×

Williamsport set for more playoff battles with District 2 teams

All the ranting is over. The District 4 seeding system needs fixed but things actually, for the most part, worked out this year. This is the first year of the six-classification system so let’s do some analyzing.

Williamsport will be competing in the four-team District 2 6A tournament and earned the top seed. Williamsport (18-4) plays No. 4 Delaware Valley in Saturday’s semifinals with the winner likely facing second-seeded and state-ranked Hazleton. The Millionaires are surging, having won 11 consecutive games. Stanley Scott is having an all-state season and the team has become more well-rounded. Qayyim Ali and Rondell Carson are averaging near double-doubles, Brian Duvall is an excellent defender, Marcus Simmons has emerged as a good point guard, and Darryl Wilson provides potential explosiveness off the bench.

Delaware Valley cannot be slept on, but Williamsport is the pick there. Hazleton defeated Williamsport, 78-69, last December and nearly every time these teams play, it is a thriller. Look for the same thing in the final with Hazleton winning by three.

District 4 Class AAAA

(8 teams, top three reach states)

This may be the deepest District 4 field with six teams having legitimate championship hopes. Top-seeded Selinsgrove (18-5) hosts No. 8 Montoursville (10-12) and captured the HAC-I championship. Hunter George is an elite center and the Seals have some good guards as well. Still, Montoursville has upset potential and is hoping it can rekindle the quarterfinal magic that helped it stun Shikellamy on its home court in last year’s quarterfinals.

Selinsgrove beat Montoursville, 62-52, two weeks ago in what was a close game throughout. Noah Fagnano is an explosive point guard and Brycen Mussina is one of the field’s best all-around players. When Ethan Buirch, Owen Kiess, Nate Ripley and Abdi Rodriguez are playing well, Montoursville can be really tough.

No. 2 Lewisburg (16-6) hosts No. 7 Shikellamy (10-12) and has put together a strong season despite losing all-time leading scorer Sam Allen and 1,000-point scorer Matt Fedorjaka. Three Dragons are averaging in double figures and Lewisburg split four games with No. 3 Danville and No. 5 Milton. Lewisburg jelled throughout the season and won 11 of 12 games at one point a year after capturing the District 4 Class AAA crown.

Danville (15-7) won last year’s Class AA title and essentially receives a bye into the semifinals, earning the field’s easiest game against No. 6 CMVT (11-11). The Ironmen return most of last year’s players and have a solid inside-outside game. Combine that with the experience and quality coaching and Danville could be a tough out.

Best quarterfinal–Shikellamy at Lewisburg: Like Montoursville, Shikellamy is better than its record indicates and could be a darkhorse. Lewisburg played a thriller with Shikellamy last week, rallying late and winning 59-56.

Tournament sleeper–Milton: The Black Panthers (12-10) might be the field’s hottest team, winning nine of their last 10 games. Milton recorded impressive wins over Danville and Lewisburg during that time and lost two games to Selinsgrove by seven combined points. Ryan Emery and Keayon Williams are an explosive duo and both played major roles two years ago when Milton captured the Class AAA championship. The emergence of players like Tony Manzano, Will Silva and Eric Wilt has Milton looking especially strong. The Panthers make a long road trip to No. 4 Athens (14-8) and the Wildcats cannot be underestimated. But if Milton builds off what it has done lately, it has championship potential.

Player to Watch–Sal Brown, Lewisburg: A versatile and dynamic guard, Brown is a major reason Lewisburg has continued flourishing. Brown attacks the basket well and has a nice shot and is averaging 18.1 points per game. He also is a good rebounder and defender but must stay out of foul trouble for Lewisburg to make a deep run.

Projected Semifinals: Selinsgrove over Milton; Danville over Lewisburg

Projected Final: Danville over Selinsgrove

Third-Place Game: Milton over Lewisburg

District 4 Class AAA

(8 teams, top three reach states)

Top-seeded Wellsboro (20-4) is hoping this is its breakthrough season. The Green Hornets played in three of the last four Class AA finals but are deeper and more balanced than those teams and captured the NTL championship nine days ago. This is a rugged field, but this also might be Wellsboro’s best chance at a championship since it established itself as a perennial contender.

The Hornets have a good core back from last year’s team, decent size and good shooters. Ten players have recorded double-digit scoring games this season. Dalton Prough is one of the field’s more versatile players and Quinn Henry could be a big x-factor as he continues coming back from a late-season football injury. Keep an eye on Collin Pietropola and Alden Weiner inside, too.

Wellsboro hosts No. 8 Warrior Run (11-11) in a rematch of last year’s quarterfinal. The Defenders are in the playoffs for a second consecutive year after having not qualified since 2004. Cody Rogers is an excellent point guard and Gage Anzulavich has recorded nine double-doubles. Those two and Luke Burrows average more than nine points per game.

No. 2 Loyalsock (19-5) is seeking its fourth championship in six seasons and is coming off a strong performance at the Heartland Conference Tournament, taking the title in impressive fashion. The Lancers host No. 7 Troy (11-11) and are playing some of the best basketball. Marcus Williams and Gerald Ross are two of the field’s best guards and Hunter Webb has been a monster on the boards. Michael LaPoint also has been tough inside and is coming on strong and the reserves played valuable minutes at the tournament after Loyalsock overcame a two-game deficit in the final two weeks to win the HAC-II championship.

If Loyalsock beats Troy, it plays either No. 3 Mount Carmel (16-6) or No. 6 Hughesville (13-9). Mount Carmel has made a huge turnaround and has a strong, young core led by freshman Tommy Reisinger. The Tornadoes have won nine of their last 10 games and split two games with Hughesville, the home team winning each time. They also went 3-3 against Hughesville, Central Columbia and Southern Columbia, the three teams that shared the HAC-III title.

Best quarterfinal–No. 5 Southern Columbia at No. 4 Central Columbia: Whoever wins this game has serious championship potential. Southern swept two games from Central, but the Blue Jays won five straight entering the HAC final and beat HAC-I champion Selinsgrove in the semifinals. The Blue Jays are senior-laden, disciplined and have some excellent shooters. Southern is one of the tournament’s hottest teams, having won its last five games. Freshman Julian Fleming is as good as any player in this field and the Tigers beat Selinsgrove, 86-52 last December.

Tournament sleeper–Hughesville: The Spartans have been hard to figure out at times, but have the pieces to make a run if they play good defense. Four players average more than nine points per game and Hughesville can hurt teams inside and outside. Taylor Mason, a 6-10 center, has made big strides in his first season starting and is a potential inside force. Point guard Landon Henry is a three-year starter and helped Hughesville reach states last year while Matt Myers has had a breakout season. Watch out for Brandon Buck and Patrick Rogers as well.

Player to Watch–Conrad Sheatler, Hughesville: The senior is surging at the right time and has reached double figures in six of his last seven games. Sheatler scored 17 points in Monday’s 69-30 win against Line Mountain and is one of the field’s premier shooters.

Projected Semifinals: Wellsboro over Southern; Loyalsock over Mount Carmel

Projected Final: Loyalsock over Wellsboro

Third-Place Game: Southern over Mount Carmel

District 4 Class AA

(6 teams, top three reach states)

Top-seeded North Penn-Mansfield (19-5) tied for the NTL-I crown and is chasing its first district championship since 2010. The Panthers have gone undefeated against the playoff field and have four players averaging eight or more points per game. Brock Burleigh is having another all-state caliber season and is averaging a double-double. He finished second among area scorers with 21.1 points per game. Shane Kelly also is tough inside and is averaging a double-double. When Konnor Mankikowski and Nick Kasper are shooting well outside, the Tigers are really dangerous.

The Tigers receive a first-round bye and play either No. 5 Sayre (10-12) or No. 4 Muncy (11-11). That quarterfinal features two evenly matched teams. Sayre split four games with No. 2 Northeast Bradford and No. 3 Canton and also gave Mansfield one of its tougher games last month so it appears dangerous.

Muncy has made a two-win improvement from last season despite being a fairly young team. Jeff Fry has had a big senior season and is averaging 19 points per game. He is a complete player who scored 17 points, grabbed 13 rebounds and blocked five shots in Thursday’s 56-26 win over North Penn-Liberty. Forwad Matt Coyner has had a breakout season and is averaging a double-double while Nate Paisley does a nice job running the offense.

No. 3 Canton (13-9) hosts No. 6 Williamson in the other quarterfinal. Canton’s 13 wins matches the most its had during the regular season in the 2000s and the program has made a remarkable turnaround after winning three games combined the previous three seasons. The Warriors won their last six regular-season games before losing to Wellsboro in the NTL semifinals and beat Sayre and NE Bradford in their two previous games. Byron Matthews averages 13 points per game.

NEB (13-9) features an up-tempo offense and averages 55 points per game. The Panthers overcame an 0-4 start and won the NTL-II championship.

Tournament sleeper–Williamson: The Warriors will be out for revenge after Canton swept three games from it during the regular season. Collin Heilbrun is an explosive player who scored 28 points in a 63-60 regular-season finale win over Liberty and Nevin Stiles averages 9.2 points per game.

Player to Watch–Ridge Moore, Canton: The senior guard averages a team-best 13.9 points and 2.7 steals per game and heated up late. He had 23 points against Sayre in the final regular-season game and had 22 points, nine steals and four assists in a January win against Montgomery.

Projected Semifinals: Mansfield over Muncy; NEB over Canton

Projected Final: Mansfield over NEB

Third-Place Game: Canton over Muncy

District 4 Class A

(8 teams, top three reach states)

Top-seeded St. John Neumann (22-0) is going after its fifth straight championship, but this could be its biggest challenge during that time. The Knights navigated a difficult schedule and went undefeated during the regular season but teams like Lourdes, Sullivan County and Millville will be coming after them hard. Neumann is hoping to make a deep run into March and will need players like Jaiden Lynch, Jaiden Cioffi and Noah Persun, to name a few, to build off some strong late-season performances. Delaware-bound guard Kevin Anderson, went his entire high school career without losing a regular-season game is heading toward a third straight all-state season. He appears more motivated than ever after suffering a concussion in last year’s state tournament opener. Anderson averages 20 points per game and also leads the area in assists and is one of its top rebounders.

Neumann faces No. 8 North Penn-Liberty (6-15) in the quarterfinals. Garrett Bickhart and Brandyn Choplosky are a nice inside duo but Neumann should advance and could possibly be looking at a tough semifinal against No. 5 Sullivan County which gave it fits last month in a game the Knights won, 34-30.

Sullivan (15-7) plays at No. 4 Meadowbrook Christian. Meadowbrook reached the district final two years ago and won a state tournament game so it should not be underestimated. Still, if Sullivan keeps playing the way it has, it could reach states for a sixth time in seven seasons. The Griffins have won 11 of their last 12 games, with the only loss coming to Neumann. Sullivan beat No. 2 Millville in overtime during that stretch and has been playing the trademark tenacious defense its program’s success has been build upon. John Saxe is an excellent point guard and is averaging 16.6 points per game while leading the team in assists.

Millville (19-3) and No. 3 Lourdes (17-6) are locks to reach the semifinals, playing No. 7 Galeton and No. 6 Sunbury Christian, respectively. Millville has most of its players back from last year’s 17-win team, shoots the ball well, plays solid defense and has one of the field’s best players in Jaylen Reichner.

Lourdes (17-5) is ranked No. 9 in the state and is the only team that has possibly played a more demanding schedule than Neumann. Lourdes has most of last year’s starters back from a team that gave Neumann its toughest district game and nearly beat Pottsville in last week’s Schuylkill League semifinals. Thomas Shultz is a dynamic post player who averages 21.1 points and 8.2 rebounds per game. Four players average more than eight points per game and talented point guard CJ Reichard and Ty Klembara have hit 64 3-pointers.

Tournament sleeper–Sullivan County: The Griffins are the last team to beat Neumann in districts, winning the 2012 final. Sullivan knows it is capable of beating Neumann after the last game and coach Glenn Vaughan is one of the state’s best Class A coaches, doing big things at one of the state’s smallest public schools.

Player to Watch–Jaiden Cioffi, Neumann: The sophomore has had a solid sophomore season while starting for the first time. Cioffi is a good defender and also is an offensive weapon in the making. Cioffi has a nice skill set and if he can deliver performances similar to when he had 15 points in a late-season win at Wellsboro, Neumann can be really tough.

Projected Semifinals: Neumann over Sullivan; Lourdes over Millville

Projected Final: Lourdes over Neumann

Third-Place Game: Millville over Sullivan

Dr. Masse’s Top Five

1. Williamsport (18-4); 2. Neumann (22-0); 3. Loyalsock (19-5); 4. Wellsboro (20-4); 5. Lewisburg (16-6)

Players of the Week: Alex Baumunk, Sullivan County and Hunter Webb, Loyalsock — Baumunk is playing his best basketball at the perfect time and had 36 points along with 19 rebounds in two wins. Baumunk scored a career-high 19 points in a 56-41 win over Wyalusing and went for 17 points and 12 rebounds in Saturday’s 52-31 win against Troy. Webb has been a rebounding machine for Loyalsock and grabbed 23 in two HAC tournament wins. Webb also had six assists and made repeated hustle players that forced turnovers and or extended possessions.

NEWSLETTER

Today's breaking news and more in your inbox

I'm interested in (please check all that apply)
Are you a paying subscriber to the newspaper? *
   

COMMENTS

Starting at $4.62/week.

Subscribe Today