District 2’s list of unbeaten basketball teams shrunk from four to one in a difficult week for the district’s top teams.
The eight teams ranked first or second in their groups in last week’s My City Mortgage Super Six Basketball Power Rankings of District 2 teams combined to go 9-8. Three unbeatens fell for the first time, including two cases where they left the area to face highly regarded opponents.
When it was all over, 14 of the 24 positions from last weekend were changed in the new rankings, which were released Sunday afternoon on our partner website, NEPABasketball.com.
The Dunmore boys reached a new high by moving into second among Small Schools while the Scranton Prep girls returned to second among Big Schools.
Wallenpaupack moved up two spots to third in Big School boys during a week in which a series of teams moved up one notch.
The Hazleton Area and North Pocono boys, as well as the Abington Heights, Wilkes-Barre Area, Lake-Lehman and Elk Lake girls, joined the Dunmore boys and Scranton Prep girls in climbing one spot.
The Mid Valley boys, Elk Lake boys and Lackawanna Trail girls returned to the rankings while the Hazleton Area girls appeared for the first time this season.
None of the top rankings changed hands.
The Scranton boys, the last unbeaten team standing in the district, continued to lead the Big Schools.
Holy Redeemer is first in Small School boys and Dunmore is first in Big School girls despite suffering their first losses.
All three have held the positions for the entire season.
Western Wayne held on to the top spot in Small School girls.
Scranton’s only game was an 86-48 rout of rival West Scranton to improve to 7-0 in boys before both programs entered into a COVID shutdown.
Hazleton Area continued its steady climb, winning three straight games to move from third to second among Big Schools. The Cougars beat two other ranked teams.
Wallenpaupack won twice to go from fifth to third.
Pittston Area split, losing to Hazleton Area, and remained fourth.
North Pocono won its only game and held fifth.
Mid Valley won twice, extending its winning streak to seven, to return to the rankings in sixth.
Dallas started the week with a win, but then lost two straight to fall all the way from second to outside the rankings.
All but the top spot changed in Big School girls where half of the teams lost away from home against unbeaten opponents.
Dunmore fell to nationally ranked St. John Vianney in Holmdel, N.J., but remained first.
Scranton Prep also left the area and lost to an unbeaten opponent, falling to Class 6A Plymouth-Whitemarsh. Like Dunmore, the Classics won big in their only local game. As a result, they moved up from third to second.
Abington Heights, Wilkes-Barre Area and Lake-Lehman followed Scranton Prep, sliding up one spot each into third, fourth and fifth.
Abington Heights won its only game and Wilkes-Barre Area won twice.
Lake-Lehman won two local games, including taking sole possession of the Wyoming Valley Conference Division 2 lead, but lost at unbeaten Jim Thorpe.
Hazleton Area beat a previously ranked opponent (Dallas) and an unbeaten team (Pittston Area) to run its winning streak to five games and join the rankings in sixth.
The Dallas girls started the week unbeaten, but lost three straight and, like the school’s boys team, fell from second to unranked.
Movement was more subtle in Small School boys.
Holy Redeemer held first even though it lost Saturday at Delone Catholic.
Dunmore traded places with Riverside, going from third to second. The Bucks defeated fourth-ranked Holy Cross in their only game while the Vikings split their two games.
Holy Cross, which won its other two games, and Blue Ridge, which won both games, held fourth and fifth.
Elk Lake also won twice and returned in sixth, replacing Old Forge, which lost its only game.
The top four in Small School girls remained the same.
Western Wayne, Riverside, Holy Cross and Montrose went a combined 8-1 to hold first through fourth.
Western Wayne won its only game by 43; Riverside won three times by a total of 106 points; Holy Cross went 2-1 with the loss to Big School No. 1 Dunmore; and Montrose won twice by 54.
Elk Lake gained a spot into fifth after splitting two games.
Lackawanna Trail also split, winning its Lackawanna Division 4 opener, and returned in sixth.
Both Elk Lake and Lackawanna Trail suffered their losses against higher-ranked teams – Montrose and Holy Cross.
Mid Valley lost three times by a total of 85 points to drop out after being 7-1 and ranked fifth.
MY CITY MORTGAGE SUPER SIX POWER RANKINGS
(With Record, Previous Rankings)
| BOYS BIG SCHOOL | GIRLS BIG SCHOOL |
| 1. Scranton (7-0, 1) | 1. Dunmore (7-1, 1) |
| 2. Hazleton Area (8-2, 3) | 2. Scranton Prep (6-2, 3) |
| 3. Wallenpaupack (9-2, 5) | 3. Abington Heights (8-3, 4) |
| 4. Pittston Area (7-3, 4) | 4. Wilkes-Barre Area (10-1, 5) |
| 5. North Pocono (8-2, 6) | 5. Lake-Lehman (7-2, 6) |
| 6. Mid Valley (10-2, NR) | 6. Hazleton Area (8-3, NR) |
| BOYS SMALL SCHOOL | GIRLS SMALL SCHOOL |
| 1. Holy Redeemer (7-1, 1) | 1. Western Wayne (8-2, 1) |
| 2. Dunmore (7-4, 3) | 2. Riverside (9-2, 2) |
| 3. Riverside (8-3, 2) | 3. Holy Cross (5-5, 3) |
| 4. Holy Cross (6-5, 4) | 4. Montrose (4-4, 4) |
| 5. Blue Ridge (8-3, 5) | 5. Elk Lake (7-3, 6) |
| 6. Elk Lake (7-4, NR) | 6. Lackawanna Trail (4-5, NR) |
