The District 11 basketball playoffs get underway on Wednesday with a pair of games that involve three area teams in the girls Class 3A field.

GIRLS BASKETBALL

District 11 Class 3A

No. 5 Tamaqua (15-7) vs.

No. 4 Northwestern (17-5)

Wednesday, Feb. 21, 6 p.m. at Catasauqua

LEADING OFF

Schuylkill League playoff semifinalist Tamaqua will take on Colonial League playoff semifinalist Northwestern in a battle of top teams from their respective leagues. The Blue Raiders enjoyed a bounce back season after winning just six games a year ago. Meanwhile, the Tigers put together another outstanding season that has seen them qualify for the District 11 playoffs for the 16th straight season.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Tamaqua – Lauren Ligenza (10.3 ppg, 8.2 rpg); Lorelei Plasha (7.2 ppg, 5.2 rpg); Sarah Hope (7.0 ppg); Kolbe Robb (6.2 ppg).

Northwestern – Cara Thomas (17.2 ppg, 5.0 rpg); Brook Balliet (8.4 ppg); Emma Freeman (7.1 ppg); Olivia Reinhart (6.7 ppg, 7.1 rpg).

BY THE NUMBERS

8 – The length of Northwestern’s longest winning streak this season - spanning from Dec. 7 through Jan. 4.

13 – The number of years since either team captured a District 11 championship. The Raiders achieved that feat during the 2010-11 season - the third of three consecutive titles for the program. Northwestern’s last district title came in the 2005-06 season.

16 – The number of consecutive years that the Tigers have qualified for the postseason under head coach Chris Deutsch’s guidance.

103 – The number of steals Tamaqua’s Kolbe Robb has this season (4.1 per game).

2019 – The year of the teams’ most recent meeting in the postseason. The Blue Raiders pulled out a 52-47 victory that year in the consolation game of the District 11 3A playoffs.

CLOSING THOUGHTS

“We are super-excited for this opportunity. After winning just six games last year, our growth this season has been neat to see. We have improved so much from Day 1, and are playing very competitive ball right now. Our girls understand their roles, and know each other’s strengths/weaknesses. It took some time, but it’s been a fun process and watching it all unfold has been special. We are hoping the momentum continues for us as far as playing hard and taking care of the controllables. Our girls are locked in and focused, and excited to have the opportunity to play in districts.” – Tamaqua coach Erika Davis.

“This is the time of the year where it’s win and move on, or lose and your season is over. So both of us are going to treat this game as if it could be our last game. I expect it to be a very close, competitive game. These type of games often come down to a play here or a play there. Tamaqua has been playing some good basketball recently, and Erika does a good job there. They are well coached. This time of the year, you expect everyone you play to be a good team, so you have to be ready to play or it could be the end of your season.” – Northwestern coach Chris Deutsch.

District 11 Class 3A

No. 6 Lehighton (12-10) vs.

No. 3 Allentown Central Catholic (14-8)

Wednesday, Feb. 21, 7:30 p.m. at Catasauqua

LEADING OFF

The Indians return to the District 11 playoffs after a one-year hiatus, and will be looking to recreate the same magic they had in the quarterfinal round of the 2021-22 playoffs when as the No. 7 seed, they shocked No. 2 seed Northwestern.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Lehighton – Emma Repsher (11.3 ppg, 6.3 rpg); Charli McHugh (11.1 ppg, 6.2 rpg); Ryleigh Trotman (7.43 ppg).

Allentown Central Catholic – Molly Driscoll (18.1 ppg); Lily Wolf (7.8 ppg), Armani Brickhouse (7.5 ppg).

BY THE NUMBERS

2 – The number of years that Kathy Davidowich has been the head coach at Central Catholic since taking over for legendary coach Mike Kopp, who retired following the 2021-22 season after decades of leading the Vikettes.

4 – Times the Indians have qualified for the District 11 playoffs in the seven years head coach Joe Berezwick has been in charge.

5 – The number of Lehighton wins during the final seven regular season games that helped secure it a spot in the postseason.

52 – The span of consecutive years that the Vikettes have qualified for the District 11 playoffs.

CLOSING THOUGHTS

“Certainly, we’re excited. For me, this is one of the most rewarding seasons I think that I have ever had in my 25 years of coaching. Coming off that season last year - and the hard luck we encountered with injuries - I didn’t know how things were going to pan out. I couldn’t even put a finger on it. So to be at the point we’re at, I’m really satisfied. We played a lot of good basketball to get to 12 wins, especially defensively. The defense kept us in games throughout the season, but down the stretch our offense started playing more consistently, and that helped us punch our ticket into districts.” – Lehighton coach Joe Berezwick.