Busy day of District 3 girls’ basketball on Thursday, with the Class A championship game and consolation-round games aplenty in other classes.
Here’s a preview and my picks …
CLASS A CHAMPIONSHIP
No. 5 Steel-High (9-16) vs. No. 3 Halifax (18-5), at Giant Center, 4:30 p.m. — Throw out the record; Rollers earned a shot to defend their title, and Steel-High is going for its fourth championship in the last four years, after toppling Antietam in the first round (75-35), knocking out Christian School of York in the quarterfinals (51-28), and holding off 1-seed Harrisburg Christian in the semifinals (67-57). Halifax has steamrolled to the finals, cruising past New Hope Academy in the quarterfinals (71-20) before blitzing rival Upper Dauphin in the semifinals (62-34). And if Steel-High vs. Halifax rings a bell, it should: Rollers romped over the Wildcats 76-27 in last year’s district final. So Halifax will have payback on its mind. The plot: Can Halifax keep Steel-High off the glass? Rebounding and owning the paint has been the Rollers’ M.O. thus far in the postseason, and it’s highly unlikely coach Jeffrey Chisholm will junk that plan now — not with another gold trophy hanging in the balance. The key for coach Dean Kerstetter and his Wildcats: Maximizing possessions, taking care of the ball, and gobbling up as many defensive rebounds as possible; Halifax can’t be giving Steel-High multiple stick-back attempts. Or else. Keep an eye on Halifax PG Morgan Cox. She’ll need to set the tone and keep the Wildcats patient and on the same page.
PICK: Steel-High by 8
CLASS A THIRD-PLACE GAME
No. 7 Upper Dauphin (13-12) vs. No. 1 Harrisburg Christian (24-2), at East Pennsboro, 6:30 p.m. — Both teams have qualified for the PIAA playoffs, so this is a seeding game, not a win-or-go-home game, which should take some pressure off both clubs, who are still coming down after falling in semifinal games. UD fell to uber rival Halifax (62-34) and Harrisburg Christian lost to reigning champ Steel-High (67-57). Forty-eight hours later, coach Rich Hoffman’s Trojans and coach Steve Bechtel’s Knights have to crank it back up for third place — and some momentum heading into the state playoffs. The plot: UD can’t let Harrisburg Christian PG Creslyn Van Dyck dictate pace of play. And Knights’ senior scorer Katie Bechtel is coming off a season-high 25-point outing vs. Steel-High; Trojans must be aware of her and post Sierra Dixon, who just went toe-to-toe with Steel-High’s bigs for 32 minutes.
PICK: Harrisburg Christian by 7
CLASS AA CHAMPIONSHIP GAME
No. 2 Delone Catholic (20-4) vs. No. 1 York Catholic (22-4), at Giant Center, 6:15 p.m. — If this matchup sounds familiar, it should: This is the fourth year in a row coach Gerry Eckenrode's Squirettes and coach Kevin Bankos' Fighting Irish will knock heads in the district finale, and York Catholic has won all of them. Heck, the Irish have won the last eight District 3-AA crowns in a row, and they're chasing No. 9 in this one. No love lost between these bitter foes, who split their regular-season series in the YAIAA this season; Delone Catholic won 45-41 on Jan. 10 and York Catholic took the rematch 57-55 in the regular-season finale on Feb. 4. Couple of razor-thin games there, to nobody's surprise. The plot: You can pretty much throw all the records and stats out the window when the Squirettes and Irish get together. For us, it comes down to York Catholic's D taking care of business against Delone Catholic sniper Maddie Comly. Irish simply can't let her catch and shoot or dribble-drive her way to a big game. It's York Catholic. It's Delone Catholic. It's the District 3-AA championship tilt. Hey, what more can you ask for?
PICK: York Catholic by 3
CLASS AA THIRD-PLACE GAME
No. 4 Camp Hill (17-7) vs. No. 3 Oley Valley (18-8), at Warwick, 5 p.m. — It’s the dreaded win-or-your-season-is-over game for coach Mark Clarke’s Lions and coach Jeff Cardinal’s Lynx. District 3 sends three Class AA teams to the PIAA tourney, so the loser here is finished. So the pressure will be magnified by a 1,000 in this one. No shame in who either of these clubs fell to in the semifinals: Camp Hill, which had its 7-game losing streak burst, lost to No. 1 York Catholic (68-32), while Oley Valley was tripped up by No. 2 Delone Catholic (49-34). The plot: Lynx sniper Brandi Vallely has 32 points in a pair of district games; Lions must defend her, so Addie Guyer directing traffic on D at the top of the key is crucial for Camp Hill. And we’ll see if Oley Valley’s bigs can keep Camp Hill’s Leah Springer and Kelsey Collingsworth off the glass.
PICK: Camp Hill by 3
CLASS AAA FIFTH-PLACE GAME
No. 5 Berks Catholic (19-6) vs. No. 2 Palmyra (21-4), at Garden Spot, 5 p.m. — This game is listed for Friday on some brackets, but FYI: Saints and Cougars are duking it out for fifth place on Thursday. Both teams bounced back with impressive consolation-round wins after tough quarterfinal-round losses; coach Bob Birmingham and Berks Catholic took care of West York 56-37, and coach Ron Berman and Palmyra shook off the cold shooting day in the loss to West Perry and cruised past Greencastle-Antrim 45-26. Saints and Cougars have clinched PIAA bids; this is a seeding game. The plot: Very likely Palmyra senior Carly Richardson (ankle) will be out yet again. That didn't bother the Cougars vs. Greencastle-Antrim, as the troops rallied and took care of business. If Palmyra's D — read: Maria Tukis up top directing traffic and being a pest — is doing its thing, advantage Cougars.
PICK: Palmyra by 11
CLASS AAAA THIRD-PLACE GAME
No. 2 Cumberland Valley (22-5) vs. No. 1 Manheim Township (27-1), at Lebanon, 5 p.m. — On paper, this sure looks like a championship-worthy bout, with the top two seeds butting heads. Instead, coach Bill Wolf’s Eagles and coach Sean Burkhart’s Blue Streaks — top-10 teams in PennLive’s state rankings — will have at it for third place. Both teams are coming off stinger semifinal losses: CV led by double digits in the first half and by nine at the half, but turned the ball over seven times in the third quarter, battled foul woes and fell to Dover 45-38. Manheim Township suffered its first loss this season, a 66-42 setback to Wilson, which won its 15th game in a row and will face Dover on Friday for district gold. The plot: If it’s the Blue Streaks, that means heavy doses of Alex Leslie and Kaitlyn Van Tash in the high-post/low-post area. And if it’s the Eagles, that means an up-tempo transition game with quick guards, Kelly Jekot from the wing and Maddie Torresin crashing. Great matchup; like we said: If the bracket went chalk, this was your title game. Eagles, Streaks probably aren’t exactly thrilled that this game isn’t at the Giant Center in front of a packed house for medals. Still, it’s a terrific matchup in the state-wide Class AAAA landscape.
PICK: Cumberland Valley by 5
CLASS AAAA FIFTH-PLACE GAME
No. 10 Red Lion (16-9) vs. No. 8 Mechanicsburg (22-5), at Northern York, 6:30 p.m. — With so much attention on the Giant Center and the semifinals and potential championship matchups, it’s easy sometimes to forget about these consolation-round games. Coach Don Dimoff’s Lions and coach Clay McAllister’s Wildcats are still slugging it. Good news: Both clubs have qualified for the state playoffs; this is just a seeding game. Red Lion punched its ticket with a 53-43 win over Lebanon, while Mechanicsburg topped Hempfield 49-26. The plot: Red Lion’s Courtney Dimoff went off for 21 points and four 3s against Lebanon, so Mechanicsburg must guard the perimeter; Jordan Hertz will be a busy young lady chasing Dimoff around, no doubt. Wildcats’ duo of Cecily Carl (15 points) and Hannah Brown (11 points, 3 3s) were solid against Hempfield; if they’re catching and shooting, advantage Mechanicsburg, which appears to have its mojo back after losing two of three games.
PICK: Mechanicsburg by 4
CLASS AAAA SEVENTH-PLACE GAME
No. 12 Hempfield (15-10) vs. No. 6 Lebanon (20-7), at Warwick, 6:30 p.m. — Couple of L-L League neighbors knocking heads for the final PIAA playoff spot from District 3. Win and advance, lose and go home scenario in this one. That’s never fun. Coach Ben Brewer’s Cedars beat coach Brian Rife’s Black Knights 49-35 in an L-L Section 1-2 crossover game back on Jan. 27 in Lebanon, so there will be some familiarity in this one. The plot: Hempfield’s grind-it-out style against Lebanon’s get-it-and-go, shoot 3s attack. Contrasting styles for sure. In the first meeting, Brittany Ulrich scored a game-high 13 points and Alicia Haitos added a season-high 10 points for Lebanon, while Julianna Clark (9 points) and Alecia Rohrer (8 points) paced Hempfield. Best defense wins this one; Black Knights must defend the perimeter.
PICK: Lebanon by 10