The first conference play in District 2 boys basketball gets underway tonight.
OPENING NIGHT
The first divisional boys basketball play within District 2 takes place tonight with a single game, Pittston Area at Berwick in Wyoming Valley Conference Division 1.
SCHEDULE AND FORMAT
The remainder of the division’s teams open their schedules Thursday with Tunkhannock at Hazleton Area, Dallas at Wilkes-Barre Area and Crestwood at Wyoming Valley West.
The remaining 13 games in the 14-game schedule are after the holidays.
The full division schedule can be found at: Boys basketball schedules – Wyoming Valley Division 1 – NEPA Sports Nation.
2021-22 STANDINGS
Dallas 12-2, Hazleton Area 12-2, Pittston Area 11-3, Wilkes-Barre Area 7-7, Crestwood 5-9, Tunkhannock 5-9, Wyoming Valley West 4-10, Berwick 0-14.
The division title was decided in a playoff that Dallas won, 66-52, over Hazleton Area.
The Mountaineers won over Hazleton Area again, 73-46, in the WVC Tournament final.
The fourth meeting of the season between the teams was set up when Dallas beat Nanticoke, 69-46, and Hazleton Area downed Holy Redeemer, 50-34.
RANKINGS
Dallas is second and Tunkhannock fifth among Big School boys teams in the Riverfront Sports Super Six Basketball Power Rankings of District 2 teams.
ON THE BENCH
Jim Lavan is in his first season as the full-time head coach at Wilkes-Barre Area.
Lavan ran the team at times on an interim basis last season when retiring head coach Pat Toole was unavailable for health reasons.
For more about Lavan, check out: Lavan takes over at Wilkes-Barre Area – NEPA Basketball (prestosports.com).
CLASSIFICATIONS
Hazleton Area, Wilkes-Barre Area and Wyoming Valley West compete in Class 6A, the largest of six enrollment classifications of the PIAA.
Dallas, Crestwood and Pittston Area are Class 5A teams. Berwick and Tunkhannock are in Class 4A.
Wyoming Valley West moved from Class 5A to 6A since the previous two-year cycle as part of the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association enrollment review every two years.
Dallas moved up from Class 4A to 5A, trading places with Tunkhannock, which moved in the opposite direction.
RETURNING STARS
Tunkhannock’s Ben Chilson is the only first-team WVC Division 1 all-star back from last season.
Mikey Cumbo from Dallas and Luke Gennaro from Hazleton Area are back after making the second team last season.
Michael Bufalino from Dallas, Dylan Mateus from Tunkhannock, Anthony Cenceti from Pittston Area, Sean Murphy from Berwick and Drew Sechleer from Crestwood are all back after receiving honorable mention last season.
GETTING STARTED
Dallas is 5-0 in the first two-plus weeks of non-league play for the only unbeaten overall record among division members.
Other non-league records through Dec. 19 are: Crestwood 4-2, Tunkhannock 4-2, Berwick 3-2, Pittston Area 2-2, Hazleton Area 2-3, Wilkes-Barre Area 1-5, Wyoming Valley West 0-5.
ANALYZING THE RACE
NEPASportsNation.com editor Tom Robinson breaks down the race as follows:
Dallas was already the division’s most-feared team before going 5-0 while playing without its top returning player, Mikey Cumbo, who is expected back soon from an injury.
The Mountaineers have moved from simply the favorite’s status to clear favorite.
Tunkhannock is the only team that can match the Mountaineers’ explosiveness on offense and in transition, but to take the step to fighting for the championship, the Tigers will have to be better more often on defense.
Don’t expect a playoff to be needed to decide the champion this time around.
Projected order of finish: 1, Dallas; 2, Tunkhannock; 3, Crestwood; 4. Hazleton Area; 5, Pittston Area; 6, Berwick; 7, Wilkes-Barre Area; 8, Wyoming Valley West.
LOOKING AHEAD
The scorebook keepers will be put to the test when Dallas visits Tunkhannock Jan. 10 and when the teams have their rematch Jan. 31 in Dallas.
The last game of the regular season features the two teams that tied for first in the 2021-22 regular season and wound up meeting four times. Dallas plays at Hazleton Area Jan. 9.
COMING SOON
Overviews of each team in the division are on the way. Check back at: Basketball – NEPA Sports Nation in the days ahead.
