The 74th Lynett Memorial Boys Basketball Tournament is the hub of action during the holiday break, bringing together teams for a two-day event at Lackawanna College Student Union.

It attracts generations of athletes who competed in the tournament, along with alumni, families, friends who pack the gymnasium.

This weekend, Scranton School District is honoring two legends who carved out memorable legacies. The district honor brothers Tim and Mike Wagner by presenting them with framed jerseys from their playing days at Scranton Central during the 1970s.

“I know my brother, Mike, would say the same thing, that they are honoring us, but that is a reflection of the great teammates we had on those great teams,” Tim Wagner said. “It is more a tribute to the good fortune we had to play with those teammates and for our great coaches.”

“It is a tremendous honor, and we were blessed.”

In 1976, the Wagners were a big reason why Scranton Central, under the guidance of the late coach Bob Gilbride, won the Lynett Tournament with a 66-63 win over Nanticoke, which had won three championships in a row. The Wagners each scored 13 points, while John Cusick scored 14 points, Marty Cunningham scored 12, Mike Munchak scored 10 points, and Joe McCarthy contributed four points in front of 2,985 fans that crammed into the Scranton Catholic Youth Center.

Tim Wagner scored 33 points in a 91-53 semifinal win over Riverside that year, and Mike Wagner had 10 points.

“You couldn’t ask for better teammates,” Joe McCarthy said. “We have been best friends our whole lives, and they are two characters.

“When we needed to get it done, we did it. They are just two great guys.”

Scranton Central defended its Lynett championship in 1977. Mike Wagner scored 28 points and had 23 rebounds in a 72-59 win over Pittston Area in the final.

As a senior, Mike Wagner scored 22 points in a loss to Riverside and scored 35 points and 17 rebounds in an 83-79 win over Pittston Area.

Throughout their careers, the Wagner brothers were outstanding for the Golden Eagles.

Tim scored 1,532 points for an average of 20.9 points per game. He scored a career-high 47 points against Wyoming Area. Mike finished with 1,755 points for an average of 21.9 points per game. His career high was 39 points against Bishop Hannan.

Crusaders defending title

Holy Cross won last season’s Lynett Tournament championship with a 51-35 victory over Scranton. Adam Badyrka, who is sidelined with an injury, scored 17 points and was the tournament’s most valuable player, while graduated standout center Matt Lyons scored 20 points.

The championship was the third for Holy Cross, which also won in 2008 and 2019.

This season, Holy Cross (4-3), as the defending winner, plays Dunmore (7-0) in the second game of the boys semifinals Saturday at 7:30 p.m. Scranton (3-3) plays Scranton Prep (3-2) at 6 p.m. in the other matchup.

Scranton Prep holds the record for the most Lynett championships with 23. The Cavaliers last won in 2022. Dunmore has 11 championships, with its last one coming in 2002. Scranton last won in 2023 and has eight championships.

Tourneys tip-off

The Taylor Lions Tournament starts Saturday with Lackawanna Trail (5-1) playing Forest City (0-7) at 6 p.m. North Pocono (2-4) faces host and undefeated Riverside (7-0) at 7:30 p.m.

The Anthony “Badger” Marseco Tournament at Old Forge has a doubleheader Saturday. Pittston Area (4-5) faces Northwest Area at 6:30 p.m., and Wyoming Area (7-0) plays Old Forge (4-2) at 8 p.m.

This year’s boys Susquehanna County Christmas Tournament opens Saturday at Montrose with Elk Lake (6-1) playing Blue Ridge (3-2) at 4:30 p.m. Susquehanna (4-1) plays the host, Montrose (1-6), at 6 p.m.

Three tournaments were postponed from Friday due to the winter snowstorm.

The Honesdale Jaycees girls’ and boys’ tournaments, originally scheduled to start Friday, were also pushed back to Saturday.

Western Wayne (4-3) plays Wallenpaupack (4-3) at 5:45 p.m., and Forest City (1-4) will play Honesdale (5-2) at 7:15 p.m. in the girls tournament. Wallenpaupack (1-4) plays East Stroudsburg South (1-8) at 6:30 p.m. and Western Wayne (2-4) plays Honesdale (3-4) at 8 p.m. in the boys semifinals. Honesdale athletic director Shawn Knash said he would monitor the weather throughout Saturday. The consolation and championship games are on Monday.

The Peter Turonis/NBT Bank Holiday Classic boys tournament at Carbondale Area will start Sunday. It was scheduled to begin Friday, but was postponed. Valley View (7-0)  plays Lakeland (4-3) at 5 p.m., and Mid Valley (4-3) plays Carbondale Area (1-6) at 6:30 p.m. That means the consolation and championship games will be played Tuesday.

In girls’ basketball, the Taylor Lions Tournament was moved to Sunday at Riverside High School. Lackawanna Trail (1-5) plays North Pocono (5-2) at 6 p.m., and West Scranton (2-5) plays Riverside (4-3) at 7:30 p.m. The consolation and championship games are Tuesday.