"Playoff Showdown: Berwick Bulldogs Look to Upset Wyoming Area Warriors in Quarterfinal Clash"
By: Audra Lear | Sportzwire | February 18, 2025 | Photo courtesy Carrie Miner Yaple @v1sion_media
Playoffs are nearing right around the corner for boys' basketball. The tensions are just as high as the stakes for the teams hoping to advance to the next round. On Tuesday, February 18th, there will be four quarterfinal games in District 2 4A. Honesdale will play Scranton Prep, Mid Valley will play Valley View, Tunkhannock will play Dallas, and Berwick will play Wyoming Area.
To concentrate on a pressing matchup in particular, the Berwick-Wyoming Area game will be played at 7:00 PM at the home of the higher seed, the Wyoming Area Warriors. Although Wyoming Area is the higher seed, Berwick's performance in the mid and late-season pronounces that the Bulldogs should not be counted out of victory so quickly. This game will no doubt be a suspenseful one, and the outcome lays uncertain.
Wyoming Area ended their season most favorably, rearing with an 11-2 record and becoming WVC Division 2 champions. The first time Berwick and Wyoming Area went head to head in the 2024-2025 season, the Warriors sealed a close win 61-56. Less than a month later, the two teams met again, and Berwick handed Wyoming Area their first loss of the season, conquering with a 17 point victory, 60-43, at the Bulldogs' Varsity Gym.
In that game, senior #1 Julian Howie accounted for one-third of the team's offense, racking up 20 points total. Another senior, #0 Billy Hanson, dropped 15 points, and senior #2 Noah Marquez chipped in with 12 points. Not only that, but Wyoming Area's leading scorer, Luke Koepetchney, with an average of 21 PPG, let up a one-score difference of 19 points against the Bulldogs. Even though Koepetchney had a successful game individually, it didn't even make a scratch in the final score of the game, compared to Berwick's combined teamwork and effort that night.
It has been over a week since Berwick's final regular season game against Holy Redeemer, which ended in an unfortunate loss. Coming off that setback, the boys have been practicing hard and preparing for the playoff game again WA. "We've been staying in shape, for sure, but focusing on locking in mentally, getting lots of shots up, and making sure we feel good in every aspect by game day," commented Howie, the Bulldogs leading scorer, who is proud of his team for their eight-game win streak after a shaky start to the season. "I feel like we've never played so well together until this year, and it's just improved every game."
As it has been two months since the Bulldogs lost to the Warriors and almost 1 month since the game the Bulldogs won inversely, the two teams hold a 1-1 record. Both teams have made changes and improvements in their game since their in-season face-offs, which will no doubt bring new challenges to the game as soon as the clock starts. It is uncertain whether both teams will conquer the difficulty and pressure this game will throw at them, but both sides are still sustaining overall confidence coming into the playoffs.
Julian Howie, references the most recent win against the Warriors, "It definitely gives a little confidence boost but we know what's coming and they know what's coming. It all comes down to who is going to go out there and get it."
Lukas Burakiewicz, Wyoming Area's second highest scorer, holds similar values, yet expresses them not so lightly, "Confidence is the same going into this game. We know what it's going to take to beat this team. If we execute, we will have no problem doing so," he said. Since Berwick delivered Wyoming Area their first loss out of two in the entire season, the determination stays in tact. "We were going to prepare for any team no matter who we got matched up against. The goal remains the same," he adds.
Both the Bulldogs and Warriors alike will have to overcome the unpredictability of this matchup for the ability to advance to the next round. Basketball is a fast-paced test of composure, and in the playoffs, both teams have something huge to lose. However for the Bulldogs, in particular, with the incredible teamwork they have exhibited this season, they have proved they have much more to win. But are the Wyoming Area Warriors prepared for that?
Tip-off is Tuesday, February 18th at 7:00 PM at Wyoming Area.
