As expected, based on nonleague and tournament games, the Lackawanna League season is going to be filled with tight, competitive battles in the quest for division titles and seeding for the District 2 tournament.

The energy and excitement will continue Friday night, with a focus on games featuring top-ranked teams in The Times-Tribune Boys Basketball Poll.

In Division I, No. 2 Valley View (10-0 overall, 2-0 in division) is undefeated as it heads into a rivalry game with No. 3 Scranton Prep (7-2, 3-0), winners of six in a row, at the Xavier Center with a 6:45 p.m. tip.

Valley View hasn’t played since Saturday, as the Cougars’ game against Wallenpaupack on Tuesday was postponed.

This season, the Cougars have victories over Holy Cross, Old Forge and Mid Valley. They won the Turonis/NBT Bank Holiday Classic over the holidays.

A year after winning the District 2 Class 4A championship, reaching the PIAA semifinals and graduating its entire starting lineup, Valley View emerges as a contender again. Sophomore Cash Roe leads the team in scoring at 13.6 points per game, guard Michael Muto is averaging 11.4 points and 1.9 3-pointers per game and Noah Symuleski contributes 10.8 points per game.

Scranton Prep, last year’s Division I champion, has an explosive offense. The Cavaliers scored more than 60 points six times, including a season-high 86 in a loss to Cathedral Prep in the season opener.

In their three league games, the Cavaliers beat opponents by an average of 27.3 points per game.

Senior sharpshooter Packy Doherty leads the division in scoring at 20.6 points per game. He has 955 points in his career. He scored 22 points in a 66-36 win over North Pocono on Tuesday.

Chicky Skoff averages 11.4 points per game, and Brody Martin contributes 10.6 points per game for the Cavaliers.

Scranton Prep beat the Cougars six straight times, but Valley View snapped the streak with a 66-53 win in the District 2 Class 4A final last season. The two teams played in the district final in each of the last three seasons, with the Cavaliers winning twice.

City rivalry

Two teams trying to stabilize their seasons will clash in Division I.

West Scranton (4-7, 1-2) takes on Scranton (4-6, 1-2) on Friday at 6:45 p.m. in their first of two meetings to determine supremacy in the city.

Both teams have had some high points and are involved in the race for seeding in the District 2-4 Class 6A playoffs.

Scranton has wins over Crestwood (10-3), which is leading the District 2 Class 5A power rating standings, and a 22-point win over Holy Cross at the Lynett Tournament.

The Knights, however, lost two straight to division leaders Scranton Prep and Abington Heights. They averaged 45.5 points per game in the defeats.

Senior Tony Battaglia leads Scranton with 17.9 points and 3.7 3-pointers per game. He is a four-year starter who scored 945 points in his career. He averaged 8.7 points per game against the Invaders in the last three seasons.

West Scranton defeated Wallenpaupack in overtime last week to snap a 20-game losing streak in the league.

Nate Schimelfenig is third in the division in scoring at 18.8 points and 2.4 3-pointers per game for the Invaders, and had 23 points in an overtime loss to Delaware Valley on Wednesday.

Scranton won the last four meetings in the series.

Battle in the north

Coming into the season, Lackawanna Trail, which made a run to the District 2 Class 2A final last season, was predicted to be a strong challenger for the Division III championship.

Susquehanna, with returning all-stars Griffin Fisk and Mason Keyes, received votes from coaches as a team to watch.

On Friday, Susquehanna (8-2, 3-0) plays at Lackawanna Trail (8-2, 3-0) in a game between two teams that share first place with Elk Lake (10-1, 3-0).

Susquehanna, which has four straight wins, has firepower. Fisk leads the division at 21.6 points per game, while Keyes averages 15.8 points per game. In a win over Forest City, Fisk scored 29 points and had three 3-pointers, and Keyes had 11 points.

Lackawanna Trail’s losses came against Delaware Valley and Riverside, two teams that are ranked in the high school boys poll.

Logan Seigle leads the Lions with 13.6 points per game. Jimmy Phillips contributes 11.5 points, and Lucas Filipek chips in 9.1.

Last season, Lackawanna Trail defeated Susquehanna, 47-34, in the quarterfinals of the District 2 Class 2A playoffs to kickstart the run to the championship game against Old Forge and a PIAA Class 2A berth.

Tight race

In the aftermath of Dunmore’s win over Riverside last Tuesday, the race for the Division II championship certainly grew tighter.

Dunmore (10-1, 3-0) and Old Forge (8-2, 3-0) lead the standings. Riverside (10-1, 2-1) is a game back. The round-robin between the top teams doesn’t resume until next week.

Before that, Dunmore plays at home against Mid Valley, Old Forge is at home against Western Wayne and Riverside travels to Honesdale on Friday night.

Dunmore and Riverside are also in pursuit of the top seed in the District 2 Class 3A playoff race.

Despite the loss, Riverside (.752) maintains first place in the power rating standings. Dunmore (.723) is second, and Elk Lake (.653) is third. Holy Cross (.558) ended its four-game losing streak with a win over Mid Valley on Tuesday and holds third place.

Players to watch
• Dunmore senior guard Nate Aviles, who scored 15 points in a win over Riverside on Tuesday night, celebrated by announcing his commitment to Elmira College via Instagram.

• Holy Cross guard Jack Alpert knocked down four 3-pointers and scored 16 points in a 67-39 win over Mid Valley. It was the first time Holy Cross scored more than 60 points in a game since a 66-36 victory over Fannie Lou Hamer of Brooklyn, New York, on Nov. 29.

• Elk Lake’s Brayden Miller scored 16 points in a 69-64 win over Blue Ridge. It was the Warriors’ seventh straight victory, and Miller scored in double figures in four of the games.