HS BASKETBALL: 2021 District 2 Boys Playoff Capsules

Joby Fawcett, The Times-Tribune, Scranton, Pa.
·8 min read

Mar. 3—CLASS 6A

DATES: Friday, quarterfinal; Tuesday, semifinals; March 13, 8 p.m. final at Mohegan Sun Arena.

ADVANCE TO STATES: 1.

DEFENDING CHAMPION: Wilkes-Barre Area.

TOP SEEDS: 1-Scranton (12-2); 2-Williamsport (9-4); 3-Wilkes-Barre Area (11-6); 4-Hazleton Area (9-7); 5-Delaware Valley (10-8).

PLAYERS TO WATCH:

Jason Shields (SCR) 19.2

Mike Leonardo (DV) 16.3

Cole Walker (WBA) 16.1

Kevin Lazdowsky (SCR) 11.1

Angel Cruz (HAZ) 10.5

Brett Antolick (HAZ) 10.0

John Rose (SCR) 8.7

Saquan Portee (WBA) 8.4

Chris Cruz (DV) 7.7

Arvel Chandler (SCR) 7.5

DIFFERENCE MAKER: Jason Shields, Scranton. The junior emerged as the top scoring player among the Lackawanna League big schools. He combines his height at 6-foot-4 with a good shooting touch to make him a very difficult matchup. Has a very strong mid-range shooting game.

FAVORITE: Scranton. The Knights had a strong finish to the season once the starting group settled in after the delayed start to the regular season. With an abbreviated schedule, Scranton, however, did not have its usual competitive nonleague big school opponents.

SLEEPER TEAM: Delaware Valley. Yes, the Warriors have the ability to score and gave Scranton all it could handle early in their regular-season matchup.

BOTTOM LINE: There is a lot of anticipation surrounding this year's tournament. Scranton has a good balance of size, skill and shooting. One of the real factors where the Knights have improved is in free throw shooting where they had three starters shoot better than 70 percent. Williamsport is always an unknown entering the tournament, but that is more true this season than any other. The Millionaires have wins over Holy Redeemer and Dallas among District 2 opponents this season.

CLASS 5A

DATES: Friday and Sunday, quarterfinals; Tuesday, semifinals; March 12, 8 p.m. final at Mohegan Sun Arena.

ADVANCE TO STATES: 1.

LAST YEAR'S CHAMPION: Wallenpaupack.

TOP SEEDS: 1-Crestwood (14-1); 2-Abington Heights (11-3); 3-North Pocono (13-3); 4-Valley View (9-5).

PLAYERS TO WATCH:

Ryan Harder (TUN) 17.7

Cayden Merrifield (WS) 17.2

Zack Kovalchik (VV) 15.1

Ben Chilson (TUN) 15.2

Harry Johnson (AH) 15.2

Adam Howanitz (VV) 14.6

Zach Walsh (NP) 13.8

J.J. Walsh (PA) 13.6

Ryan Petrosky (CRE) 12.8

Cole Gorham (WVW) 7.9

DIFFERENCE MAKER: Harry Johnson, Abington Heights. This season, the 6-4 center took over as the leader of an inexperienced team and became the dominant big man in the Lackawanna League.

FAVORITE: Abington Heights. One things is certain, despite struggling with injuries late in the season, the Comets are going to defend and make it very difficult or teams to score. They limited eight of 13 opponents to less than 40 points. And the Comets are motivated after failing to win a district crown or qualify for the state tournament last season.

SLEEPER TEAM: Valley View. The Cougars reached the District 2 Class 4A final last season and have gotten hot with seven wins in their last nine games. They have two players — Zack Kovalchik and Adam Howanitz — who can score a lot of points.

BOTTOM LINE: Abington Heights really jumped out to a great start to the season, but has had a couple of key players miss time with injuries. Crestwood is a very talented and well-coached team, while North Pocono and Valley View both have the talent to win the district title. This is expected to be a challenging bracket and it is going to take a team having a strong offensive game plan to crack Abington Heights' defensive pressure and size.

CLASS 4A

DATES: Saturday, quarterfinals; Tuesday, semifinals; March 13, 4 p.m. at Mohegan Sun Arena.

ADVANCE TO STATES: 1.

DEFENDING CHAMPION: Scranton Prep

TOP SEEDS: 1-Scranton Prep (9-5); 2-Dallas (9-5); 3-Mid Valley (9-4); 4-Lake-Lehman (10-7).

PLAYERS TO WATCH:

Austin Finarelli (DAL) 17.6

Nick Nocito (DAL) 16.4

Max Paczewski (LL) 15.5

Gavin Bednarz (SP) 14.5

Jake Krupinski (NAN) 14.3

Robert Rossi (SP) 13.7

Josh Kane (LL) 12.1

Danny Nemitz (MV) 11.8

Tyler O'Connor (MV) 10.8

DIFFERENCE MAKER: Robert Rossi, Scranton Prep. When Rossi is able to control the paint, the Cavaliers are at their best. The junior center is coming off a 17-point night in a win over Abington Heights and a 21-point effort in a win over North Pocono, two of the top four seeded teams in the District 2 Class 5A playoffs.

FAVORITE: Scranton Prep. Having won the last four in a row, the Cavaliers have earned the benefit of the doubt. This has been an up and down regular season, but with four starters returning from last season's district championship team and the COVID-19 layoff being endured by Mid Valley they are in line to win a fifth straight title.

SLEEPER TEAM: Mid Valley. Obviously, the greatest challenge for the Spartans will be how well they come back from a pause for the program after a contact with a team that had a COVID-19 situation. Mid Valley and Dallas are new to the Class 4A bracket in this the first year of a two-year cycle and it will be a big step up for a young team.

BOTTOM LINE: Scranton Prep has some very good wins on its resume. But, the Cavaliers have also had spells where the offense just went stagnant. Their shooting slumps resulted in five losses, however, those came against opponents with a combined record of 31-9 with three against Scranton (2) and Abington Heights (1) and two against Valley View.

CLASS 3A

DATES: Thursday and Sunday, quarterfinals; Monday, semifinals; March 11, 8 p.m., final at Mohegan Sun Arena.

ADVANCE TO STATES: 1.

DEFENDING CHAMPION: Holy Redeemer.

TOP SEEDS: 1-Riverside (15-2); 2-Wyoming Seminary (12-2); 3-Holy Redeemer (11-8); 4-Dunmore (7-5).

PLAYERS TO WATCH:

Jake Koretz (SEM) 22.5

Caleb Vigil (LAK) 20.3

Brandon Reed (RIV) 19.5

Ethan Meuser (SEM) 16.7

Justice Shoats (HR) 15.8

Matthew Prociak (HR) 15.0

Ray Ofner (CAR) 14.4

Michael Rickert (RIV) 13.4

Connor Watkins (MON) 12.4

Kevin Walsh (DUN) 10.3

DIFFERENCE MAKER: Michael Rickert, Riverside. Is one of the best shooters in the Lackawanna League and with a lot of defensive attention going toward slowing Brandon Reed, his presence could go a long way in the Vikings claiming their first title since 2011.

FAVORITE: Riverside. The Vikings have a veteran team that reached the state playoffs last season. Plus, Wyoming Seminary has struggled since the loss of leading scorer Jake Koretz, but still have an explosive offense and impressive wins.

SLEEPER TEAM: Holy Redeemer. It has taken the Royals a little while to get going, but the defending champions have reeled off eight straight wins, including one over Wyoming Seminary. They also have Justice Shoats, who is one of the most dynamic players in District 2.

BOTTOM LINE: Riverside shocked the district last season with an upset win over Wyoming Seminary in the semifinals, so you know it is not going to back down to any team. Wyoming Seminary is again a very talented team, but hobbled, and Holy Redeemer is proving to be a worthy defending champion. This could be one of the most entertaining brackets across the district tournament.

CLASS 2A

DATES: Friday and Saturday, quarterfinals; Tuesday, semifinals; March 13, 10 a.m., final at Mohegan Sun Arena.

ADVANCE TO STATES: 1.

DEFENDING CHAMPION: Holy Cross.

TOP SEEDS: 1-Elk Lake (11-2); 2-Holy Cross (11-2); 3-Blue Ridge (7-5); 4-Susquehanna (7-5).

PLAYERS TO WATCH:

Ryan Henke (MV) 19.6

Patrick Bennie (HC) 17.2

Matt Mowry (EL) 16.2

Connor Cranage (BR) 14.4

Dante Lucarelli (OF) 13.2

Brycen Decker (LT) 12.6

Trevor Graham (EL) 12.5

Dylan Bezek (FC) 11.8

Michael DiGregorio (OF) 10.9

Carter Bain (MV) 10.3

Ryan Drake (MV) 9.9

Calvin Scheideler (BR) 9.4

Coleman McCain (BR) 9.4

DIFFERENCE MAKER: Dante Lucarelli, Old Forge. He is the veteran leader of the Blue Devils, who have had a season where at times they played at a very high level, but lost in heartbreaking fashion.

FAVORITE: Holy Cross is the favorite, as usual. However, in this most unusual year, with the Crusaders coming off a COVID-19 shutdown, there is some uncertainty for the four-time defending champion.

SLEEPER TEAM: Old Forge. The Blue Devils lost a pair of heartbreakers to Holy Cross in the regular season. Old Forge fell, 50-47, in overtime to start the Lackawanna League Division III season and 54-47 in the rematch. In addition, they had two narrow losses to Riverside, the top seed for the District 2 Class 3A playoffs.

BOTTOM LINE: Holy Cross has dominated this bracket the last four seasons. If the team can play on short notice and without practice, the Crusaders are the favorite. But nobody can sleep on either Elk Lake, which took Riverside to overtime in a recent game, or Old Forge.

— JOBY FAWCETT

Contact the writer: jbfawcett@timesshamrock.com; 570-348-9125; @sportsTT on Twitter