District 2 Boys Basketball Playoff Preview
By: Nate Johns | SportzWire | February 17, 2026 | Photo courtesy Jake Speicher
The 2025-26 District II high school basketball regular season wrapped up this past weekend, with all eyes now set on Mohegan Sun Arena. The district playoffs start Feb. 17 and will culminate with five district champions crowned and 11 state playoff teams decided. Here’s a preview of every classification and a prediction for each district championship game. Teams will be listed in order of seeding from highest to lowest.
1A: MMI Prep
The Preppers did not qualify for the subregional with District XI and since they are the only 1A school in the district, there will be no playoff or district championship awarded.
2A: Old Forge, Susquehanna, Lackawanna Trail, Blue Ridge, Wyoming Seminary, Mountain View, Forest City
The Blue Devils were favorites to repeat as district champions entering the season and secured a first-round bye and the No. 1 seed. Old Forge is led by a talented senior core in big man Logan Fanning and guards Cameron Parker and Ryan DeMarco. A tough LL Division 2 and non-conference schedule has prepared an already experienced team for another likely deep run into March.
Susquehanna and Lackawanna Trail is one of the projected semifinal matchups. Susquehanna has five key contributors in Linden Baker, Griffin Fisk, Mason Keyes, Hudson Stengel and Jaxon Downton. Fisk leads the team with just under 20 ppg. Lackawanna Trail made the district championship and state playoffs last year thanks to a road playoff win over Mountain View. The Lions lost a lot of experience due to graduation, but Jimmy Phillips and Lucas Filipek have led the way and sophomore guard Hayden Bluhm helped this team secure the No. 3 seed.
The Blue Devils are all but a lock to reach the arena. Who they will face is a toss up. The Sabers and Lions should handle business in the quarterfinals to set up a third meeting. In the end, Susquehanna is a deep team who beat LT twice already this season, and one of the biggest surprises in District II will make its first state playoff appearance since 2018.
Championship prediction: Susquehanna vs Old Forge
3A: Riverside, Dunmore, Elk Lake, Holy Cross, Holy Redeemer, Lakeland, Montrose
Riverside secured the No. 1 seed and a first-round bye thanks to a 21-1 record with its only loss against Dunmore, who the Vikings wouldn’t face until the championship game. Nico Antoniacci and Brayden Rose have been unstoppable, with Antoniacci averaging 30 ppg. Michael Schimefenig is one of the most underrated players in the area. The Vikings swept Holy Cross this season and have wins over Dunmore, Old Forge who they also swept, and Wilkes-Barre Area.
Dunmore was in the running for the No. 1 seed late into January, but losing to Riverside at home and Old Forge on the road hurt. The Bucks still beat both teams and swept Holy Cross and are a very good team. Guards Carter Sload, Nate Aviles and Brayden Canavan are a three-headed monster, and Jimmy Clark is a formidable forward.
Elk Lake went 20-2, including a season sweep of Susquehanna. The Warriors toughest test will come in the playoffs, likely against Dunmore. Holy Cross is rounding into form after dealing with injuries and has an elite backcourt with Adam Badyrka and CJ Thompson. The Crusaders were also seconds away from a state championship appearance last season.
The Vikings and Bucks are both state title contenders and destined for a third meeting after finishing as the top two in the LL Division 2.
Championship prediction: Dunmore vs Riverside
4A: Dallas, Scranton Prep, Wyoming Area, Valley View, Hanover Area, Tunkhannock, Honesdale, Mid Valley
Dallas is the No. 1 seed for the first time since 2022, when it won the district title and went to the state semifinals. The Mountaineers went 17-0 against District II teams in the regular season, including an undefeated division record and a third straight WVC championship. Tyce Mason and Joey Nocito make up a deadly 1-2 punch in the backcourt and Pat Flanagan leads the frontcourt. Chris Flanagan and Kael Berry round out a top-tier starting rotation.
Scranton Prep went 17-5 and its only losses came to out-of-district opponents and against Abington Heights. The Cavaliers believe they can win a state championship and that journey ramps up now. With strong depth in Packy Doherty, Brody Martin, Max McGrath and Chickie Skoff, Scranton Prep is one of the deepest teams in the area.
Wyoming Area went 20-3 in the regular season but enters the playoffs on a two game losing streak. Losses to Pittston Area at home and to Crestwood in the WVC Tournament have stopped any momentum the Warriors have entering the playoffs. Luke Kopetchny is still one the best players in the WVC, but Wyoming Area will need some depth to step up to repeat last season’s success.
Valley View made the state semifinals last season, but graduated the entire starting five from that team. This year’s squad is led by Cash Roe, Michael Muto, Noah Symuleski and Jagger Roe. Last week’s win over Scranton snapped a three game losing streak for the Cougars.
The largest classification in District II has three state spots available. Dallas went undefeated at home in the regular season, including a win over Abington Heights by 18 in early December. The Comets swept the Cougars in the regular season. Scranton Prep played the toughest schedule in the class and still had the second best record. This would be a heavyweight battle at Mohegan Sun Arena.
Championship prediction: Scranton Prep vs Dallas
3rd place prediction: Valley View vs Wyoming Area
5A: Abington Heights, Crestwood, Pittston Area, Wallenpaupack, North Pocono, Nanticoke
Abington Heights recovered from a 4-5 start to win 13 straight to secure the No. 1 seed. The Comets will face either North Pocono or Wallenpaupack in the semifinals, who they went a combined 4-0 against with every win coming by double digits. Jordan Shaffer and Andrew Kettel are the main pieces on both offense and defense.
Crestwood emerged as the second best team in the WVC for a 15-7 record. Pittston Area went 11-11 but upset several contenders in Crestwood and Wyoming Area. Both teams won at home in the two regular season meetings. Both are built on their defense. The game will be intense and low scoring.
Abington Heights should handle business to reach the championship. Crestwood and Pittston will likely come down to who can hit more big shots. I trust Crestwood with the WVC’s top defense and home-court advantage, where the Comets beat Pittston 39-29 in December.
Championship prediction: Crestwood vs Abington Heights
6A: Wilkes-Barre Area, Williamsport, Delaware Valley, Hazleton, Scranton, West Scranton, Wyoming Valley West
Wilkes-Barre locked up the No. 1 seed after Williamsport lost to Executive Education. After an up and down regular season that saw the Wolfpack miss the WVC Tournament despite being the preseason division favorites, they are still the top seed led by experienced players in David Jannuzzi and Mike Keating. The question is whether or not Wilkes-Barre can finally break through and take down Hazleton.
Williamsport emerged late in the season, winning five straight after losing to WBA. The Millionaires went 2-1 vs District II this season, losing to Hazleton on the road but beating Dallas and Holy Redeemer. They will likely face either a West Scranton team that finished the year 8-14 or a Delaware Valley team who lost five of its eight games on the road.
Delaware Valley still had a strong season, going 14-8 with wins over Valley View and Scranton. The Warriors ended the season winning four straight. They have several strong options on offense like Trey Newton, Tyler Lombardo and Colin McGarvey.
Hazleton and Scranton might be the most intriguing quarterfinal matchup in the boys bracket. A rematch of last season’s district championship, both teams return a star. Scranton has senior guard Tony Battaglia and Hazleton has sophomore Dylan Stish. Both squads have struggled with depth and are dealing with inexperience in the postseason.
Williamsport has the clearest path to the arena, especially with home-court advantage until the district championship. Hazleton can get past Scranton at home, which sets up a third straight playoff semifinal meeting with Wilkes-Barre Area. After the Cougars swept the Wolfpack in the regular season, the playoff experience of WBA will make the third time the charm.
Championship prediction: Williamsport vs Wilkes-Barre Area
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