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EspañolThe District 11 Championship stage is set.
Schuylkill Haven (16-8, 10-5) and Tri-Valley (21-3, 14-0) each won on Wednesday in the Class 2A semifinals to secure a spot in the district title game.
The Hurricanes fought off a late comeback effort and held on to win 62-57 against Marian Catholic and the Bulldogs rolled past Moravian Academy, 63-48.
“This is a signature win and it’s the type of game we needed to get back into the groove of things to play Schuylkill Haven,” Tri-Valley coach Mike Masser said. “We have to keep playing our game and get ready for Saturday because it’ll be a battle.”
In Class A, Weatherly earned its spot in the title game with a hard-fought 69-66 win over Nativity BVM in the semifinal round.
Here’s a look at the two matchups that feature local boys teams.
Class A: 2 Weatherly vs 1 Bethlehem Christian
Weatherly (17-7, 7-7) defeated Nativity BVM 69-66 in overtime in the Class A semifinals to set up the District 11 1A Championship with Bethlehem Christian on Friday at 7:30 p.m. at Catasauqua High School.
Ian Mckeegan led the Wreckers with 31 points, including five points in overtime and the go-ahead basket, while Dominick Kokinda scored 14 points and Corbin Wagner had 12 points.
Weatherly has won eight of its last nine games, dating back to a 69-68 win over Nativity on Jan. 20. The Wreckers have outscored their opponents this season, 69-61 points per game. Weatherly has scored 60 or more points in 19 of its 24 games this season, including a 103-71 win against Columbia Montour Vo-Tech on Jan. 29.
Mckeegan leads the Wreckers with 19.7 points per game, Wagner has notched 14.1 points per game, Niko Saldukas has gone for 12.7 points per game and Kokinda has averaged 11 points per game. Saldukas leads Weatherly with 6.8 rebounds per game and Matt Adler has brought in 6.4 rebounds per game.
Bethlehem Christian (24-2, 7-0) is currently on a 12-game winning streak and has outscored opponents, 77-51 points per game. The Panthers have scored 70 or more points in 21 of 24 games this season.
Seniors Nick Kasper, Myles Harris, Gabe Transue, Caleb Brown and Caleb Primrose are all making their final postseason appearances for Bethlehem Christian.
Transue leads the Panthers with 28.7 points per game, while Harris has averaged 23.4 points per game. Transue has brought in a team-high 11.4 rebounds per game.
Class 2A: 1 Tri-Valley vs 2 Schuylkill Haven
Schuylkill Haven and Tri-Valley are set to duke it out for the third time this season, this time with a district title on the line.
Tri-Valley downed the Hurricanes twice in the regular season, winning 77-76 at Schuylkill Haven on Jan. 8, and earning an 81-69 home win on Feb. 3.
“We want to get the ball up the court fast, and we have different guys on any given night who can put points on the board,” Masser said.
The Bulldogs have won 15 of their last 17 games with the only two losses to Minersville in the regular season finale and to Pottsville in the Schuylkill League semifinals, 70-44. Tri-Valley has outscored its opponents this season, 73-57 points per game this season, and has scored 70 or more points 16 times.
The Hurricanes have won five of their last nine games, their last loss coming against Blue Mountain in the Schuylkill League semifinals on Feb. 7. Schuylkill Haven has outscored its opponents, 63-56 points per game, and has scored 70 or more points in seven games this season.
“We have balance and we have five kids out there who can score,” Schuylkill Haven coach Fran Murphy said. “That’s really important in these types of games, and the nice thing about our team is all five guys can find a way to score.”
Max Heim and Justin Watcher were integral pieces down the stretch in the Hurricanes’ 62-57 win over Marian Catholic when they combined for 14 points in the second half.
“We play fast, which forces other teams to play fast and make bad decisions and get quick turnovers,” Heim said. “When we go on these winning streaks, we have really good defensive games.”
Tri-Valley’s Trey Porter was the man of the hour when he poured in a team-high 17 points against Moravian Academy, while Braeden Doyle scored 13 points, including a trio of three-pointers, and Gavin Klock had 10 points.
Porter got productive in the second quarter when he got to the basket and scored eight points to help give the Bulldogs a 40-13 halftime lead on the way to a 15-point win.
“We wanted to show them what Schuylkill League basketball is all about,” Porter said Wednesday. “I couldn’t do it without all the guys on the team.”
The District 11 Class 2A Championship Game will tip off at 2:30 p.m. Saturday at Pottsville’s Martz Hall.