesday because of a COVID-19 situation. The Crusaders were the obvious favorite despite the second seed.

Northwest left the WVC for the Northern Tier League, and while the Rangers have a winning record it appears the competition level in the NTL isn’t the same as the WVC. Northwest went 1-2 against WVC teams, with the only win in overtime against one-win Berwick.

Elk Lake’s only losses came against D2-3A top-seeded Riverside.

Title Prediction: Elk Lake over Old Forge.

CLASS 3A

Seeds: 1. Riverside (15-2); 2. Wyoming Seminary (12-2); 3. Holy Redeemer (11-8); 4. Dunmore (7-5); 5. Lakeland (4-9); 6. Montrose (4-8); 7. Carbondale (1-15).

Outlook: Seminary missed out on the top seed by 0.004 in the power rankings, but that’s not the Blue Knights’ biggest issue. While they have one of the area’s top big men in Ethan Meuser, the loss of standout guard Jake Koretz and his 24 points per game have been obvious.

Koretz was injured in the second quarter of a 65-45 loss to Holy Redeemer. Since then, Seminary has lost to Dallas and squeaked by Lake-Lehman and Nanticoke Area. They defeated the latter by 23 and 26 points, respectively, earlier in the season.

Redeemer started the season 3-8, but that was a bit misleading. The Royals weren’t bum-rushed out of the gym in any of the losses except, maybe, for the Williamsport game. Led by center Matt Prociak and guard Justice Shoats, they’ve won eight in a row — all by double digits.

Riverside hasn’t lost since a 67-64 setback to Dunmore on Jan. 30. Dunmore is a dark horse, with the only head-scratching loss a 66-40 to four-win Old Forge.

Title Prediction: Holy Redeemer over Riverside.

CLASS 4A

Seeds: 1. Scranton Prep (9-5); 2. Dallas (9-5); 3. Mid Valley (9-4); 4. Lake-Lehman (10-7); 5. Nanticoke Area (7-9); 6. Wyoming Area (3-12); 7. Honesdale (2-11); 8. Hanover Area (2-14).

Outlook: Scranton Prep goes for its fifth consecutive D2-4A title. The Cavaliers have lost to D2-6A top seed Scranton twice, Valley View twice and D2-5A top seed Abington Heights. They also fell to Valley View.

Dallas had its season a year ago stopped at the state quarterfinals because of the pandemic. The Mountaineers are a different team, relying heavily on the returning backcourt of Austin Finarelli and Nick Nocito while not having the same presence in the paint.

Lehman has defeated Dallas twice and has a experienced, balanced attack led by 1,000-point scorer Max Paczewski. The Black Knights, though, lack size. They open with Nanticoke Area. Lehman defeated the Trojans 42-25 on Feb. 20 and lost the rematch three days later 53-39.

Wyoming Area has shown signs of improvement down the stretch. Hanover Area’s scoring difficulties will likely be too much to overcome vs. Prep.

 Title Prediction: Prep over Dallas.

CLASS 5A

Seeds: 1. Crestwood (14-1); 2. Abington Heights (11-3); 3. North Pocono (13-3); 4. Valley View (9-5); 5. Tunkhannock (10-9); 6. Pittston Area (9-9); 7. Wyoming Valley West (5-9); 8. West Scranton (3-10).

Outlook: Crestwood has been one of the most successful programs in the WVC. The Comets, though, haven’t translated the success to the postseason and are seeking their first district championship since 2009. The Comets aren’t big, but everyone on the court is capable of scoring led by 1,000-point scorer Ryan Petrosky.

Abington Heights had its streak of nine consecutive district title snapped last season by Dallas. The team has size which could be troublesome to Crestwood should the two meet in the finals. North Pocono and Valley View have some impressive wins on their resumes.

Tunkhannock has guys who can light up the scoreboard in Ryan Harder, Ben Chilson and Jack Chilson. However, the offense has sputtered as well. Leading scorers JJ Walsh and Matt Johnson were the only Pittston Area players who logged significant time last season. The Patriots have won their last three, but that came after a five-game losing streak.

Valley West has made strides under first-year coach Chris Parker, whose offense received a boost when guard Mason Mendygral returned after a year at Holy Redeemer.

Title Prediction: Crestwood over Abington Heights.

Class 6A

Seeds: 1. Scranton (12-2); 2. Williamsport (11-4); 3. Wilkes-Barre Area (11-6); 4. Hazleton Area (9-7); 5. Delaware Valley (11-8)

Outlook: Hazleton Area has traditionally been at the top of the seedings, but not this year. While the Cougars have some talented players including Brett Antolick, Angel Cruz and Josian Guerrero, inconsistency has plagued the team on the court.

Wilkes-Barre Area has the same issue. The Wolfpack opened the season with five wins and also defeated Philadelphia power Math, Civics &amp; Science. But the offense sputtered down the stretch, scoring a combined 62 points in losses to Hazleton Area and Crestwood. Cole Walker, a 1,000-point scorer, leads the offense.

WBA opens with a road trip to Williamsport. The two teams tried to play this season, but were unable when schedules got knocked out of whack because of COVID-19 issues throughout the WVC. Williamsport plays a tough schedule annually.

Scranton is looking for its first district title since 2013. The Knights have won nine in a row after a 55-50 loss to North Pocono. Their other loss was 45-27 to Abington Heights to start the season. They later avenged the loss twice, including a 51-40 win Tuesday for the Lackawanna League Division 1 crown.

If District 4 Williamsport wins the tournament, Scranton will be declared the D2-6A champion based on the power rankings.

Title Prediction: Williamsport over Scranton.

Breaking down the District 2 boys basketball playoffs