District championships will be on the line tonight for three area basketball teams.

Both the Northwestern and Weatherly boys, as well as the Marian girls, are hoping to gain titles in their respective classes.

Win or lose, though, the three teams are guaranteed to be playing in the state playoffs.

BOYS BASKETBALL

District 11 Class 4A Final

No. 3 Central Cath. (14-11) vs. No. 1 Northwestern (21-5)

Friday, Feb. 27 at Allen, 7:45 p.m.

LEADING OFF

The rivalry actually began between the football teams, but it has bubbled over to other sports, especially boys basketball. The seniors on Northwestern can remember when the Vikings bumped them out of the district tournament in the quarterfinals when they were freshmen back in the 2022-23 season. The entire roster remembers last year’s loss to the Vikings in the District 11 championship game, and they certainly want to get some revenge for both of those losses. The Central Catholic offense generally is strong and can pile on the points, but they are — pun intended — hit-and-miss and can sometimes fall into funks. In the semifinal game against Salisbury, the Vikings won 33-32 and were frustrated by the Salisbury defense that forced a number of turnovers. The defense is solid, but Central Catholic is primarily an offense-first kind of team who likes to put their sneakers to good use in a fast-paced game. Sophomore Grayson Schmell left Tuesday night’s game with a foot injury and did not return. He was on the bench using crutches late in the game, and his status for tonight is unknown.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Allentown Central Catholic - Jariel Gonzalez (Jr., 15 ppg), Jared Ford (Sr., 8.6 ppg), Grayson Schmell (So., 6.6), Di’Quiawn Leak (Sr., 5.6 ppg)

Northwestern Lehigh - Mason Bollinger (13.8 ppg), Malachi Coleman (11.5 ppg), Brady Krimmel (11.2 ppg), Cannon Fitch (9.0 ppg), Brady Zimmerman (8.3 ppg)

BY THE NUMBERS

1 - For Jared Ford’s game-saving block on a drive to the basket by Salisbury’s Steven Lozada at the buzzer on Tuesday night. Lozada appeared to have a clear path to the basket until Ford closed the gap and swatted away the layup to preserve the one-point win.

3 - The number of 4A teams who have a spot reserved in the PIAA tournament that begins next week. Northwestern and Central Catholic are guaranteed spots, as is the winner of the consolation game between Salisbury and North Schuylkill, which will be played at Easton Middle School.

5 - The number of District 11 championships won by Central Catholic in the past six seasons. Going back further, it’s six in the last eight seasons with the first of those coming as a 5A team.

32 - The margin of victory for Northwestern Lehigh in Tuesday night’s 60-28 win over North Schuylkill. It was the Tigers’ largest margin of victory this season. The previous high was 29 which they did twice this season, against Palmerton in a 62-33 win, and again versus Pen Argyl when they beat them 72-43. Both of those wins were at home.

55.8 - The percent the Vikings shoot at the foul line. Central Catholic leaves points off the board by not being able to hit a higher percentage of foul shots. Against Salisbury, they got to the foul line just six times and sank four of them.

CLOSING THOUGHTS

“Of course, everyone wants to get a little revenge for last year’s loss in the finals, but it’s especially meaningful for the seniors because Central has eliminated them twice in the past three seasons, so they want to get one against them before they move on. Our guys played one of their best games of the year tonight (against North Schuylkill) and if we play like that, we can beat a lot of teams. We just have to keep that energy up and stick to our game plan out on the court.” – Northwestern Lehigh coach Pat Wanamaker.

District 11 Class 1A Final

No. 2 Weatherly (16-7) vs. No. 1 Beth. Christian (21-2)

Friday, Feb. 27 at Catasauqua, 7:30 p.m.

LEADING OFF

Weatherly won in a thriller over No. 3 seed Nativity in the semifinals, defeating the Hilltoppers 69-66 in overtime. Bethlehem Christian made quick work of Lincoln Leadership in the semis, defeating the No. 4 seed Lions, 75-57.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Weatherly - Ian McKeegan (Sr., 20.3 ppg, 37 three-pointers, 5.4 assists per game), Corbin Wagner (Sr., 14.0 ppg, 27 three-pointers), Niko Saldukas (Sr., 12.3 ppg, 24 three-pointers, 6.8 rebounds per game), Dominick Kokinda (Jr., 11.3 ppg, 5.8 rebounds per game)

Bethlehem Christian - Gabe Transue (Sr., 28.7 ppg, 55 three-pointers, 11.4 rebounds per game), Myles Harris (Sr., 23.0 ppg, 55 three-pointers, 6.3 rebounds per game), Deion Swift (Jr., 13.9 ppg, 37 three-pointers).

BY THE NUMBERS

31 - McKeegan had a big game for the Wreckers against Nativity, scoring 31 points. McKeegan scored at the buzzer to force overtime.

49 - Transue and Harris had big nights against the Lions in the semis. The two backcourt mates combined for 49 points. Transue scored 28 and Harris added 21.

1,295 - McKeegan surpassed the 1,000-point mark this season as well as his teammate Corbin Wagner. McKeegan has 1,295 career points, and Wagner has 1,002. Saldukas is closing in on a 1,000, with 936 career points.

2,108 - Bethlehem Christian’s Gabe Transue surpassed the 2,000-point mark this season. Transue has 2,108 career points. His teammate, Myles Harris, is closing in on 2,000 with 1,1818 career points.

CLOSING THOUGHTS

“They’re a very good basketball team, and we’re well aware of what they can do. We just have to take what we do well and make that work for us; make that work to our advantage. And then of course, we have to try and find a way to slow them down. We have to play with great effort. Get a hand up on everything and box out on every possession. If we can do a good job on the boards and not get beat up in that department and then get out in transition and play our game, I really like our chances. Our guys are riding high right now after the big win the other night, so we’re playing confident and we’re in a good place.” – Weatherly head coach Luke Medico.

GIRLS BASKETBALL

District 11 Class 2A Final

No. 2 Marian (14-10) vs. No. 1 Williams Valley (17-6)

Friday, Feb. 27 at Pottsville, 6 p.m.

LEADING OFF

The Marian girls have overcome numerous obstacles this season to rebound from a 2-3 start and now find themselves playing for a district title. Their final test will come against a very familiar opponent in Williams Valley, making this a rematch of last season’s 2A final that the Vikings won 34-30. This season has seen polar opposite results in the two contests between these divisional rivals. WV handled the Fillies 48-28 in the first matchup on Jan. 6. Just over three weeks later on Jan. 29, Marian stunned its counterpart with a 39-31 victory, essentially stealing the final Schuylkill League playoff spot from the Vikings in Division 2.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Marian - Addy Marek (16.39 ppg, 40 three-pointers), Deanna Pugh (11.23 ppg), Hailey Minzola (5.71 ppg, 13 rebounds against Lincoln), Brooke Hannis-Miskar (4.95 ppg), Katie Knock (4.13 ppg).

Williams Valley - Mallory Miller (14.74 ppg, 50 three-pointers), Ireland Kasper (8.61 ppg, 49 three-pointers), Quin Smeltz (8.13 ppg, 22 three-pointers), Presley Shomper (5.04 ppg), Ella Kobularik (4.57 ppg).

BY THE NUMBERS

1 - Last season’s district title was the first and only one for Williams Valley in program history, as the Vikings now look to go back-to-back.

6 - Over the past 35 years, this will be the sixth time Marian and Williams Valley will be meeting in the district playoffs. The Fillies won four times (1998, 2003, 2014, 2020), while the Vikings won last year’s contest.

8 - The number of consecutive seasons the Fillies have won a district playoff game. The last time they failed to win a D-11 contest was 2018.

11 - The number of District championships that Marian has won, with the most recent coming in 2023.

339 - The number of points that Vikings’ senior Mallory Miller has tallied on the season, making her one of the top-10 girls scorers in the Schuylkill League, and WV’s most dangerous offensive threat.

CLOSING THOUGHTS

“They beat us by 20 the first time. They shot the ball really well. We weren’t playing as well defensively. The second time, we really defended well. It’s going to take that effort defensively again and attacking their zone. Either way, we get a medal. I’m hoping for our players (that) it’s a gold medal.” — Marian head coach Jeff Onushco

“I think we did very well on offense (the second time). We swung the ball. We got back on defense, which was one of our key aspects. We really wanted to get back, so no cherry picking on their side of the ball. I think, defensively, we need to shut them down.” — Addy Marek