By Tom Robinson, NEPABasketball.com
FORMAT: The seven-team, three-round tournament uses home courts of higher seeds in the quarterfinals and semifinals before moving to Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza for the final. Both finalists proceed to the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association state tournament.
2021 RECAP: This bracket turned into the wildest in District 2 last season after defending champion and second-seed Holy Cross, widely regarded as the favorite, had to withdraw because of COVID protocols. That opened spots in the bracket and four of the six games that were played were won by the lower seed. Sixth-seeded Old Forge won the title, beating top-seeded Elk Lake, 52-45, in overtime in the final. The Blue Devils beat the third and first seeds and never had to face the second seed because of the Holy Cross absence.
HIGHEST SEEDS: 1. Holy Cross; 2. Elk Lake; 3. Old Forge.
REGULAR-SEASON CHAMPION: Elk Lake repeated as Lackawanna League Division 4 champion. Holy Cross tied for first place in Lackawanna Division 3, but lost a playoff for the title to Mid Valley.
RANKED TEAMS: Holy Cross is second, Old Forge is third and Elk Lake is sixth among Small School boys teams in the My City Mortgage Super Six Power Rankings of District 2 teams. Blue Ridge was also ranked for much of the season.
WINNING RECORDS: Holy Cross 17-6, Elk Lake 16-6, Blue Ridge 14-8, Old Forge 13-8.
BEST OPENER: Mountain View at Blue Ridge. In a season arguably more disrupted by COVID than any other boys team in District 2, Mountain View went 6-6 and tied for fourth in Lackawanna Division 4. The Eagles did, however, show they could compete with the top teams in the division, playing champion Elk Lake down to the final buzzer in the finale and leading Blue Ridge at halftime in the first game back from a long layoff. Mountain View and Blue Ridge both like to get up and down the floor, creating the potential for an exciting game, one that sold out several hours prior to game time. The Raiders won the first two meetings, 79-64 and 74-67.
KEY GAME: Old Forge is likely headed to Elk Lake for a Saturday semifinal. The teams last met at Mohegan Sun Arena in the district final when Elk Lake returned to the court with 3.2 seconds left in regulation leading by three. That’s when Dante Lucarelli received the ball for Old Forge and banked in a 3-pointer just before the buzzer, extending the game and the season. Old Forge ran from there, dominating overtime to take the title and District 2’s only berth in a COVID-downsized state tournament. The Blue Devils went all the way to the state semifinals while the Warriors sat home and wondered what might have been. Elk Lake returns much more from that matchup, but there have been stretches of this season in which Old Forge has been the better team and the Blue Devils appear to be getting hot just in time for the playoffs.
PLAYERS TO WATCH: Hayden Hosie and Gabe Gonzales from Holy Cross; Matt Mowry and Jake Gustin from Elk Lake; Joe Macciocco and Ayden Davitt from Old Forge; Connor Cranage and J.J. Rosa from Blue Ridge; Ryan Henke from Mountain View; Colton Stone and Spencer Decker from Susquehanna; Brycen Decker from Lackawanna Trail.
NOTEWORTHY: Holy Cross has won its last 13 District 2 playoff games, by an average margin of 26.2 points. The Crusaders had won 4 straight district titles and qualified for the state tournament in all 13 years of the school’s existence before having to sit out the 2021 postseason. … Elk Lake’s Mowry is a 1,000-point career scorer and the 2021 Lackawanna Division 4 Player of the Year, as selected by NEPABasketball.com. … The bulk of the field has played well late in the season. Holy Cross had a 13-game winning streak before losing in the Lackawanna Division 3 championship game. Old Forge has won eight of nine after starting 5-7. Elk Lake is 8-1 in its last nine and 12-2 in its last 14.
COMPLETE PAIRINGS
Wednesday’s quarterfinals
5, Mountain View (7-12) at 4, Blue Ridge (14-8), 7 p.m.
6, Susquehanna (8-14) at 3, Old Forge (13-8), 7 p.m.
7, Lackawanna Trail (0-20) at 2, Elk Lake (16-6), 6 p.m.
Saturday’s semifinals
Mountain View-Blue Ridge winner at 1, Holy Cross (17-6), 1 p.m.
Susquehanna-Old Forge winner vs. Lackawanna Trail-Elk Lake winner, 1 p.m.
March 5 final
Semifinal winners at Mohegan Sun Arena, 2 p.m.
