Four area teams will be playing in district semifinal games tonight.

Of the four, the Northwestern girls are a No. 1 seed in the Class 4A field. Palmerton, seeded third, is playing in the other semifinal contest. Win or lose, both teams are guaranteed another contest after tonight — either in the championship round or consolations.

As for the other area clubs — the Marian boys and Weatherly girls — a victory would secure a berth in the title game, while a loss would end their season.

GIRLS BASKETBALL

District 11 Class 4A

No. 4 Allentown Central Catholic (13-10) vs.

No. 1 Northwestern (23-3)

Wednesday, Feb. 26 at Northern Lehigh, 7 p.m.

LEADING OFF

For the third straight season, the Northwestern girls basketball team posted a district quarterfinal victory, pulling out a 34-28 defensive battle against eighth-seeded Blue Mountain. The Tigers will now face Central Catholic in the semis. The Vikettes topped Tamaqua 45-31 in their quarterfinal contest. The last time the two programs met at Northern Lehigh High School was in 2019, with Northwestern gaining a 52-41 victory. In that game six years ago, Northwestern entered the contest as a No. 4 seed.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Northwestern - Cara Thomas (18.96 points per game, 4.5 assists per game, 3.0 steals per game); Natalie Conner (16.12 ppg, 3.5 apg, 3 spg); Brook Balliet (6.31 ppg); Olivia Reinhart (4.65 ppg, 5.0 rebounds per game); Paige Bissel (4.28 pp), Emma Freeman (4.20 ppg).

Allentown Central Catholic (13-10) - Milly Wolf (Sr., 13.05 points per game, team-leading 31 three-pointers), Morgan Seagreaves (Jr., 11.05 ppg), Annika Spinosa (Jr., 5.67 ppg), Skylar Taylor (Fr., 4.14 ppg), Shamiya Roberts (Jr., 3.81 ppg), Claire Seagreaves (Jr., 1.33 ppg).

BY THE NUMBERS

2 - The number of wins Northwestern has on the Northern Lehigh floor this season. The Tigers registered a regular season win over the Bulldogs (79-53 on 1/22), as well as a Colonial League semifinal win over Pen Argyl at NL (75-38 on 2/10).

6 - The number of points Allentown Central Catholic’s leading scorer Milly Wolf was held to in the district quarterfinals. The junior Vikette was held to three baskets over the four quarters. She usually averages double that amount.

19 - The point differential in the Vikettes’ Eastern Pennsylvania Conference quarterfinal loss to Emmaus, who came out on top 54-35. The Hornets went on to capture the EPC title.

34 - Blue Mountain held Northwestern to its lowest point total of the season, but the Tigers still managed to find a way to win. The last time Northwestern was held under 40 points was Feb. 14 of last season in the Colonial League semifinals — a 37-26 loss to Palmerton.

2006 - The last time Northwestern played in a district championship game was 19 years ago. Its opponent tonight — Allentown Central Catholic — spoiled the Tigers’ title hopes with a 43-22 win.

CLOSING THOUGHTS

“It’s a challenge. You’re playing an Eastern Pennsylvania Conference school (in Allentown Central Catholic). We’re playing a team that traditionally, year-in and year-out, is always there. I don’t think our girls are going to be intimidated to play this game. I believe deep down we’ll come out and play to the best of our ability. We will give ourselves a good shot to win this game. We’re going to have to shoot better than we did on Saturday. I think if we play our game, we will give ourselves more than a good shot to win this game. But we’re going to have to make some shots. Central is always a challenge. But it’s an exciting challenge because you know you’re one step away from qualifying for a district final. You also guarantee yourself an opportunity to qualify for the state playoffs. A lot is riding on this game. But I’d rather be there at this time of the year than sit at home and watch other teams. And, we’re excited to be there, and it will be a good challenge for sure.” - Northwestern head coach Chris Deutsch.

GIRLS BASKETBALL

District 11 Class 4A

No. 3 Palmerton (20-5) vs.

No. 2 North Schuylkill (19-6)

Wednesday, Feb. 26 at Blue Mountain, 6 p.m.

LEADING OFF

After being upset in the districts by Catasauqua a year ago, Palmerton opened this year’s tournament with a victory over Wilson in the quarterfinals. The win guaranteed the Blue Bombers of at least two more games. The first of those comes tonight in the semifinals against perennial Schuylkill League power North Schuylkill. The Spartans, who fell to Schuylkill Haven in the league’s title game, reached the semis with a solid 41-24 victory over Lehighton.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

North Schuylkill - Mya Conti (15.7 points per game, 29 three-pointers, 4.4 steals per game, 3.8 rebounds per game); Hannah Kane (10.0 ppg, 33 three-pointers, 7.3 rpg, 3.1 spg); Gianna Capone (9.6 ppg, 5.5 rpg, 39 threes); Jadelin Stitzer (6.1 ppg).

Palmerton - Courtney Connell (10.88 points per game, 11.35 rebounds per game), Mikayla Pengelly (9.52 ppg, 1.95 assists per game), Hailey Barry (9.08 ppg, 3.70 rpg), Cate Morgan (7.52 ppg, 2.70 steals per game, 4.5 rbg).

BY THE NUMBERS

1 - The number of appearances North Schuylkill has had in the Class 4A championship game in the last four years. Prior to moving up a class in 2020-21, the Spartans collected five championship trophies — two in Class 3A (2018, 2020) and three in Class 2A (2004, 2005, 2007) – over the years. In 2023, the Spartans dropped a 54-44 decision to Allentown Central Catholic in its only Class 4A final appearance.

7 - The point differential in this year’s Schuylkill League championship game, as the Spartans dropped a 38-31 decision to Haven at Martz Hall on Feb. 14.

27 - Seven different Bomber players have posted a block once or twice this season. However, Courtney Connell — who is 5-10 — has the most on her team with 27.

66 - The Spartans are hitting on 66 percent of their free throws this season, led by Marian Monahan’s 76 percent. Other North Schuylkill players over 60 percent include Stitzer, Kane, Kapone and Conti.

2020 - The last time the Bombers and the Spartans met in the District 11 playoffs was in the Class 3A bracket five years ago. On Feb. 25 of that year at Martz Hall, the Spartans downed the Bombers 57-32 in the semifinals.

CLOSING THOUGHTS

“Saturday’s win over Wilson kind of got the monkey off our back with the district setback a year ago. Not that we overlooked Catty last year, but it was certainly unexpected and came as a shock to everybody to have the season end on that note. The girls were super focused, and they got the job done (against Wilson). We’re excited to move on. We have at least two more games. But, like I said before, our goal is to win districts. We’re not satisfied yet, we want to keep going. Now that we know who we’re facing, we’ve been really researching them. We got to know them a lot better in the last couple of days. Yeah, we know they’re a good team. We know they like to pressure. And, we’re going to have to handle that pressure. The girls are certainly up to the task. We know what we’re going to face, and now it’s just about going through and executing.” - Palmerton head coach Jeremy Coleman.

BOYS BASKETBALL

DISTRICT 11 CLASS 2A

No. 2 Marian (11-11) vs.

No. 3 Schuylkill Haven (10-12)

Wednesday, Feb. 26 at Minersville, 7 p.m.

LEADING OFF

It’s a Schuylkill League showdown as Marian faces off against Schuylkill Haven for the third time this season with a trip to the district championship game on the line. In their previous two meetings, the Hurricanes came out on top with a 65-55 win on Dec. 12, and a 68-57 victory on Jan. 21. Both teams lost many starters to graduation coming into the season, and have fairly young squads.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Marian - Rocco Griguoli (10.55 ppg.), Jacob De La Cruz (9.59 ppg, 35 three-pointers); Justin De La Cruz (8.05 ppg, 32 three-pointers); Gregory Tirpak (6.82 ppg, 36 three-pointers).

Schuylkill Haven - Alan Evens (21.0 ppg, 4.2 rpg.); Max Heim (14.1 ppg, 8.9 rpg.); Brady Kelly (8.4 ppg, 4.2 rpg).

BY THE NUMBERS

1 - The number of seniors on each team, with Dylan Rodino as Marian’s only upperclassman, and Brayden Fasnacht as Haven’s only senior.

5 - The number of district championships that both Marian and Haven have each won since 1986, with the most recent coming in 2017 by Marian.

7 - This will be the seventh district playoff matchup between these two teams since 1986. Haven won the first three matchups (1991 semis, 1992 semis and 1993 finals), while Marian won the most recent three matchups (1995 semis, 1998 consi, and 2024 semis).

28 - The number of years it has been since Schuylkill Haven won a district championship when it captured the 1A title in 1997.

2024 - Last year was the last time these two teams met in the district playoffs, in which the Colts pulled off a 50-48 upset victory over the Hurricanes.

CLOSING THOUGHTS

“Belief is a powerful thing, and a lot of these guys were sitting on the bench watching our mini-Cinderella run last year after beating two teams that we lost to. So they know it’s possible, but sometimes the slippers got to fit. (Haven was) good enough to beat us twice, so why shouldn’t they beat us a third time? We made mistakes in those games. We’ve adjusted, worked on things that I think will help us, but they’re a scrappy bunch. Hopefully it’s a little bit more March magic. We’re going to give it our best, and I truly feel that we’re ready to play. We’ll see what happens. I know the guys are chomping at the bit. It’s been a long time and we’re really excited ... They’ve come a long way in a short while ... The future is bright, and the present is brighter than I would have expected. That’s a credit to the boys. The challenge early on is not returning any starters, trying to start from scratch. You’re going to take your lumps. You’re going to have nights where you look like you’re really good. You’re going to have nights where not so much. But at this point, we’ve had pretty much another preseason, actually longer. We’re going to have been off for 17 days. So irregardless of what happens, this has been valuable time. These kids have grown, they’ve evolved, they’re learning my system day-by-day and it’s getting more complex. They’re getting better at it, and the credit goes to them.” - Marian head coach Scott Murphy.

GIRLS BASKETBALL

District 11 Class 1A

No. 4 Weatherly (4-18) vs.

No. 1 Bethlehem Christian (14-6)

Wednesday, Feb. 26 at Executive Education, 6 p.m.

LEADING OFF

Bethlehem Christian is coming off a 45-37 loss to Calvary Baptist in an ACCAC semifinal contest. The top-seeded Panthers were 13-5 during the regular season. Weatherly hasn’t played since they dropped a 44-24 decision to Lincoln Leadership Academy on Feb. 10. The winner advances to Saturday’s district championship game.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Weatherly - Kelly Reiner (10.5 ppg), Courtney Snyder (3.4 ppg).

Bethlehem Christian - Gianna Kasper (13.0 ppg), Abby Wilson (10.7 ppg), Paige Kreidler (4.8 ppg), Elyse Krachadourian (4.6 ppg), Liah Cornelius (4.1 ppg).

BY THE NUMBERS

0 - They are no common opponents between the two teams.

3 - Bethlehem Christian has only been a varsity program for three years (second in PIAA), and it lost to Nativity in the Class 1A final last season.

4 - Weatherly was a fourth seed in the 2022-23 season, and it lost a semifinal game to Mountain View, 54-27.

19 - Reiner has made 19 of the team’s 21 three-pointers.

28 - The margin in which Bethlehem Christian beat Weatherly (45-17) when the teams met on Jan. 11.

CLOSING THOUGHTS

“We’re just really excited to make it to the playoffs. The girls worked really hard all season, and they got better every game. Injuries hurt us, and we played only five girls at times — one being against Bethlehem Christian. They are a good team, but we have to keep our turnovers down and pick up our defensive intensity.” - Weatherly head coach Jason Kane.

“We beat Weatherly earlier in the year by 28. However, they were down a few girls, and playoffs are a whole new season. We have been preparing and staying focused. We are motivated to meet our goal of not only returning to the district championship, but winning it.” - Bethlehem Christian head coach Greg Duff.