By Matt Corbett
The regular season is a distant memory. The district tournaments are history. Now, five area girls basketball teams are in search of PIAA gold.
The state tournament kicks off Friday with Class AA action. District 4 third-place finisher Mount Carmel (17-9) is back on the court, making the short trip to Martz Hall in Pottsville to take on District 11 champion Tamaqua (24-2). That game tips off at 6 p.m.
The Red Tornadoes qualified for states by virtue of a 75-49 victory over South Williamsport in a D-4 Class AA quarterfinal, before falling to eventual D-4 runner-up Towanda 51-46. Tamaqua defeated Pen Argyl 45-31 in the D-11 Class AA final.
The action heats up Saturday, with the other four area teams in action. District 4 Class AAA champion Shikellamy (21-4) — which also won the Heartland Athletic Conference Division I — stays near home, hosting District 11 runner-up Northern Lehigh (20-4) at Shamokin High School at 4:30 p.m. Earlier in the day, District 4 runner-up Shamokin (19-6) travels to Parkland High School in Allentown to take on District 11 champion Allentown Central Catholic (25-2). That contest begins at 3 p.m.
Allentown Central Catholic defeated Northern Lehigh 42-24 in the District 11 Class AAA final.
Shikellamy and Shamokin are coming off an intense D-4 final in which the Braves outlasted the Indians 56-48 at Milton’s Jungle. It marked the Braves’ first District 4 title since 2006. That was by far the closest meeting between the two teams this season: Shamokin won 57-28 on their home floor Jan. 9, while Shikellamy returned the favor with a 66-43 blowout in the Field House on Feb. 2.
State Class A teams are also in action Saturday. Lourdes Regional (22-4), the District 4 champion, takes on a familiar foe in Nativity BVM (19-5), the District 11 runner-up. That contest tips off at 3 p.m. at Shamokin, a stone’s throw away from the Lourdes campus.
Lourdes doubled up Cowanesque Valley 50-25 in the District 4 title game, while Nativity BVM fell to Tri-Valley 58-53 in the District 11 title tilt.
The Schuylkill League rivals met once during the regular season, with Nativity claiming a 60-47 victory on the Golden Girls’ home court. But the Red Raiders own regular-season victories over a couple of other area state-bound teams. Lourdes defeated Shikellamy 47-41 on Dec. 21, and also beat Mount Carmel 53-44 on Jan. 23.
In other state Class A action Saturday, Tri-Valley League champion and District 3 runner-up Greenwood (21-5) takes on District 1 runner-up Faith Christian 17-4) at 11:30 a.m. at HersheyPark Arena. The Wildcats — who went unbeaten in the TVL with a 14-0 record to win both halves— reached the District 3 final before bowing to powerhouse Steel-High 62-34 in the championship game. Faith Christian lost to Delco Christian 54-35 in the D-1 title tilt.
The winners of Friday’s Class AA games will be back in action on Tuesday, March 16, while Saturday’s survivors in Class AAA and A play the following night. Sites and times will be determined following the outcome of the first-round games.
BOYS
Four local teams made the state tournament on the boys side, but only Danville is a district champion.
The Ironmen, who captured their second District 4 Class AAA title in five seasons with a 61-58 win over Mifflinburg, will meet District 11 runner-up Allentown Central Catholic on Friday at Shikellamy High School at 7:30. Danville (18-6) lost to the Vikings (13-12) 60-48 back in January.
Mifflinburg (22-3), the D-4 runner-up, travels to Blue Mountain High School to face D-11 champion Pottsville (23-4); that game will be Friday night at 7. The Wildcats are playing in the state tournament for the first time since 2002, when they beat Pittston Area in the first round before losing to eventual champion Kennett in overtime in the round of 16.
Also Friday, District 3 Class A runner-up Greenwood (23-3) will battle District 1 runner-up Church Farm School (17-5) at HersheyPark Arena at 5.
In Class AA, D-4 third-place team Lewisburg (17-9) will face District 11 champ Notre Dame-Green Pond (22-4) at Freedom High School in Bethlehem on Saturday at 3.
