EARLY OPENER
The rest of league basketball in all of District 2 – Lackawanna League and Wyoming Valley Conference, boys and girls, across a total of a dozen divisions – takes place after the New Year.
Conference play, however, begins Tuesday night in WVC Division 1 boys when Berwick visits Dallas.
MORE OPENERS
The rest of the division opens Jan. 4 when Tunkhannock plays at Wilkes-Barre Area and Hazleton Area is at Crestwood in games between teams that are both playing openers. Berwick is at Wyoming Valley West and Dallas is at Pittston Area in the other openers.
REALIGNMENT
After spending one season in Division 2 to balance the membership of the two divisions while MMI Prep sat out because of COVID precautions, the Mountaineers are back in Division 1.
FAVORITE
Even though they are moving up from a lower division, the Mountaineers are widely considered by opposing coaches as the division favorite.
There are many possible contenders, including perennial power Hazleton Area, defending champion Crestwood, Pittston Area and possibly Tunkhannock.
RANKINGS
Dallas was the highest-ranked team in the My City Mortgage Super Six Power Rankings of District 2 teams to begin the season, but Pittston Area is currently the highest of division’s three teams in those rankings.
The Patriots are third among Big School boys, Dallas is fourth and Hazleton Area is sixth as of the latest rankings, which were released Sunday morning.
2021 STANDINGS
Last season did not get started until January – even for the non-league portion of the schedule.
So, the most recent season was simply the 2021 season (January-March).
WVC Division 1 standings for that season are: Crestwood 12-0, Hazleton Area 9-3, Wilkes-Barre Area 7-5, Tunkhannock 5-7, Wyoming Valley West 5-7, Pittston Area 4-8, Berwick 0-12.
NON-LEAGUE PLAY
Going into Tuesday night’s action, Pittston Area has the best overall record at 4-1, followed by: Hazleton Area 3-1, Tunkhannock 3-1, Berwick 2-1, Berwick 3-2, Dallas 1-1, Wilkes-Barre Area 3-4 and Wyoming Valley West 2-4.
CLASSIFICATIONS
Hazleton Area and Wilkes-Barre compete in Class 6A, the largest of the six enrollment classifications of the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association.
Crestwood, Pittston Area, Tunkhannock and Wyoming Valley West are in Class 5A.
Berwick and Dallas are the only Class 4A team in the division.
RETURNING STARS
Pittston Area’s J.J. Walsh is the only returning first-team selection from last season’s NEPABasketball.com WVC Division 1 all-star team. He had been a second-teamer two years ago as a sophomore.
Tunkhannock’s Ben Chilson and Hazleton Area’s Brett Antolick were both Division 1 second-team choices last season as sophomores. Antolick, however, is injured and not expected to play this season.
Dallas guard Nick Nocito is trying to be a four-time, all-star. He was a second-teamer in Division 1 his first two years, then a first-teamer in Division 2 last season.
Teammate Austin Finarelli received honorable mention in Division 1 two years ago and was a second-team choice last season in Division 2.
FAST START
Finarelli began the season with a career-high, 35-point game in a win at Scranton Prep to earn the season’s first Brucelli Advertising District 2 Boys Basketball Player of the Week award.
