Scranton’s Chrissy Jacklinski moves the ball up the floor during the basketball game at North Pocono High School in Covington Twp. on Friday, Jan. 23, 2026. (REBECCA PARTICKA/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
Riverside’s Faith Pavalonis lines up with the hoop during the basketball game at Old Forge High School on Monday, Jan. 12, 2026. (REBECCA PARTICKA/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
Mountain View’s Addison Kilmer (21) goes up for a shot against William’s Valley’s Sage Smeltz (33) in the PIAA Class 2A quarterfinal Friday at Lake-Lehman High School. (FRANK LAURI / COMNTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHER)
Holy Cross’ Mollie Urban (33) takes a shot during the 74th annual Lynett Memorial Tournament semifinal round on Saturday, Dec. 27, 2025. (JASON ARDAN / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
Hazleton Area’s Kaitlyn Bindas drives to the hoop against Dallas in Dallas Twp. on Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026. BILL TARUTIS / CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHER
Holy Redeemer’s Bella Boylan (5) takes a shot during a basketball game at Lake-Lehman on Thursday, Jan. 22, 2026. (JASON ARDAN / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
Wyoming Seminary’s Ella Stambaugh (24) takes a three-point shot during a basketball game at Lake-Lehmanon Friday, Jan. 16, 2026. (JASON ARDAN / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
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Scranton’s Chrissy Jacklinski moves the ball up the floor during the basketball game at North Pocono High School in Covington Twp. on Friday, Jan. 23, 2026. (REBECCA PARTICKA/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
CLASS 6A
Dates: First round, Tuesday; Semifinals, Friday; Final, Feb. 27 at Mohegan Arena, 6 p.m.
Advance to states: Champion, runnerup
Defending champion: Hazleton Area
Seeds: 1-Hazleton Area (20-2), 2-Scranton (10-12), 3-Delaware Valley (11-11), 4-Wilkes-Barre Area (6-16), 5-Wyoming Valley West (2-20), 6-West Scranton (3-19)
Players to watch: Kaitlyn Bindas (HAZ) 20.5 points, 51 3-pointers; Alexis Reimold (HAZ) 11.0; Chrissy Jacklinski (SCR) 18.3, 53 3s; Rhylee Bell (SCR) 12.1, 25 3s; Jaelyn Alers (SCR) 11.4, 38 3s; Amanda Aragona (DV) 14.7, 26 3s; Jaida Underwood (WBA) 19.1; Thalia Irizarry (WVW) 6.6; Aubrey Kerrigan (WS) 10.8, Mia Tallo (WS) 8.0, 42 3s.
Noteworthy: Hazleton Area won its third consecutive Wyoming Valley Conference championship. Its lone losses are to Red Bank Catholic (56-43 on Dec. 12) and Crestwood (63-51 on Feb. 1). The Cougars average 72.7 points. … Scranton started the season 1-6, facing some tough competition (Crestwood, Dallas, Hazleton Area, St. Thomas Aquinas, North Pocono, William Penn). Jacklinski scored her 1,000th career point Feb. 2. … Delaware Valley defeated West Scranton twice in Lackawanna League Division I play: 52-44 on Jan. 5 and 59-44 on Jan. 30. The Lady Warriors went 8-0 in their nonleague schedule. … Wilkes-Barre Area beat Wyoming Valley West twice in Wyoming Valley Conference Division I play: 52-40 on Jan. 8 and 44-28 on Jan. 29. … Wyoming Valley West has lost nine straight. … Tallo is West Scranton’s career leader in 3-pointers with 193.
Bottom line: This is Hazleton Area’s tournament to lose. It is going to take a heck of an effort to prevent the Lady Cougars from winning a third straight district title.
CLASS 3A
Dates: Quarterfinals, Tuesday; Semifinals, Friday; Final, Feb. 28 at Mohegan Arena, noon
Advance to states: Champion, runnerup
Defending champion: Dunmore
Seeds: 1-Dunmore (19-3), 2-Holy Redeemer (16-6), 3-Lake-Lehman (15-7), 4-Riverside (13-9), 5-Montrose (14-8), 6-Western Wayne (11-11), 7-Lakeland (7-15), 8-Carbondale Area (2-20)
Players to watch: Amanda Dempsey (DUN) 10.6 points, 31 3-pointers; Bella Boylan (HR) 13.4; Mckenzie Chimock (HR) 12.5; Kinley Purdy (LL) 17.0; Faith Pavalonis (RIV) 15.1; Sadie Jones (MON) 17.0; Molly Weller (MON) 8.6, 28 3s; Khloe Mistishin (WW) 12.0; Kamri Naniewicz (LAK) 9.7; Naomi Rude (LAK) 8.3; Maureen Newcomb (CAR) 8.8, 31 3s.
Noteworthy: Dunmore won its 13th consecutive Lackawanna League division title and has a 108-game league winning streak. … Holy Redeemer closed the regular season on a four-game winning streak and battled Hazleton Area for two quarters in the Wyoming Valley Conference tournament semifinal. … Lake-Lehman rides a six-game winning streak into the postseason. … Riverside is playing some good basketball, winning seven of its last 10. Pavalonis, a freshman, led Lackawanna Division II in scoring. The Lady Vikes won at Montrose on Dec. 22, 48-30. … After a 3-6 start, Montrose won 11 of its final 13 games, including handing Mountain View its lone loss in Lackawanna Division III play. Jones scored her 1,000th career point Feb. 10. … Western Wayne won three of its last four games. … Lakeland enters the playoffs on a three-game losing streak. … Carbondale Area lost its final 19 games.
Bottom line: Dunmore is the favorite to reach the final at the arena. Who the Lady Bucks face is interesting. Holy Redeemer and Lake-Lehman split their two meetings in Wyoming Valley Conference Division II. The Lady Royals won, 52-40, on Dec. 22, while the Lady Black Knights won, 61-51, on Jan. 22.
CLASS 2A
Dates: Quarterfinals, Tuesday; Semifinals, Friday; Final, Feb. 27 at Mohegan Arena, 4 p.m.
Advance to states: Champion, runnerup
Defending champion: Mountain View
Seeds: 1-Wyoming Seminary (15-6), 2-Mountain View (16-6), 3-Holy Cross (12-10), 4-Elk Lake (14-8), 5-Blue Ridge (10-12), 6-Forest City (9-13), 7-Old Forge (7-15), 8-Lackawanna Trail (3-19)
Players to watch: Ella Stambaugh (SEM) 21.1 points, 33 3-pointers; Ellie Kersey (SEM) 8.1, 29 3s; Addison Kilmer (MTV) 28.6, 45 3s; Aubrey Sanders (MTV) 9.7; Mollie Urban (HC) 10.2, 29 3s; Ava Schmidt (HC) 9.0; Madisyn Casselbury (ELK) 13.5; Kylie Shingler (ELK) 8.2; Abi Gellinger (BR) 24.2, 56 3s; Lynndee Barbour (BR) 11.2; Kayla Pecko (FC) 9.7, 37 3s; Ava Arnold (OF) 10.0, 37 3s; Lana Clements (OF) 8.9; Ayla Seigle (LT) 19.4
Noteworthy: Wyoming Seminary won its final three games and also owns victories over Holy Redeemer and Lake-Lehman. … Mountain View is hoping for another deep postseason run. The Lady Eagles reached the PIAA Class 2A semifinals last season after going to the Class 1A final in 2024 and 1A semis in 2023. Kilmer, a first-team all-state player who is committed to East Stroudsburg University, has 2,131 career points. … Holy Cross is playing some good basketball, winning five of its last seven. … Elk Lake has faced and beaten Blue Ridge three times this season: 44-33 in the Reddon-Hoffman Christmas Tournament semifinals Dec. 27; 53-47 on Jan. 5 and 46-42 on Jan. 30 in Lackawanna League Division III play. … Blue Ridge’s Gellinger scored her 1,000th career point Jan. 12. … Forest City is a great story. Its nine wins are its most since it won eight in the 2017-18 season. The Lady Foresters won just 11 games the past seven seasons. … Old Forge stopped an eight-game losing streak with a win over Blue Ridge in its season finale. … Lackawanna Trail’s Seigle ranked fourth overall in scoring in the Lackawanna League behind Kilmer, Gellinger and Abington Heights’ Emma Coleman.
Bottom line: Mountain View is playoff-tested. Holy Cross and Elk Lake certainly are capable of pulling off upsets. You know Wyoming Seminary would love to get another shot at Mountain View after losing to the Lady Eagles in overtime in last year’s district semifinals.