CLASS AAA BOYS

SEMIFINAL ROUNDNo. 4 Tamaqua (21-5, 11-3 SL) vs. No. 1 Pottsville (25-0, 14-0 SL)TIPOFF: Tuesday, Feb. 24 at 7:30 p.m. at MinersvilleCOACHES: Tamaqua - Caszy Kosciolek; Pottsville - Dave MullaneyLEADING SCORERS: Tamaqua - Bo Rottet (Sr, 16.6 ppg), Brett Kosciolek (Sr, 16.5 ppg), Russell Blaker (Jr, 8.8 ppg), Nate MacDonald (Sr, 5.6 ppg), Tyler Skripko (Sr, 3.2 ppg); Pottsville - Travis Blankenhorn (Sr, 16.36 ppg), Eli Nabholz (Sr, 12.16 ppg), Jordan Melochick (Jr, 9.44 ppg), Jordan Abdo (So, 6.08 ppg), Connor Hinchliffe (Sr, 4.40 ppg).GAMES NOTES: These two schools met a total of three times this season, Pottsville won all three contests. Although the Raiders dropped the two regular season meetings by double digits to the Tide, they came up just short in a thrilling Schuylkill League championship overtime clash with the Pottsville, 33-28 … Pottsville is still undefeated, winning 23 of its 25 games by double digits … Pottsville has won at least 20 games for six straight seasons and has finished over .500 for seven of the eight seasons since coach Mullaney has been at the helm … According to Pennlive, Pottsville ranks seventh in the state in the AAA class … Pottsville is coming off of a 60-31 rout of Blue Mountain in the quarterfinals, as Tamaqua defeated No. 5 North Schuylkill, 39-33 … This match up will feature three 1,000-point scoring seniors which include Pottsville's Travis Blankenhorn, and Tamaqua's Bo Rottet and Brett Kosciolek … Kosciolek ranks fourth on the Tamaqua all-time scoring list, as Rottet ranks eighth … Kosciolek needs 32 points to surpass Todd McLaughlin for third on the legendary list … Rottet has scored double digits in every game this season except last week's win against North Schuylkill … Russell Blaker of Tamaqua led the Raiders with 13 points against the Spartans in the quarterfinals. When Blaker has hit double figures in a contest this season, the Raiders are a perfect 9-0 … Tamaqua has reached the 20-win mark for the first time since the 1993-94 season … The Raiders are well capable of piling up consecutive wins, as they opened up the 2014-15 season with nine in a row … Tamaqua's Rottet, Kosciolek, and Blaker have combined for 92 three-pointers this season. Tamaqua now has 100 triples on the year and has reached this total for the fourth consecutive season … The PIAA AAA boys bracket advances three teams to the state playoffs. The winner of this game will automatically advance to states. The loser of this contest will have an opportunity to play in a consolation game; the victor of the consolation game will also advance to states.QUOTABLE: "We need to take care of the ball, and I thought we did a really nice job of that (in the Schuylkill League championship). We need to value every single possession. We took some ill-advised shots at times that could have been the difference in our last meeting. We need to take quality shots all of the time. We need to play well defensively and rebound effectively again like we did against them last time. We need to match their intensity, and hopefully exceed it." - Tamaqua head coach Caszy KosciolekCLASS AAA GIRLSSEMIFINAL ROUNDNo. 5 Northwestern (18-8, 11-6 CL) vs. No. 1 Becahi(24-1, 16-0 EPC)TIPOFF: Wednesday, Feb. 25 at 7:30 p.m. at CatasauquaCOACHES: Northwestern - Chris Deutsch, Bethlehem Catholic - Jose MedinaLEADING SCORERS: Northwestern - Sabrina Mertz (Sr, 11.6 ppg), Sarah Segan (Sr, 11.5 ppg), Erika Thomas (Jr, 10.3 ppg), Megan Landrigan (Jr, 5.0 ppg), Mikaela Koenig (Jr, 4.6 ppg); Bethlehem Catholic - Kalista Walters (Sr, 22.8 ppg), Maggie Melhem (Sr, 14.7 ppg), Nia Mims (Jr, 6.3 ppg), Jordynn Jones (Jr, 5.4 ppg), Tessa Zamolyi (So, 4.8 ppg).GAME NOTES: Northwestern defeated Saucon Valley in the district quarterfinals, 50-39 … Bethlehem Catholic received a bye in the district quarterfinals … It's the second straight season Northwestern is in the district semifinals … Becahi has made the last three district championship games, winning the last two … According to PennLive.com, Becahi is the third ranked team in the state in Class AAA … Becahi won the Eastern Pennsylvania Conference (EPC) over Central Catholic, 45-42 … The Hawks have won 24 consecutive games, while the Tigers woneight of their last nine … Walters was named the EPC's Most Valuable Player.QUOTABLE: "Becahi is very athletic, and they have the best player in the area in Walters. They have quick guards and a good inside and outside game. The girls are excited to play the best team in the area and one of the best in the state. Games like this show where you are at against the very best. As a coaching staff, it's a great challenge to come up with a game plan against them. They don't seem to have many weaknesses at all. To be the best you have to beat the best. We realize we are 32 minutes away from making the district championship game and qualifying for states." - Northwestern head coach Chris DeutschCLASS AA BOYSSEMIFINAL ROUNDNo. 3 Marian (11-11, 7-6 SL) vs. No. 2 Mahanoy Area (18-5, 11-2 SL)TIPOFF: Wednesday, Feb. 25 at 7:30 p.m. at Blue MountainCOACHES: Marian - John Patton, Mahanoy Area - Scott HudsonLEADING SCORERS: Marian - Aaron DeAngelo (Jr, 8.65 ppg), Nick Wesner (Sr, 8.55 ppg), Brandon Mohammad (So, 6.70 ppg), Mike Vercusky (Sr, 6.64 ppg), Ethan Kuczynski (So, 5.82 ppg); Mahanoy Area - Matt Yedsena (Jr, 15.4 ppg), Brian Miller (Sr, 15.0 ppg), Mike Joseph (So, 8.7 ppg), Mike Wronski (Jr, 8.1 ppg).GAME NOTES: The Colts won their last four regular season Schuylkill League contests in order to qualify for the District 11 playoffs … Marian dropped all three meetings against Mahanoy this season, but all were single-digit deficits. Ten of Marian's 22 games this season were decided by less than 10 points ... The Colts have reached the district playoffs for the 10th straight season, which is the longest streak among Times News boys teams. The last time Marian won a district semifinal game was in 2011 against Moravian Academy. The Colts went on to defeat Mahanoy in the championship game ... Marian has reached the state playoffs five times since 2000 … Marian has struggled from the free throw line this season, but has been better in recent days. Through its first 16 games they were .498 (116-of-233) from the charity stripe. In the last six games (in which they posted a 5-1 record), the Colts shot .580 (47-of-81) … Marian is a defensive oriented team, as they have held opponents to 45 points or less in nine games this season … Mahanoy has posted a record of 84-19 over the past four seasons … The Golden Bears most recently played during their Schuylkill League semis, losing to Pottsville, 59-31.QUOTABLE: "Mahanoy plays such good defense and we have had some problems protecting the ball against them. Taking care of the ball is the biggest thing we have to do so we can get into an offense. They've been highly successful with a winning tradition and they're familiar with the system (regardless of new personnel). We have had a lot of different lineups throughout the course of the year and we've gotten some good play out of everybody. We've found a mix that the kids are comfortable playing with one another. We've matured throughout the course of the season and I think we are jelling right now." - Marian head coach John Patton