The Marian and Palmerton girls basketball teams will open District 11 basketball tournament play tonight.

Both teams received quarterfinal round byes and are top seeds in their respective classes. The Fillies will face Northern Lehigh in an all-are Class 2A battle, while the Bombers meet Colonial League rival Catasauqua in Class 3A.

Three other local teams will be in action on Wednesday. The Marian and Panther Valley boys will try to ride the momentum of quarterfinal round upset victories into semifinal round play in Class 2A and 3A, respectively. Meanwhile, the Northwestern girls will play in a Class 4A consolation game with a berth in the state playoffs on the line.

GIRLS BASKETBALL

District 11 Class 2A

No. 4 Northern Lehigh (14-9)

vs. No. 1 Marian (19-4)

Tuesday, Feb. 27, at Martz Hall, Pottsville, 6 p.m.

LEADING OFF

This is the second straight season that Northern Lehigh and Marian are meeting in the district semifinals. A year ago, the Fillies won, but both teams ended up advancing to the PIAA State Tournament. The Bulldogs downed fifth-seeded Williams Valley, 53-35, in the quarterfinal round. They have been on a late-season flurry, winning 12 of their last 15 games after starting the season 2-6. Meanwhile, Marian is looking for a district three-peat. A year ago, the Fillies advanced to the second round of the state tournament before falling. Marian has a 64-12 overall record over the past three seasons, and is going after its 12th district title in program history.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Northern Lehigh – Aubrey Pollard (17.74 ppg), Katelyn Barthold (15.18 ppg), Teegan Simms (9.61 ppg)

Marian – Carly Minchhoff (14.76 ppg, 40 three-pointers), Addison Fritz (12.05 ppg), Frankie Martinelli (11.22 ppg, 46 three-pointers).

BY THE NUMBERS

2 – Both teams had players - Marian’s Carly Minchhoff and Northern Lehigh’s Aubrey Pollard - surpass the 1,000-point mark in their career earlier this season.

9 – The number of players in the game who have double digit three-pointers on the season. Marian has six players – Frankie Martinelli (46), Carly Minchhoff (40), Addison Fritz (25), Deanna Pugh (13), Aliya Tikhtova (13) and Carly Hasara (13) - while the Bulldogs have three – Teegan Simms (38), Dekota Barthold (29) and Aubrey Pollard (15).

55 – The Bulldogs are 13-1 on the season when they score 55 or more points, and 1-8 when they don’t.

90 – Minchhoff has been automatic from the free-throw line this season, converting an area-best 90% (36-for-40) of her attempts.

367 – The number of days since the same two teams met in the exact same round of the 2A tournament a year ago. The Fillies won that game, 57-35.

CLOSING THOUGHTS

“The last game we played was the best game we played all year. Marian is always a tough battle, and they gave us our district loss last year. They shoot well from the outside, and we’ll have to get out on their shooters and get in their space. They like to press, but we have a pretty good backcourt to handle it. We have to play our best game ... anything can happen in the playoffs.” – Northern Lehigh head coach Chris Heery.

“We have something to prove to ourselves, and we know we have to play our best basketball. Northern Lehigh is a very good basketball team, and they are coached well. Aubrey Pollard is an outstanding player, and they do a good job of playing to their strengths. This will be a good challenge for us, and we’re looking forward to it.” – Marian head coach Damian Fritz.

District 11 Class 3 A

No. 4 Catasauqua (15-8)

vs. No. 1 Palmerton (23-1)

Tuesday, Feb. 27 at Pleasant Valley, 6 p.m.

LEADING OFF

Catasauqua won its first district playoff game since 2008 with a 47-36 decision over Executive Education in the opening round. The Rough Riders won six of their final eight games to make it back to the Big Dance for the first time in the last two years. They are a veteran team with seven seniors, and sophomore guard Hailey Jenkins is one of the league’s most dynamic players. Palmerton recently won its first Colonial League title since 1997-98 with a 34-20 victory over Notre Dame. The only loss of the season was a 53-44 setback to Pocono Mountain West Dec. 27. Palmerton won both regular-season meetings between the teams.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Catasauqua -Jenkins (17.0 ppg), Sophia Becker (105 ppg, 9.0 rpg), Delaney Troxell (7.0 ppg)

Palmerton – Hannah Berry (14.55 ppg), Sydney Frantz (8.26 ppg), Mikayla Pengelly (6.05 ppg).

BY THE NUMBERS

1 – The Blue Bombers have connected for a three-pointer in every game but one this season. The only game Palmerton didn’t hit a shot beyond the three-point arc came in its lone defeat against Pocono Mountain West.

15 – Palmerton’s current win streak. The Bombers have not lost a game in 2024.

25 – The number of years it had been since the Blue Bombers had won a District 11 championship before ending that streak a year ago against Executive Education.

2016 – The last time the Rough Riders beat Palmerton was Jan, 19, 2016.

CLOSING THOUGHTS

“Coming off the league championship, our spirits are sky high. We’re looking forward to playing Catty. The last time we played them, we didn’t have our best showing in a five-point win. Hailey Jenkins is a down-hill player who we must contain. They have some decent size and a low-post presence. We ran into some tough games during the season like Notre Dame and Northwestern, and those helped us get to where we are today. We know we have to take one game at a time, but we’re ready to go and get back to the district championship game.” – Palmerton head coach Jeremy Coleman.

BOYS BASKETBALL

District 11 Class 2A Semifinal

No. 6 Marian Catholic (14-9) vs.

No. 2 Schuylkill Haven (21-4)

Wednesday, Feb. 28 at Blue Mountain

LEADING OFF

Marian upset Lincoln Leadership, 62-52, in the quarterfinal round of the District 11 Class 2A playoffs after losing to them by 33 points during the regular season. If the Colts are going to reach the district title game, they will need to avenge another regular-season loss as Haven was an eight-point winner over Marian when the two teams met on Jan. 23.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Marian - Jesse Rodino ( 11.09 ppg, 9.74 rebounds per game); James Rodino (team-leading 55% from the field); Jacob Miller (leads team in both assists with 92 and steals at 43); Julius Currie (56 three-pointers, 75% free-throw percentage)

Schuylkill Haven - Leyden Hertz, Jake Jenan, Travis Richie

BY THE NUMBERS

10 - Marian has posted double-digit wins in 10 consecutive seasons, the only area boys team to accomplish that feat.

26 - It’s been 26 years since Marian and Schuylkill Haven met in a District 11 playoff game. The last time the teams played each other in districts was 1998 in the consolation round. The Colts won that contest 46-43 to advance to the state playoffs.

32 - Marian attempted 32 free throws in its District 11 quarterfinal win against Lincoln Leadership on Saturday. That was a season high for the Colts. In fact, the last time Marian took that many foul shots in a game was Jan. 28, 2020 - 95 games ago - when it had 39 against Tri-Valley.

50 - Julius Currie has hit 56 three-pointers this season. Currie registered 69 a year ago, and 55 during the 2021-22 campaign. He is just the third player in program history to have three seasons of at least 50 three-pointers. The only others are Eddie McLaughlin, who reached 50 in four straight seasons (1999-00 through 2002-03), and Tyler Fritz (2016-17, 2017-18 and 2019-20).

CLOSING THOUGHTS

“Saturday was a huge program win. Obviously, a huge turnaround and we were very pleased with all the guys and their efforts. Kudos to them and my coaching staff. But now we need to focus on Schuylkill Haven. They are a very seasoned team. They start four seniors and a junior and our a group of guys who it seems like have been playing forever. Once again, we’re going to have to be the best version of ourselves to win. But we’re fired up and excited and love the challenge.” - Marian Catholic head coach Scott Murphy

District 11 Class A semifinal

No. 6 Panther Valley (14-9) vs

No. 2 Notre Dame GP (22-2)

Wednesday, Feb. 28 at 6 p.m. at Catasauqua

LEADING OFF

The Panthers’ program has been on a solid run of late. PV has qualified for the district playoffs seven years in a row, compiling 88 wins during that span, while also collecting a Schuylkill League Division 3 championship (2017-18), a District 11 3A championship (2019-20) and a state playoff win (2019-20). PV came from 12 down at halftime to beat Palmerton in the quarterfinals, outscoring the Bombers 32-18 over the final two quarters of play. Notre Dame is no stranger to the district playoffs having qualified for districts 29 seasons in a row, and winning 11 district titles during that span.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Panther Valley - Chase Weaver (14.09 ppg), Stephen Hood (10.11 ppg, 21 pts in qfinals), Logan Fisher (9.26 ppg), Drew Kokinda (8.22 ppg, 46 3-pointers), Conner Penberth (7.78 ppg).

NDGP - Colin Boyle (12.9 ppg, 49 3-pointers), Dainn Vassallo (10.5 ppg), Cam Bohn (10.2 ppg, 41 3-pointers), Isaiah Miles (10.2 ppg).

BY THE NUMBERS

3 - After Saturday’s win in the district quarterfinals, Panther Valley has had three winning streaks of at least three games this season. Never this season have the Panthers lost three games in a row.

4 - The Panther Valley boys are the only area team to have four players with at least 20 three-pointers this season. Those with at least 20 include Drew Kokinda (46), Conner Penberth (26), Chase Weaver (23) and Thomas Buyce (20).

6 - Panther Valley has played six games this season on Saturdays. Its record in those games are a perfect 6-0. PV is a combined 8-9 on other days of the week.

201 - Patrick Crampsie won his 200th game as PV head coach in the Panthers’ regular-season finale. The longtime mentor began his march to the next 200 with a victory over Palmerton in the district quarterfinals.

CLOSING THOUGHTS

“Notre Dame is one of the most balanced and athletic teams that we have prepared for this season. They actually remind me of preparing for Blue Mountain in the fact that you can’t really leave any player alone or free to get a good look. They also play very good and very intense defense. So, a big key for us is that we will have to handle their pressure and take care of the ball. We just have to continue to have a focused mindset, and continue to have our guys step up and man up and look to compete. We’re excited for this opportunity against a really good opponent.” - Panther Valley head coach Pat Crampsie.

GIRLS BASKETBALL

District 11 Class 4A Consolation

No. 4 Northwestern (19-7)

vs. No. 2 North Schuylkill (19-5)

Wednesday, Feb. 28, 6 p.m. at Blue Mountain.

LEADING OFF

For the second year in a row, Northwestern receives a second chance to extend its season after falling in the district semifinals. The Tigers, who took advantage of that opportunity a year ago by defeating Blue Mountain and earning a spot in the PIAA State Tournament, have that same chance this year when they play North Schuylkill in the consolation round.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Northwestern – Cara Thomas (17.1 ppg), Brook Balliet (8.4 ppg), Emma Freeman (7.2 ppg), Olivia Reinhart (6.5 ppg).

North Schuylkill – Olivia Burke (14.2 ppg, 4.7 rebounds per game, 3.3 assists per game), Mya Conti (10.4 ppg, 4.4 rpg, 3.1 apg), Haley Koutch (9.7 ppg, 3.9 rpg, 2.8 apg, 41 three-pointers)

BY THE NUMBERS

1 – The Tigers fell a single point to North Schuylkill (50-49) in last season’s 4A semifinals.

8 – The number of times the Spartans have qualified for the District 11 playoffs under current head coach Rich Wetzel, who is in his eighth season with the program.

17 – The last time the Tigers qualified for the PIAA State playoffs in back-to-back years was 17 years ago. Northwestern qualified for states for the third time in three seasons back in 2007.

51 – Watch to see if Northwestern reaches 51 points or not. The Tigers are 12-1 on the season when scoring 51 points or more. They are 7-6 when they score under that number.

CLOSING THOUGHTS

“We’re excited that we still have another game we can play. We can still control our own destiny. We were in this situation last year, and we did a nice job of responding after a tough loss to bounce back and win that third-place game. We can still qualify for States if we can take care of business. It was a tough loss (against Blue Mountain), but our season is not over.” – Northwestern coach Chris Deutsch.