The much anticipated showdown between Abington Heights and Scranton Prep brought out the fans who packed the gymnasium on Tuesday night in South Abington Township.
Honesdale continued to make itself a factor in Division II, Holy Cross and Mid Valley are getting ready for their yearly clash and Mountain View snapped Susquehanna’s long winning streak and seized first place in Division IV as the season charges forward in the Lackawanna League.
Snow is coming.
Hey, it’s January, it is expected. How it impacts Friday’s schedule remains to be seen, but the big bang over the weekend could really wreak havoc with next week’s games.
Here is Friday’s “tentative” schedule

Lakeland’s James Lewis.
Jason Farmer / Staff Photographer
Division I
Scranton Prep at Valley View
Division II
Western Wayne at North Pocono
Division III
Holy Cross at Mid Valley
Riverside at Dunmore
Lakeland at Old Forge
Division IV
Susquehanna at Lackawanna Trail
Mountain View at Forest City
Elk Lake at Montrose
Crossovers
Abington Heights at Honesdale
Scranton at Wallenpaupack
West Scranton at Delaware Valley
Blue Ridge at Carbondale Area

Jason Farmer / Staff Photographer
INSIDE DIVISION I
OK, the big game went in favor of Abington Heights. Jack Nealon got off to a fast start and scored 16 points, George Tinsley took over the game in the second half and finished with 27 points and 10 rebounds, then added four assists, four steals and four blocked shots.
All good
BY JOBY FAWCETT / STAFF WRITER
Abington Heights’ Jack Nealon.
Jason Farmer / Staff PhotographerS. ABINGTON TWP. — George Tinsley has played plenty of games beneath a bright spotlight.
He’s played district title games at Mohegan Sun Arena, playoff tilts in raucous gymnasiums and a state championship final at Hersheypark Arena.
So, when it came time to respond in the familiar confines of his home gymnasium, filled with energy from a sellout crowd that squeezed into the bleachers, he looked more than comfortable.
Abington Heights’ returning all-state forward showed off the skill set that landed him a scholarship to Binghamton University and it proved too much for rival Scranton Prep. The 6-foot-5 senior scored 27 points, grabbed 10 rebounds and had four assists, four steals and four blocked shots.
His all-around effort led No. 1 Abington Heights to a 68-40 win over the second-ranked Cavaliers on Tuesday night in the much-anticipated first showdown between the two dominant programs in the Lackawanna League Division I.
“I am really happy with the way this team played,” Tinsley said. “We really brought it and we played with a lot of heart. We fed off the energy right from the beginning because of the crowd and that gave us a huge spark.
“Everybody was on tonight and everybody was making plays.”
HIGHLIGHTS
HS BASKETBALL: No. 1 Abington Heights defeats No. 2 Scranton Prep – Highlights
Posted by Joby Fawcett, The Times-Tribune on Tuesday, January 15, 2019
ABINGTON HEIGHTS DOMINANCE
Overall Records since 2011-12
Seasons |
Wins |
Losses |
2011-12 |
24 |
6 |
2012-13 |
27 |
3 |
2013-14 |
26 |
2 |
2014-15 |
22 |
4 |
2015-16 |
23 |
3 |
2016-17 |
25 |
4 |
2017-18 |
27 |
3 |
2018-19 |
11 |
2 |
Totals |
185 |
27 |

Abington Heights’ George Tinsley.
Jason Farmer / Staff Photographer
STANDINGS

Scranton’s Tahg Jones.
Jason Farmer / Staff Photographer
-
Abington Heights (5-0)
-
Scranton Prep (4-1)
-
Valley View (4-1)
-
Scranton (3-2)
-
West Scranton (1-4)
GAME TO WATCH
SCRANTON PREP
AT VALLEY VIEW
FRIDAY, 7:15 PM
REMEMBER WHEN
Valley View 54, Scranton Prep 53 – February 2, 2018
HS BASKETBALL: Valley View’s Marc Kudrich drills the game winner vs. Scranton Prep (courtesy of Cali Craig)
Posted by Joby Fawcett, The Times-Tribune on Saturday, February 3, 2018
Valley View’s Marc Kudrich drills the game winner vs. Scranton Prep (courtesy of Cali Craig)

Honesdale’s Will Howell.
Jason Farmer / Staff Photographer
INSIDE DIVISION II
Honesdale has seized the advantage in Division II. Things really started to turn in the favor of the Hornets with a 61-52 win over Delaware Valley. Then, Honesdale defeated its Wayne County rival Wallenpaupack, 56-43, and followed that up with a win over Western Wayne, 58-46.
Howell’s halftime hoist sparks Honesdale past Wallenpaupack
Honesdale’s Colin Rickard.
Jason Farmer / Staff PhotographerBY JOBY FAWCETT / STAFF WRITER
PALMYRA TWP. — Will Howell jokingly admitted he didn’t call the bank.
Still, his buzzer-beater at the end of the first half gave Honesdale the lead and energized his teammates.
With seconds ticking away before halftime, Howell launched a deep 3-pointer that hit squarely off the backboard, and circled the rim before whisking through the net.
The momentum carried into a dominant third quarter and sent the Hornets to a 56-43 win over No. 6 Wallenpaupack on Friday night in a Lackawanna Division II boys basketball game.
Honesdale (7-6 overall, 2-2 division) pulled even with Wallenpaupack (8-4, 2-2) for first place.
“That (shot) gave us a lot of life,” said Howell, who finished as one of four Hornets in double figures, scoring 10 points. “We came out and played defense hard. Our offense got into the plays and made shots and we were able to get a big win.
“They are our rival, so it’s an even more important win.”
HIGHLIGHTS
HORNETS’ STING
2017-18 Season
Games against Division II | |
Beat Delaware Valley |
61-52 |
Beat Wallenpaupack |
56-43 |
Beat Western Wayne |
58-46 |
STANDINGS

Wallenpaupack’s Derrick Vosburg.
Jason Farmer / Staff Photographer
-
Honesdale (3-2)
-
Wallenpaupack (3-2)
-
Delaware Valley (1-4)
-
North Pocono (1-4)
-
Western Wayne (0-5)

Holy Cross’ Caleb Callejas.
Jason Farmer / Staff Photographer
INSIDE DIVISION III
Holy Cross and Mid Valley are on their usual collision course and will meet for the first time this season Friday at Mid Valley.
This has turned into the marquee matchup in the Division and District 2 among the small schools in recent seasons. Holy Cross holds the advantage in the series wince the 2012-13 season.
HOLY CROSS VS. MID VALLEY
SINCE 2012-13 SEASON
2013 |
|||
2/02/19 |
|
Holy Cross |
59-56 |
2/15/19 |
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Mid Valley |
56-54 |
2/16/19 |
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Holy Cross |
41-35 |
2014 |
|||
1/10/19 |
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Holy Cross |
59-56 |
2/04/19 |
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Holy Cross |
68-67 |
2/17/19 |
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Mid Valley |
57-54 |
2015 |
|||
1/22/19 |
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Holy Cross |
52-48 |
2/12/19 |
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Mid Valley |
51-35 |
2/14/19 |
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Holy Cross |
54-43 |
2/28/19 |
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Mid Valley |
37-33 |
2016 |
|||
1/21/19 |
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Holy Cross |
42-38 |
2/11/19 |
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Mid Valley |
60-59 |
2017 |
|||
1/12/19 |
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Holy Cross |
54-41 |
1/29/19 |
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Mid Valley |
58-38 |
2/02/19 |
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Mid Valley |
45-31 |
2018 |
|||
1/09/19 |
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Holy Cross |
41-38 |
1/27/19 |
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Holy Cross |
53-44 |
2/01/19 |
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Holy Cross |
45-37 |
COMING SUNDAY
Make sure you pick up a copy of The Sunday Times for a feature on Mid Valley’s Brendan Kucharski
HS BASKETBALL: Look for Brendan Kucharski’s story in The Sunday Times
Posted by Joby Fawcett, The Times-Tribune on Thursday, January 17, 2019
STANDINGS
-
Holy Cross (4-0)
-
Mid Valley (4-1)
-
Lakeland (2-2)
-
Dunmore (2-2)
-
Carbondale Area (2-3)
-
Riverside (1-3)
-
Old Forge (0-4)
INSIDE DIVISION IV
Mountain View got a terrific effort from Mikey Schermerhorn, who scored 23 points in a win over Susquehanna. The Eagles snapped the Sabers winning streak against Division IV opponents that dated back to Jan. 9 against Montrose.
Mountain View is now 8-2 in its last 10 games in Division IV.


Mountain View’s Mikey Schermerhorn.
File Photo
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MIKEY SCHERMERHORN |
Opponent |
Points |
Susquehanna |
23 |
Elk Lake |
35 |
Lackawanna Trail |
20 |
Blue Ridge |
21 |
STANDINGS
-
Mountain View (4-0)
-
Lackawanna Trail (4-1)
-
Susquehanna (3-1)
-
Blue Ridge (2-3)
-
Forest City (1-3)
-
Elk Lake (1-3)
-
Montrose (0-4)
Joby Fawcett has covered high school sports — including football, girls and boys volleyball, girls and boys tennis, girls and boys swimming, boys basketball, girls and boys track and field, and girls and boys lacrosse — for 22 years. The High School Sports Blog offers deeper insights plus statistical and historical information for fans and features photos, videos and graphics along with Top 5 polls for tennis and volleyball. Contact: jbfawcett@timesshamrock.com; 570-348-9100 x5367; @sportsTT