Three Times News area teams will be in action tonight during the semifinal round of the District 11 basketball playoffs.

A trip to their respective championship games are on the line for the Marian girls and the Weatherly and Northwestern boys.

GIRLS BASKETBALL

District 11 Class 2A Semifinal

No. 2 Marian (13-10) vs. No. 3 Linc. Leadership (13-8)

Tuesday, Feb. 24 at Blue Mountain, 6 p.m.

LEADING OFF

Marian head coach Jeff Onushco took over five games into the season and the Fillies put together a strong second half of the year with big wins over eventual Schuylkill League champion Schuylkill Haven and No. 1 seed in District 11 2A, Williams Valley.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Marian - Addy Marek (So., 16.1 ppg, 39 three-pointers, 10.6 rebounds per game), Deanna Pugh (Jr., 11.3 ppg, 27 three-pointers, 3.6 steals per game).

Lincoln - Arielle Taylor (eight points against Marian), Chloe Henegan (six points against Marian), Jayda Rivera (six points against Marian).

BY THE NUMBERS

10 - Marian outscored Lincoln Leadership 16-6 in the fourth quarter in a 53-35 win over the Lions on Feb. 10.

12 - The Fillies have improved defensively throughout the season and like to force the issue and get out in transition. Marian averages 12 steals per game.

34 - Pugh (19) and Marek (15) combined for 34 of Marian’s 53 points in the win over Lincoln Leadership. Freshman Haley Minzola also had a nice game tallying 10 points for the Fillies.

44 - Freshman Katie Knock and junior Brook Hannis-Miskar have combined for 44 three-pointers on the season. Knock has knocked down 25, while Hannis-Miskar added 19.

CLOSING THOUGHTS

“It was just a five-point game going into the fourth, but we were able to pull away. We started to score more consistently, and we played much better defense in the fourth. They have a nice team. They can put the ball on the floor, and they can get to the basket, and they like to put pressure on you. They like to also extend their zone. We know it will be a challenge. I’m just proud of the girls for how they have responded. I got here five games in, and they picked things up very quickly. It was made known that we were going to be a defensive team. Addy and Deanna are special players, but we have had other girls step up also. All of our girls are playing with confidence, and it’s going to take a total team effort to continue to play good basketball.” – Marian head coach Jeff Onushco.

BOYS BASKETBALL

District 11 Class 1A Semifinal

No. 2 Weatherly (15-7) vs. No. 3 Nativity (11-12)

Tuesday, Feb. 24 at Tamaqua, 7 p.m.

LEADING OFF

Weatherly faced Nativity twice this season in Schuylkill League Division 2 play, and the Wreckers defeated the Hilltoppers in both contests. Weatherly beat Nativity soundly in the first matchup, 75-60, and edged them 69-68 on Jan. 20 in the second meeting.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Weatherly - Ian McKeegan (Sr., 18.4 ppg, 36 three-pointers, 2.2 steals per game), Corbin Wagner (Sr., 14.1 ppg, 27 three-pointers), Niko Saldukas (Sr., 12.6 ppg, 24 three-pointers, 6.8 rebounds per game), Dominick Kokinda (Jr., 11.1 ppg).

Nativity - Trey Keating (Sr., 28.6 ppg), Nick Clarke (Jr., 9.1 ppg).

BY THE NUMBERS

7 - The Wreckers went 7-7 in Schuylkill League Division 2 play this season. Nativity finished 8-6 in Division 2 and qualified for the league playoffs.

22 - Kokinda has had big games against Nativity, averaging 22 points per game against the Hilltoppers. McKeegan had 16 in the first outing, and 32 in the second meeting.

69 - Weatherly can score the basketball in bunches, as the Wreckers average 69 points per game. McKeegan, Wagner, Saldukas and Kokinda have combined to score 1,237 points this season.

658 - Nativity senior guard Trey Keating can light it up. He’s scored 658 points this season, and is averaging over 35 points per game against the Wreckers in two games.

CLOSING THOUGHTS

“Nativity is a really solid team. They’re well coached and they’re disciplined. We had two battles this year. They were great games. I believe we’re well prepared. We’ve had 19 days off to work out some of the kinks and prepare for whatever Nativity may throw at us. We have to try and slow down Trey Keating. He’s a great kid and a great player; just a great offensive player. We also have to keep them off the boards and play our game. We like to play a fast-paced brand of basketball, so we’re going to look to get out and push the ball.” – Weatherly head coach Luke Medico.

District 11 Class 4A Semifinal

No. 1 Northwestern (20-5) vs. No. 5 N. Schuylkill (14-9)

Tuesday, Feb. 24 at Allen, 7:30 p.m.

LEADING OFF

North Schuylkill had to pull off a quarterfinal round upset over Bethlehem Catholic to reach the semifinal round, and the Spartans did it with a 43-36 win. It has been an improbable turnaround for a team that went just 4-18 a season ago and battled through the Schuylkill League this season to gain a spot in districts under first-year coach Anthony Agosti. The first issue Northwestern Lehigh is going to have to deal with is a big one — literally. The Spartans feature 6-7, 225-pound sophomore Xavier McNally who doesn’t lack for athleticism and already has the ability to take over a game. The Tigers had a bye through the quarterfinals, giving them a needed rest after battling Catasauqua in a highly up-tempo game for the Colonial League championship.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

North Schuylkill - Caden Mengel (Sr), Jude Maziekas (Sr), Xavier McNally (So), Logan Damiter (So).

Northwestern - Mason Bollinger (13.6 points per game), Brady Krimmel (11.44 ppg), Malachi Coleman (11.24 ppg), Cannon Fitch (8.92 ppg), Brady Zimmerman (8.52 ppg).

BY THE NUMBERS

1 - The number of three-pointers that North Schuylkill hit against Bethlehem Catholic. The Spartans are an athletic team that like to work the ball through the lane. Just to keep other teams honest, they will hit from the outside but like to use their athleticism.

3 - The number of inches that Coleman gives up to McNally in height. It’s not just the height advantage, though, since Coleman is almost 40 pounds lighter than McNally. Look for the sophomore to literally try to throw his weight around under the basket.

5.2 - The number of three-pointers that Northwestern has hit per game. Coleman (35) and Fitch (34) are the leaders on the team and when they’re on, teams have a difficult time stopping the long range game of the Tigers.

58.64 – The number of points per game that Northwestern has averaged this season. The high-powered offense will have to deal with McNally down low, but the Tigers have plenty of long range shooters who can hit threes.

98 - The average number of combined points in a North Schuylkill game this season. The Spartans’ defense was getting hit pretty hard early on, but has picked up their game from about the midway point of the season. Meanwhile, they average 50.1 points per game on the offensive side.

CLOSING THOUGHTS

“I think that the rest is going to be good for us. The Colonial League has been very tough this season, and we had a high-energy game against Catty in the finals. It will be good to have a couple extra days to rest a little, let the guys get a breather, and then come into the semifinals in good shape. At this point in the season there are always some aches and pains, so the added time will help us there, too. We’re used to having a target on our backs, and being the top seed in districts certainly puts us in everybody’s cross-hairs, but we’re up to the challenge, and our guys — especially the seniors — are looking forward to playing a lot more basketball.” – Northwestern head coach Pat Wanamaker.