Six area teams hope to reach finals
Six TIMES NEWS area basketball teams hope to win semifinal matchups and earn a spot in this weekend's District 11 championships.
The Northern Lehigh girls (Class AA) and Northern Lehigh boys (Class AAA) will see action tonight, as will the Marian boys (Class A).
The Tamaqua (3A) and Palmerton (3A) girls will see action on Wednesday along with the Marian girls (Class A)
BOYS
No. 3 Northern Lehigh (15-7)
vs. No. 2 Wilson (16-7)
TIPOFF: Tuesday, March 1 at 7:30 p.m. at Catasauqua
COACHES: Northern Lehigh - Jeff Miller; Wilson - Bob Frankenfield
PROJECTED STARTING LINEUP: Northern Lehigh - Jordan Waylen (Sr., 6-1, 14.23 ppg.), Caleb Johnson (So. 6-4, 9.41), Devin Glose (Jr., 5-8, 7.59), Lucas Pierce (So., 6-5, 8.91), Tyler Dibilio (Fr., 4.00); Wilson - Kowan Scott (Sr., 6-4, 14.2 ppg), Gerald Terry (Sr., 6-0, 10.3), Ryan Spirko (Jr., 6-1, 8.0), Alex Parker (Sr., 5-7, 4.8), Chris Cooper (Sr., 6-0, 5.0).
OFF THE BENCH: Northern Lehigh - Carter Rankin (Sr., 6-1, 3.35 ppg), Darien Middaugh (So., 2.64), Josh Malaska (Sr., 5-11, 3.29), Thatcher George (Jr., 5-6, 1.05), Josh Landsberger (Fr., 1.82); Wilson - Dylan Sostorecz (Sr., 6-2, 2.8 ppg), Dan Lewis (Sr., 2.0), Trey Thatcher (So., 0.7).
GAME NOTES: Northern Lehigh and Wilson are meeting for the second time this year …. The Warriors defeated the Bulldogs 36-33 on Feb. 12 at Wilson …. Frankenfield used only six players that night, with Scott and Terry leading the way with 12 and 11 points respectively …. Northern Lehigh had four chances to tie the game or take the lead in the final 1:30 but failed to do so …. The game turned out to be a defensive battle, with Wilson playing a man-to-man and Northern Lehigh sitting in a zone …. The man-to-man gave the Bulldogs a little trouble so they have been working on their man offense over the last few weeks …. That game was the last time Northern Lehigh played. By the time the Bulldogs take the court tonight, they will have had a 17-day layoff .... Miller believes the extended practice time was good for his younger players …. History may be on the Bulldogs' side as Wilson has lost its first district game each of the last two years (including 2009 when it was the No .1 seed) …. The Warriors last district win came over Saucon Valley in 2008 …. Wilson isn't a team that relies heavily on perimeter shooting as Cooper leads the team with just 18 three-pointers. Scott is second with 15 …. Both Scott and Terry are capable of posting double-doubles …. Scott had 12 points and 10 rebounds vs. Notre Dame on Feb. 11, while Terry posted a 16-and-17 line the very same night …. They are two of a few athletic players on the Warriors' team and stopping their penetration will be key for Northern Lehigh …. In the previous game between the teams, the Bulldogs' Johnson was in foul trouble and played only about two minutes in the first half ... Winner of this game is guaranteed a berth in the PIAA State Tournament.
QUOTABLE: "We are confident. We know we can play with them. Looking back on the last game, Caleb was in foul trouble and I think that really hurt us. We are anxious to get back at it and we know what is at stake. Not many teams are playing right now and we can guarantee ourselves two more games if we can win Tuesday night. But nothing would be better than playing for a district championship." - Northern Lehigh head coach Jeff Miller
Class A
No. 1 Marian (18-5 overall) vs.
NO. 5 Moravian Academy (16-7 overall)
TIPOFF: Tuesday, March 1st at 7 p.m. at Tamaqua
COACHES: Marian John Patton; Moravian Academy John Donmoyer
PROJECTED STARTING LINEUPS: Marian Chris Barletta (Sr., 6-0, 16.91 ppg), Ryan Gimbi (Sr., 6-2, 12.74), Dom Richards (Sr., 6-6, 7.57), Mark Stawick (Sr., 5-10, 3.53), Anthony Agosti (Fr., 5-10, 1.22); Moravian Academy Logan Bernard (Sr., 6-0, 19.0 ppg), Sameer Singh (Sr., 6-3, 12.0), Adam Blair (Sr., 6-3, 8.0), Jacob Pickle (Sr., 5-100, 4.0), Ted Messman (Jr., 6-5, 3.5)
OFF THE BENCH: Marian JT Keer (Sr., 6-1, 3.43 ppg), Eric Baker (Sr., 6-1, 3.38), Anthony Pilla (Jr., 5-10, 2.35), Ryan Karnish (So., 5-9, 2.35); Moravian Academy Luke Gutekunst (Fr., 5-11, 8.0 ppg), Dysean Alexander (Jr., 5-9, 2.5)
GAMES NOTES: Marian, the defending Class A champion, enters its second consecutive year as the Class A top seed ... The Colts have qualified for the District 11 playoffs for the sixth straight year and the 14th time in the last 15 years ... Moravian Academy has qualified for the district playoffs in 11 of Donmoyer's 14 years with the program, but Friday night's dramatic 45-44 win over Pius X was only the Lions' second postseason win in that span. The Lions beat Pius X when a tightly guarded Logan Bernard drilled a three-pointer from 30 feet out with one second remaining. Pius X played the game without leading scorer Jay Maletz .... The last time Marian and Moravian Academy met in the district playoffs was 2006 when the No. 4 seeded Colts knocked off the No. 5 seeded Lions, 44-31, on the very same floor Tamaqua where they will meet this evening ... The Colts and Lions had three common opponents this season. They both faced Pius X, Tri-Valley and Weatherly. Marian split a pair of game with Pius, winning 61-50 and losing 54-48. Moravian Academy played Pius X a total of four times. The Lions lost their first two matches with them before winning the next two, including a key win in last weekend's district playoffs. Both teams suffered setbacks to Tri-Valley Moravian Academy lost 46-30 to the Bulldogs while Marian dropped a two-point (51-49) decision. Meanwhile, Marian was 2-0 against Weatherly (53-27, 68-27), while Moravian Academy posted a 66-23 win over the Wreckers early last month ... The winner of this game is guaranteed a berth in the PIAA State Tournament.
QUOTABLE: "It's something we have talked about for a good bit of the year about getting back and defending our district championship. However, we're going to take it one game at a time. We have a really good Moravian Academy team, who beat Piux X the other night. Their guys can shoot the ball well. We're going to need to play well to beat them." Marian head coach John Patton
GIRLS
CLASS AAA
No. 2 Tamaqua (25-0) vs.
No. 3 Southern Lehigh (21-4)
TIPOFF: Wednesday, March 2 at 7:30 p.m. at Martz Hall, Pottsville High School
COACHES: Tamaqua Joe Berezwick; Jim Thorpe Megan Dellegrotti
PROJECTED STARTING LINEUPS: Tamaqua Amy Zehner (Sr., 5-10, 23.1 ppg), Cassie Eroh (Sr., 5-8, 12.8), Allison Updike (Sr., 5-7, 6.4), Maria Streisel (So., 5-5, 5.2), Kayla Hope (Jr., 5-4, 4.4); Southern Lehigh Bridgette Dougherty (Jr., 6-1, 11.9 ppg), Hannah Doell (Sr., 6-1, 9.2), Eleni Dimou (Sr., 5-3, 6.9), Julia Nemeth (Jr., 5-4, 4.4), Shannon Sullivan (Jr., 5-8, 3.4).
OFF THE BENCH: Tamaqua Christine Streisel (So., 5-6, 2.5 ppg), Stacey Wallace (Sr., 6-0, 1.3); Southern Lehigh Jessica Reichl (Sr., 6-1, 3.9), Emily Cerciello (Sr., 5-7, 2.1), Melann Amory (Fr., 5-9, 3.0), Katelyn Arnold (So, 5-8, 2.0).
GAME NOTES: Tamaqua will be seeking its third consecutive District Championship and have qualified for the District Tournament nine straight seasons ... Tamaqua has won 32 of its last 33 games and 40 of its last 42, including Saturday's 43-30 quarterfinal win against Jim Thorpe ... Southern Lehigh is the defending Colonial League champion and enters on a nine-game winning streak ... Southern Lehigh defeated Blue Mountain 31-28 in Saturday's quarterfinals, with Bridgette Dougherty leading the way with 11 points ... Tamaqua has defeated Blue Mountain twice this season (48-45 and 55-39) ... The Spartans' four losses this year have come against Allentown Central Catholic (22-3), Tamaqua (25-0), Northern Lehigh (21-3) and Bangor (18-7) ... The last time Tamaqua lost to a Colonial League team was against Southern Lehigh in the 2005 District quarterfinals (54-50) ... Southern Lehigh also defeated Tamaqua in the 2003 District quarterfinals ... However, Tamaqua has a two-game regular season winning streak against Southern Lehigh ... The Raiders defeated the Spartans 51-43 earlier this season to capture the Southern Lehigh Christmas Tournament (in addition to a 46-35 victory in last year's Holiday Tournament) ... Amy Zehner led Tamaqua with 29 points and 11 rebounds, en route to being named the Tournament MVP, while Cassie Eroh added 11 points. Doughtery (13 points) and Shannon Sullivan (12 points) led Southern Lehigh ... Bridget Dougherty, a Colonial League First Team All-Star, is Southern Lehigh's leading scorer with 11.9 points per game ... Zehner has 1,847 career points and leads Tamaqua in points (23.1 per game), rebounds (12.1 per game), steals and blocks ... Christine Streisel's nine points and three three-pointers against Jim Thorpe on Saturday was a career-high ... Southern Lehigh has plenty of team height with three girls over six-feet tall, including Dougherty (6-1), starter Hannah Doell (6-0) and Jessica Reichl (6-1) ... Tamaqua's tallest starter is Zehner (5-10) ... Despite the size mismatch, Tamaqua outrebounded the Spartans 27-26 in its earlier season meeting ... Second-year Southern Lehigh head coach Megan Dellegrotti played basketball at Berwick High School and the University of Delaware. She assumed the head coaching duties at Southern Lehigh in 2009 ... The Lady Raiders have won 10 consecutive games at Martz Hall ... The last time Southern Lehigh played at Martz Hall was in 2004 when it beat Blue Mountain in the District quarterfinals ... The winner of this game will play the winner of the No. 1 Allentown Central Catholic (22-3) vs. No. 4 Palmerton (18-5) game on Saturday, March 5.
QUOTABLE: "We may have beaten them earlier in the year, but Districts is a brand new season. They're playing very well right now, but we're playing well too, so we just have to handle their pressure and execute. They're big and fast and we're mid-sized and fast. We like to get up and down the floor and so do they. This game is going to come down to who's able to do what they like to do best and we just have to hope that we can neutralize their size by beating them up and down the floor," Tamaqua head coach Joe Berezwick
GIRLS
CLASS AAA
No. 1 Central Catholic (22-3) vs.
No. 4 Palmerton (18-5)
TIPOFF: Wednesday, March 2 at 6 p.m. at Northampton High School
COACHES: Central Catholic Mike Kopp; Palmerton Don Delich
STARTING LINEUPS: Central Catholic Kerry Kinek (Jr., 19.2 ppg), Jenna Kocsis (Jr., 9.2), Haley Smith (Sr., 4.5), Casey Hollawell (Jr., 2.2), Abbey Guman (Jr., 2.8); Palmerton Kelsey Hay (Jr., 6-1, 14.8 ppg), Casey Rinfret (Sr., 5-6, 12.1), Gina Farquhar (Sr., 5-7, 7.6), Jennifer Snyder (Jr., 5-10, 2.5), Katie Reimer (Sr., 5-8, 7.2)
OFF THE BENCH: Central - Katie Troyan (Jr., 2.6), Jackie Fronheiser (So., 1.7), Jess Wehr (Sr., 1.4), Abby Sandherr (So., 2.5), Summer Sullivan (So., 2.2), Laura McCann (Jr., 1.7);
Palmerton - Samantha Smith (Sr., 5-11, 1.2), Emily Meinhardt (So., 5-10, 2.9), Morgan Mummey (So., 5-10, 1.0).
GAME NOTES: Both Palmerton and Central Catholic are looking to continue their winning ways after opening-round victories in the first round of this tournament….Central is coming off a 44-24 win over Wilson, while the Bombers are reeling from the overtime victory against Bethlehem Catholic, both on Saturday….the Vikettes are 11-time, defending District Eleven champions….the Bombers sport a 18-5 overall record and are capable of putting up some big numbers, as well….Leading scorer, rebounder and Colonial League MVP, Kelsey Hay needs only 22 points to reach the 1,000-point scoring plateau….teammate Casey Rinfret has been referred to as "the best point guard in the Colonial League," as her speed and ball-handling abilities make her a lethal threat to opponents….ACC is led by Kerry Kinek, as she averages 19.2 ppg, has scored 481 points this season thus far, and is a threat from the free throw line, as she has connected on 82% there….Jenna Kocsis is the second option, offensively, as she averages 9.2 ppg and touts a 81% FT percentage, while also being able to connect from the outside, as she has hit 19 free throws this year….The Vikettes have held their last seven opponents under 30 points....The last time the Bombers were District Eleven champs was in AA during the 1996-97 season; the Lady Bombers won Colonial League titles in 95-96, 96-97, and 97-98….Both squads pride themselves on their team defenses and utilize this side of the ball to surge into the offensive side of things, as well….In terms of common opponents, ACC defeated Southern Lehigh back on 12-22, winning 47-36, they defeated Becahi twice, 55-38 (1-11) and 46-28 (2-15), and recently downed Wilson 44-24 this past Saturday….Palmerton downed Wilson, 71-35 (1-14), lost twice to Solehi, 36-49 (1-19) and 38-43 (2-16), while downing Bethlehem Catholic, 59-53 in OT this past weekend….Central's three losses came at the hands of Red Lion (44-46), Villa Maria-Malvern (36-49), and Northampton (36-42)….the locals' five losses were the two Southern Lehigh games, Northern Lehigh twice and Bangor once….Palmerton is going to be coached by assistant Ralph Andrews, as Delich recovers from recent surgery.
QUOTABLE: "They are a very disciplined team on both sides of the ball and don't make many mistakes. They have two girls that they sort of build their team around, in Kocsis and Kinek. They're big and compliment each other really well and work well together. We're going to be physical and be in their faces and we're going to look to take advantage of our strong team defense, and hopefully generate some offense out of that. We're going to have to start out playing the way we can, because lately we've been starting out a little flat. But if we have a poor first quarter, I think it might be too late, because they'll take advantage. But our girls know what they have to do and are going to do it. We need to just play like we know we can." - Palmerton assistant coach Ralph Andrews
GIRLS
Class AA
No. 4 Pen Argyl (13-9) vs.
No 1. Northern Lehigh (21-3)
TIPOFF: Tuesday, March 1 at 6 p.m. at Catasauqua
COACHES: Pen Argyl - Dave Moyer; Northern Lehigh - Dave Oertner
PROJECTED STARTING LINEUP: Pen Argyl - Laura Cinelli (Sr., 5-8, 10.8 ppg), Samm Firestone (So., 6-0, 8.0), Catherine Clause (Jr., 5-5, 3.5), Sara Vough (Sr., 6-1, 8.8), Kassy Beckage (Jr., 5-4, 5.9); Northern Lehigh - Aimee Oertner (Jr., 6-2, 17.8 ppg), Sonya Josephson (Sr., 6-0, 15.6), Christina Bastardi (Jr., 5-2, 8.0), Lauren Oertner (Sr., 5-11, 5.0), Kristi Seiler (Sr., 5-5, 4.6).
OFF THE BENCH: Pen Argyl - Sara Cinelli (Fr., 5-7, 4.8 ppg), Mallory Oyer (Jr., 5-6, 1.4); Northern Lehigh - Courtney Werley (Sr., 5-10, 1.3 ppg), Kelsey Follweiler (Fr., 5-2, 0.9).
GAME NOTES: Pen Argyl and Northern Lehigh will be meeting for the third time this season …. The Bulldogs won both regular-season meetings …. The first was a 39-31 win on Dec. 18 followed by a 55-45 victory on Feb. 4 …. Vough was the only Green Knight to score in double figures in either of those games, as she tallied 14 in the second match-up …. Northern Lehigh received 22 points from A. Oertner and Josephson in the first and second meetings respectively …. The Green Knight's full-court press bothered Minersville in their 48-37 first-round victory and Oertner expects to see the same …. The Knights are fairly quick and will probably try to offset the Bulldogs' height advantage with their speed in the full-court …. Offensively Pen Argyl likes to spread out and attack of the dribble with hopes of creating foul trouble for its opposition …. Bastardi (heel) and Aimee Oertner (ankle) and slightly banged up, but both are expected to play their normal amount of minutes …. Vough is the Knight's tallest player at 6-1, but she can also make a three-pointer from time to time …. Beckage leads the team with 23 triples, with Laura Cinelli second with 16.
QUOTABLE: "We are dealing with a few minor injuries and some sicknesses, but as far as confidence goes we are feeling great. We have beaten them twice this year so we know we are good enough to win. It's just the matter of us going out there and playing well." - Northern Lehigh head coach Dave Oertner
Class A
GIRLS
No. 1 Marian (19-3) vs.
No. 5 Moravian Academy (14-8)
TIPOFF: Wednesday, March 2 at 6 p.m. at Blue Mountain
COACHES: Marian Paul Brutto; Moravian Academy Chris Pachuta
PROJECTED STARTING LINEUPS: Marian Danielle Tristani (Jr., 5-9, 10.5 ppg), Gillian Ferko (Sr., 5-11, 9.8), Gabby Green (Fr., 5-1, 4.2), Kaysi McLaughlin (Jr., 5-5, 5.7), Corine Markiewicz (Sr., 5-8, 3.6); Moravian Academy Rachel Redles (Jr., 5-7, 10.0 ppg), Maddie Steen (Sr., 5-7, 11.0), Alexis Burgess (Sr., 5-9, 7.0), Katherine Stone (Sr., 5-8, 5.0), Hannah Ruebeck (Jr., 5-7, 5.0)
OFF THE BENCH: Marian Kaycee Gutsie (Sr., 5-5, 4.2 ppg), Kelly Shober (Jr., 5-9, 2.9), Sam Faust (So., 5-2, 2.1); Moravian Academy Ashley Blair (So., 5-6, 2.0), Keira Hess (Fr., 5-6, 1.8), Maddie Sutton (So., 6-2, 1.3)
GAMES NOTES: Since 1974, Marian has qualified every year for the district playoffs making this the 38th straight season the Fillies are taking part in the postseason. Moravian Academy has a nice District 11 playoff streak of its own. The Lions have qualified for districts every year since 2000 ... The Fillies earned a first-round by as the tourament's No. 1 seed while the Lions advanced by knocking off No. 4 seed Notre Dame of East Stroudsburg, 46-32, on Saturday. It was only the program's third-ever district playoff win ... Against NDES, the Lions were paced by the duo of Rachel Redles, who finished with a game-high 17 points, and Maddie Steen, who hit for 15 points. It was the first district playoff win for the Lions since the 2006-07 ... The last time the Fillies entered the district playoffs as the No. 1 seed was 2008 when they went on to capture the district championship, beating Nativity 46-31 for the title. That was also the last time Marian and Moravian Academy met in the playoffs. That year, the Fillies opened the playoffs with a 68-29 victory over Moravian ... The teams only shared one common opponent Weatherly during the regular season. Marian got the best of their Schuylkill League Division III foes twice (60-26 and 46-21). Moravian Academy scored a 50-35 win against the Wreckers earlier last month ... The winner of this game is guaranteed a berth in the PIAA State Tournament.
QUOTABLE: "We put ourselves in a position with our season to not have to play another Schuylkill League team in this round. On paper, because of the toughness of the competition teams like us, Nativity and Tri-Valley play, that would appear to be an advantage. But we need to take care of business on Wednesday against Moravian. This is a team that plays defenses which have posed a problem for us all year long. We're concerned about that. We certainly like our chances from the standpoint that I think our competition prepared us for it. You have to play the game in front of you and I'm hoping our kids aren't looking at a rematch with Nativity or Tri-Valley because that's where you get ambushed sometimes." Marian head coach Paul Brutto
