Northwestern girls basketball coach Chris Deutsch couldn't remember a season where he had just one senior. This year's team has just one outgoing member, Paige Stitzel, and she got the start last week when the Tigers celebrated Senior Night with a victory over Pen Argyl.

No matter the sport and no matter the school, Senior Night is always a special occasion. But it was even more special than normal for Stitzel and the Tigers this season. That was in large part due to the sacrifice and the decision Stitzel had to make to be part of the Northwestern team.Due to that knee injury, Stitzel was faced with missing her last season of basketball or missing her senior campaign of cross country. A choice needed to be made.Chris Stitzel, her dad and also the Northwestern head cross country coach, said it was a tough decision for the family."We sat her down and asked what sport she wanted to be healthy for," said Chris Stitzel. "She said basketball because of the younger girls on the team and what her role would be on the team. We both were disappointed that she wasn't going to be able to run cross country, but Paige had to make a choice."She worked hard to get back to the point where she could play. She went to physical therapy twice a week. This is what she wanted. She wanted to play her senior season of basketball."Duetsch and the rest of the Tiger basketball team understand and appreciate what Stitzel went through to play."She sacrificed this year," Deutsch said. "She gave up her cross country career because she has a very bad knee. She is going to have surgery after the season. She wanted to play her senior year of basketball. She wanted to stick it out."For her to be a big contributor for us off the bench means a lot to this program. She does the little things and it means a lot to the players and the coaches."Stitzel, who will be attending Moravian College, finished the Pen Argyl game with two points - just about what she has been averaging this season for a successful and underclassmen driven Northwestern squad.But for Stitzel, it's not about scoring points. It's about appreciating her role and contributing to the Tigers' success anyway she can."Honestly, it was good to get all of the attention," Stitzel said about the Senior Night ceremony. "It was just a really cool experience. These girls are really great to be around."Everything that Paige went through to play this season was rewarded when she stood next to her mom and dad on senior night and received a standing ovation from the crowd in recognition of the dedication and sacrifices she made."She deserved that spotlight on senior night," Chris Stitzel said. "She deserved that for everything that she has been through. That is what she wanted and I'm glad it worked out for her."*******MR. 100 ... Marian boys head coach John Patton recorded his 100th career win against Notre Dame on Saturday. It's Patton's seventh season at the helm of the Colts' program. They're are currently 18-3 overall with one game remaining in the regular season.*******ONE-MAN-ARMY ... Northern Lehigh's senior Josh Egan has put the Bulldogs on his back this season. Last Saturday, against Salisbury, Egan scored all 18 of his team's points in the final period despite a 67-57 loss. The senior is averaging 15.73 points per game this season. He finished his NL career with 956 points.*******ANOTHER AREA CODE ... Five of the 10 TN boys teams had a three-pointer in every game this season. Panther Valley holds the longest active streak as the Panthers have hit a three-pointer in every game since Feb. 13, 2010. If PV makes one on Friday against Marian, it'll be the seventh-straight season with a long-ball in each game.*******HIP, HIP HOORAY! ... Northwestern's senior Ryan Hippensteel recorded a career-high 13 points on Wednesday and broke a 72-72 tie with a three-pointer with just seconds remaining. Before the senior night contest, Hippensteel had scored a total of just seven points this season.*******RECORD ... Aubrey Blasiak set the Lehighton career record for three-pointers on Saturday night against Wilson. Blasiak had one three-pointer in the Indians' 47-46 victory. That gave the Lehighton junior 94 threes for her career, breaking the previous record of 93 held by Allison Semanoff.*******KAYLEY GOES OFF - AGAIN ... Jim Thorpe's Kayley Kovac has had plenty of big scoring games this season, scoring 30 or more points in eight of 19 games this season. But on Monday night against Tamaqua, Kovac set her career high for points when she exploded for 40 in an Olympian comeback victory. The 40 points was the most scored by a Times News area player - boy or girl - this season.