Sunday’s PIAA playoff predictions

Lizzie Neville (11) and Scranton Prep are part of the same playoff doubleheader as Cadie Lewis (20), Moriah Murray (1) and Dunmore. (Tim Drewes Photo)
Lizzie Neville (11) and Scranton Prep are part of the same playoff doubleheader as Cadie Lewis (20), Moriah Murray (1) and Dunmore. (Tim Drewes Photo)

The Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association only uses Sunday for its championship events in extreme conditions.

Saturday’s weather created one of those situations.

There will be eight games involving District 2 teams played Sunday to complete the second round of PIAA basketball play.

Action will be spread across Class 6A, 3A and 2A boys, as well as Class 5A and 4A girls.

NEPABasketball.com editor Tom Robinson, who covers and writes about District 2 basketball for the website, is once again predicting the outcomes of games throughout the state tournament after also picking all the games in the District 2 tournament.

His predictions for the Sunday games are below.

PIAA PLAYOFF PREDICTIONS

By Tom Robinson

CLASS 6A SECOND-ROUND BOYS GAME

Scranton by 5 over Garnet Valley

CLASS 3A SECOND-ROUND BOYS GAME

Holy Redeemer by 4 over Executive Education

CLASS 2A SECOND-ROUND BOYS GAMES

Holy Cross by 3 over Church Farms

Karns City by 3 over Old Forge

CLASS 5A SECOND-ROUND GIRLS GAMES

Abington Heights by 2 over Mechanicsburg

CLASS 4A SECOND-ROUND GIRLS GAMES

Dunmore by 2 over Villa Joseph Marie

Archbishop Wood by 15 over Scranton Prep

Jim Thorpe by 11 over Lake-Lehman

WHAT TO EXPECT

District 2 is off to a successful start in this year’s state tournament with its teams going 15-11 – they were 13-8 in the first round, but just 2-3 in the start of the second round Friday. To continue the overall winning record as the tournament progresses, district teams will probably have to get through some tight games, including Sunday. District 2 teams are 11-3 so far in the state tournament in games decided by 11 or more points. After losing three times Friday, they are 3-8 in games decided by six points or less. … Think low scoring when Abington Heights and Mechanicsburg square off in Class 5A girls. They have one common opponent that they each beat at home in the postseason. Abington Heights beat Twin Valley, 40-24, in Thursday’s PIAA game. Mechanicsburg beat Twin Valley, 28-18, in the District 3 tournament. Also, Abington Heights is giving up just 25.1 points per game in its current eight-game winning streak in which it has not allowed any team to score more than 32 points. … The Scranton Prep girls face the biggest challenge, going against defending state champion Archbishop Wood, the team that stopped the Classics, 56-39, in last year’s state semifinal. The last time Scranton Prep was made a double-figures underdog in this space it gave Dunmore a one-point game in the district final.

RECAP

Friday’s PIAA boys picks: 2-1 (66.7 percent)

Friday’s PIAA girls picks: 1-1 (50.0 percent)

Friday’s total PIAA picks: 3-2 (60.0 percent)

PIAA state boys picks: 10-3 (76.9 percent)

PIAA state girls picks: 9-4 (69.2 percent)

PIAA state total picks: 19-7 (73.1 percent).

Total postseason boys picks: 37-7 (84.1 percent)

Total postseason girls picks: 39-6 (86.7 percent)

Total postseason picks: 76-13 (85.4 percent)

MORE

Sunday’s playoff schedule: https://nepabasketball.com/2021-22/Playoffs/RevisedSchedule0313.

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