SCRANTON, Pa. — The Scranton Prep girls basketball team knew they had the potential to be the best team in school history. As the postseason approaches, it's safe to say the Classics are living up to the hype. Bob Beviglia's team is 13-0 and now have two, thousand-point scorers in Rachael Rose and Cecelia Collins.
"More than anything, they've been as good as advertised on the defensive end," Scranton Prep Girls Basketball Coach Bob Beviglia said. "They come out every night and understand that our defense creates our offense. I think in that way, they've exceeded my expectations. They haven't let the accolades become a part of their lives. Other people like to talk about those things. We're just about getting better."
The perfect example? Perfection. The Classics are undefeated so far for a second consecutive year. That means they have a winning streak dating back to 2019 – 40 consecutive games and over 50 straight now in the Lackawanna League.
"When people talk about the streak, I said 'my first two years here I was worried about winning one in a row, forget about 50 in a row,'" Beviglia said. "It's a credit to them."
"Our coaches never really tell us to think about the streak," Collins added. "That never really was one of our goals. Our goals were just the league, the district and then the state championship."
But due to the pandemic, those goals are harder to reach. Only district champions will qualify for states this year, and both Prep and Dunmore are in District II Class 4A. So, if they meet in the district final, only the winner will have the chance to play for a state title.
"I think it is unfair," Rose said. "We're both two great teams with great players and great chemistry. So, it is terrible that only one team can go, but it's a crazy year. We do what we have to do."
"Dunmore's a really great team and I think it was good for us that we got to play them in the beginning of the season, but we kind of just try not to think about them right now," Collins added. "We try to focus on us and the focus on the coming games in the next few days."
Scranton Prep closes out the regular season home against North Pocono Thursday and at Cumberland Valley Saturday. Districts begin the following week, as the calendar turns to March.