3 teams to watch

The Olympians were beating eventual state champion Bethlehem Catholic the entire District 11 Class 4A title game and were still up by three midway through the final quarter following a spinning, driving layup by Skyler Searfoss.

Jim Thorpe eventually ran out of gas before losing a heartbreaker by two points in its PIAA contest. Fellow sophomores Olivia Smelas (11.9 ppg. 9.9 rpg.), a 6-foot forward, and 5-8 guard Leila Hurley (12.1 ppg.), who teams with Searfoss (18.7 ppg) in the backcourt, led the Olympians to their best season ever.

It was the first time in area history that three freshmen averaged 10 or more points per game in a season.

Another freshman is on the scene this season, 5-9 forward Mackenzie Yuhas, and she is already turning heads in the preseason. Two more returnees include sixth-girl Lea Snisky, a 5-10 sophomore forward, and senior guard Kristen Scott.

The Blue Raiders have made a nice comeback under coach Erika Davis after suffering through four straight losing seasons from 2014-2017. Last season they finished with the first 20-win season since going a school record 26-1 in the 2010-11 season,.

Steady seniors Jamie Zuber, a 5-4 point guard, and 5-7 forward Emily Titus are four-year veterans along with Kuczynski. Tamaqua beat Northwestern Lehigh in district play for the second straight season last year, this time in a district consolation game, before losing to Danville 57-49 in the PIAA playoffs.

Zuber made 39 of Tamaqua’s 117 3-pointers last season and has 102 in her career. She scored a career-high 18 points with five 3s in a league semifinal win over Pine Grove. Also returning are seniors Rebekah Hromyak, Jen Frederickson, Baylee Reinhardt and junior Sophia Boyle.

Lincoln Leadership: Secondyear coach John Venus will have to make do without his best player from last season, guard