EDITOR’S NOTE: Since this story was posted, the Hanover Area-at-Honesdale wrestling match has been postponed.
Dunmore and Western Wayne each lost high-profile, non-league girls basketball games to the temporary shutdown of the Lake-Lehman athletic program.
The schools responded by putting together an alternative matchup of defending champion and highly regarded teams on short notice.
Dunmore will travel to Western Wayne Thursday night for a 6:45 p.m. game.
The schools were already set to have their boys teams meet in the first event of the day at 2:45, also at Western Wayne.
Now, with just two days’ notice, the Lady Bucks will head to Wayne County to face the Lady Wildcats to break up what could have otherwise turned into a stretch of two full weeks without a game.
Dunmore (2-0) is the defending Lackawanna League Division 3 champion and the top-ranked Big School girls team in the My City Mortgage Super Six Power Rankings of District 2 teams. The Lady Bucks are led by the return of three-time, first-team all-stater Moriah Murray and two-time, all-state selection Ciera Toomey.
Western Wayne (2-1) is the defending Lackawanna Division 2 champion and is ranked second among Small School girls teams in the Super Six. The Lady ‘Cats have a veteran lineup, led by the return of Kaeli Romanowski, NEPABasketball.com’s two-time Division 2 Player of the Year.
The 10-game girls schedule, on the last day of competition before all District 2 athletic teams break for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, is stocked with quality matchups.
No. 1 Riverside (3-1) faces No. 5 Montrose (1-2) in a Small School meeting of two more defending champion teams that are ranked this season.
Riverside, led by first-team, all-stater Kylie Lavelle, is the defending District 2 Class 3A champion.
Montrose’s Tangi Smith, who led her team to the Division 4 title, and Lavelle were each Player of the Year in their division last season.
Defending District 2 Class 5A champion Abington Heights hosts Holy Redeemer. The Lady Comets are No. 5 among Big Schools where Holy Redeemer had been ranked to begin the season. Both teams are 3-2.
Hazleton Area (2-2) is at Scranton (4-0).
The four-game boys schedule also has interesting matchups, including Hazleton Area (2-1) at Pottsville (3-2) and Old Forge (3-2) is at Blue Ridge (2-2).
There are two wrestling matches: Delaware Valley (1-0 in division, 2-0 overall) at North Pocono (1-0, 1-0) in Lackawanna Division 1 and Hanover Area at Honesdale in a non-league match.
