Five area basketball teams will open state playoff action this weekend.

Both the Northwestern boys and Marian girls take to the court tonight in first-round play, while the Northwestern and Palmerton girls, along with the Marian boys, tip off on Saturday.

Below are capsules on four of the games (the district champion Marian boys were featured in Thursday’s edition):

BOYS BASKETBALL

PIAA 4A First Round

Northwestern (24-3) vs. Scranton Prep (18-7)

Friday, March 7 at Northwestern High School, 7:05 p.m.

LEADING OFF

EPC champion Allentown Central Catholic outslugged Northwestern to give the Tigers a slightly tougher road to a state championship, but it still gets to open on its home court. Scranton Prep faced a similar fate when it lost the District 2 4A championship to Valley View last weekend, but it has to come to downtown New Tripoli to open its quest in states.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Northwestern - Gavin Nelson (19.1 ppg), Eli Zimmerman (12.5 ppg), Shane Marth (11.5 ppg), Mason Bollinger (8.0 ppg); Scranton Prep - Brycen Martin (17.2), Packy Doherty (17.1), Ambrose Rossi (8.4), Brody Martin (5.6), Jack Maloney (5.2).

BY THE NUMBERS

2 – The number of 1,000-point scorers in this game. Both Northwestern’s Gavin Nelson and Scranton’s Brycen Martin reached the milestone this season.

13 – The number of times that Northwestern has reached or topped the 70-point mark in a game this season, including seven straight games in January that included point totals of 85 and 99 points. The last came against Catasauqua in the Colonial League finals.

26 – The number of wins that Scranton Prep has put together in the District 2 playoffs since 2017. Those wins go with just two losses during that span.

54.1 – The average number of points allowed by Scranton Prep per game this season. Look for the Tigers to exploit some defensive holes on the Cavaliers.

2007 – The last time that Northwestern Lehigh played in the PIAA tournament. At that time the Tigers were in the 3A classification and defeated Blue Mountain 48-37, before falling to Southern Lehigh 62-48 in the semifinals.

CLOSING THOUGHTS

Martin and Doherty are the ones to watch offensively for Scranton Prep, but Cavaliers coach Larry Reagan calls Ambrose Rossi “the X factor” because of his ability to compliment the two higher scorers and do the little things on the court that make the team special. While the Tigers are entering territory that the team has not ventured into for years, Scranton Prep is a familiar face in the PIAA tournamen,,t and are battle tested having reached the semifinals last season before being defeated by Archbishop Carroll. Both teams are athletic, and like to create offense through their transition game.

GIRLS BASKETBALL

PIAA 2A First Round

Marian (21-4) vs. MaST Charter II

Friday, March 7 at Bensalem High School, 5:30 p.m.

LEADING OFF

Marian is coming off a 41-34 loss to Williams Valley in the District 11 2A championship game. MaST II is coming off a loss to SLA Beeber in the District 12 2A championship.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Marian - Addy Fritz (14.2 ppg, 61 three-pointers, 5.1 rebounds per game), Deanna Pugh (11.5 ppg, 34 three-pointers, 3.8 steals per game), Olivia Serfass (11 ppg, 5.9 rebounds per game, 3.4 steals per game), Addy Marek (10.1 ppg, 30 three-pointers, 7.1 rebounds per game); MaST II - Jordyn Bolds (12 ppg, 8 rebounds per game), Eva Foster (8 ppg, 5 assists per game).

BY THE NUMBERS

2 — Marian has won two state titles (1984, 2008). The Fillies have finished as a state runner-up on four different occasions.

6 — The Fillies are averaging six three-pointers per game, and are shooting 33 percent as a team from behind the arc.

15 — The Fillies have been good at forcing turnovers this season. Marian averages around 15 steals per game. On the offensive side of the ball, the Fillies are averaging just over eight turnovers per game.

32 — Marian has qualified for the PIAA state tournament 32 times in its program’s history. The Fillies have qualified for the state tournament in 22 of the last 30 seasons.

CLOSING THOUGHTS

“MaST II is an improving program. We are looking forward to the opportunity to play Friday night. We are finally healthy and hungry to prove that we are one of the best teams in 2A in the state. Defensively, I couldn’t be more proud of our effort and execution over the last few weeks. Offensively, we just need to settle in and continue to trust the process. We are a very talented team, and we need to believe in our ability. We have to take full advantage of the opportunity in front of us and enjoy the journey.” - Marian head coach Damian Fritz.

GIRLS BASKETBALL

PIAA Class 4A First Round

Valley View (20-6) vs. Palmerton (21-6)

Saturday, March 8 at Palmerton, 1 p.m.

LEADING OFF

Palmerton enters the game off a 45-33 loss to Allentown Central Catholic in the District 11 Class 4A title game. Courtney Connell had a team-high 15 points, while Cate Morgan added 11. Valley View lost to Scranton Prep, 62-36, in the District 2 Class 4 A title game. The winner will face Audenreid Charter or Boiling Springs on March 12.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Palmerton – Courtney Connell (10. 85 ppg), Cate Morgan (7.46 ppg), Mikayla Pengelly (9.62 ppg), Hailey Barry (9.23 ppg), Emily Baumgardt (6.75 ppg)

Valley View – Giada Costa (12.4 ppg, 1,000-point career scorer), Cora Castellani (12.8 ppg), Sadie Cardoni (10.8 ppg)

BY THE NUMBERS

0 – There haven’t been any common opponents between the two teams.

2 — Palmerton was the second seed in District 11, while Valley View was the No. 2 seed from District Two.

11 — Valley View opened the regular season with an 11-game winning streak.

17 — There is a 17-point difference between the Blue Bombers points per game average (49.76) and their points allowed per game (32.20).

28 – It was 28 years ago that Palmerton lost in the Eastern final to Trinity, 50-40, and finished the season 31-1.

50 – Barry enters the game with 50 three-pointers.

CLOSING THOUGHTS

“Valley View is a tough team that is well coached. They have a quality point guard and scoring threat in Cora Castellani. They have a fine post player in Sadie Cardoni. Valley View is a well-rounded team without many weaknesses. They are a seasoned team that moves the ball well on offense and plays tough defense. They have a good amount of senior leadership that has learned to win close games. Their record speaks for itself ... We were right there in that game against Allentown Central Catholic. We did have a rough fourth quarter shooting, but we feel it was largely due to getting behind early in the quarter and then rushing some shots. We continually evaluate our mistakes and seek to learn and improve. The girls are shooting well in practice and looking forward to another opportunity to prove themselves. Not many teams get to play into March. We are enjoying the ride and want to make the most of it.” — Palmerton head coach Jeremy Coleman.

GIRLS BASKETBALL

PIAA Class 4A First Round

Northwestern (24-4) vs. Neumann Goretti (21-4)

Saturday, March 8 at Ben Franklin HS, Philadelphia, 2:30 p.m.

LEADING OFF

Northwestern Coach Chris Deutsch challenged his players to show that they wanted to keep playing basketball,, and the team responded with a 51-34 win over North Schuylkill. The win got some revenge for the Tigers, who lost to the Spartans in the District 11 4A consolation game a year ago. Meanwhile, Neumann Goretti ran through the Philadelphia Catholic League (PCL) undefeated and stretched an early nine-point lead to 15 late in the third quarter and then held on as Archbishop Carroll mounted a rally that came up short as the Saints took a 50-43 win in the finals.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Northwestern – Cara Thomas (18.7 ppg), Natalie Conner (16.7 ppg), Brook Balliet (7.0 ppg)

Neumann Goretti – Reginna Baker (14.6 ppg/4.6 rebounds), Kamora Berry (14.4 ppg), Carryn Easley (14.0 ppg)

BY THE NUMBERS

2 – League MVPs playing in the game. Thomas was named the Colonial League MVP in her senior season and Easley, also a senior, was the MVP of the PCL this season.

5 – The number of times that Neumann coach Andrea Peterson has been on the winning side in a PCL championship game. Twice Peterson won gold as a player for Archbishop Carroll, once as a Neumann Goretti assistant coach, and now twice as the Saints head coach.

8 – Three-pointers hit by Northwestern Lehigh in its win over North Schuylkill. Senior Brook Balliet had five of them, including three in the first six minutes.

10 – Years since Neumann Goretti last won the PCL prior to 2025.

1,530 – Total number of points scored by senior Cara Thomas in her high school career – so far.

CLOSING THOUGHTS

Neumann Goretti is slightly lacking in size with the exception of freshman center Chrisette King, who checks in at 5-10. What the Saints lack in size they make up for in athleticism and King is a physical beast down low, so the Tigers will have to fight for every rebound they can get. Senior guards Carryn Easley and Amya Scott are both 5-5, but bring plenty of postseason experience with them after winning a state championship in their freshman season. The duo is looking at this as their “bookend season” when it comes to another state championship. Baker has turned the duo into a trio this season and is the most improved player on the team, giving Neumann Goretti plenty of shooters. Northwestern seniors Balliet, Paige Bissell and Thomas are not looking for their high school days on the court to end with a long bus ride home from Philadelphia, and will look to spark Northwestern both offensively and defensively with freshman Natalie Conner showing no postseason nerves and ready to chip in.