District 2 Girls Basketball Playoff Preview
By: Nate Johns | SportzWire | February 17, 2026 | Photo courtesy Bob Gaetano
The District II girls basketball regular season concluded on Feb. 14 with division and conference champions being crowned. Now all eyes are on the district playoffs. This is a preview of each class and a prediction for the championship game. Teams will be listed from highest to lowest seed.
1A: Susquehanna, MMI Prep
Susquehanna will be crowned the district champion after both teams failed to qualify for District II/XI subregional and MMI Prep opted out of the district championship game.
2A: Wyoming Seminary, Mountain View, Holy Cross, Elk Lake, Blue Ridge, Forest City, Old Forge, Lackawanna Trail
Last year I said Wyoming Seminary was experiencing a resurgence led by sophomore Ella Stembaugh. This season, she committed to Richmond and hit 1,000 career points vs Holy Redeemer. The Blue Knights earned the No. 1 seed after a strong showing in the WVC Division 2.
Mountain View has been in the state championship and state semifinals the last two years. This year has been a bit tough thanks to some key pieces graduating. The Lady Eagles still earned the No. 2 seed as Addison Kilmer hit 2,000 career points earlier this season. After starting 4-5, Mountain View won 12 of its final 13.
Holy Cross and Elk Lake both have experience making deep district playoff runs. The Lady Crusaders faced a tough schedule that earned them the No. 3 seed with a 12-10 record. The Lady Warriors went 14-8 despite being in a rebuilding year, but a lack of big opponents hurt them in the power rankings. Still, they have pieces left from last season’s state playoff team.
Any of these four teams have a chance to make it to the arena. Wyoming Seminary has home-court advantage while the other three have all been to the arena within the last two seasons. In the end, I lean towards the teams with the two best players in the tournament.
Championship prediction: Mountain View vs Wyoming Seminary
3A: Dunmore, Holy Redeemer, Lake-Lehman, Riverside, Montrose, Western Wayne, Lakeland, Carbondale
Dunmore is once again the favorite to return to the championship game. The Lady Bucks passed 100 consecutive division wins in January and only lost one game to a District II opponent, the Lynett Tournament Championship vs Scranton. Dunmore swept a potential semifinal opponent in Riverside this season.
Holy Redeemer and Lake-Lehman may not have dominated the WVC Division 2 like we are used to, but both are likely on another collision course in the semifinals. These two split the regular season series, both winning the home game. Lake-Lehman has won six straight entering the playoffs, including a 61-51 win vs the Lady Royals. Holy Redeemer had won four straight, including games against Wyoming Seminary and Nanticoke, before losing to Hazleton in the WVC semifinals.
Dunmore likely awaits the winner of the WVC heavyweight clash. Lake-Lehman has been so close the last two years, and this finally feels like the time it does.
Championship prediction: Lake-Lehman vs Dunmore
4A: Scranton Prep, Valley View, Nanticoke, Honesdale, Wyoming Area, Tunkhannock, Mid Valley, Hanover Area
Scranton Prep struggled early after a tough non-conference schedule and losing all five starters to graduation. The Classics started 6-5 before ripping off 11 straight wins to end the regular season. They did lose the LL Division 1 Championship to North Pocono, but still have the No. 1 seed once again.
Valley View had the opposite season of Scranton Prep. The Lady Cougars started off hot, but then lost four of six before ending the year on a three game winning streak. Valley View only lost two home games all season, and they will not have to leave the Cougar Den until the district championship.
Nanticoke has a chance to play spoiler for Valley View and has the talent to after winning a tough WVC Division 2. The Torjanettes only lost five games and all were against teams that are top three seeds in their respective brackets. Unfortunately Nanticoke lost three of its last four including the WVC Tournament and all those games were on the road. They will need to win a road game to make the district championship.
Assuming Scranton Prep handles Hanover Area, they will have to face a tough Honesdale team in the semifinals. The Classics should be ok given how they’ve played since January. Valley View vs Nanticoke should be close, but home-court and experience in the big moments should guide the Lady Cougars back to the arena for the third straight year.
Championship prediction: Valley View vs Scranton Prep
5A: Crestwood, Dallas, North Pocono, Abington Heights, Pittston, Berwick, Wallenpaupack
Crestwood went to the state semifinals and is on a mission to get back there and further. The Lady Comets went 21-3 in the regular season with two of those losses being against Hazleton. Crestwood has length and skill, a combination not many teams can match. They are the only team this season to beat Hazleton at home too.
Dallas was on track for the No. 1 seed until Crestwood beat Hazleton on the road and then beat the Lady Mountaineers to jump them in the power rankings. Dallas returns every piece from last season’s state playoff team and gets Molly Walsh back after missing all of last season with a torn ACL. Dallas owns a home victory over Crestwood, but ended the regular season losing two of three.
North Pocono ended Scranton Prep’s eight-year streak as LL Division 1 Champions. The Lady Trojans went 18-4 two losses on the road, vs reigning 3A state champion Loyalsock and Scranton Prep. North Pocono is led by Ella and Anna Clementoni and a tough defense.
Crestwood should advance to the final, especially with a first-round bye. Dallas and North Pocono should meet in an excellent possible semifinal. That game would be a coin toss, but I trust North Pocono’s defense and current wave of momentum after beating Scranton Prep.
Championship prediction: North Pocono vs Crestwood
6A: Hazleton, Scranton, Delaware Valley, Wilkes-Barre Area, Wyoming Valley West, West Scranton
Hazleton went undefeated last season until the state quarterfinals when it lost to eventual state champion Perkiomen Valley. The Lady Cougars went 22-2 this year and won the WVC Tournament for the third straight season. Kaitlyn Bindas leads a team that roles eight or nine deep and has been the best team in District II all season.
Scranton secured the No. 2 seed despite a 10-12 record, but faced an incredibly difficult schedule. The Lady Knights won the Lynett Tournament by beating Scranton Prep and Dunmore and faced the usual gauntlet of LL Division 1 play. 1,000 point scorer Chrissy Jacklinski leads the offense and gets support from Jaelyn Alers and Rhylee Bell.
These two teams are the most likely to make it to the arena. Hazleton has been dominant all season and Scranton beat the No. 3 seed Delaware Valley both times they played by at least 18 points.
Championship prediction: Scranton vs Hazleton
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