The Marian boys will be playing for a District 11 championship this afternoon, while the Panther Valley boys will also be in action hoping to clinch a berth in the upcoming state playoffs.

District 11 Class 2A

Championship Game

No. 6 Marian (15-9) vs. No. 1 Mahanoy Area (26-0)

Saturday, March 2, 2:30 p.m at Martz Hall

LEADING OFF

Marian has been one of the tournament’s biggest surprises, as they shocked third-seeded Lincoln Leadership 62-52, and then stunned second-seeded Schuylkill Haven 50-48, Wednesday. The Colts will be looking for their first district title since 2017. The Colts dropped both regular-season games to Mahanoy, 61-38 and 59-40. Defending champion Mahanoy Area, which beat Tri-Valley 57-43 for last year’s title, has won 39 of its last 40 games. The Bears’ last loss was to Lancaster Mennonite in last year’s state quarterfinals. Over their last 10 games, they have outscored their opponents by an average of 26 points per game.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Marian - Julius Currie (15.06 ppg), Jacob Miller (11.17), Jesse Rodino (11.00).

Mahanoy Area - Jace Yedsena ( 14.1 ppg, 4.4 rpg), Tanner Zawada (12.6 ppg, 4.3 rpg), Brady Alansky (12.4 ppg, 6.5 rpg), and Kadin Styka (11.5, ppg, 4.6 rpg).

BY THE NUMBERS

2 - Marian has only played two games that have been decided by five points or less. The Colts have won both of them - a 56-52 victory over Mount Carmel on Dec. 29 and Wednesday’s 50-48 semifinal triumph over Schuylkill Haven.

3 - Marian has three different players with at least 250 points this season. No other area team can make that claim. The three are Julius Currie (363), Jesse Rodino (264) and Jacob Miller (257).

13 - Thirteen years ago was the last time Marian and Mahanoy Area played in a district championship game. The Colts won that contest in 2011, 53-43.

14 - Marian has made more or the same number of three-pointers in a game than its opponent on 14 occasions. In those games, the Colts are 13-1. They are 10-1 when they make more threes, and 3-0 when they make the same amount. In games they make less treys than their opponent, they are just 2-8.

CLOSING THOUGHTS

“We’re playing well, and this is the best version of ourselves. We have a very good team chemistry right now. We have a bunch of blue-collar, lunch pail players who have transferred this into a deep team. Mahanoy is an exceptional team that really doesn’t have a weakness, and they are 26-0 for a reason. They are one of the best teams in the state. I trust my guys, and they will play a hard game and give it their best. It is a tall order for us, and we’ll see what happens.” - Marian head coach Scott Murphy

District 11 Class 3 A

Consolation Game

No. 6 Panther Valley (14-10) vs.

No.4 Saucon Valley (16-9)

Saturday, March 2, 1 p.m. at Northwestern

LEADING OFF

Panther Valley upset third-seeded Palmerton 59-57 in the opening quarterfinal round, but the Panthers were caged by second-seeded Notre Dame 72-41 Wednesday night. They will be seeking to get back to the state tournament for the first time since 2020 when they beat Dobbins Tech and then lost to High School of the Future in the next round. It was their first state win since 1986. Drew Kokinda drained three three-pointers against Notre Dame and continued to build on his career school record. Saucon Valley edged fifth-seeded Salisbury 40-37 in the opening round, and then they were trounced 74-45 by top-seeded and defending champion Executive Education. It was a rematch of last year’s district championship game in which Executive won its fifth straight title in a 45-32 victory.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Panther Valley - Chase Weaver (13.83 ppg), Stepehen Hood (10.26), Logan Fisher (8.92).

Saucon Valley – Jack Robertson (16.5 ppg), Braden Weiss (9.5), Adam Clark (8.0).

BY THE NUMBERS

6 - Stephen Hood’s difference in scoring average between Panther Valley wins and losses. Hood averages 13.1 in victories and 7.1 in defeats - the biggest difference of any Panther player. Closest to him is Logan Fisher, who averages 11.2 in wins and 5.7 in losses, a difference of 5.5.

12 - The number of times Panther Valley has played in the state playoffs. The Panthers made it to states 10 times during a 24-year span from the 1967-90, and then twice (2018 and 2020) during the next 33 seasons.

30 - Panther Valley has made 30 more three-pointers this season than their opponents (147-117). No area boys team has made more than their opponent. The next closest is Weatherly at plus-16. In fact, only two other area teams (Lehighton and Tamaqua) have more threes than their opponents. The other six have fewer.

40 - It’s been 40 years since Panther Valley has played in a District 11 consolation game. The Panthers earned a 66-38 victory over, ironically enough, Saucon Valley in 1984 to gain a state playoff berth.

CLOSING THOUGHTS

“Notre Dame is a very good team, and they played a great game. It was disappointing, but we have to turn the page. The kids were excited and ready, but they got off to a great start. We’ll face a very well-coached Saucon Valley team. They have some big guys, and they are a talented team. I think it is a better matchup for us than Notre Dame. We need to do a better job rebounding and moving off the ball. But we’ll be ready.” - Panther Valley head coach Pat Crampsie