Sports
District 11 basketball playoffs start this weekend. Here's a breakdown of opening games – Pocono Record
After a long and arduous season, it’s finally time for the district playoffs on the mountain. There is one defending district champ among the eight playoff teams, including five on the boys’ side and three on the girls’ side.
Half of the teams will play opening round games this weekend, while the other half will play next Tuesday and Wednesday, but all of the coaches share their thoughts on their upcoming opponents.
Opponent: Bethlehem Catholic, Feb. 28
Carly Gallagher’s squad had a rough go of it during the regular season after losing Layla Hernandez to a season-ending injury. But the 6-16 Cavaliers reached the District 11 5A playoffs as the No. 4-seed, and they’ll face No. 1-seed Bethlehem Catholic on Feb. 28
South’s last matchup with the Golden Hawks isn’t a fond memory – not only did they lose 67-22 at home in December, but it’s also the game where Hernandez suffered the injury. That was tough for Gallagher and Co. to manage, but it also created the opportunity for senior Rylee Davis to blossom into an EPC North Division All-Star.
“She put the team on her back,” Gallagher said. “The leadership from her has gotten so much better. Her teammates feed off of her. And the one thing with her; she’s going to battle for 32 minutes and give us the same Rylee Davis that steps on the court.”
South hopes to perform better against the perimeter shooting of Bethlehem Catholic, led by senior and EPC First Team selection Cici Hernandez.
Opponent: Emmaus, Feb. 23 at Pleasant Valley, 6 p.m.
The Panthers finished undefeated on the mountain during the regular season but have had their troubles against Lehigh Valley teams, going 2-4 against teams not in the North Division. Still, first-year head coach Jim Dempsey and 4-seed Pocono Mountain West look to advance to the semifinals against 5-seed Emmaus.
“They shoot the ball extremely well,” Dempsey said. “They’re tough defensively, and they pressure ball handlers, so that’s something we need to be aware of through all phases of the game. Seeing them play against Parkland, we got to see their quickness in-person. They play good team basketball, and they’re going to be a tough matchup.”
With Vatijah Davis gone, everyone from last year’s team has an expanded role, including All-Area First Teamers Anai’sah Malone and Alyssa Ford, but Dempsey’s message to the team has been for the other players to be a “star in their role” and not be hesitant to be aggressive on offense.
“In the first half of the season, some players would look to defer, and now they’re realizing that at certain times, they provide the best look,” Dempsey said. “In order to keep the offense rolling, those players have to call their own numbers, and they’ve been doing a great job of that.”
The Panthers will have to contend with EPC Third Team selection, freshman Kayla Snyder.
Opponent: Parkland, Feb. 23 at Allen High School, 6 p.m.
The records say West went undefeated, but Stroudsburg took the Panthers to the wire in both games thanks to the play of McKayla Strunk and Zoe Brown. Now the No. 8 Mounties will have their toughest challenge to date as they’ll face the No. 1 Parkland Trojans in the Lehigh Valley on Friday.
“Parkland works really hard on defense. They do a good job of creating turnovers and pressuring the ball,” Stroudsburg head coach Matt Field said. “On offense, they do a good job of sharing the ball and attacking offensive rebounds. So there’s definitely a lot of challenges when you play them.”
Stroudsburg had a batch of minor injuries throughout the season, and Field expects to keep a short rotation against Parkland. That likely means more will be expected of Strunk, who’s played her way to the top of every opponent’s scouting report.
“She’s playing with a lot of confidence, and she’s earned that through her play,” Field said. “With her, I think you’ll see more of what you saw during the regular season. She’s not afraid to take a big shot for us, but she also does a good job of getting the ball to an open teammate if they pressure her. I know that she’s ready for the moment.”
Strunk will have her work cut out for her on the defensive end as she’ll spend some time guarding Parkland’s EPC First Team selection, Maddie Siggins.
Opponent: Whitehall, Feb. 27, TBA
On the boys’ side, the Timberwolves have the only confirmed rematch of the regular season, and it was a 76-47 blowout on the road against the Zephyrs. This has been a rivalry multiple years in the making as North lost to Whitehall in last year’s district playoffs.
“I think God works in mysterious ways,” North head coach Denzal McKenzie said. “So we got a chance to give them some payback. They beat us by a good amount in the regular season. As the season progressed, we saw a possibility that we’d match up with them again. Our guys are excited to face them again.”
McKenzie mentioned that preparation is key, and they have plenty of film from previous matchups and other playoff games. But a major difference will be senior guard Bryceson Dobie, who didn’t play in the district playoffs last year due to the transfer rules.
“Dobie in particular has been really excited,” McKenzie said. “He had to sit out while his running mate Nate Wilder had to go on without him last year. It’s going to be a new experience for him.”
Whitehall has Luke Keppel on their side, a respected guard taking his talents to the college ranks, and a solid big man who holds his own.
Opponent: Winner of Susquehanna and Forest City, Feb. 27
The Spartans are one of two teams to receive and opening-round bye in the district tournament. As the reigning district champions, they will have a target on their back, but this season has been more about internal growth than external factors.
“We’ve grown up and matured,” head coach Matt Gallagher said. “Them message I’ve given to them daily, especially to the seniors, is that this is it. You may go on to play college basketball, but it’s not the same as high school. So we have expectations to meet every single day. And it was a struggle, but I think we’re in a great place right now.”
Several players echoed Gallagher’s sentiments, saying that the team had to have some tough conversations throughout the year, but they eventually found a common ground and have much stronger chemistry than when the season started.
Opponent: Bangor, at Pleasant Valley, Feb. 23, 7:30 p.m.
Pocono Mountain East won its first six games, then lost seven straight to complete the most chaotic season on the mountain, but the Cardinals got the wins they needed to reach the district playoffs.
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Now East has to win against Bangor, who had a good season in the Colonial League and now stand in their way ahead of a potential third game against Pocono Mountain West.
“I’m just proud of my staff that we were able to turn the corner,” East head coach Mark Dudley said. “We had to beat Pleasant Valley twice and East Stroudsburg North twice. Those were key wins to get us in this position.”
Dudley has preached to his team that Bangor shouldn’t be taken lightly, and while the Cardinals have a talented roster, the younger players like Aiden Pierre and Parker Scoz will need to be at their best alongside Taemas Jones to advance.
Opponent: Winner of Pocono Mountain East and Bangor. Feb. 27
It’s deja vu for Rich Williams as he may end up seeing a mountain team for the third time in the playoffs, similar to how West had to play East Stroudsburg South four times last year, with the only loss coming in the district championship game.
Regardless of their opponent, however, West is looking to return to the district title game and claim the prize that eluded the Panthers last year. A big part of that will be Adrian Brito, who has established himself as a top player in the area who’s in the running for an All-State selection.
“When you have a kid like Adrian who’s dominant in the post, and now showing dominance on the perimeter, he’s really tough to guard,” head coach Rich Williams said. “Whether is East’s big, Whitehall’s big or whoever, we expect that player to have a tough time with Adrian.”
Should a rematch occur, East will have a large chip on their shoulder as West beat them by an average of about 33 points in the two regular-season matchup.
Opponent: Northampton, at Allen High School, Feb. 24, 4 p.m.
The only 6A boys team on the mountain, Stroudsburg is another team that’s grown over the course of the season. The Mounties have learned to play through their strengths and have found some answers against a really solid Northampton squad.
“It was similar to last year, where that team became tough by the end of the season,” head coach Tarik El-Bassiouni said. “I think at the start of this year, they felt they were already there. But as they quickly learned, they still have to put in the work. Now, we’re pretty happy with their defensive effort, but we’ll have to take it to another level against Northampton.”
Stroudsburg has a lot of natural talent, including EPC North All-Star Rich Gilmore, EPC North and All-Area All-Star Denzel Key, and the backcourt duo of Micaiah Brown and Kamoni Smith-Johnson. But like the head coach said, it’ll start on the defensive end against on of the best off-ball teams in the district.