By Ben Destefan

GREENCASTLE — Now it counts.

For a team already with 20 wins, Greencastle-Antrim’s 2015-16 season will be defined by what unfolds in the coming weeks.

Consistently impressive for the last two-plus months, the Blue Devils (20-2) begin their District 3 title defense Wednesday night at home against Fleetwood in the first round of the Class AAA girls’ basketball playoffs.

Tip is set for 7 p.m.

As the fifth seed, G-A earned the right to host the 12th-seeded Tigers (15-7), welcoming an unfamiliar opponent representing Berks County.

“We’ve seen a few films on them, but there’s not a lot of common opponents for us to draw from,” Blue Devil head coach Mike Rhine said. “They have a really good guard that makes them go and a couple very active bigs.”

The guard Rhine references is Fleetwood’s Lauren Lister, who paces the Tigers averaging 15.3 points per game.

“We definitely need to key on her,” Rhine said. “They like to run pretty much everything through her and let her try to create chances.”

Fleetwood enters having lost four of its last six, but all of which came against District 3 playoff qualifiers.

G-A is also looking to bounce back following a lopsided loss to Cumberland Valley in last week’s Mid-Penn Conference semifinals, snapping a 16-game winning streak.

Fortunately, CV is the top seed in AAAA, meaning the Blue Devils likely won’t face a team of that caliber the rest of the way.

“That was the best team and some of the best players most of our girls have seen on a basketball court,” Rhine said of the two-time defending state champion. “We didn’t want to harp on it or let it linger, but we did use it to address some things, specifically on defense.”

With the trio of Jenay Faulkner, Hannah Crist and Meghan Hirneisen back from last year’s title team, one would presume G-A will certainly be able to refocus on the task at hand.

Faulkner is among the top players in the state, averaging 20.4 points per game while leading the surrounding area with 77 total 3’s.

Complementing Faulkner as a potent 1-2 punch, Crist is averaging 16.8 PPG with 56 makes from beyond the arc, capable of catching fire at any moment.

Stepping into a greater role, Hirneisen has shined during her senior season, elevating her game (8.5 PPG) to join G-A’s version of a “Big 3”.

“Our three experienced girls have been here and done this, going all the way to the second round of states last year,” Rhine said. “Then we have four or five girls that haven’t felt the type of pressure associated with playoff basketball. With us being at home, in familiar surroundings, we’re hoping that offsets the inexperience and we can lean on our Big 3.”

A victory tomorrow night will guarantee at least two more games, needing just one additional win to claim one of District 3’s seven Class AAA berths in the state tournament.

Wednesday’s winner advances to play either No. 4 Susquehannock or No. 13 ELCO in Saturday’s quarterfinals at Dallastown High School.