Yes, several teams had great seasons this year in the Schuylkill League.

But the matchup between Marian and Minersville in tonight's girls' championship game seems fitting for a variety of reasons.The Lady Miners, who were Division II champs this season and enter the contest with a 22-1 record, boast the top offense in the league, averaging around 61 points per game, and the third best defense, giving up just over 31 points per contest.The Fillies, who won the Division III crown with a 21-1 mark, have been just as impressive.Marian owns the league's top defense, allowing just over 28 points per game, and complements that with an offense that ranked fourth this season.And if you're looking for some extra incentive, the game is also a rematch from earlier this year when Minersville picked up a 47-31 win, handing Marian its only loss this season.But Minersville coach Jared Homa was quick to dismiss the contest from over a month ago, admitting Marian is much improved heading into tonight's game."I'm not sure if you can take much out of that game. They're a totally different team now," the coach said of the Fillies, who won 12 straight after the loss. "They have gotten better and better as the season has gone on."They can change the speed of the game because they're so quick and athletic, and we're going to have to make sure we adjust to that."In that first matchup, Minersville jumped out to a 15-5 lead after the first quarter, a run that was too much for the Fillies to overcome."They put us on our heels early in that game," said Marian coach Paul Brutto. "I don't think we had enough respect for how much of a big game it was."We just have to run our offense better. We shot poorly from the perimeter and we need to get the ball inside more. I think we have more options offensively now."The Lady Miners feature an imposing lineup in their own right, with three players that are averaging at or near double figures this season.Minersville's primary offensive threat is senior Reighly Melochick, who is averaging almost 21 points per game this season.But in the Lady Miners 46-42 semifinal win over Pottsville, Melochick was held to just five points, as freshman Abby Schoffstall stepped up with a career-high 22.In addition to Schoffstall and Melochick, Minersville can also lean on freshman Emily Mealey, who is averaging just over 13 points per game this season.Brutto knows that containing the Lady Miners' potent offense will be key in tonight's contest."I'm not looking forward to trying to stop them," the coach said."With so many weapons, you almost have to pick your poison because it's impossible to stop all three of them."Brutto will once again be counting on senior Emily Sofranko, who helped the Fillies control North Schuylkill in Marian's 31-28 semifinal win over the Lady Spartans."She was probably one of the biggest reasons we won that game," he said. "Her defense was tremendous. We will need her to play well again if we're going to stop Minersville."But we still need to play solid help, team defense. Nobody can cover all of their girls the entire game."Offensively, the Fillies have a balanced attack that is led by Savanna Krusinsky, who is averaging almost 10 points per game.In addition to Krusinsky, Abby Whildin and Gabby Green have scored nearly eight points per game.Where Marian has a distinct advantage is in the experience department, having appeared in the Schuylkill League playoffs 18 times since 1985, winning four titles during that span.Most recently, the Fillies made it the semifinals last year before losing to Pine Grove.With four starters back from that team, Marian is certainly battle tested."We have a lot of big game experience, and I think the girls understand that they have to win every possession," Brutto said. "Each team will have runs throughout the game, but you just have to keep battling."Time will tell, but I think we're peaking at the right time."For Minersville, which previously hadn't appeared in the tournament since 1990, the first league title in school history would certainly put the program on the map."Winning a championship would mean everything to Minersville," Homa said. "Everything we've done this season has built up to this point."We haven't really talked about wins and losses during the year. We've just focused on taking it one possession at a time, and it will be the same way tonight."