Pictured above: Holy Redeemer’s Zach Perta
OPENING NIGHT
Thursday’s schedule was trimmed from three games to two because of weather.
MMI Prep is at Wyoming Area and Wyoming Seminary is at Nanticoke.
SCHEDULE AND FORMAT
The Thursday Holy Redeemer at Hanover Area game was postponed to Feb. 4. Those two teams and Lake-Lehman, which already had the first bye, are now scheduled to begin divisional play Jan. 4.
The 4 teams that play tonight have 11 of their 12 games after the holidays. The top two teams in the final standings join the top two teams from Division 1 in the WVC Tournament.
The full original division schedule can be found at: Boys basketball schedules – Wyoming Valley Division 2 – NEPA Sports Nation.
The Holy Redeemer-Hanover Area game is the only change from that schedule.
2021-22 STANDINGS
Holy Redeemer 12-0, Nanticoke 10-2, Hanover Area 7-5, Wyoming Area 5-7, Lake-Lehman 4-8, Wyoming Seminary 3-9, MMI Prep 1-11.
Holy Redeemer and Nanticoke each lost in the semifinals of the conference tournament. Hazleton Area defeated Holy Redeemer, 50-34, and eventual champion Dallas downed Nanticoke, 69-46.
RANKING
Holy Redeemer is the top-ranked Small School boys team in the Riverfront Sports Super Six Basketball Power Rankings of District 2 teams. None of the other division members are ranked.
ON THE BENCH
Former Hazleton Area assistant Carlos Rivas is the new head coach at Wyoming Seminary, replacing Pete Moses.
CLASSIFICATIONS
Hanover Area, Lake-Lehman, Nanticoke and Wyoming Area are all Class 4A teams.
Holy Redeemer and Wyoming Seminary are Class 3A teams while MMI Prep is in Class A.
RETURNING STARS
Four of the division’s top six players return, based on last season’s WVC Division 2 all-star team, as selected by NEPABasketball.com, which is now part of NEPASportsNation.com.
Jaidyn Johnson from Nanticoke, Elijah Noe from Hanover Area, Zach Perta from Holy Redeemer and Dane Schutter from Wyoming Area are all back from the first team.
Isaiah Stull from Wyoming Seminary is back after making the second team.
Nanticoke’s Peyton Kepp also made the second team last season as a sophomore, but he is out for the season with a knee injury.
GETTING STARTED
The first three weeks of non-league play have been a bit rough on division members, who have a combined 19-31 record.
Non-league records through Dec. 21 are: Holy Redeemer 5-2, Wyoming Seminary 3-2, Nanticoke 4-4, Wyoming Area 3-5, Hanover Area 2-6, Lake-Lehman 1-6, MMI Prep 1-6.
ANALYZING THE RACE
NEPASportsNation.com editor Tom Robinson breaks down the race as follows:
Holy Redeemer is a prohibitive favorite. Another unbeaten season is well within reach.
Nanticoke remains the top threat, but sweeping the remainder of the division as the Trojans did last season, won’t be easy. Wyoming Seminary has joined Hanover Area as the teams trying to get into position in case Holy Redeemer falters.
Projected order of finish: 1, Holy Redeemer; 2, Nanticoke; 3, Hanover Area; 4, Wyoming Seminary; 5, Wyoming Area; 6, Lake-Lehman; 7, MMI Prep.
LOOKING AHEAD
If Nanticoke can remain within a game of Holy Redeemer, the Trojans will have a shot to go for a share of the title at home in the regular-season finale Feb. 9 against the Royals.
COMING SOON
Overviews of each team in the division are on the way. Check back at: Basketball – NEPA Sports Nation in the days ahead.
