The high school basketball season is quickly approaching the home stretch. With just three weeks of regular season play remaining, I thought I'd take a look at how our local teams have fared.

I'll group them into three categories based on what they have accomplished so far.Consider this an in-season report card, but without passing or failing grades. Instead it will be a look at the highlights and lowlights of each team's season so far and what to expect in the weeks ahead.I'll put teams into one of three categories the "best", the "bubbles" and the "rest."The "best" are teams that have enjoyed outstanding seasons. To make this category you have to be a lock for postseason play and a contender for league and/or district titles. This is an elite group.The "bubbles" are teams that have enjoyed some success, but not enough to insure themselves a District 11 playoff berth. They still have work to do to crash the postseason party.The "rest" are teams that have scuffled for wins. These teams have either been eliminated from postseason play already or will need a miracle finish to qualify.Note - All information included below is based on results through Monday.THE BESTNo. Lehigh boysHighlight - Captured championship of the Slatington Rotary Classic; Had 4 wins in a 5-day stretch last week, including a key Colonial League road victory at Notre Dame.Lowlight - A loss to Bangor in Colonial League opener.The Stars - "Twin Towers" Lucas Pierce (6-7) and Caleb Johnson (6-5) lead the team offensively and help anchor the area's top defense.The Skinny - The Bulldogs clinched a D-11 playoff berth for the ninth straight year and are in good shape to earn a CL playoff berth. Defense, depth and offensive balance have been the keys for coach Jeff Miller's team this season.Pleasant Valley boysHighlight - A 4-1 start to the season that included the 200th win of head coach Ken Piontkowski's career a 47-39 victory over Nazareth on Dec. 17.Lowlight - Three-game losing streak to end 2011 that included two losses in Hazleton's Cougar Classic Tournament.The Stars - Nick Stanovick is contending for the "triple crown" of offensive statistics. Stanovick is second in the area in scoring, and three-pointers and leads all local players in free throw percentage. Selwyn Wright and Marquis Brown are also ranked among the area's top 10 scorers.The Skinny - The Bears entered the week two games above .500 overall and with wins in 4 of their first 5 Mountain Valley Conference games two of them by double figures. After snapping a four-year D-11 drought last year, the Bears are a lock to make it back-to-back district appearances. A berth in the MVC playoffs should be a sure thing as well.Jim Thorpe girlsHighlight - Victories over long-time nemesis and perennial powers North Schuylkill and Pine Grove.Lowlight - Losing a fourth quarter lead and falling to Blue Mountain in an early-January battle of unbeatens.The Stars - Celeste Robinson leads the area in scoring and is on pace to break the school's all-time scoring record. Chelsea Smelas has been a solid double figure scorer and Kristin Lawrence tops the area in three-pointers.The Skinny - On their way to the most successful season in Olympian girls basketball history. Have clinched a D-11 berth and are a good bet for the Schuylkill League playoffs. Will this team be the first Lady Olympians squad to ever qualify for the PIAA State playoffs?Marian girlsHighlight - Winning at Nativity to end a 7-game losing streak against the Golden Girls that covered three seasons; Avenging an early-season loss to powerful Lourdes.Lowlight - Dropping a 40-38 decision to once-beaten Dunmore on a midcourt buzzer-beater.The Stars - Seniors Danielle Tristani, Kaysi McLaughlin and Kelly Shober are all averaging around 10 points a game. McLaughlin is among the area's three-point leaders. Sam Faust is second in the area in free throw percentage.The Skinny - The Fillies have locked up their 38th consecutive D-11 playoff berth and have a three-game lead in the race for a SIAL Division 3 title and league playoff spot. The Fillies are almost a lock for the league playoffs and should battle unbeaten Tri-Valley and rival Nativity for the District 11 Class A title.Northwestern girlsHighlight - A 5-0 start to the season that included the first win in four years against rival Northern Lehigh.Lowlight - Two losses (Southern Lehigh and Jim Thorpe) in three games last week.The Stars - Sarah Jones is the area's third leading scorer. Center Trista Cunningham has developed into a solid offensive threat.The Skinny - The Tigers have staged one of the most impressive one-season turnarounds in a long time. They entered the week having already matched their win total of the previous two seasons combined, when they posted records of 3-21 and 7-15. They have already clinched a D-11 playoff berth and have a two-game cushion in the race for a Colonial League playoff berth. After missing out on postseason play the previous two seasons, the Tigers will be a definite contender for postseason hardware this year.THE BUBBLESPanther Valley boysHighlight - A 3-1 start to the season and a 5-3 record in non-league games.Lowlight - Losing to Marian by 15 points in an early-season rematch after beating them in the Panther Valley Tip-Off Tournament; A 1-4 Schuylkill League record.The Stars - Nate Mathewson is averaging right around double digits. Thad Ogozalek, Jeff Szczecina and Nick McArdle are among area three-point leaders.The Skinny - Panthers entered the week needing to win five of their last nine games to reach districts. Victories in non-league games against Schuylkill Haven and Palmerton are a must. They will then probably need three wins in league games against Jim Thorpe, Tamaqua and Pine Grove (twice). Odds are probably against it, but I think PV has a shot. Playoff berth could be decided on final night of regular season against Pine Grove.Marian boysHighlight - Avenging an earlier one-point loss to Panther Valley with a convincing non-league win on the Panthers' floor a couple weeks later.Lowlight - Four-game losing streak to start 2012 that dropped the Colts to 4-8 at the timeThe Stars - In the five games since leading scorer Anthony Agosti was lost for the season with a wrist injury, Ryan Karnish has averaged over 17 points a game. Karnish also leads the area in three-pointers.The Skinny - The Colts entered the week needing to win five of their final eight games to reach districts. Unless they pull a major upset, the Colts will more than likely have to beat Tri-Valley, Weatherly, Schuylkill Haven, Jim Thorpe and Nativity to earn a ticket to "The Dance." All of those games are probably winnable, but with virtually no margin for error, it's doubtful that Marian will make its eighth straight D-11 playoff appearance.Jim Thorpe boysHighlight - Started the season with a 5-2 record that included victories over area rivals Marian, Lehighton and Panther Valley.Lowlight - Entered the week in the midst of a six-game losing streak and with a 1-4 record in Schuylkill League play.The Stars - Darius Clark is the leading scorer in the area. PJ Johnson is also flirting with a double figure average.The Skinny - After a hot start, Thorpe entered the week without a victory in 2012. Three games under .500, the Olympians need six wins in their final nine games to avoid missing districts for the second straight year. Hard to imagine Thorpe doing that, especially with seven of the games coming against tough SIAL Division I competition.Palmerton girlsHighlight - Three straight victories to start the season all of them by at least 20 points.Lowlight - Losses to Colonial League rivals Northwestern and Northern LehighThe Stars - Senior Kelsey Hay and freshman Jade Farquhar are both averaging in double figures. Farquhar is also the area's top free throw shooter.The Skinny - Needing just three wins in their final eight games coming into the week, Palmerton is in the best shape of any of the bubble teams. The Bombers still have games against two teams (Catasauqua and Palisades) that are winless in CL play and two other teams (Pen Argyl and Salisbury) that entered the week with 3-5 league marks. The Bombers should be a lock.Pleasant Valley girlsHighlight - An early-season three game win streak that featured a Mountain Valley Conference rout of East Stroudsburg North.Lowlight - A four-game losing streak where no game was decided by more than 11 points.The Stars - Kelcia Harris has hit double figures in 11 of the Bears' first 13 games and is among the area scoring leaders. Amber Chiefo and Arden Cisluycis rank in the top 10 in three-point shooting.The Skinny - The Bears entered the week needing four more wins to reach districts. Victories against league foes East Stroudsburg North and Lehighton should be a lock and a non-league win over Freedom (2-9) is probable. That leaves just one more win in the other seven games, including a contest against a Pocono Mountain West team they have already beaten. The Bears should be in districts for the 17th time in the last 18 years.Tamaqua girlsHighlight - Raiders entered the week riding a five game winning streak all of them by double figures.Lowlight - A 1-4 start to the season, including losses in their first two Schuylkill League games.The Stars - Returning starters Maria Streisel and Kayla Hope are both averaging in double figures. Christine Streisel is just a shade under doubles and one of the area's top three-point shooters..The Skinny - A tough early schedule and the loss of the three top scorers from a year ago, produced a slow start, but the Raiders seem to be hitting stride. They entered the week needing to win just four of their final 10 games. With non-league games against two struggling teams (Mahanoy Area, Lehighton) and league games against two teams they have already posted double figure wins against (Pottsville, Panther Valley), the Raiders appear to be a sure bet to reach districts for the 10th straight season.No. Lehigh girlsHighlight - Put together a streak of six wins in seven games that included four victories by at least 27 points.Lowlight - Started the season with a 1-3 record that included the first loss to Northwestern in four seasons.The Stars - Aimee Oertner scored at least 17 points in each of her team's first 13 games. Tina Bastardi is also averaging in double figures.The Skinny - The Bulldogs entered the week needing just four more wins to qualify for districts, but it won't be easy. Beginning with Friday's game against Southern Lehigh, NL's next five opponents are against teams that had a combined 47-10 record through games of Jan. 10. Of all the bubble teams, this one might be the toughest to call. The Bulldogs' bid for a fourth straight D-11 playoff berth could come down to the regular season finale against Palmerton. My guess is they make it with a .500 record.Panther Valley girlsHighlight - A 7-1 record in non-league games that includes two wins over both Weatherly and Lincoln Leadership Academy.Lowlight - One-point losses to Pottsville and Schuylkill Haven where PV had chances to win it at the buzzer; An 0-5 record in the Schuylkill League.The Stars - Abbey Whilden, Brianna Cunfer and Trevonda Rice are all averaging between 7-10 points a game.The Skinny - PV needs four wins in its final eight games to make districts for the first time since 2003. Panthers are a hard team to figure. An extremely weak non-league schedule has them in playoff position. On the other hand, despite a winless record in the SIAL's tough Division I, they have given Pottsville, North Schuylkill and Pine Grove very tough battles. The Panthers have two games remaining against one-win Columbia Montour Vo-Tech that should be certain wins. But that still means they need two wins against league opponents. PV has shown it can compete with most league foes, but hasn't been able to get that breakthrough win. Because of that, I have to rate them a long-shot to make districts.THE RESTTamaqua boysHighlight - Started the season with a 2-0 record for the first time in nearly a decade.Lowlight - Entered the week 0-5 in Schuylkill League play with the five losses coming by an average of 14 pointsThe Stars - Freshman Brett Kosciolek is in the top five in the area in scoring average, free throw percentage and three-pointers made. Jake Fegley is averaging close to double figures and freshman Zach Wargula is among the area three-point leaders.The Skinny - Tamaqua got off to a nice start. But a couple of close early-season lossess and some tough Division I competition have slowed them considerably. Raiders are still a year or two away, but have the potential to be extremely dangerous in the near future.Northwestern boysHighlight - Opened the season with a 33-point rout of Kutztown; beat Palmerton for their first Colonial League win since the 2009-10 season.Lowlight - Tigers were 1-7 in CL play entering this week with five of the losses coming by 24 or more points.The Stars - Tyler Richardson is among the area's top three-point shooters.The Skinny - The Tigers surpassed last season's win total in the first two weeks of the season, but haven't tasted victory since Dec. 20. First-year coach Dan Eddinger has his team playing well defensively third in the area in points allowed per game but offensive struggles have kept them from being more competitive.Lehighton boysHighlight - Avenging a season opening loss to Palmerton by beating the Bombers in the consolation game of the Slatington Rotary Classic.Lowlight - Lehighton is 0-6 in Mountain Valley Conference play and has now lost 56 consecutive MVC games. The Indians last league win came on Feb. 2, 2007 against Pleasant Valley.The Stars - Nate Kresge is ranked among area leaders in scoring, free throw percentage and three-pointers. Sophomore Jim Farano has gone from a JV standout to a varsity starter and is flirting with double figures.The Skinny - Despite having just one win on the season, Lehighton has been more competitive under first-year coach Rich Oertner. A year ago, just five of the Indians' 21 losses were by 16 points or less and just three were by single digits. So far this season, eight of the Indians' 12 losses have been by 16 points or less and four have been by single digits.Palmerton boysHighlight - Opened the season with a victory over rival Lehighton.Lowlight - Entered the week having lost 11 straight games.The Stars - Ty Svetik and Cody Geist are both averaging in double figures and Brett Snyder is just a shade under.The Skinny - Six of the Bombers' 11 losses have been by single digits. They are still struggling to fill the void created by the loss of starter Ben Andrews to a concussion in the opening game of the season. Andrews still hasn't returned to the line-up.Weatherly boysHighlight - Since Dec. 27, the Wreckers have gone 3-3 with double figure victories against Millville, Columbia Montour Vo-Tech and Northumberland Christian.Lowlight - Started the season 0-5 with four of the losses coming by more than 20 points.The Stars - Sam Walton leads the Wreckers in scoring and Josh Reiner is their top three-point shooter.The Skinny - Weatherly is extremely young and at times this year has played three freshman and two sophomores. After a slow start, the Wreckers have been competitive over the last few weeks, picking up wins against some non-league opponents.Lehighton girlsHighlight - A one-point victory over East Stroudsburg North has been the Indians only win in 12 gamesLowlight - Have scored 14 points or less in four games this season.The Stars - Tiffany Thompson and Kasaundra Barclay have led the team in scoring this season.The Skinny - First-year coach Ray Bressi inherited a team that won just three games last season and graduated 1,000-point career scorer Jordon Homyak. The Indians have struggled mightily to find any offense, averaging just over 20 points a game. Barclay's 11-point performance against Pleasant Valley was the only time this season Lehighton has had a double figure scorer.Weatherly girlsHighlight - A pair of blowout wins over Freeland MMI.Lowlight - Wreckers went through an eight-game losing streak after a season-opening victory. The average margin of defeat in those eight losses was 20.5 points.The Stars - Alicia Panzarella's 22 points against MMI was the top single-game performance by a Weatherly player this season. She is also among the area's thee-point leaders.The Skinny - Weatherly returned almost all its key players from last season's eight-win team, but for the second straight year it struggled out of the gate. The Wreckers have shown flashes of turning things around with two wins in their last four games. Despite having six different girls who have scored in double figures this season, the Wreckers have the second lowest scoring average among area teams.*****BACK IN ACTION ..... After suffering an off-season injury playing summer basketball, DJ Rossino returned to the hardwood for the Lehighton boys' basketball team. The Indian senior guard missed the first 11 games of the regular season before getting his chance to finally get back on the court last Friday night against Pocono Mountain West.Rossino entered the game in the second quarter and played each of the remaining quarters against the Panthers. Rossino was 1-for-2 from the foul line in the fourth quarter to finish with one point in his return.*****COACHES VS. CANCER ... The Stroudsburg High School Boys Basketball team has teamed up with the American Cancer Society and The National Association of Basketball Coaches to kick-off Coaches vs. Cancer® Suits and Sneakers Awareness Weekend when the Mountaineers play Lehighton on Tuesday, Jan. 24th, at 7 p.m. at Stroudsburg High School's new gymnasium.During the Coaches vs. Cancer® Suits and Sneakers Awareness Game, basketball coaches from both schools will lace up sneakers to demonstrate their support for the American Cancer Society and its vision of a world with less cancer and more birthdays. Basketball fans are encouraged to also wear sneakers to the game to show their support.The Mountaineers will sell t-shirts, lanyards and "Wall of Hope" donation cards. Funds raised help the American Cancer Society.Last year, over 3,000 colleges and high schools participated in the Coaches vs. Cancer program.