OVERNIGHT
MORE ADDITIONS
More items have been added to our coverage overnight.
Here is the video link for the Class 5A boys game in which Pittston Area defeated North Pocono. https://fb.watch/byKJaKWTLf/.
Here is the expanded boxscore from the Class 2A girls game in which Holy Cross defeated Elk Lake. https://nepabasketball.com/2021-22/Playoffs/2AGirlsBoxscore.
All three Saturday Photo Galleries are posted:
Class 5A boys: https://nepasportsnation.com/district-2-class-5a-boys-photo-gallery/.
Class 6A girls: Wilkes-Barre Area over Hazleton Area. https://nepasportsnation.com/district-2-class-6a-girls-photo-gallery/.
Class 2A girls: Holy Cross over Elk Lake. https://nepasportsnation.com/district-2-class-2a-girls-photo-gallery/.
We’ll start a new blog to start you through Saturday’s coverage of a five-game schedule at the arena.
More to come: Return to this blog throughout the day for much coverage of the district championships.
9:48 P.M.
VIDEO REVIEW
WILKES-BARRE TWP. – We have expanded our coverage for this year’s championship games with Bryson Eldridge and Jordan Eldridge providing video highlights.
Much more from them still to come, but here are links to some of their work that has been appearing on our social media accounts during the first two days of the championships:
Class 6A girls: Wilkes-Barre Area over Hazleton Area. https://fb.watch/byygDkqxTw/.
Class 2A girls: Holy Cross over Elk Lake. https://fb.watch/byybS3ppDF/.
Day One (Thursday) recap. https://fb.watch/byy1Xv1e_e/.
Thursday’s Class 3A boys: Holy Redeemer over Riverside. https://fb.watch/byxX_eG6Bm/.
Thursday’s Class 4A girls: Dunmore over Scranton Prep. https://fb.watch/byxS6_l-dO/.
More to come: Return to this blog throughout the day for much coverage of the district championships.
9:10 P.M.
PATRIOTS ROMP
WILKES-BARRE TWP. – Jack Locker hit five 3-pointers and scored 20 points while Dominic Jannuzzi, Anthony Cencetti and Ethan Ghannam combined to go 16-for-22 from the floor as Pittston Area defeated North Pocono, 59-26, for the District 2 Class 5A boys championship.
More to come: Return to this blog throughout the day for much coverage of the district championships.
8:33 P.M.
EFFICIENT OFFENSE
WILKES-BARRE TWP. – Pittston Area and North Pocono combined to make 13 of their first 15 shots from inside the arc in the first half of the District 2 Class 5A boys final.
Pittston Area leads, 26-17, with J.J. Walsh, Jack Locker and Anthony Cencetti all scoring six points.
Chris Walsh made his three shots inside the arc to lead North Pocono with six points. Ryan Ruddy has five points, four assists and three defensive rebounds.
More to come: Return to this blog throughout the day for much coverage of the district championships.
7:52 P.M.
NEWCOMERS
WILKES-BARRE TWP. – The last game of the Friday schedule features two newcomers to Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza.
Pittston Area and North Pocono are here for the first time to meet for the Class 5A boys title.
To learn more about which teams have played in previous championship games at the arena, check out the history at: https://nepabasketball.com/2018-19/history/ArenaRecords.
More to come: Return to this blog throughout the day for much coverage of the district championships.
7:44 P.M.
MERCY RULE
WILKES-BARRE TWP. – Wilkes-Barre Area held Hazleton Area to four points in the middle quarters, then scored on the first possession of the fourth quarter to invoke the Mercy Rule in a 45-24 rout in the District 2-4 Class 6A Subregional girls final.
The Wolfpack shut out the Lady Cougars in the second quarter and outscored them, 26-4, over the middle quarters. The basket to open the fourth made it 40-10.
Gloria Adjayi scored 14 points, grabbed 7 rebounds, made 6 steals, blocked 5 shots and dished out 4 assists for the Wolfpack.
Danayjha Moore made both her 3-point tries and finished 4-for-5 from the floor with 10 points and 4 assists.
Reagan Holden made both her 3-pointers to help the team finish 4-for-6.
Shelby Ardo-Boyko grabbed eight rebounds and made four steals.
Brianna Kennedy led Hazleton Area with seven points, eight rebounds and six steals.
More to come: Return to this blog throughout the day for much coverage of the district championships.
6:42 P.M.
ADJAYI SHOWING VERSATILITY
WILKES-BARRE TWP. – Gloria Adjayi is showing off her all-around game in the District 2-4 Class 6A girls championship game.
The Wilkes-Barre Area senior is 6-for-9 for 12 points to go along with 6 rebounds, 4 steals, 3 blocked shots and an assist to help her team to a 25-6 lead over Hazleton Area.
The Wolfpack shut out the Lady Cougars in the second quarter.
More to come: Return to this blog throughout the day for much coverage of the district championships.
5:25 P.M.
RECORD-SETTING EFFORT
WILKES-BARRE TWP. – Holy Cross senior guard Kaci Kranson set a scoring record for District 2 championship games at the Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza with 33 as Holy Cross defeated Elk Lake, 62-47, in the Class 2A girls final.
Kranson was 13-for-20 from the floor, missed her only 3-point attempt and went 7-for-9 from the line.
That was not all.
Kranson also made eight steals, grabbed seven rebounds and dished out five assists.
Julia Goetz added 11 points, 9 rebounds, 4 steals and 3 assists.
Krista Jones led Elk Lake with 14 points, 6 rebounds, 4 steals and 3 assists.
Kranson broke the record of 30 points set by Kylie Lavelle of Riverside last year in Class 3A against Western Wayne.
More to come: Return to this blog throughout the day for much coverage of the district championships.
4:42 P.M.
KRANSON IN CONTROL
WILKES-BARRE TWP. – Kaci Kranson, one of three all-star guards and 1,000-point scorers who came into the finals after missing time with an injury in the semifinal, is going strong for Holy Cross in the Class 2A girls championship game.
Kranson is by far the game’s dominant player with 22 points, 5 rebounds and 5 steals to help the Lady Crusaders to a 29-24 lead over Elk Lake. She left the semifinal win over Blue Ridge early in the second quarter with a lower leg injury.
For more on the injured players, see our partner website at: https://nepasportsnation.com/injuries-could-factor-into-finals/.
More to come: Return to this blog throughout the day for much coverage of the district championships.
4:02 P.M.
COURTSIDE REPORT
WILKES-BARRE TWP. – We’re back at courtside for the start of today’s tripleheader.
Kaci Kranson, the all-time scoring leader at Holy Cross who left the semifinal with a leg injury, is in the starting lineup and jumped center.
We are underway with Holy Cross and Elk Lake girls in Class 2A girls.
Kranson scores the first basket of the day for a 2-0 lead.
More to come: Return to this blog throughout the day for much coverage of the district championships.
UPDATED 2:43 P.M.
BROADCAST INFORMATION
This season, NEPABasketball.com has returned to bringing you the sounds from the arena, not just the words and pictures.
Chris Kucharski heads up the team that is providing Internet audio broadcasts of every game for the three days.
Kucharski and Scott Mackinder are handling play-by-play duties. Jason O’Malley, Brian Coyle, Joe Sheehan, Emily Sheehan and Enrico Mastroianni are serving as color analysts. Ben Magnotta is providing stats at halftime and assisting me in compiling them for the crew during games.
Each game can be listened to live or accessed later. The broadcasts are provided free.
Links for every game are below:
Class 2A Girls, Holy Cross vs. Elk Lake, Friday, 4 p.m.: https://www.meridix.com/event/209918.
Class 6A Girls, Hazleton Area vs. Wilkes-Barre Area, Friday, 6 p.m.: https://www.meridix.com/event/209925.
Class 5A Boys, North Pocono vs, Pittston Area, Friday, 8 p.m.: https://www.meridix.com/event/209919.
Class 3A Girls, Riverside vs. Western Wayne, Saturday, noon: https://www.meridix.com/event/209920.
Class 2A Boys, Old Forge vs. Holy Cross, Saturday, 2 p.m.: https://www.meridix.com/event/209926.
Class 4A Boys, Mid Valley vs. Dallas, Saturday, 4 p.m.: https://www.meridix.com/event/209921.
Class 5A Girls, Abington Heights vs. Pittston Area, Saturday, 6 p.m.: https://www.meridix.com/event/209927.
Class 6A Boys, Williamsport vs. Scranton, Saturday, 8 p.m.: https://www.meridix.com/event/209922.
Class A Girls, Forest City vs. Susquehanna, recorded Thursday: https://www.meridix.com/event/209923.
Class 4A Girls, Scranton Prep vs. Dunmore, recorded Thursday: https://www.meridix.com/event/209916.
Class 3A Boys, Riverside vs. Holy Redeemer, recorded Thursday: https://www.meridix.com/event/209924.
More to come: Return to this blog throughout the day for much coverage of the district championships.
2:18 P.M.
PREDICTIONS
After correctly predicting the winner of Wednesday’s Class 4A boys third-place game and Thursday’s championship tripleheader, my record predicting the outcome of this season’s District 2 playoff games is 50-5 (90.9 percent).
During the games at the arena, I am joined by a panel of 11 others in the local basketball community.
Each member of that group and, therefore, the consensus went 3-0 on Thursday’s games.
Two of the games went roughly as predicted while Scranton Prep, regarded as a 19-point underdog, the largest of the weekend, gave Dunmore a one-point game in Class 4A girls.
Susquehanna beat Forest City by 14 in Class A girls, the exact margin projected by Chris Kucharski and Doug Walsh while our panel was making the Lady Sabers a 12-point favorite.
Holy Redeemer won by 22 over Riverside in Class 3A boys, easily exceeding its status as a 13-point favorite.
For today’s games, our prognosticators make Holy Cross a 13-point pick over Elk Lake in Class 2A girls, Wilkes-Barre Area a 6-point favorite over Hazleton Area in Class 6A girls and North Pocono a 1½-point favorite over Pittston Area in Class 5A boys.
The Holy Cross game is another unanimous pick, but then there are differences of opinion over the next six games.
In fact, the middle game of the middle day of the championships represents a switch from games with clear favorites to those that are regarded as much closer to being toss-ups.
Our panel saw a collective 57-point difference in the teams for the first 4 games, then just a 25-point difference total in the teams involved in the next seven.
To see what each person picked and to learn more about the group, visit: https://nepabasketball.com/2021-22/Predictions/ChampionshipPanel.
More to come: Return to this blog throughout the day for much coverage of the district championships.
1:30 P.M.
DAY TWO
We’re back for the second day of coverage in the three-day series of District 2 championships at Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza.
After having some problems during Day One this season, we’ll use the first post of the day to reintroduce the blog, which has been a popular feature on our website during previous championships at the arena.
Two technical issues have been addressed so that we hope and plan to bring you much more coverage during Friday’s action.
Throughout, we’ll post news here in advance of and during games. We’ll also use the blog to steer you to other coverage from our team, posting links to: the audio game broadcasts that you can access for free both live and on demand through this site; photo and video coverage, here, on our partner website NEPASportsNation.com and on our affiliate social media accounts; and additional full stories and statistics as they are posted and ready to go on this site.
On that note, here’s a link to the Photo Gallery, displaying the work of Tim Drewes, from Friday night’s Holy Redeemer-Riverside boys game in Class 3A: https://nepasportsnation.com/district-2-class-3a-boys-photo-gallery/.
And, while we’re at it, here’s a link to Thursday’s blog, which contains some coverage of the day’s activities as well as links to items we have already posted, such as the three expanded boxscores with full statistical reports from Thursday’s games: https://nepabasketball.com/2021-22/Playoffs/BlogThursday.
Today’s schedule begins with top-seed and defending champion Holy Cross (14-8) facing Elk Lake (15-8) in Class 2A girls at 4 p.m.
Wilkes-Barre Area (19-5) is the top seed and defending champion going into a rematch of last year’s final against Hazleton Area (14-8) in Class 6A girls at 6 p.m.
Top-seeded Pittston Area (19-4) meets North Pocono (18-5) in Class 5A boys at 8 p.m.
All three games feature top seeds against second seeds.
More to come: Return to this blog throughout the day for much coverage of the district championships.
