Just one District 3 girls’ basketball playoff game on Saturday, and it’s the Class AAA championship game.
West Perry and Susquehannock will square off for district gold at 11:15 a.m. in the Giant Center.
Here’s a preview and a prediction …
No. 10 West Perry (20-5) vs. No. 1 Susquehannock (23-4) — Not many hotter teams out there at the moment than West Perry, the No. 10 seed, which will bring a 14-game winning streak into its showdown against top-seeded Susquehannock, the reigning runner-up. … West Perry won the Class AAA title in 1995; no district championships for Susquehannock, which was a York/Adams semifinalist. … Coach Scott Moyer and West Perry were the Mid-Penn Capital runners-up, and knocked out No. 2 seed and defending champ Palmyra in the quarterfinals, before beating 15-time district champ Lancaster Catholic in the semifinals. … Coach Dave Schreiner and Susquehannock are coming off a 20-point win over Fleetwood in the semifinals. Abbey Barnhart bucketed a team-high 13 points for the Warriors in that one. … The plot: West Perry F Megan Smith, an IUP recruit, is certifiably red-hot, averaging 22 points per game during the Mustangs’ 14-game winning tear. She poured in 30 points vs. Lancaster Catholic in the semifinals. So Susquehannock’s D will be under the microscope to curtail Smith and make other Mustangs’ players beat them. Smith is also apt to share, so guards Madison Urich and Caitlyn Lavenberg have to be ready to catch and shoot because Smith will find open shooters — when she’s not dribble-driving or flashing her midrange game. Susquehannock has double-barreled scorers in Shannon Druck (13.6; Holy Cross recruit) and Katie Wagner (14.3; York College recruit), who can both beat you from the perimeter and off the bounce. West Perry needs to D up on those two for sure; Ashley Stone, Mackenzie Fancher and Barnhart are also reliable Warriors’ scorers. After beating the last two district champs to get here — Lancaster Catholic and Palmyra — we’re anxious to see if West Perry can cap this crazy run with gold. Mustangs' motto: Hey, why not us? Bottom line: What’s that line about defense winning championships? With all the solid scorers on the floor, that certainly applies in this one.
PICK: Susquehannock by 5