ILVGH: Round of 16 Previews

Northern Lehigh v Marian Catholic

March 12, 7:30 at Catasauqua

Northern Lehigh(17-10) DXI 2^nd place

Score 56ppg; allow 40.8ppg

55.5% FT

4.1 3’s per game

Marian Catholic(21-5) DXI 3^rd place

Score 56.2ppg ; allow 35.6ppg

63% FT

6.4 3’s per game

Winner faces: 2-2 Montrose or 6-1 Marion Center

The Bulldogs and Fillies will meet for the second time in two weeks. The previous meeting was a 52-49 Northern Lehigh victory, in which they built a big first quarter lead and held on late. In that game, Tegan Simms hit four triples and Aubrey Pollard had one of her 20 double doubles with 15 points and 13 rebounds. For the Fillies, Addy Fritz and Carly Minchoff combined for 30 points, both hitting late treys to try and complete the comeback. Both teams combined to go 6/18 from the free throw stripe in that contest, so they will both need major improvement in that facet if they hope to advance to the state quarterfinals.

Northern Lehigh is coming off a blowout victory of Mast Charter II from Philadelphia. The 79-16 drubbing was a complete mismatch from the outset, and provided a nice tune-up exhibition for Aubrey Pollard, Katelynn and Dekota Barthold, Tegan Simms, and Cadence Whalen. The five starters combined for 71 points, with Aubrey Pollard getting her second triple double of the year(25 points, 10 rebounds, 11 steals). Mast II turned the ball over 30 times in the first half.

Marian Catholic picked up a 54-42 first round victory at Northeast Bradford. The two hour, 104 mile road trip did not faze the Fillies, as they raced out to a 29-16 halftime lead. Senior Carly Minchoff(14.6ppg) went off for 21 points, while fellow senior Frankie Martinelli(11.1ppg) added 17. They are joined by Addy Fritz(So 11.9ppg). Marian Catholic defeated Central Catholic earlier this season, 54-41. In that game, Minchoff scored 22 and Aliyah Tikhtova(Sr) added 10. This rematch promises to be another close game with a trip to the state quarterfinals on the line.

Parkland v Dallastown

March 12, 6:00 at Governor Mifflin

Parkland(27-2) DXI 1^st place

Score 54.8ppg; allow 33.6ppg

74% FT

 5.4 3’s per game

Dallastown(26-3) D3 2^nd place

Score 45ppg; allow 31ppg

58.7% FT

3.8 3’s per game

Winner faces: 1-3 Conestoga or 12-1 Archbishop Carroll

Parkland enters this game coming off a first round scare from Downingtown East. However, like recent contests, the Trojans were able to close down their opponent in the fourth quarter. Despite Talia Zurinskas being held to seven points, her senior teammate and fellow 1,000 point scorer Madi Siggins hit eight field goals and racked up 19 points. They will ride a ten game win streak into the matchup with Dallastown.

Dallastown is led by Praise Matthews and her 12 points per game. The 6’1” junior will be a handful for any defense.  She is joined by Alonna Dowell(9.1ppg) and Ava Jamison(8.1ppg). Jamison, a 6’0” sophomore, leads her team with 31 treys on the season. Harper Poff is another 6-footer at Dallastown’s disposal. The height advantage contributes to the Wildcats giving up the second fewest points in the York-Adams League. Dallastown’s first round victory came against Central Bucks East by a nearly identical score of Parkland’s win, 43-36. Expect a low scoring affair as these two stingy defenses battle it out.  

Central Catholic v Delone Catholic

March 13, 7:00 at Warwick

Central Catholic(18-9) 1^st place DXI

Score 45.8ppg; allow 39.6ppg

61% FT

3.5 3’s per game

Delone Catholic(23-3) D3 2^nd place

Score: 50.4ppg; allow 28.8ppg

63.4% FT

4.3 3’s per game

Broadcast: Eastern PA Sports Network

Winner faces: 12-1 Universal Audenreid or 2-2 Valley View

Two familiar foes will square off for the second straight year in states. Last year, a dominant 15-2 second quarter pushed the Vikettes to a 51-37 victory and berth in the quarterfinals. Central Catholic hit seven triples in that game and Molly Driscoll put up 19 points.

Megan Jacoby leads the Delone Catholic in offense, averaging 11.4 points per game. The 5’4” junior scored seven in last year’s meeting. She is followed closely in a balanced offensive attack by Brielle Baughman(10.2ppg) and Kaitlyn Schwarz(9.7ppg). Baughman scored eight points in the previous meeting. The Squirettes hammered District 1 runner-up Pope John Paul II 53-19 on Saturday afternoon, taking a 28-6 halftime lead.

The Vikettes are also coming off a first round rout of Northern Lebanon, 65-44. Armani Brickhouse(Sr) exploded for 25 points, scoring 18 of those in the second half to squash any hopes of a Northern Lebanon comeback. Driscoll had 12 and Abbey Kofroth added 10, as Central Catholic has their chemistry and balanced offense dialed in.

Bethlehem Catholic v West Chester East

March 13, 7:30 at Pottstown

Bethlehem Catholic(21-5) DXI 1^st place

Score 53.1ppg; allow 37ppg

73% FT

7.8 3’s per game

West Chester East(19-9) D1 4^th place

Score 47.3ppg; allow 42.6ppg

Winner faces: 1-1 Bishop Shanahan or 2-2 Abington Heights

Bethlehem Catholic’s 41-35 win over Gwynedd Mercy Academy was not a pretty one down the stretch. Several late turnovers and a tough night shooting from range I the first half(3/13) led to a near comeback for GMA. However, Cici Hernandez and Ella Bincarosky hit key long shots when they needed them and the team was 7/8 from the charity stripe in the second half. Now, the Hawks turn their attention to West Chester East, a 57-30 winner over Freire Charter in round one. The Vikings are in their first state tournament since the 2020-2021 season. Juniors Sofia Keith and Annalise Kubasko are joined by freshman Kayla Cochran and sophomore Lauren Horan as top contributors in a relatively young lineup. WC East was seeking its first trip to the District 1 championship game, but fell to Villa Maria 47-40 in the semifinals. In that game, Keith went for 12 points and Kubasko added nine. As of this writing, our request for statistics and a roster from WC East was not returned and this article will be edited if those are received.