Holy Redeemer leads all Wyoming Valley Conference boys basketball programs in wins (4) and appearances (6) in District 2 championship games at Mohegan Arena.
Tony Callaio file photo | For Times Leader
EDITOR’S NOTE: Freelance sports writer Tom Robinson, a frequent contributor for the Times Leader Media Group, has covered every second of every District 2 championship basketball game at Mohegan Arena. With the 100th championship game in that series being played Thursday, he is taking a look at the history of the arena title games in a five-part series that begins today.
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WILKES-BARRE TWP. — District 2 of the PIAA moved its basketball championships from a series of games, often in doubleheaders and tripleheaders, at venues all around northeastern Pennsylvania into a multi-day event at one location — the Mohegan Arena — in 2016.
The 10th season of championship games at the arena arrives Thursday and the middle game of a tripleheader, the Class 4A girls championship between Scranton Prep and Valley View, will mark the 100th title decided at the arena during that time. That total includes District 2-4 Subregional championships in the largest classification, often featuring Williamsport, the only District 4 school of that size.
STREAK BROKEN
When the Crestwood girls defeated Abington Heights 56-39 Saturday in a Class 5A semifinal game to make the final, they ended an impressive run.
The Abington Heights girls had been the only team to play at the arena in all nine seasons.
Hazleton Area will match the nine appearances when it plays in Class 6A girls Friday night.
The two Scranton Prep teams will also tie them for the most appearances with nine when they play Thursday night and Saturday afternoon.
NEW FACE
Lackawanna Trail will become the 31st boys team and 61st different team overall to play a final at the arena.
The Lions, who won their way into Saturday’s Class 2A final with a road victory Saturday, are the only new face among this year’s 22 teams. Each of the other teams have been there at least once.
Of the 78 current District 2 teams, 55 have made it at least once.
VISITORS
Williamsport is not the only non-District 2 team to play in a title game at the arena.
District 2 and 11 have often struggled to figure how to fit the District 2 Class A championship into the ongoing District 2-11 Subregional that qualifies teams for state play.
This year is no different, with MMI Prep playing its Thursday district final in Class A girls in between subregional games Wednesday night and Saturday.
In 2023, the timing and seeding were right for the subregional girls final to be played at the arena and Nativity BVM from Pottsville made its only appearance.
Williamsport has qualified its boys team for the arena five times and the girls four, but only produced one win by the boys in 2017.
Former Wyoming Valley Conference school Northwest, now a District 4 member, played in two finals, losing both.
The most games in a given year is 12, but there will be 11 this year as, for the sixth time, there will not be a Class A boys game. MMI Prep is the only District 2 Class A school in boys basketball in this two-year PIAA enrollment cycle.
WILKES-BARRE AREA
Wilkes-Barre Area teams are 3-0 at the arena and two of their predecessors also made it there.
The Wolfpack is 2-0 in boys finals and the girls are 1-0.
Before the school district’s merger, Meyers won the first Class 2A boys title 50-29 over Elk Lake in 2016.
GAR lost to Scranton Prep in the Class 4A boys final in 2017, the first year the PIAA expanded from four to six classifications.
FREQUENT VISITORS
During the decade at the arena, some teams have become regulars.
In addition to the four teams that have made it nine times, five others, including the Holy Redeemer girls, will be playing for the eighth time in 10 years with this week’s appearances.
The Dunmore and Susquehanna girls, along with the Holy Cross and Scranton boys, will be making their eighth appearance.
The Abington Heights boys have qualified eight times, but they will be playing just their seventh game. In 2021, Crestwood was awarded the Class 5A title in a walkover when Abington Heights could not appear because of a COVID situation.
In addition, the Dunmore girls and Holy Cross boys are each 8-for-9 when it comes to qualifying to play at the arena. Neither was able to participate in the 2021 playoffs because of COVID.
Four teams, none of which are back this year, have been to the arena six times. They are the Holy Redeemer boys, along with the girls from Forest City, Holy Cross and Old Forge.
UNBEATABLE
Scranton Prep, Holy Cross and Abington Heights know nothing but success at the arena.
The Cavaliers are 8-0, the Crusaders are 7-0 and the Comets are 6-0 and trying to improve on those records this week.
Mountain View is 2-0 in girls finals going into its Friday afternoon game. Wilkes-Barre Area and Riverside are the other two 2-0 girls teams.
Nobody else has won more than one title without also suffering a loss at the arena.
MOST WINS
Holy Redeemer has gone 4-2 to lead WVC boys programs in wins and appearances.
The Royals are tied with Scranton for the fourth-most boys titles won at the arena.
Susquehanna, then Scranton Prep will have the chance to break the tie for most girls titles with Abington Heights. All have won six.
Hazleton Area is right behind them, going 5-3 and tying Dunmore for fourth-most championships among girls.
Holy Cross has won four and Holy Redeemer and Old Forge three.
STILL SEARCHING
Valley View is 0-4 in boys finals at the arena and, when it plays Scranton Prep Saturday, will be trying to avoid joining the Mid Valley boys with the most appearances without a championship.
The Williamsport girls are the other 0-4 team.
WVC RECORDS
Full arena records for WVC teams:
In boys, Holy Redeemer 4-2, Hazleton Area 2-2, Wyoming Seminary 2-1, MMI Prep 2-1, Dallas 1-3, Meyers 1-0, Wilkes-Barre Area 1-0, Pittston Area 1-0, Northwest 0-2, Berwick 0-1, Crestwood 0-1, GAR 0-1, Nanticoke 0-1.
In girls, Hazleton Area 5-3, Holy Redeemer 3-4, Wilkes-Barre Area 2-0, Pittston Area 1-2, Wyoming Valley West 1-2, Nanticoke 1-1, Berwick 0-2, Dallas 0-2, Crestwood 0-1, Lake-Lehman 0-1, MMI Prep 0-1, Wyoming Area 0-1.
