Four Schuylkill League teams top District 11 basketball brackets released Saturday.
League boys’ champion Pottsville and girls’ titlist North Schuylkill come in as top seeds in their Class AAA and Class AA fields, respectively.
The Pottsville boys, fresh off a 33-28 overtime victory against Tamaqua in the league championship Friday, are in the top half of a bracket made up entirely of Schuylkill League teams. The Crimson Tide play the winner of a preliminary game between No. 8 Lehighton and No. 9 Blue Mountain on Tuesday at Lehighton.
No. 4 Tamaqua and No. 5 North Schuylkill make up the other half of the quarterfinals, finishing a tripleheader Friday at Martz Hall.
The North Schuylkill girls sit atop the Class AA field after defeating Minersville 49-41 for the Schuylkill League title Friday.
The girls’ Double-A field is bookended by Schuylkill League teams. The Spartans play in the second game in the Martz Hall tripleheader Friday, facing No. 8 Pine Grove at 6:30 p.m. The third-ranked Minersville girls and sixth-seeded Marian kick the day off with the 5 p.m. game.
Minersville’s boys grabbed the top seed in Class AA, hosting fourth-ranked divisional opponent Williams Valley in the semifinals Wednesday, Feb. 25. A clash between two other divisional foes, No. 2 Mahanoy Area and No. 3 Marian, completes the boys’ Double-A bracket.
Shenandoah Valley’s girls nabbed the other top spot occupied by local schools in a five-team Class A field. The Blue Devils play the winner of a preliminary game between No. 4 Tri-Valley and No. 5 Mahanoy Area on Saturday at Minersville Area High School.
Williams Valley sits in the No. 2 spot in girls Class A, playing No. 3 Salem Christian on Wednesday, Feb. 25.
No times or locations have been set for contests beyond preliminary rounds.
In the boys’ Class A bracket, No. 2 Nativity plays No. 3 Lincoln Leadership and No. 4 Shenandoah Valley plays top-ranked Notre Dame East Stroudsburg. Both contests are scheduled for Tuesday, Feb. 24.
Blue Mountain’s girls are the
area’s sole representative in the Class AAA field. The Eagles enter in the final playoff spot at No. 6 and play third-seeded Southern Lehigh at 1 p.m. Saturday at Easton High School. The winner faces second-ranked Allentown Central Catholic, the sixth-ranked team in the state. Bethlehem Catholic, the state’s No. 3 team, is the District 11 Class AAA top seed.
Finally, the Pottsville girls slide into the fourth spot in the Class AAAA tournament, matched up with No. 5 Parkland. The game is set for 6 p.m. Friday, but a location has yet to be determined as of Saturday evening.
A semifinal berth is crucial for the Crimson Tide, as three PIAA tournament spots are up for grabs from District 11.
District 11 Boys’ Basketball
Playoff Glance
CLASS A
Semifinals
Tuesday, Feb. 24
No. 4 Shenandoah Valley (11-11) vs. No. 1 Notre Dame-ES (20-2), TBA
No. 3 Lincoln Leadership Academy (15-7) vs. No. 2 Nativity (14-8), TBA
Championship
Friday, Feb. 27
Semifinal winners, TBA
•
CLASS AA
Semifinals
Wednesday, Feb. 25
No. 4 Williams Valley (11-11) vs. No. 1 Minersville (18-3), TBA
No. 3 Marian (11-11) vs. No. 2 Mahanoy Area (18-5), TBA
Championship
Saturday, Feb. 28
Semifinal winners, TBA
•
CLASS AAA
First round
Tuesday, Feb. 17
No. 9 Blue Mountain (11-11) at No. 8 Lehighton (14-8), 7 p.m.
No. 10 Palisades (12-10) at No. 7 Wilson (14-8), 7 p.m.
No. 11 Notre Dame Green Pond (11-11) at No. 6 Saucon Valley (16-6), 7 p.m.
Quarterfinals
Friday, Feb. 20
Lehighton-Blue Mountain winner vs. No. 1 Pottsville (24-0), 7 p.m., location TBA
No. 5 North Schuylkill (17-5) vs. No. 4 Tamaqua (19-5), 8 p.m., Martz Hall
Wilson-Palisades winner vs. No. 2 Salisbury (19-3), 7:30 p.m., Catasauqua H.S.
Saucon-NDGP winner vs. No. 3 Allentown Central Catholic (14-8), 7:30 p.m., William Allen H.S.
Semifinals
Tuesday, Feb. 24
Quarterfinal winners, TBA
Championship
Friday, Feb. 27
Semifinal winners, TBA
•
CLASS AAAA
First round
Wednesday, Feb. 18
No. 9 Pocono Mountain West (13-9)at No. 8 Southern Lehigh (17-5), 7 p.m.
No. 12 Easton (12-10) at No. 5 Emmaus (11-11), 7 p.m.
No. 10 Northampton (13-9) at No. 7 Whitehall (13-9), 7 p.m.
No. 11 Nazareth (11-11) at No. 6 Bethlehem Liberty (16-6), 7 p.m.
Quarterfinals
Saturday, Feb. 21
Southern Lehigh-PMW winner vs. No. 1 Parkland (21-1), 2:30 p.m., Easton H.S.
Emmaus-Easton winner vs. No. 4 William Allen (16-6), 2:30 p.m., Northampton H.S.
Whitehall-Northampton winner vs. No. 2 Bangor (17-5), 2:30 p.m., Pleasant Valley H.S.
Liberty-Nazareth winner vs. No. 3 Stroudsburg (18-4), 1 p.m., Pleasant Valley H.S.
Semifinals
Wednesday, Feb. 25
Quarterfinal winners, TBA
Third-place game
Semifinal losers, TBA
Championship
Saturday, Feb. 28
Semifinal winners, TBA
District 11 Girls’ Basketball
Playoff Glance
CLASS A
Preliminary round
Saturday, Feb. 21
No. 5 Mahanoy Area (12-10) vs. No. 4 Tri-Valley (14-8), 1 p.m., Minersville H.S.
Semifinals
Wednesday, Feb. 25
Tri-Valley-Mahanoy winner vs. No. 1 Shenandoah Valley (19-4), TBA
No. 3 Salem Christian (17-2) vs. No. 2 Williams Valley (15-7), TBA
•
CLASS AA
Quarterfinals
Friday, Feb. 20
No. 8 Pine Grove (11-11) vs. No. 1 North Schuylkill (22-2), 6:30 p.m., Martz Hall
No. 5 Salisbury (16-7) vs. No. 4 Palmerton (20-4), 6 p.m., Catasauqua H.S.
No. 7 Palisades (13-9) vs. No. 2 Notre Dame Green Pond (21-3), 6 p.m., William Allen H.S.
No. 6 Marian (17-7) vs. No. 3 Minersville (22-2), 5 p.m., Martz Hall
Semifinals
Tuesday, Feb. 24
Quarterfinal winners, TBA
Championship
Friday, Feb. 27
Semifinal winners, TBA
•
CLASS AAA
Preliminary round
Saturday, Feb. 21
No. 5 Northwestern Lehigh (17-8) vs. No. 4 Saucon Valley (16-7), 1 p.m., Northampton, H.S.
No. 6 Blue Mountain (15-7) vs. No. 3 Southern Lehigh (20-3), 1 p.m., Easton H.S.
Semifinals
Wednesday, Feb. 25
Saucon-Northwestern winner vs. No. 1 Bethlehem Catholic (24-1), TBA
Southern Lehigh-Blue Mountain winner vs. No. 2 Allentown Central Catholic (23-2), TBA
Championship
Saturday, Feb. 28
Semifinal winners, TBA
•
CLASS AAAA
Quarterfinals
Friday, Feb. 20
No. 8 Bethlehem Liberty (11-12) vs. No. 1 Easton (18-6), 7:30 p.m., Northern Lehigh H.S.
No. 5 Parkland (14-9) vs. No. 4 Pottsville (19-3), 6 p.m., location TBA
No. 7 Whitehall (11-11) vs. No. 2 Nazareth (17-6), 6 p.m., Northern Lehigh H.S.
No. 6 Pocono Mountain West (14-9) vs. No. 3 Pocono Mountain East (17-6), 7 p.m., East Stroudsburg South H.S.
Semifinals
Tuesday, Feb. 24
Quarterfinal winners, TBA
Third-place game
Friday, Feb. 27
Semifinal losers, TBA
Championship
Friday, Feb. 27
Semifinal winners, TBA