Once again, the Lackawanna League boys basketball teams provided a lot of drama and three of the four divisions remain undecided entering the final week of the regular season.

Let’s hope this winter weather threat Tuesday doesn’t impact the schedule too much, but the fear is teams may have to go back-to-back, especially if the league needs Saturday to break division titles with tiebreakers.

Here is what we know already about Monday:

 

MONDAY’S GAMES

 

Division I
Scranton at West Scranton, 7
Division II
Honesdale at North Pocono, 7
Division III
Old Forge at Lakeland, 6:45
Division IV
Lackawanna Trail at Susquehanna, 7
Forest City at Mountain View, 7

 

 

 

 

 

 

TUESDAY’S GAMES

Division I
Valley View at Scranton Prep
Abington Heights at Scranton
Division II
Western Wayne at Wallenpaupack
Division III
Mid Valley at Holy Cross
Dunmore at Riverside
Division IV
Montrose at Elk Lake
Crossover
Carbondale Area at Blue Ridge

 

 

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INSIDE DIVISION II

 

 

This is the only division title that has been decided. Wallenpaupack defeated North Pocono to secure eight wins — a total that no other team can reach in the final week.

Wallenpaupack ended Delaware Valley’s three-year reign as Division II champions. Wallenpaupack is also the first team to win a division title since the realignment to four divisions and it is the first Lackawanna League division title for the Buckhorns since the 1998 season.

 

 

Wallenpaupack 58, North Pocono 53

 

Rosenthal

At Wallenpaupack, Elijah Rosenthal scored 19 points to lead the third-ranked Buckhorns.
Gabe Springer had 16 points and 12 rebounds for the winners and Derrick Vosburg also scored 16 points.
Damarco Maglio hit five 3-pointers and scored 18 points for North Pocono and Matt Domanish had 11 points.

North Pocono (5-15, 2-9) — D. Maglio 6 1-1 18, M. Domanish 4 0-0 11, R. Ruddy 5 0-2 10, R. VanBrunt 3 0-0 8, Z. Walsh 2 0-0 6, N. Posluszny 0 0-0 0, B. Pabst 0 0-0 0. Totals: 20 1-3 53.
Wallenpaupack (15-6, 8-4) — E. Rosenthal 7 2-4 19, D. Vosburg 5 2-2 16, G. Springer 8 0-0 16, A. Pillar 1 2-2 5, I. Santiago 1 0-1 2, G. McGrath 0 0-0 0, J. Smith 0 0-0 0. Totals: 22 6-9 58.

North Pocono 13 13 9 18 — 53
Wallenpaupack 12 12 20 14 — 58

3-point goals: D. Maglio (NP) 5, M. Domanish (NP) 3, Z. Walsh (NP) 2, R. VanBrunt (NP) 2, D. Vosburg (WAL) 4, E. Rosenthal (WAL) 3, A. Pillar (WAL). JV: North Pocono, 38-37 (NP: Posluszny 17; WAL: Keller, Peifer, 9).

 

 

 

LACKAWANNA DIVISION II CHAMPIONS

(Since 2012-13)

2012-13		Delaware Valley
2013-14		Honesdale
2014-15		Honesdale
2015-16		Delaware Valley
2016-17		Delaware Valley
2017-18		Delaware Valley
2018-19		Wallenpaupack

 

 

 

MILESTONE MANIA

 

 

 

For the second time this season, Western Wayne had a player achieve his 1,000th career point. Zach Rovinsky hit a pair of free throws to join his teammate Dahlton Frisbie in the milesone club in a wild win over Delaware Valley.

Then, Rovinsky took a 25-foot shot at the buzzer that swished to lift the Wildcats to a 48-45 victory.

Western Wayne won its 11th game and clinched a spot in the District 2 Class 4A playoffs.

 

 

 

ROVINSKY TO THE RESCUE

 

 

 

 

 

STANDINGS

 

 

• 

  Honesdale’s Colin Rickard.
  Jason Farmer / Staff Photographer

  Wallenpaupack (8-4, 15-6)

• Honesdale (5-6, 10-10)

• Western Wayne (4-7, 11-9)

• Delaware Valley (3-9, 9-12)

• North Pocono (2-9, 5-15)

 

 

 

 

 

 

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INSIDE DIVISION III

 

 

 

As expected, or at least realized by early January, the Division III title would be decided between Holy Cross and Mid Valley. True, this division has had some waves of interest outside the two heavyweights, like Lakeland winning 12 games after winning a combined 18 games in the previous three seasons, Carbondale Area’s mid-season surge, and Dunmore’s recovery. However, it’s been all about Holy Cross and Mid Valley.

In the first meeting, Mid Valley rallied in the fourth quarter for a win.

The rematch is set for TUESDAY AT HOLY CROSS (Weather permitting).

 

 

 

 

 

 

THE RIVALRY

 

 

2013
Feb. 2		Holy Cross	59-56
Feb. 15		Mid Valley	56-54
Feb. 16		Holy Cross	41-35
2014
Jan. 10		Holy Cross	59-56
Feb. 4		Holy Cross	68-67
Feb. 17		Mid Valley	57-54
2015
Jan. 22		Holy Cross	52-48
Feb. 12		Mid Valley	51-35
Feb. 14		Holy Cross	54-43
Feb. 28		Mid Valley	37-33
2016
Jan. 21		Holy Cross	42-38
Feb. 11		Mid Valley	60-59
2017
Jan. 12		Holy Cross	54-41
Jan. 29		Mid Valley	58-38
Feb. 2		Mid Valley	45-31
2018
Jan. 9		Holy Cross	41-38
Jan. 27		Holy Cross	53-44
Feb. 1		Holy Cross	45-37
2019
Jan. 17		Mid Valley	48-45

 

 

STANDINGS

 

 

• 

  Dunmore’s Dominic Temperino.

  Holy Cross (9-1, 15-5)

• Mid Valley (9-2, 17-3)

• Dunmore (5-5, 10-10)

• Carbondale Area (5-6, 10-10)

• Lakeland (4-6, 12-8)

• Riverside (3-7, 8-12)

• Old Forge (1-9, 6-14)

 

 

 

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INSIDE DIVISION IV

 

 

Mountain View defeated Susquehanna for the second time this season in the league and forced a tie for first place both with 8-2 records.

 

EAGLES SOAR

 

Mountain View’s Mikey Schermerhorn.
Photo by Jason Farmer

BY JOBY FAWCETT

KINGSLEY — Ryan Henke stood poised at the free-throw line in a tie game.
To his left, his teammates sat locked arm-in-arm along the bench. To his right, a raucous student section and boisterous cheerleading squad readied to release a roar.
The freshman dribbled once, spun the ball in his hands, and calmly swished the first of two shots with 11 seconds left on the clock. 
It served as the deciding point in a chaotic finish as Mountain View edged Susquehanna, 48-47, on Friday in a key Lackawanna League Division IV boys basketball game.
“I was sick to my stomach, I’ll tell you that,” Henke said. “As a freshman, you dream about this at night. For this to happen is just amazing.”
Mountain View (10-10 overall), pulled even with the defending division champion Sabers (14-7), both have 8-2 league records.
“It was just one of those games that was back and forth and it was shaping up as one where the team that made a play with the ball last was going to be the team that won,” Susquehanna coach Lawrence Tompkins said. “Credit them for stepping up and hitting the foul shot when they needed it.
“That was a really good game. Hopefully, both teams can take care of business the rest of the way and we can see each other again.”

 

 

 

HIGHLIGHTS

 

 

 

 

 

 

THE FALLOUT

 

 

SUSQUEHANNA

Monday vs. Lackawanna Trail

 

 

MOUNTAIN VIEW

Monday vs. Forest City

 

 

LACKAWANNA TRAIL

Monday at Susquehanna: Needs a win to stay alive because this is its last division game.

 

 

 

STANDINGS

 

 

• Susquehanna (8-2, 13-7)

• Mountain View (8-2, 10-10)

• Lackawanna Trail (7-4, 9-11)

• Elk Lake (4-6, 8-12)

• Forest City (3-7, 3-17)

• Montrose (3-7, 6-13)

• Blue Ridge (3-8, 5-15)

 

 

 

 

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INSIDE DIVISION I

 

 

Both Abington Heights and Scranton Prep have important games Tuesday. Abington Heights will play at Scranton, while Scranton Prep will host rival Valley View.

A lot depends on what Scranton team shows up against the Comets, and since the last two meetings between Scranton Prep and Valley View have been very tight, maybe the battle between the No. 1 and No. 2 team determining the Division I champion is not a foregone conclusion.

That being said, the only three programs to win Lackawanna Division I titles since 2001 are Abington Heights, Scranton Prep and Scranton.

 

BY THE NUMBERS

 

 

Division I Titles (Since 2001)

Team

9		Abington Heights
5		Scranton
3		Scranton Prep

 

 

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.

 

 

• 

  Scranton Prep’s Brian Boland.
  Jason Farmer / Staff Photographer

  Abington Heights (11-0, 18-2)

• Scranton Prep (10-1, 18-2)

• Valley View (7-4, 13-7)

• Scranton (4-7, 8-12)

• West Scranton (2-9, 6-13)

 

 

 

 

 

 

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PLAYOFF PICTURE

 

CLASS 1A and CLASS 4A

 

 

 

CLASS 2A and CLASS 5A

 

 

 

CLASS 3A and CLASS 6A

 

 

 

 

 

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