Hazleton Area’s Mackenzie Yori, right, scored 23 points — the most ever by a WVC player in a District 2 title game held at Mohegan Arena — to lift the Cougars over Pittston Area in 2016.
Times Leader file photo
EDITOR’S NOTE: Freelance sports writer Tom Robinson, a frequent contributor for the Times Leader Media Group, has covered 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 began Wednesday.
WILKES-BARRE TWP. — A frequent topic of conversation during the District 2 basketball championship games at Mohegan Arena since 2016 has been how the arena setting, with open space behind the baskets, differs from high school gyms and may make shooting or scoring more difficult.
But there have been teams and individuals that have conquered the challenge.
Five teams, including the 2020 Holy Redeemer boys and 2016 Hazleton Area girls, have scored at least 70 points in a game.
The record belongs to Abington Heights with 77 against West Scranton in the 2017 Class 5A boys game.
Holy Cross scored 73 against Blue Ridge in Class 2A boys last season.
Justice Shoats scored 21 points and Mason Mendygral added 17 to lead Holy Redeemer’s 72-point effort against Riverside in Class 3A boys.
Mackenzie Yori’s 23 points in Class 4A, then the largest classification, in 2016 were the most ever produced at the arena by a Wyoming Valley Conference player. That total helped Hazleton Area score 70 against Pittston Area.
Scranton Prep also scored 70 on Berwick in the 2016 Class 3A game.
The 64 points scored by MMI Prep in last season’s Class A win over Susquehanna are the most ever by a boys team from the WVC. Brendon Brobst led the way with 20 points.
One of the highest-scoring efforts by a WVC boys team came in defeat.
The last two years of arena action have ended with the two highest-scoring games in the series history, both Scranton wins in Class 6A boys.
The Knights won the subregional final over Williamsport for the record point total in 2023 with a 69-64 victory. They won again last season over Hazleton Area 68-58.
The highest-scoring girls game was a 63-58 Abington Heights victory over Dallas in Class 5A in 2021.
Hazleton Area was also part of the only other game of at least 120 points when it lost the Class 6A boys subregional to Williamsport in 2017.
WINNING BIG
Hazleton Area produced the largest margin of victory at the arena when it defeated Pittston Area 70-32 in Class 4A girls in the first year, 2016, for a record that has held up through eight more years of finals.
WVC teams have produced two of the biggest blowouts.
Pittston Area pounded North Pocono 59-26 in Class 5A boys in 2022.
There were two bigger margins by boys teams – Abington Heights over West Scranton 77-41 in Class 5A in 2017 and Holy Cross over Blue Ridge 61-26 in Class 2A in 2023.
LOW POINTS
The arena-based shooting difficulties could be blamed, but the defenses deserve some credit as well.
Susquehanna and Montrose are tied for the record for least points allowed and are immediately followed by another girls team from Susquehanna County. Susquehanna, in 2021 Class A against Forest City, and Montrose, in 2023 Class 2A against Old Forge, gave up 15 points each.
Mountain View held Susquehanna to 17 points last season on the way to a PIAA Class A state final appearance.
The best defensive effort by a WVC team came from the MMI Prep boys in their 2018 upset of eventual state quarterfinalist Susquehanna.
The least points by two teams combined came in last year’s Class 2A girls game when Holy Cross defeated Montrose, 22-20.
The record had been a 33-19 Abington Heights victory over Wyoming Valley West in Class 5A in 2019.
The boys low came in 2018 with MMI Prep’s 38-22 win over Susquehanna.
