Well, one of the outlining factors that many coaches and athletic directors worried about when the Lackawanna League regular-season schedule started getting delayed and compressed was weather.

How are ADs going to navigate through a crammed calendar once snow becomes a factor on top of the seriousness of COVID-19?

Well, we get our first look Tuesday as the second play date is impacted.

Two programs heeded the warnings of meteorologists and moved Tuesday games to Monday. The remainder of the schedule got postponed to Wednesday, which at first glance makes a lot of sense because that is the first available date. But a look ahead shows that the third play date of this three-game week is Thursday. Back-to-back games could become part of the new normal, unfortunately for coaches and players.

Here is how Tuesday’s postponements look, which include the games for the three schools — Honesdale, Lakeland and Montrose — still on COVID pause:

 

TUESDAY, JANUARY 26

HIGH SCHOOL BOYS BASKETBALL

Division II

Wallenpaupack (0-1) at Honesdale (0-0) — PPD to FEB 22 

Division III

Mid Valley (2-0) at Lakeland (0-0) — PPD to FEB 8

Holy Cross (1-0) at Carbondale Area (0-2) — PPD WEDNESDAY

Riverside (5-1) at Old Forge (0-1) — PPD to WEDNESDAY

• Triboro Rivalry game

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Division IV

Montrose (0-0) at Lackawanna Trail (1-0) — PPD to FEB 3

Elk Lake (0-1) at Mountain View (0-1) — PPD to WEDNESDAY

Crossovers

North Pocono (3-0) at Scranton (0-1) — PPD to SUNDAY, 2:15 p.m.

Scranton Prep (2-0) at Western Wayne (0-2) — PPD to TBA

West Scranton (0-1) at Delaware Valley (1-3) — PPD to WEDNESDAY

Blue Ridge (1-1) at Dunmore (0–2) — PPD to WEDNESDAY

 

Teams will have a quick turnaround as this is Thursday’s schedule:

 

THURSDAY, JANUARY 28

HIGH SCHOOL BOYS BASKETBALL

Division I

Scranton Prep at West Scranton

Scranton at Valley View

Division II

North Pocono at Honesdale — HONESDALE’S FIRST GAME

Delaware Valley at Western Wayne

Division III

Holy Cross at Mid Valley

Dunmore at Carbondale Area

Division IV

Lackawanna Trail at Susquehanna

Forest City at Elk Lake

Crossover

Abington Heights at Wallenpaupack

 

NOTE: On Friday Blue Ridge is at Montrose for Montrose’s first game

 

And don’t forget that we also have a Saturday slate:

 

SATURDAY, JANUARY 30

HIGH SCHOOL BOYS BASKETBALL

Division I

Scranton Prep at Abington Heights 

Division II

Western Wayne at North Pocono

Division III

Riverside at Dunmore

Lakeland at Holy Cross — LAKELAND’S FIRST GAME

Mid Valley at Old Forge

Division IV

Elk Lake at Blue Ridge

Forest City at Lackawanna Trail

Susquehanna at Mountain VIew

Crossovers

Wallenpaupack at Scranton

West Scranton at Honesdale

Valley View at Delaware Valley

 

That Saturday schedule features Scranton Prep at Abington Heights.

Once again, the two division powers will face off and are the teams challenging for another Division I championship. The last time anybody other than Abington Heights or Scranton Prep won the Division I title was 2012.

 

DIVISION I CHAMPIONS SINCE 2013

2013 — Abington Heights

2014 — Abington Heights

2015 — Scranton Prep

2016 — Scranton Prep

2017 — Scranton Prep

2018 — Abington Heights

2019 — Abington Heights

2020 — Abington Heights

 

 

Results of last 10 Scranton Prep-Abington Heights meetings

 

Abington Heights 11 wins; Scranton Prep 6 wins

2020
Abington Heights 69-62
Abington Heights 51-49
2019
Abington Heights 60-51
Abington Heights 68-40
2018
Abington Heights 66-47
Scranton Prep 51-45
2017
Scranton Prep 53-43
Scranton Prep 54-51
2016
Scranton Prep 73-61
Abington Heights 57-52
2015
Scranton Prep 66-43
Scranton Prep 55-50
2014
Abington Heights 65-46
Abington Heights 58-52
2013
Abington Heights 71-70, 2 OT
Abington Heights 56-50
Abington Heights 61-52

 

COMETS SOARING

Both teams look strong in the opening part of the 2021 season. Abington Heights, due to the graduation of two players from its PIAA Class 5A title team, received only cool consideration for the division title this season. But, here we are two games down and the Comets look like a serious contender once again.

And why not?

The defense is ruthlessly suffocating. Abington Heights held Scranton, which returned four starters, and Valley View, which returned three starters, to 27 and 31 points, respectively.

Abington Heights has limited 10 opponents in the Lackawanna League Division I to less than 40 points since last season.

Abington Heights 46, Valley View 31
Abington Heights 45, Scranton 27
Abington Heights 52, West Scranton 37
Abington Heights 40, Valley View 37
Abington Heights 41, Scranton 36
Abington Heights 46, Honesdale 34
Abington Heights 55, Delaware Valley 24
Abington Heights 42, Western Wayne 39
Abington Heights 35, West Scranton 27
Abington Heights 33, Wallenpaupack 32

 

HS BASKETBALL: No. 4 Abington Heights posts second straight upset by turning away No. 2 Valley View

 

S. ABINGTON TWP. — Jacob Anderson checked the clock and launched a 3-pointer before it turned to all zeros, banking home a deep shot to end the third quarter.

He chuckled about it after the game, but also understood its importance.

“I mean, it was luck, but I was really happy that it went in,” Anderson said. “It gave us a real good boost heading into the fourth quarter.”

 

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