Four area teams grab No. 1 seeds
Nine TIMES NEWS area teams will begin their quest for a District 11 basketball championship when playoffs get under way this week.
Area teams grabbed four No. 1 seeds. The Pleasant Valley girls jumped to the top of the Class 4A seedings after capturing the Mountain Valley Conference championship on Friday night. Also earning top seeds are the Northern Lehigh girls in Class 2A and the Marian boys and girls in Class 1A.
In the boys bracket, Pleasant Valley has qualified in Class 4A, Northern Lehigh in 3A and Marian in 1A. Six girls team have also made the field with Pleasant Valley in 4A; Tamaqua, Jim Thorpe and Palmerton in Class 3A; Northern Lehigh in Class 2A and Marian in Class 1A.
The No. 10 seed Pleasant Valley boys will start things off when they travel to No. 7 Bangor on Wednesday at 7 p.m. in a pigtail round contest.
Northern Lehigh, the No. 3 seed in 3A boys and Marian, the No. 1 seed in Class A get byes until semifinal rounds on March 1.
On the girls side, Pleasant Valley takes on the winner of the No. 9 East Stroudsburg South-No. 8 Liberty pigtail game in Friday's first round at a site to be announced.
No. 4 seed Palmerton travels to Allen on Saturday at 1 p.m. for a matchup with No. 5 Bethlehem Catholic and No. 2 seed Tamaqus meets No. 7 seed Jim Thorpe at Martz Hall in Pottsville at 2:30 p.m. in a pair of Class 3A first round games.
Northern Lehigh is idle until the Class 2A semifinals on Tuesday, March 1. Marian is idle until the Class 1A semifinals on Wednesday, March 2.
The brackets are as follows:
BOYS
CLASS AAAA
First round
Wednesday, Feb. 23
All games 7 p.m.
(11) Stroudsburg at (6) Nazareth
(10) Pleasant Valley at (7) Bangor
(9) Pocono Mountain East at (8) Emmaus.
Quarterfinals
Saturday, Feb. 26
(1) Pocono Mountain West vs. Emmaus-PME winner, 7:30 p.m. at East Stroudsburg South
(4) Allen vs. (5) Easton, 6 p.m. at Parkland
(2) Liberty vs. Bangor-PV winner, 7:30 p.m. at Parkland
(3) Pottsville vs. Nazareth-Stroudsburg winner, 7 p.m. at Minersville.
Semifinals
Wednesday, March 2
Final
Saturday, March 5
CLASS AAA
First round
Friday, Feb. 25
(5) Blue Mountain vs. (4) Central Catholic, 7:30 p.m. at Northern Lehigh.
Semifinals
Tuesday, March 1
(1) Saucon Valley vs. Central Catholic-Blue Mountain winner at TBA
(2) Wilson vs. (3) Northern Lehigh at TBA.
Final
Friday, March 4
CLASS AA
First round
Saturday, Feb. 26
(4) Notre Dame G.P. vs. (5) Shenandoah, 1 p.m. at Martz Hall.
Semifinals
Wednesday, March 2
(1) Pine Grove vs. Notre Dame-Shenandoah winner at TBA; (2) Salisbury vs. Minersville at TBA.
Final
Saturday, March 5
CLASS A
First round
Friday, Feb. 25
(4) Pius X vs. (5) Moravian Academy, 6 p.m. at Catasauqua.
Semifinals
Tuesday, March 1
(1) Marian vs. Pius X-Moravian Academy winner at TBA; (2) Tri Valley vs. (3) Mahanoy Area at TBA.
Final
Friday, March 4
GIRLS
CLASS AAAA
First round
Tuesday, Feb. 22
All games 7 p.m.
(12) Easton at (5) Bangor
(11) Stroudsburg at (6) Pocono Mountain West
(10) Pocono Mountain East at (7) Allen
(9) East Stroudsburg South at (8) Liberty.
Quarterfinals
Friday, Feb. 25
(1) Pleasant Valley vs. Liberty-ESS winner, 7 p.m. at TBA
(2) Nazareth vs. Allen-PME winner, 7:30 p.m. at Dieruff
(3) Parkland vs. PMW-Stroudsburg winner, 6 p.m. at Dieruff
(4) Northampton vs. Bangor-Easton winner, 7:30 p.m. at Catasauqua
Semifinals
Tuesday, March 1
Final
Friday, March 4
CLASS AAA
Quarterfinals
Saturday, Feb. 26
(8) Wilson vs. (1) Central Catholic, 4 p.m. at Allen
(7) Jim Thorpe vs. (2) Tamaqua, 2:30 p.m. at Martz Hall
(6) Blue Mountain vs. (3) Southern Lehigh, 2:30 p.m. at Allen
(5) Bethlehem Catholic vs. (4) Palmerton, 1 p.m. at Allen
Semifinals
Wednesday, March 2
Final
Saturday, March 5
CLASS AA
First round
Friday, Feb. 25
(5) Minersville vs. (4) Pen Argyl, 6 p.m. at Northern Lehigh
Semifinals
Tuesday, March 1
(1) Northern Lehigh vs. Pen Argyl-Minersville winner at TBA
(2) Pine Grove vs. (3) Notre Dame G.P. at TBA
Final
Friday, March 4
CLASS A
First round
Saturday, Feb. 26
(5) Moravian Academy vs. (4) Notre Dame E.S., 6 p.m. at East Stroudsburg South
Semifinals
Wednesday, March 2
(1) Marian vs. Notre Dame E.S.-Moravian Academy winner at TBA
(2) Tri Valley vs. (3) Nativity at TBA.
Final
Saturday, March 5
