HERSHEY — The spotlight inside the Giant Center grows brighter with every round.

For Brenda Banks, that spotlight now leads straight back to the state finals.

The Panther Valley senior powered her way into Saturday’s championship bout at the PIAA Wrestling Championships, highlighting a busy second day for the area’s wrestlers that also saw Northwestern Lehigh’s Luke Fugazzotto secure another trip to the podium.

Banks continued her dominant run through the bracket Friday with a pair of pins.

After opening the day with a 1:36 fall over Hazleton Area’s Evelyn Sheer in the quarterfinals, Banks needed just 45 seconds to pin Dallastown’s Noelani Knott in the semifinals. Banks set the tone immediately, scoring a takedown in the first 25 seconds before quickly turning Knott for the fall.

“My coach always says nothing wild — just a quick, clean pin,” Banks said.

Banks said she often settles into the tournament as it progresses.

“The first match is always the hardest because you’ve just gotten here and there’s a lot going on in your head,” she said. “As the matches go on, I start to calm down and get more technical.”

Banks will face Southmoreland’s Zoey Murphy in Saturday’s championship match.

Murphy rallied to reach the finals, trailing Bedford’s Mylah Steinbuch 3-1 heading into the third period of their semifinal before scoring a takedown with 54 seconds remaining and adding four back points to secure the victory.

Banks (36-0) and Murphy (24-1) are familiar opponents. Banks pinned Murphy in 42 seconds in last year’s state final and also defeated her by fall in the quarterfinals during her sophomore season.

“I’m extremely excited,” Banks said. “The finals are always the highlight of the trip because that’s the goal.”

While Banks advanced to the championship bout, Fugazzotto secured his third career state medal before falling in the semifinals.

The Northwestern Lehigh senior clinched his spot on the podium with a 10-3 quarterfinal victory over Bishop McCort’s C.J. Pensiero.

Fugazzotto struck early, scoring a takedown in the opening 30 seconds before adding another near the end of the first period to build a 6-1 lead. He added a third takedown in the third period to seal the win.

“Getting the first takedown really helped my mindset,” Fugazzotto said. “I knew his game plan was probably going to be to score and sit tight on it.”

The victory guaranteed Fugazzotto a return trip to the medal stand.

“Honestly, it really took the pressure off,” he said. “No matter what, I get to make the podium again and I’ll be wrestling tomorrow.”

Fugazzotto then faced undefeated Tyrone standout Kyle Scott in the semifinals. Scott, who entered the bout with a 45-0 record, scored a takedown in the first period to take a 3-1 lead. He extended the advantage to 4-1 after two periods before adding another takedown late in the third to secure a 7-2 decision and advance to the finals.

Fugazzotto will wrestle the winner of Greenville’s Hunter Cox and Montoursville’s Hayden Harvey in the consolation semifinals. A victory would send him to the third-place match.

Earlier in the day, several other area wrestlers battled through the consolation brackets.

Northwestern Lehigh’s Nolan Koehler saw his tournament end in the second round of consolations at 160 pounds.

His match against General McLane’s Peter Sadchikov was scoreless through two periods before Koehler chose neutral to start the third and took a 1-0 lead. Sadchikov scored a takedown with 30 seconds remaining and added three back points to secure a 6-1 decision.

At 172 pounds, Northwestern Lehigh’s Vinnie Fugazzotto was eliminated in the consolation bracket after falling to Penns Valley’s Brayden Lisowski, 11-0. Lisowski built a 7-0 lead in the first period with a takedown and four near-fall points before adding reversals in both the second and third periods.

Panther Valley’s Alisa Williams also saw her tournament end Friday. After opening the tournament with a dramatic 10-9 victory over Central Dauphin regional champion Madison Rife, Williams dropped an 8-4 decision to Delaware Valley’s Kate Prior in the quarterfinals and later fell 7-0 to Canon-McMillan’s Audrey Calgaro in the consolation bracket.

Northern Lehigh’s Anna Trelease rebounded from her opening-round loss with a 17-1 technical fall over Wyoming Area’s Martyna Bonning in the first round of consolations. Trelease built a 7-0 lead in the first period with a takedown and four near-fall points before finishing the bout with another takedown.

Her tournament ended in the next round when she was forced to default due to injury while leading 3-1 against Upper St. Clair’s Grace Nasman.

Banks will wrestle for a state championship Saturday night as she seeks her third PIAA title and fourth overall state championship.

Girls wrestling was not yet sanctioned by the PIAA during her freshman season, when she captured a state title before the sport was officially recognized.

“It’s my final high school match, so it’s definitely going to be something for me,” Banks said. “I’ll probably be pretty emotional.”

Banks also recorded the 100th win of her career earlier this season, another milestone in a career that has placed her among the most accomplished wrestlers in area history and beyond.

Now, Banks will have one final opportunity to add another chapter to that career on the sport’s biggest stage.

UP NEXT ... Action resumes Saturday with girls fourth round consolations and boys 2A and 3A fifth round consolations at 9:30 a.m. The girls, 2A and 3A third-, fifth- and seventh-place matches will take place at 11:30 a.m. The Parade of Champions for all three classes will take place at 3:45 p.m. with finals to follow at 4.