By Tom Robinson, NEPABasketball.com
FORMAT: There are three rounds with only the champion advancing to the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association state tournament, which has been modified for this season only because of the coronavirus pandemic. The district tournament has also been altered to allow higher-seeded teams to host in the quarterfinals and semifinals.
2020 RECAP: Scranton Prep defeated Dallas, 52-35, in the final. Berwick beat Nanticoke, 40-36, for the district’s third state berth.
HIGHEST SEEDS: 1. Scranton Prep; 2. Dunmore; 3. Berwick; 4. Lake-Lehman.
DIVISION CHAMPIONS: The top four seeds all are division champions. Scranton Prep won Lackawanna League Division 1; Dunmore won Lackawanna Division 3; Berwick Wyoming Valley Conference Division 1; Holy Redeemer WVC Division 2.
RANKED TEAMS: Scranton Prep is first, Dunmore second, Berwick fourth and Lake-Lehman fifth among Big School girls in the My City Mortgage Super Six Power Rankings of District 2 teams.
EARLY START: Wyoming Area defeated host Tunkhannock, 47-35, in a Tuesday preliminary game in the only District 2 field to have more than eight teams. The field was expanded because Wyoming Area, ninth in the playoff ratings, had a .500 or better record. The Lady Warriors got to .500 by winning their final three regular-season games. Wyoming Area followed that up by winning the playoff when it held Tunkhannock scoreless for a stretch of 6:57 in the second half and got 22 points and 13 rebounds from Morgan Janeski. The Lady Warriors moved ahead in the last minute of the third quarter.
WINNING RECORDS: Every team in the field has a winning record. Dunmore is 15-1, Scranton Prep 14-1, Lake-Lehman 14-2, Berwick 11-3, Holy Redeemer 12-5, Valley View 12-6, Nanticoke 9-7, Wyoming Area 8-7.
BEST OPENER: Holy Redeemer and Lake-Lehman meet for the second time in three days and fourth time this season. They split in the WVC Division 2 regular season, then Lake-Lehman won Tuesday’s division title game at Pittston Area, 42-31. Chase Purdy scored 17 points and Claire Dougherty 16 in the win. Lake-Lehman led 8-1 after one quarter and held Holy Redeemer to three points in the third quarter.
KEY GAME: Berwick enters the district tournament on a nine-game winning streak. Dunmore is on a 14-game winning streak. They could meet in the semifinals if they win one more each. Adding to the challenge for Dunmore is that the team was hit hard by multiple positive COVID-19 cases on the team in the final days of the regular season. The Lady Bucks have had their practice routine disrupted at a bad time and are likely to be at least somewhat shorthanded in some district games.
PLAYERS TO WATCH: The four champions are all led by potent 1-2 punches – Scranton Prep’s Rachael Rose and Cecelia Collins; Dunmore’s Moriah Murray and Ciera Toomey; Berwick’s Katie Starr and Renny Murphy; and Lake-Lehman’s Chase Purdy and Claire Dougherty. Rose, Collins, Murray and Toomey have all received all-state honors in the past. Rose (University of South Carolina Upstate), Collins (Bucknell) and Murray (Drexel) are committed to National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I scholarships while Starr is committed to a Division II scholarship from Bloomsburg University. Rose, Collins, Murray, Starr and Murphy are all 1,000-point career scorers and Starr also has surpassed 1,000 rebounds. The tournament field also features Karissa Spade from Holy Redeemer, 1,000-point scorer Skylar Bianchi from Valley View, Riley Baird from Nanticoke and Morgan Janeski from Wyoming Area.
NOTEWORTHY: Scranton Prep is ranked third among state Class 4A teams by suburban Pittsburgh media outlet TribHSSN.com. The Classics have won the last three district titles. … Dunmore and Holy Redeemer are both up from Class 3A where they Lady Bucks beat the Lady Royals in last year’s final, 52-24. … Dunmore played in the 2019 Class 3A state championship game and were in the 2020 Class 3A state quarterfinals when the tournament was halted early because of the coronavirus pandemic. The Lady Bucks were forced up in class by the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association and its success formula that measures state tournament success and the existence of transfer students in the program. … Scranton Prep handed Dunmore its only loss, 50-45. … Scranton Prep had won 41 straight before losing Saturday at Cumberland Valley, a state-ranked Class 6A team.
COMPLETE PAIRINGS
Tuesday’s preliminary round
Wyoming Area 47, Tunkhannock 35
Thursday’s quarterfinals
9, Wyoming Area (8-7) at 1, Scranton Prep (14-1), 7 p.m.
5, Holy Redeemer (12-5) at 4, Lake-Lehman (14-2), 6 p.m.
6, Valley View (12-6) at 3, Berwick (11-3), 7 p.m.
Friday’s quarterfinal
7, Nanticoke (9-7) at 2, Dunmore (15-1), 7 p.m.
March 8 semifinals
Wyoming Area-Tunkhannock-Scranton Prep survivor vs. Holy Redeemer/Lake-Lehman winner
Valley View-Berwick winners vs. Nanticoke-Dunmore winner
March 11 final
Semifinal winners at Mohegan Sun Arena, 5:30 p.m.
