Here is my fearless forecast …
CLASS AAAA ROUND OF 16
No. 17 Northeastern (13-10) at No. 1 Susquehannock (20-4), 7 p.m. — Excuse the Bobcats if they’re a tad weary early in this all-YAIAA Division 2 matchup; Northeastern needed two overtimes on Monday to shake off Donegal in a thrill-a-minute preliminary round throwdown. Warriors have been idle for a week, since falling to York Catholic in the York/Adams semifinals. A lot of division-rival games in this round; this is one of them. Key kids: Northeastern F Jordyn Kloster scored 19 points and nabbed 19 rebounds in Bobcats’ win over Donegal; she’s a glass crasher. So is Susquehannock’s Shannon Druck, a Holy Cross recruit who can attack the rim with the best of them. Keep an eye on that matchup in the paint.
PICK: Susquehannock by 12
No. 9 Conrad Weiser (15-7) at No. 8 West York (16-8), 7 p.m. — Scouts have lost two of three and finished third in Berks Section 2 behind Fleetwood and Berks Catholic. Bulldogs are the York/Adams Division 1 champs, having fended off district qualifiers Dallastown, Red Lion and New Oxford down the stretch. Man, these 8-9 games are impossible to pick because they’re almost always close games. Key kids: Weiser’s Hannah Racis averages 12.5 points, 10th-best in Berks. West York’s Kari Lankford runs the point and does a slew of little things for the Bulldogs.
PICK: West York by 7
No. 13 Elco (13-9) at No. 4 Fleetwood (21-3), 7 p.m. — Raiders have lost two in a row, including the stinger setback to Elco in the L-L regular-season finale, which not only cost Elco the Section 3 crown, but also kept the Raiders out of the league playoffs. So Elco would love to make a playoff push. The Tigers won the Berks Section 2 title before falling to Wilson in the Berks championship game. Fleetwood’s other two losses are to district qualifiers Conrad Weiser and Berks Catholic. Key kids: Elco’s Cheyenne Hassler joined the 1,000-point club last Wednesday, and she’s averaging 17.7 points with 19 3s in the last six games for the Raiders. Fleetwood has a pair of double-digit scorers: Cyre Virgo (12.2) and Kendra Bamberger (10.9, 7 3s).
PICK: Fleetwood by 9
No. 12 Eastern York (14-8) at No. 5 Berks Catholic (17-5), 7 p.m. — Golden Knights won the York/Adams Division 3 title by a whopping six games over Bermudian Springs and Kennard-Dale. Saints were the Berks Section 2 runner-up behind eventual Berks runner-up Fleetwood. Berks Catholic has also played a juicy schedule, including Trinity, York Catholic (twice), Harrisburg and Parkland. Believe me when I tell you that this should be a really good game. Key kids: Eastern’s Morgan Thomas is a Bloomsburg recruit, and she’s fourth in the YAIAA in scoring at 18 points per night. Berks Catholic has a trio of reliable scorers: Katrina Balatgek (14.4, 67 3s), Devon Merritt (13.8) and Courtney Wensel (9.6).
PICK: Berks Catholic by 3
No. 15 Hamburg (15-8) at No. 2 Palmyra (19-3), 7 p.m. — Hawks used a 25-point fourth quarter to zoom past Trinity 45-30 in a prelim game, setting up a bout against the defending Class AAA champ Cougars, who have been idle since Feb. 4 and are itching to get back on the floor — and defend their crown. Hamburg finished fourth in Berks 2 and has won six of seven. Palmyra was the Mid-Penn Keystone runner-up, and its three losses are to district qualifiers Hershey (twice) and Keystone champ Mechanicsburg, the conference runner-up. Key kids: Hamburg features a solid inside-outside duo in Kassidy Lesher (15.7) and Hannah Schoenly (10.6, 35 3s). Defensive-minded Cougars are led by senior Bucknell recruit Carly Richardson (10.5, 30 3s).
PICK: Palmyra by 16
No. 10 West Perry (17-5) at No. 7 Middletown (19-4), 7 p.m. — It’s an all-Mid-Penn Capital showdown, with a trip to the district quarters on the line. Blue Raiders captured the division crown, ahead of the runner-up Mustangs. West Perry handed Middletown, which fell to Mechanicsburg in a conference semifinal, its lone Capital loss this season as these two split their regular-season series. Mustangs are scorching; West Perry has won 11 games in a row. Key kids: IUP recruit Megan Smith is having an outstanding senior season for West Perry; she’s scoring at a 22.2 clip over the last five games, and can beat you from the perimeter and off the bounce. Middletown’s Ja’lynn Burton-Jones (18.0, 13 3s) is the Blue Raiders’ catalyst. West Perry guards Caitlyn Lavenberg and Madison Urich can’t let her roam freely.
PICK: West Perry by 4
No. 14 Gettysburg (14-8) at No. 3 Greencastle-Antrim (21-1), 7 p.m. — Mid-Penn Colonial foes square off; Blue Devils snapped the Warriors’ three-year stranglehold over the conference this season, after sweeping the season series and taking a perfect record into the Mid-Penn semifinals. G-A fell to Cumberland Valley 59-34 there, but is enjoying a fantastic season. Gettysburg hits the district playoffs with five wins in a row. Key kids: Warriors’ sniper Cami Boehner, a Bloom recruit, is the midstate’s leading scorer at 21.9 points per. During Gettysburg’s five-game winning streak, she’s averaging 21.4 points with eight 3s. G-A point guard Hannah Crist (12.4 points, 5 3s last five games) needs to direct traffic and keep the Blue Devils on the same page in this one; hey, regardless of records or seeds, a division rival is a division rival.
PICK: Greencastle-Antrim by 12
No. 11 Susquenita (18-4) at No. 6 Lancaster Catholic (22-2), 7 p.m. — This might be the most underrated Round of 16 game in the Class AAA bracket. Blackhawks kept pace in the Mid-Penn Capital chase with Middletown and West Perry, and vaulted to a 12-1 start this season. Losses are to West Perry, Middletown (twice) and district qualifier Camp Hill, which gave Middletown the Capital crown. Crusaders are coming off a stinger 53-50 setback to Manheim Township in the L-L semifinals, as Lancaster Catholic had its string of back-to-back league titles snapped. Still, the Crusaders rattled off 22 wins in a row and, with the program’s success, have to be considered one of the favorites here. Key kids: Susquenita PG Miranda Hoover has been on fire, averaging 16.8 points in the last eight games, including a season-high 24 points against Middletown on Jan. 31. We know Lancaster Catholic is going to do some damage with its pressing game; if F Caroline Scarff (11.5) can own the glass, advantage Crusaders.
PICK: Lancaster Catholic by 15
