It’s Thursday and time to collect all the data from the past three playing dates and get you ready for the weekend, which if it follows suit promises to be another exciting one.

It’s been an amazing season to this point. This week began early as teams continue to try and get their postponed games up to date. We had another fantastic or heartbreaking finish — depending on what fan base you represent. And we are gearing up to the final three official playing dates of the season and some of the most anticipated head-to-head games.

We will begin as we do each week with what is on tap for Friday.

 

Here is Friday’s Schedule: 

 

Division I
Valley View at Scranton
West Scranton at Abington Heights
Division II
North Pocono at Wallenpaupack
Western Wayne at Delaware Valley
Division III
Holy Cross at Riverside
Mid Valley at Carbondale Area
Lakeland at Dunmore
Division IV
Susquehanna at Mountain View
Lackawanna Trail at Blue Ridge
Elk Lake at Forest City
Crossover
Montrose at Old Forge

 

 

 

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INSIDE DIVISION I

 

 

 

 

 

Teams in Division I were the most active this week. First, several schools still needed to complete their Coaches vs. Cancer events, then they also supplied terrific games that impacted the standings.

On Monday, Valley View held a very emotional CvC event, as is always the case for the program. The school community always raises a great deal of money and really has a good grasp on the fundraising effort. It seems, however, that each season also, it is rocked by tragedy. As we noted in Monday’s post ON THE BLOG, two of the faces of this Valley View basketball revitalization, Marc Kudrich and Bobby Craig, lost their grandmother, Kay Flanagan Craig, to cancer. Then, as expected, the two cousins and stars went out and played an outstanding game where they led the Cougars to an important victory over Wallenpaupack.

 

 

Cougars’ Kudrich, Craig play inspired in win

 

BY JOBY FAWCETT

 

Kudrich

Marc Kudrich and Bobby Craig played with heavy hearts and helped carry Valley View to an important win.
The two Valley View seniors, who are cousins, combined for 33 points to lead the sixth-ranked Cougars past No. 3 Wallenpaupack, 55-42, on Monday in a Lackawanna League Division I-II boys basketball game.
On Valley View’s Coaches vs. Cancer night, Kudrich and Craig played in honor of their grandmother, Kay Flanagan Craig, who died Friday after a short battle against cancer.
“It was definitely an emotional night for us,” Kudrich said when reached by phone. “Our grandfather (Robert Craig) also died of cancer and to lose our grandmother only a few days ago was really tough.

Craig

“I came out after the ceremony before the game and got going and getting a win for her was big for us.”
Kudrich scored 18 points and Craig scored 15 and also collected 10 rebounds for the Cougars (12-6 overall, 6-3 in Division I).
“Our Nana was our biggest fan,” Craig said in a telephone interview. “After the ceremony, I looked over to my family and it was tough knowing she wasn’t there tonight.
“But we went out and played hard and our teammates really had our backs all night, knowing what we were going through.”

 

 

 

 

 

Scranton Prep had its annual event. Head coach Andrew Kettel has been at the forefront of the Coaches vs. Cancer initiative in NEPA. He has been recognized locally and nationally for his heart filled and tireless efforts. Each season, he asks a cancer survivor from the area to speak to the audience. On Tuesday, former Bishop Hannan basketball star Bob Foley sent a powerful message about his fight and his inspiration and sources of strength during his more than 7-year battle against cancer.

In 2011, Foley was diagnosed with Grade 3 Astrocytoma and a left frontal lobe brain tumor. He has endured surgeries and recovery and has won. He has been cancer free for seven years and has a beautiful family, wife, Lauren and children, Lena, 4, and Lennix, 7 months, his mom, JoAnn, dad, Gene, sister Bridget and her husband, Scranton girls basketball coach, P.J. Hughes, and their kids, Avery and Kellen, who give him support and all the reasons he needs to keep fighting.

His words brought chills and served as the perfect message to start the Walk of Hope where those who have defeated or are still fighting cancer had a chance to parade around the Xavier Center with players and coaches from Scranton Prep’s boys and girls basketball team.

 

 

COACHES VS. CANCER

 

 

 

 

 

 

WALK OF HOPE

 

 

 

 

 

 

TO THE RESCUE

 

 

After all of the tears were wiped from the cheeks of the families, players, fans and coaches, Scranton Prep and Scranton played one of the best basketball games of the season.

The Cavaliers are known as the Cardiac Kids for this season. Scranton led for most of the second quarter and through the second half. But Scranton Prep’s defensive intensity and maybe the pressure of being on the verge of an upset got to the Knights in the final minute.

Scranton Prep evaporated a five-point deficit like Thanos did to half of civilization with the snap of a thumb and earned a dramatic win, 58-56, on a Leo O’Boyle 3-pointer at the buzzer.

 

 

THE DAGGER

 

 

 

 

 

Oh ‘Boyle

 

BY JOBY FAWCETT

 

SCRANTON — Leo O’Boyle made sure his second shot at victory counted.
In an anxious final seconds, the Scranton Prep senior misfired on a late-game 3-pointer, but collected the long rebound and launched another that swished and sent his team and fans into a frenzy.
His basket at the buzzer completed a furious comeback in the final minute as No. 2 Scranton Prep survived another scare, beating Scranton, 58-56, on Tuesday night in a Lackawanna League Division I boys basketball game.
“I am not going to lie, that was very stressful,” O’Boyle said. “Especially when you miss the first one. I wasn’t sure I was going to get the ball back, but once I got it in my hands, I knew I had to shoot it.
“I had to make it knowing I had an opportunity to make the first one and missed.”
It was the second time in the last week O’Boyle connected on a shot at the end of regulation for the Cavaliers (18-2 overall, 10-1 in Division I), who have won seven straight including three in dramatic fashion.
Earlier, he made a 3-pointer that sent an eventual win over Western Wayne into overtime, and he also had 19 of his 23 points in the fourth quarter and two overtime periods in an 87-81 win over Wallenpaupack on Jan. 25.

 

 

 

 

 

 

RECOVERY

 

 

Scranton, somehow, after suffering its third straight heartbreaking defeat, bounced back and defeated North Pocono on Wednesday. That’s a credit to coach Tony Battaglia and his staff, getting the players ready both mentally and physically.

 

Scranton’s Tahg Jones.
Photo by Jason Farmer

Tahg Jones scores 17 of his game-high 26 points in the first half to lead Scranton past North Pocono, 65-50, in a Lackawanna League Division I-II crossover game.
Marcus Bauman added 11 of his 19 in the fourth quarter when the Knights pulled away.
Damarco Maglio paced North Pocono with 22 points. Ryan Ruddy scored 11 and Robert VanBrunt chipped in with 10.

North Pocono (5-14, 2-8) — D. Maglio 8 2-2 22, R. Ruddy 4 3-4 11, R. VanBrunt 3 4-4 10, Z. Walsh 1 0-0 3, M. Domanish 1 0-2 2, N. Posluszny 1 0-0 2. Totals: 18 9-12 50.
Scranton (8-11, 4-6) — T. Jones 12 1-1 26, M. Bauman 8 3-5 19, K. Lazdowsky 3 2-2 8, D. White 2 0-0 4, J. Rose 1 0-2 3, P. McCormack 1 0-0 3, N. Leety 1 0-0 2, S. Jones 0 0-0 0, D. Dougherty 0 0-0 0, J. Arthur 0 0-0 0, D. Shears 0 0-0 0, J. Wainwright 0 0-0 0, J. Shields 0 0-0 0. Totals: 28 6-10 65.

North Pocono 15 8 13 14 — 50
Scranton 14 14 11 26 — 65

3-point goals: D. Maglio (NP) 4, Z. Walsh (NP), T. Jones (SCR), J. Rose (SCR), P. McCormack (SCR). JV: Scranton, 54-35 (SCR: Dougherty 13; NP: Thurber 9).

 

 

We also received good news concerning Valley View’s Zack Kovalchik, who suffered a scary and severe concussion, after a collision in a loss to Abington Heights on Tuesday.

 

 

Zack Kovalchik

 

He spent the night in the hospital and was released and home Wednesday afternoon, diagnosed with a concussion, but is on the road to recovery

— his father Tom Kovalchik 

 

 

 

STANDINGS

 

Here’s what it all means in the big picture. Abington Heights and Scranton Prep remain on a collision course to their rematch that likely will decide the division championship. The rest of the field is looking ahead to the District 2 tournament in their respective classifications.

 

 

• 

  Abington Heights’ Trey Koehler.
  Jake Danna Stevens / Staff Photographer

  Abington Heights (10-0, 17-2)

• Scranton Prep (10-1, 18-2)

• Valley View (6-4, 12-7)

• Scranton (4-6, 8-11)

• West Scranton (2-8, 6-12)

 

 

 

 

 

 

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INSIDE DIVISION II

 

 

After Wallenpaupack suffered its loss to Valley View on Monday, the Buckhorns showed some resolve and avenged their earlier loss to rival Honesdale on Tuesday night.

That was a very important victory, as the Buckhorns have themselves some breathing room in the Division II standings. More on that later.

 

Wallenpaupack 57, Honesdale 42

 

Rosenthal

At Honesdale, Elijah Rosenthal scored 10 of his 23 points in the fourth quarter as No. 3 Wallenpaupack pulled away for a Division II win.
Gabe Springer added 15 points for the Buckhorns.
Joey Scarfalloto had 16 points for No. 10 Honesdale and Colin Rickard had 11 points.

Wallenpaupack (14-6, 7-4) — E. Rosenthal 6 9-10 23, G. Springer 7 1-3 15, A. Pillar 3 0-0 9, I. Santiago 0 5-6 5, J. Smith 1 0-0 3, D. Vosburg 1 0-0 2, G. McGrath 0 0-0 0. Totals: 18 15-19 57.
Honesdale (10-10, 5-6) — J. Scarfalloto 5 2-4 16, C. Rickard 4 3-3 11, C. Cespedes 4 0-0 8, W. Howell 1 2-2 4, J. Rodda 1 0-0 2, R. Campen 0 1-2 1, J. Lyle 0 0-0 0, B. Williams 0 0-0 0, L. Bancroft 0 0-0 0. Totals: 15 8-11 42.

Wallenpaupack 14 14 13 16 — 57
Honesdale 9 14 15 4 — 42

3-point goals: A. Pillar (WAL) 3, E. Rosenthal (WAL) 2, J. Smith (WAL), J. Scarfalloto (HON) 4. JV: Wallenpaupack, 70-67 (WAL: Peifer 27; HON: Williams 17).

 

 

STANDINGS

 

Wallenpaupack owns a two-game lead with three to play. Here’s the deal for the Buckhorns, if they defeat North Pocono on Friday night at home, they can clinch a tie for their first Lackawanna League Division championship since 1998.

 

 

• Wallenpaupack (7-4, 14-6)

• Honesdale (5-6, 10-10)

• Western Wayne (3-7, 10-9)

• Delaware Valley (3-8, 9-11)

• North Pocono (2-8, 5-14)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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INSIDE DIVISION III

 

 

Holy Cross and Mid Valley both won their games on Tuesday and they eliminated everybody else in the division. Now, as it appeared all winter, the two titans will determine the division champion. Holy Cross owns the advantage in the standings and will have the home court advantage when the two play on Tuesday.

There are still games to be played before their showdown, but let’s take a look at their dominance in the Lackawanna League since Holy Cross became a program after the closing of Bishop O’Hara and Bishop Hannan:

 

 

DIVISION CHAMPIONS
Division II
2008		Holy Cross
2009		Holy Cross
2010		Dunmore
2011		Riverside
2012		Holy Cross
Division III
2013		Holy Cross
2014		Mid Valley
2015		Holy Cross
2016		Dunmore
2017		Mid Valley
2018		Holy Cross

 

 

 

STANDINGS

 

 

• Holy Cross (8-1, 14-5)

• Mid Valley (8-2, 16-3)

• Carbondale Area (5-5, 10-9)

• Lakeland (4-5, 12-7)

• Dunmore (4-5, 9-10)

• Riverside (3-6, 8-11)

• Old Forge (1-9, 6-13)

 

 

 

 

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INSIDE DIVISION IV

 

 

On Friday, the division championship will be determined when Susquehanna visits Mountain View. This is still a three-team race that includes Lackawanna Trail, but for the most part, the winner will go a long way in determining how this shakes out for the final week.

 

Here is each team’s situation:

 

 

SUSQUEHANNA

 

Friday at Mountain View: If the Sabers win, they will have a two-game lead with two to play over Mountain View and would eliminate Lackawanna Trail.

 

 

MOUNTAIN VIEW

Friday vs. Susquehanna: If the Eagles win they will force a tie with Susquehanna for first place with two games to play.

 

 

 

LACKAWANNA TRAIL

Friday at Blue Ridge: The Lions must win to stay within striking distance. After Friday, they will have only one game remaining in the division.

 

 

 

STANDINGS

 

 

• Susquehanna (8-1, 13-6)

• Mountain View (7-2, 9-10)

• Lackawanna Trail (6-4, 8-11)

• Elk Lake (3-6, 7-12)

• Forest City (3-6, 3-15)

• Blue Ridge (3-7, 5-14)

• Montrose (3-7, 6-12)

 

 

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PLAYOFF PICTURE

 

 

Here are the District 2 Power Rating Standings, courtesy of piaad2.org and are also posted on the Fan Page (Teams that have clinched are highlighted in green).

 

 

CLASS 1A and CLASS 4A

 

 

NOTE: Western Wayne needs one win to secure its .500 record and officially clinch a playoff berth.

 

 

CLASS 2A and CLASS 5A

 

 

 

 

CLASS 3A and CLASS 6A

 

 

 

 

NOTE: All four teams in Class 6A qualify.

 

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