It’s Championship Tuesday and you know what that means.
Today’s the day where three Big 30 teams will not only play for District 9 Class A titles but for more that’s at stake this evening.
Due to Covid-19, only district champions will move on to the PIAA state tournament, meaning a team can’t lose in the semifinals or title game and still expect to be in the tournament this year.
“It’s a different playoff year where only one team goes on whereas in past years, four teams go on,” Jburg first-year coach Dan Nelson said at the end of the regular season. “(If) you want to be that one team, you really have to take care of business. There is only one D9 champ and Johnsonburg hasn’t won very many over the last 30 years, so we want to make sure that we get one here.”
Johnsonburg is one of those teams tonight that’ll look to become district champions for the first time since 2018 and advance to the PIAA state tournament in Class A, where it would face Bishop Carroll on Friday in the state quarterfinals.
Throughout their run in the district tournament, Gabe Watts and Cam Stelene have paced the Rams (14-4). The duo combined for 24 points in the team’s 41-31 quarterfinal win over Union, while Watts scored a game-high 12 points in Jburg’s 26-24 victory over Cameron County in the semis.
They’ll be facing a Clarion team that knocked off top-seeded Elk County Catholic in the semifinals and AC Valley prior. Clarion is led by Calvin German, who dropped 17 points in the win over ECC and is averaging 20.1 points per game.
Two more Big 30 squads will battle for a District 9 Class A title tonight when the top-seeded Coudersport girls basketball team hosts No. 2-seeded Otto-Eldred.
This will be the third matchup between the two teams this year, with each team picking up a victory over the other during the season.
The Lady Falcons (19-1) have dominated opponents all year with their tight man-to-man defense and deep and talented offense, led by Sarah Chambers and Rosalyn Page.
O-E has used similar ingredients to its success this season with tough defensive efforts and an offense led by Katie Sheeler that can shoot outside and score in the paint.
“(Sheeler’s) a really nice player,” Coudy coach Bob Tingley said. “She controls the game really well.”
The Lady Terrors held Elk Catholic scoreless in the fourth quarter during Saturday’s semifinal win, while Coudy held Port’s offense led by Bree Garzel to just seven made field goals.
“You got to be able to handle the pressure,” O-E head coach Shawn Gray said. “Their pressure — it’s tough and luckily for us, we just played a similar defensive team in ECC. They really get after it, too, so we got a taste of it (Saturday) and we know what’s coming, we just got to be prepared and ready to go when we get off the bus.”
A win for Coudy would give the program their second straight D9 Class A title and fourth district title in the past five years. The Lady Falcons won back-to-back D9 Class AA championships in 2017 and 2018.
The Lady Terrors (16-4), meanwhile, are playing in just their second district title game and seeking their first district crown. Their other appearance was in 2017 when they fell to North Clarion, 53-40.
Slowing down Chambers and Page are of course going to be keys for O-E, but it’s no doubt a tall order that very few to no teams have accomplished.
“Trust me, it’s way easier said than done, way easier said than done,” Gray said. “They’re two great players and some of their younger kids now I see are playing really well.”
Tonight’s contest is believed to be the first time two North Tier League girls teams have met in the district title game since 2003 when Coudy bested Cameron County in the Class A Championship game, 40-37.
The winner of tonight’s game will meet Bishop Guilfoyle in the state quarterfinals on Saturday.
It’s not going to be an easy game for either team, but it’s safe to say we can expect both teams to give it their all with both a district title and a trip to the state playoffs on the line.
“This team is really good and we know that,” Gray said of Coudy. “(O-E is) definitely not satisfied, but their parents should be very proud of them because they did it right with everybody on my team. They’re just great kids, great people and that’s most important.”
