Five teams from the Times News area will be hoping to advance to the District 11 semifinals when they take to the court on Saturday.

Among those clubs are a No. 1 seed — the Northwestern girls.

GIRLS BASKETBALL

District 11 Class 3A

No. 6 Wilson (14-9) vs. No. 3 Palmerton (19-5)

Saturday, Feb. 22 at Northwestern, 1 p.m.

LEADING OFF

Palmerton lost in the opening round of districts to Catasauqua a year ago, and Blue Bomber head coach Jeremy Coleman admitted that defeat has “always in the back of our mind.” Palmerton will hope to erase that memory and start a trek toward a championship with a victory over a Colonial League foe in Wilson. The Bombers’ goal during the offseason and regular season has been to get back to the postseason and get their “sights set on bigger things.” The Warriors have missed the postseason the past two seasons, and are glad to be back in districts. Both Palmerton and Wilson enter district play after suffering losses to Notre Dame in the league playoffs.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Wilson - Juliana Bonham (18.2 points per game, 27 three-pointers); Aby Colon (6.58 ppg, 15 threes); Tessa Fredericks (5.89 ppg); Kiera Hartzell-Ham (5.89 ppg).

Palmerton - Courtney Connell (10.58 points per game), Mikayla Pengelly (9.71 ppg, 26 three-pointers), Hailey Barry (8.88 ppg, 43 three-pointers), Cate Morgan (7.58 ppg).

BY THE NUMBERS

1 - It’s the first time Palmerton is competing in the Class 4A bracket, as the Bombers have been at the Class 2A and 3A level for years in the District 11 playoffs.

3 - The number of times Barry has gone without a three-pointer in 24 games this season for the Bombers. The junior is in the top five in the Times News coverage area with 43 three-pointers, and one of those games she went without a bucket beyond the three-point line was Jan. 9 against Wilson.

12 - The point differential between the two teams during their regular season game on Jan. 9 in Palmerton. The Bombers walked off with a 44-32 victory, but Coleman said the final score was every bit misleading. “Going into the fourth quarter, it was only a three-point game,” he said. “So, we’re expecting it to be a battle, and it’s not going to be easy.”

74.5 - Juliana Bonhman is the best free-throw shooter for the Warriors, as she leads the team at the foul line with a 74.5-percent success rate. She is currently 73-for-98 at the free-throw line this season. The Warriors, as a team, are 173-for-292 from the line for a .592 percentage.

2022 - The last time Wilson qualified for the District 11 Class playoffs. The Warriors were seeded fifth and dropped a 71-48 decision in the Class 4A bracket to fourth-seeded North Schuylkill.

2022 - The last time the Bombers raised the District 11 championship trophy after knocking off No. 5 seed Executive Education 48-46 victory in Class 3A. The Bombers earned the title thanks to MaST Community Charter also defeating Pine Grove 64-55 the same night.

CLOSING THOUGHTS

“From the start, we know it’s going to be a challenge. I think Class 4A has been one of the most competitive classes in District 11. I mean, besides 6A, I think 4A from top to bottom anybody can win this thing. So, it’s a completely open field. You can ... look at some of the other classes, and you can kind of predetermine who the winner’s going to likely be. But, not so in 4A. It’s pretty wide open. We know it’s going to be a difficult task. But we’re certainly up to the challenge, and we’re looking forward to it.” - Palmerton head coach Jeremy Coleman.

District 11 Class 3A

No. 8 Blue Mountain (8-14) vs. No. 1 Northwestern (22-3)

Saturday, Feb. 22 at Lehighton, 2:30 p.m.

LEADING OFF

For the second straight year the Northwestern girls basketball team enters the District 11 Class 4A playoffs falling short of a Colonial League championship. Prior to that, the Tigers had won back-to-back-to-back league titles. Northwestern is hoping to make a district run despite suffering losses in its regular season finale to Palmerton and the league title game to Notre Dame. Longtime Tiger head coach Chris Deutsch is looking forward to the tournament and said, “It’s an exciting time of the year because you know that if you can get two wins, you get an opportunity to qualify for states. Unfortunately, though, in this quarterfinal round you have to win, or your season is over. So, it makes it nerve-racking and exciting.” While Northwestern has played in the league playoffs, Blue Mountain hasn’t been in a competitive game since a 45-20 win over Minersville to end the regular season on Feb 3.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Northwestern - Cara Thomas (19.00 points per game, 21 three-pointers); Natalie Conner (16.68 ppg, team-leading 51 threes); Brook Balliet (6.56 ppg, 23 threes); Olivia Reinhart (4.52 ppg); Emma Freeman (4.3 ppg).

Blue Mountain - Ruby Henninger (Sr., PG), Makayla Keck (Sr., SF), Hailey Place (Jr., PG/SG), Mila Fleagle (So., SG), Callie Peel (So., PG).

BY THE NUMBERS

6 - The number of times Northwestern has missed the district playoffs under head coach Chris Deutsch, who is now in his 23rd season with the program. The last time the Tigers missed the postseason was 2012.

7 - The number of league victories for Blue Mountain. Its 7-7 record in Schuylkill League Division 1 allowed the Eagles to make the playoffs despite their 8-14 overall mark.

17 - The number of points Makayla Keck scored as a junior for Blue Mountain in its 49-44 victory over Northwestern in last year’s District 11 Class 4A semifinal game. Keck led a trio of Eagles in double figures, which consisted of then seniors Kylie Conway (12 points) and Emily Heydt (10).

138 - The number of three-pointers made by Northwestern this season. That’s the second highest number among Times News coverage area. Conner’s 51 places her in the top five in the area.

1,488 - The total number of points Northwestern’s all-time leader scorer Cara Thomas currently has, as she makes her fourth appearance in the District 11 playoffs.

CLOSING THOUGHTS

“Last year, we played Blue Mountain twice. We went 1-1. But unfortunately, we lost to them in districts. They’re a new team this season, as they graduated a lot of players from last year’s team. But they’ll play hard. They’re very aggressive. They’ll get right up in your face. They’ll be pressuring us. So, we know what to expect from them. We’ve just got to go out and play our game. You have to be able to handle the pressure they’re going to apply. If you can’t handle pressure, you’re going to be in for a long game.” – Northwestern head coach Chris Deutsch.

District 11 Class 4A

No. 5 Tamaqua (18-6) vs.

No. 4 Allentown Central Catholic (12-10)

Saturday, Feb. 22 at Catasauqua, Noon

LEADING OFF

Tamaqua is back in action after it dropped a heart-breaking 39-38 loss to North Schuylkill in the Schuylkill League semifinals. Allentown Central Catholic comes into the game off a 54-35 loss to Emmaus in an Eastern Pennsylvania Conference quarterfinal. A win in the quarterfinal round assures that team of at least two more games and a chance to play for a state berth.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Tamaqua - Lauren Ligenza (17.33 ppg), Millie Black (9.42 ppg), Kendie Miller (6.25 ppg), Kolbe Robb (5.83 ppg), Sam Plasha (4.08 ppg)

Allentown Central Catholic - Mille Wolf (12.1 ppg), Morgan Seagreaves (9.9 ppg), Annika Spinosa (4.8 ppg), Skylar Taylor (3.6 ppg), Shamiya Roberts (3.4 ppg).

BY THE NUMBERS

4 - The two teams met in a district quarterfinal game four years ago in the 2020-21 postseason with Central Catholic coming out with a 55-39 victory.

5 - It has been five years since Tamaqua won a district game. They defeated Wilson, 62-33, in a quarterfinal matchup in the 2019-20 season.

6 - Allentown Central Catholic had a six-game winning streak during the season.

7 - Tamaqua has won seven games by 20-or-more points.

10 - The Lady Raiders pieced together a 10-game winning streak from Dec. 10 to Jan. 8.

30 - Miller has sunk 30 of the team’s 35 three-pointers.

CLOSING THOUGHTS

“They’re a well-coached team and a storied program for many years. They are a part of a tough league, which prepares them well for postseason play. We will have to play our best ball for a solid 32 minutes, and not beat ourselves in order to have a chance to win and advance. We are excited for the opportunity. We’ve had a good season, achieved some goals that we set prior to the start. We’ve had a lot of balance throughout the season, and we are hopeful that it all comes together at the right time as we enter districts.” - Tamaqua head coach Erika Davis.

District 11 Class 4A

No. 7 Lehighton (10-12) vs. No. 2 North Schuylkill (18-6)

Saturday, Feb. 22 at Blue Mountain, 1 p.m.

LEADING OFF

Lehighton won three of its last five games to gain a district berth, finishing the regular season with a 46-28 victory over Jim Thorpe. Despite having a losing record overall, the Indians qualified for district thanks to a 9-9 league mark — its first in the Colonial League. North Schuylkill recently suffered a 38-31 loss to Schuylkill Haven in the Schuylkill League finals.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Lehighton - Emma Repsher (11.64 ppg), Leah Uyvari (9.95 ppg), Ryleigh Trotman (9.23 ppg), Morgan Costenbader (4.09 ppg), Cayley Reph (4.00 ppg).

North Schuylkill - Mya Conti (16.2 ppg), Hannah Kane (10.7 ppg), Gianna Capone (9.5 ppg), Jadelin Stitzer (6.2 ppg), Maria Monahan (4.3 ppg).

BY THE NUMBERS

1 - The teams faced one common opponent, Tamaqua. Lehighton dropped a 52-36 decision, while North Schuylkill recorded a pair of victories over the Raiders, 61-45, and 44-39.

3 - Three years ago, Lehighton gained its last district win, upsetting second-seeded Northwestern, 37-34.

7 - North Schuylkill has won seven of its last nine games.

14 - North Schuylkill posted a perfect 14-0 record in Schuylkill League play.

103 - Uyvari attempted 103 of the team’s 335 free-throw attempts. She made 55 of them.

CLOSING THOUGHTS

“We recognize that North Schuylkill is one of the top teams in 4A year-in and year-out. They are aggressive, and their defense leads to their offense. If we can handle their pressure and maintain our composure, we should fare well. We are excited to be part of postseason play this season.” - Lehighton head coach Nadia Gauronsky

BOYS BASKETBALL

District 11 Class 4A

No. 6 Northern Lehigh (4-18) vs.

No. 3 Notre Dame-GP (18-5)

Saturday, Feb. 22 at Catasauqua, 1:30 p.m.

LEADING OFF

Northern Lehigh is back in the postseason for the first time since the 2020-21 season when it lost to Pen Argyl in the opening round. Notre Dame recently was stunned by Catasauqua, 69-66, in the Colonial League quarterfinals. The Crusaders advanced to the second round of the state playoffs last season.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Northern Lehigh - Kellen Bauer (19.04 ppg), Connor Simms (14.68 ppg), Coy Daubert (7.59 ppg), Dare-rious Smith (6.26 ppg), Chayce LoPinto (3.27 ppg).

Notre Dame-GP - Isaiah Miles (15.1 ppg), Carmine Diaz (14.8 ppg), Justin Manning (12.8 ppg), Cody Driscoll (7.34 ppg), C. J. Diaz (4.3 ppg).

BY THE NUMBERS

1 - The Bulldogs are a young team with only one senior — Simms — on their roster.

4 - This season, Northern Lehigh doubled its win total from last season (2-21).

5 - The Bulldogs ended the regular season with five consecutive losses.

13 - It has been 13 years since Northern Lehigh won its last district playoff game. The Bulldogs defeated North Schuylkill, 49-34, in a consolation game in the 2011-12 season.

38 - In the only matchup between the two teams this season, Notre Dame won by 38 points, 87-49, on Dec. 9

40 - Simms leads the team with 40 three-pointers, while Daubert has 37.

CLOSING THOUGHTS

“Notre Dame is as athletic a team as we have in our league. (Head coach) Pat (Boyle) empowers them to play with a confidence and freedom that generates an aggressive and attacking mentality on both ends of the floor. I love their style of play, and think it’s great for high school basketball.” - NL head coach Bob Fahler