Crestwood girls open District 2 5A tourney tonight
Mar. 4—The Crestwood girls will open District 2 Class 5A playoff action this evening at Wyoming Valley West, taking on the Lady Spartans in a quarterfinal matchup in Plymouth.
The Hazleton Area girls won't begin play in the District 2 Class 6A field until Monday, when they host the winner of the quarterfinal between Delaware Valley and Scranton in the semifinal round.
Here's a look at both brackets for the upcoming tourney.
CLASS 6A
DEFENDING CHAMP: Hazleton Area
DATES: Quarterfinals, March 4; Semifinals, March 8; Finals, March 12
MOVING ON: The champion advances to the state tournament to play the District 3 champ.
THE SEEDS: 1. Hazleton Area. 2. Wilkes-Barre Area. 3. Williamsport. 4. Scranton.
QUARTERFINAL ROUND MATCHUPS: Delaware Valley at Scranton.
FAVORITE: Hazleton Area. With experience on its side, always a tough out this time of year.
BRACKET BUSTER: Wilkes-Barre Area. Wolfpack has two wins over Hazleton Area this year.
PLAYERS TO WATCH: Gloria Adjayi, Wilkes-Barre Area, (14.6 ppg.); Shelby Ardo Boyko, Wilkes-Barre Area, (7.8); Vanessa Luna, Wilkes-Barre Area, (7.7; Hannah Cook, Wilkes-Barre Area, (4.3); Olivia Wolk, Hazleton Area; (11.1); Brooke Boretski, Hazleton Area, (9.8); Julia Mrochko, Hazleton Area, (9.9); Jaya Franek, (8.1); Lanee Olson, Scranton, (13.2); Brooke Acovedo, Delaware Valley, (11.7); Mackenzie Olsommer, Delaware Valley, (11.4).
BREAKDOWN: What makes Hazleton Area tough to beat is its pressure. The Lady Cougars can press from one end of the floor to the other. They will trap, create turnovers and turn them into easy baskets on the other end of the court. If the Lady Cougars can get to the final, playing on a bigger court plays to their advantage. ...The winner of the Delaware Valley/Scranton game will play at Hazleton Area in the semifinals. The same night, Wilkes-Barre Area hosts Williamsport. ...Along with its two wins over Hazleton Area, Wilkes-Barre Area also beat Williamsport at home earlier in the season, 40-26. ...Hazleton Area also defeated Williamsport this season, 76-43.
CLASS 5A
DEFENDING CHAMP: West Scranton
DATES: Quarterfinals, March 4; Semifinals, March 8; Finals, March 13
MOVING ON: The champion advances to the state tournament to play the District 1 champ.
THE SEEDS: 1.Abington Heights. 2.Dallas. 3.North Pocono. 4.Valley West. 5.Crestwood. 6.Pittston Area. 7.Wallenpaupack.
QUARTERFINAL ROUND MATCHUPS: Crestwood at Valley West, Wallenpaupack at Dallas, Pittston Area at North Pocono.
FAVORITE: Abington Heights.
BRACKET BUSTER: Dallas.
PLAYERS TO WATCH: Helena Jardine, Crestwood, (13.6); Brianna Wickiser, Crestwood, (8.5); Jaden Weiss, Crestwood, (6.7); Julia Glowacki, Crestwood, (5.4); Trinity Johnson, Valley West, (12.2); Kalia Saunders, Valley West, (9.5); Mackenzie Perluke, Valley West, (5.1); Gabby Marsola, Valley West, (3.8); Bella Hill, Dallas, (14.3); Julia Kocher, Dallas, (10.8); Victoria Spaciano, Dallas, (7.2); Deanna Wallace, Dallas, (8.7); Kallie Booth, Pittston Area, (15.8); Kendall Tigue, Pittston Area, (3.8); Clair Marion, Abington Heights, (19.2); Rachel McDonald, Abington Heights, (13.9); Anna Scoblick, Abington Heightes, (10.5); Jenna Beach, North Pocono, (9.3); Carena Colo, North Pocono, (14.4); Alicia Goldenziel, North Pocono, (11.0); Megan Desmet, Wallenpaupack, (13.6).
BREAKDOWN: Abington Heights received a bye after the tournament dropped from eight teams to seven when West Scranton opted out. ...Abington Heights lost in the final last season to West Scranton and had trouble getting the ball in the basket. The key for Abington Heights is sharp-shooter Rachel McDonald. She has 41 3-pointers on the season, and if she gets going it takes a lot to cool her off. That means perimeter defense is going to be key for any potential opponent. ....North Pocono's Alicia Goldenziel is another player to keep an eye on. She can play on the perimeter and in the post. Preventing her second-chance opportunities is going to be huge. ...Hill leads Dallas in scoring but the Mountaineers spread the ball around and have multiple players capable of carrying the scoring on any given night. Dallas had won four straight before losing to Hazleton Area by nine in the final game of the regular season. ...Valley West has all-around good size, it is just a matter of how the Spartans use it. Valley West and Crestwood split the season series, each winning on their home floor. Valley West does enter the playoffs on a five-game losing streak. ...Crestwood has played a lot of close games this year and this is an experienced team that is playing much better. Crestwood features a nice mix of inside and outside scoring.
