District 11 champion Jim Thorpe is scheduled to take on Lake Lehman, the third seed out of District 2, in the second round of the PIAA State Class 4A playoffs on Saturday afternoon. The game will be played at Berwick, weather permitting.

Lake Lehman (21-4) vs. Jim Thorpe (26-1)

TIPOFF

- Saturday, March 12 at 3 p.m. at Berks High School

COACHES

- Lake Lehman-Charlie Lavan; Jim Thorpe- Nadia Gauronsky

NOTES

… The Black Knights from District 2 edged Berks Catholic, 39-37, to reach the second round. Behind for most of the game, Lehman’s defense allowed Berks just five points in the final period. Its comeback was led by 1,000-point scorer Claire Daugherty, 6-1 senior, and Hailey Kline, a junior, who combined for eight points to overcome the deficit. Kline and Daugherty led all scorers with 13 points apiece ... Jim Thorpe easily defeated Freire Charter from Philadelphia, 48-23, in its first round state game. After a 2-2 tie, the Olympians went on a 20-0 run to put the game away early. Skyler Searfoss scored 11 points and was removed late in the first half and for much of the second half - as were all the starters. Leah Snisky also scored 11 points and Olivia Smelas tallied 10 … Lake Lehman’s overall size presents problems for opponents. Daugherty stands at 6-1, while 5-11 freshman Ella Wilson compliments junior starters Brenna Hunt, Lia Keefe, and Kline who together can shoot over smaller defenders and dominate the boards on both ends of the court. Defensively, the Knights like to play a 2-3 zone and utilize their size to alter the path of outside shots, as well as stuff the paint to prevent penetration … Thorpe is every coach’s dream because of their balanced scoring. Four of its five starters are averaging double figures. Behind Searfoss’ 14.26 points per game, Smelas (11.59) and Leila Hurley (11.26) average a bit over 11 and Snisky throws down 10.07 per contest. Junior Mackenzie Yuhas averages 6.63 points per game while playing solid defense and, along with Smelas, is a force off the defensive glass … The second round in the tournament brings together these two teams for a rematch. In mid-January, Thorpe came from behind to beat the Knights, 44-29. Behind by four going into the final eight minutes, Searfoss led a 22-3 blitz, scoring 12 of her game-high 21 points … This season, the Knights have won the Wyoming Valley Conference league championship and advanced to the District 2 Class 4A semifinals before losing to Scranton Prep. The Olympians have won both the Schuylkill League and District 11 4A championships.

COACH’S QUOTES

: “We’ll have to shoot better than we did against Freire Charter. With their size, we will need to score on first shots because second and third opportunities off rebounds will be limited. If we can force them out of their zone, we can try to control the tempo of the game. Their strength is the half court offense and with their height advantage, they can shoot over the top or drive inside for short jumpers and layups. We will have to pressure the ball again, which caused them to turn over the ball in the first game, and then score off the transition. We’ll count on Smelas, Snisky, and Yuhas to battle them in the paint, and we’ll have to move the ball around quickly looking for the kick out shot or an open lane to drive to the basket.” - Jim Thorpe head coach Nadia Gauronsky