EDITOR’S NOTE: The first round of the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association basketball tournament for District 2 teams was played in its entirety Saturday. While NEPASportsNation.com compiles more complete reports, here is a quick recap.
By Tom Robinson, NEPASportsNation.com
SCRANTON – District 2 teams combined to go 13-8 in the first round of Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association state basketball tournament action Saturday.
Scranton Prep and Abington Heights teams swept girls-boys doubleheaders on their home courts.
The Mid Valley boys were the only district team to win a true road game.
Lake-Lehman’s girls won a neutral court game played close to its opponent’s home.
District girls teams went 7-4 while the boys went 6-4. The Small Schools were 7-2 while the Big Schools were 6-6.
Maya Jenkins scored 20 points to lead a hot-shooting Scranton Prep girls team in a 68-35 Class 4A rout of Lewisburg.
Jenkins was 6-for-8 from the floor, including 5-for-6 on 3-pointers. She scored 13 points in the first quarter.
The Classics shot 60 percent for the game from 3-point range (9-for-15) and 59.5 percent from the floor overall during the first three quarters (25-for-42).
James Pettinato scored 15 points and Daniel Santaniello added 14 for the Scranton Prep boys, who turned a one-point halftime deficit into a 62-53 Class 4A victory over Octorara in the second game of the doubleheader.
Abington Heights won a Class 5A doubleheader, beating Archbishop Ryan, 59-36, in the girls opener, then Murrell Dobbins, 67-56, in the boys game.
Madison Zalewski scored 18 points to lead the girls.
Ryan Nealon hit five 3-pointers while scoring 21 of his career-high 26 points in the first half for the Comets.
Ricky Vinansky scored 24 points in Mid Valley’s 62-42 romp over host Troy in Class 3A boys.
Brenna Hunt’s 23 points led Lake-Lehman to a Class 3A girls win over District 11 champion Pen Argyl, 62-35, at Moravian Academy.
The Pittston Area and Dunmore girls joined Scranton Prep in producing Mercy Rule victories on their home courts.
Kallie Booth scored 18 points as Pittston Area pounded Samuel Fels, 51-18, in Class 5A.
Booth had six points when the Lady Patriots were taking a 14-1 lead after one quarter.
Sophia Talutto, Ciera Toomey and Cadie Lewis all scored at least 14 points as Dunmore ripped Bloomsburg, 64-33, in Class 3A.
The Lady Bucks opened a 20-point halftime lead.
Other winners were the Valley View, Holy Redeemer and Holy Cross boys as well as the Montrose and Mountain View girls.
Taheed Jewell scored 19 points and Eli Yusavage 18 in Valley View’s 53-39 Class 4A win over Shamokin.
The Cougars shut out the Indians for more than four minutes to begin the fourth quarter and open up what had been a three-point game.
Zach Perta scored 17 of his 28 points in the second half for Holy Redeemer, which trailed late in a 74-71 victory over SLA Beeber in Class 3A.
Gabe Gonzales scored 13 points to lead Holy Cross in a 47-32, Class 2A victory over Minersville at Lackawanna College.
Hayley Pompey and Mia Snyder scored 14 points each in Montrose’s 46-28 Class 2A victory over Northwest.
Addison Kilmer’s 18 points lifted Mountain View over Harrisburg Christian, 49-33, in Class A.
West Scranton and Scranton each lost in a boys doubleheader at Scranton High.
West Philadelphia overcame a 14-point deficit to defeat West Scranton, 54-50, in Class 5A.
Coatesville scored the first 12 points of the second half to open a 16-point lead on the way to a 68-58 victory over Scranton in Class 6A.
The Nanticoke and Forest City boys as well as the Wyoming Valley West, Scranton, Wyoming Area and Holy Redeemer girls also lost and were eliminated.
Nanticoke led most of the way before falling to Bethlehem Catholic, 43-39, in Class 4A.
MORE AHEAD
Return to Basketball – NEPA Sports Nation more-detailed reports on Saturday’s action and more upcoming coverage of the future rounds of the state tournament.
