Executive goes for 6th title in a row

Parkland is looking for repeat vs. Liberty

It’s hard to win league and district championships in the same season, but Notre DameGreen Pond and Parkland are in position to do that if they can win their respective district title games on Saturday at Easton Area Middle School.

The Forks Township facility figures to be a busy place, and it will be a happy place for those who leave with gold medals.

Here’s a look at the 3A and 6A boys championship games:

Class 3A championship

Who: No. 1 seed Executive (20-4) vs. No. 2 Notre DameGreen Pond (24-2)

When/where: 4:30 p.m. Saturday at Easton Area Middle School

What’s next: The winner will play District 12 No. 5, String Theory and the loser will play District 12 No. 3, West Catholic in the first round of the PIAA Class 3A tournament on March 9.

Consolation: Panther Valley vs. Saucon Valley, 1 p.m. Saturday at Northwestern Lehigh. Winner will play District 12 No. 2, Neumann-Goretti or Engineering and Sciences in first round of PIAA 4A tournament on March 8.

NOTRE DAME-GREEN POND

Coach: Pat Boyle (28th season, 508-233)

Key players: Colin Boyle (6-1, Sr. G) 13.0 ppg; Cam Bohn (5-10, Sr. G) 10.3 ppg; Dainn Vassallo (6-3, Sr. F) 10.4 ppg; Jordan Smith (6-0, Sr. G) 3.1 ppg; Caleb Hobbie (6-4, Sr. F) 4.4 ppg; Isaiah Miles (5-11, So. G) 10.1 ppg; Daniel Darno (6-2, Sr. F) 7.2 ppg.

About the Crusaders: Advanced with a 65-54 win over MaST Community Charter and a 72-41 win over Panther Valley. … Average 67.5 ppg, allow 48.1. … Have made 176 3-pointers led by Boyle’s 49 and Bohn’s 45. … Make 64.5% at the foul line. … Have won 16 straight since back-toback holiday tournament losses to Shaler, 65-42, and 70-59 to State College. … Placed four players in double figures against Panther Valley led by Bohn’s 15. Made eight 3-pointers in that game. … This is third all-time meeting with Executive. Played in December 2020 just before the state was shutdown by the pandemic,

and lost 84-75 at Executive and then lost in the District 11 3A finals in the 2021 at PPL Center, 81-68. … In the district finals for the seventh time since 2013. Won titles in 2013, 2014, 2017 and 2018. … Program has won 12 district championships overall. EXECUTIVE

Coach: Ray Barbosa (sixth season at Executive, 112-37, 176-59 in nine seasons overall)

Players to watch: Gabe Hornberger (Jr. G) 17.2 ppg; Rylan Muniz (Sr. G) 18.8; Lamine Sanoh (Sr. C) 9.7 ppg; Jayden Shipley (Jr. G) 9.5; Elias Lopez (Jr. G) 4.7 ppg; Max Placide (Jr. G) 3.2 ppg.

About the Raptors: Advanced with a 76-37 win over Catasauqua and a 74-45 win over Saucon Valley. … Average 63.1 ppg, allow 51.0 ppg. … Lone losses are to Abington Heights, Pocono Mountain West, Sankofa and Imhotep. … Own a 14-0 district/subregional tournament record. … Own a 10-0 lifetime record against Colonial League foes and have only lost to one District 11 opponent, Pocono Mountain West earlier this season. … Going for an unprecedented sixth straight district championship and Barbosa is going for his eighth in a row after winning two district titles in in his last two seasons at Bethlehem Catholic. … Muniz has joined his brother Jevin, a 2021 graduate and Morning Call player of the year who is now at Delaware State, as a 1,000-point scorer and has more than 100 3-pointers this season. … Outscored Saucon Valley 45-17 in the second half after trailing 28-26 late in the first half when Sanoh returned to the lineup after sitting out the first half.

Keith Groller’s prediction: Notre Dame-Green Pond, the Colonial League champs, has been as impressive as any area team all season and join 2A finalist Mahanoy Area as the only D11 team not to lose to another District 11 opponent this season. This may be the most unified and balanced Crusaders team Boyle has ever had. “They’re a gift to us as coaches,” Boyle said. They figure to give the Raptors fits. However, Executive’s schedule has the Raptors prepared for virtually anybody. This one is as appealing as any title-game matchup this weekend and figures to go to the wire. Executive 58-57.

Class 6A championship

Who: No. 1 seed Parkland (21-5) vs. No. 3 Liberty (20-6)

When/where: 8 p.m. Saturday at Easton Area Middle School

What’s next: The winner will play District 1’s No. 10, SpringFord or Plymouth-Whitemarsh, and the loser will play District 1 No. 6, Coatesville or Methacton, in the first round of the PIAA Class 6A tournament on March 9.

Consolation: Emmaus vs. Stroudsburg, 1 p.m. Saturday at Easton Area Middle School. Winner will play District 3 No. 3, Red Lion, in first round of PIAA 4A tournament on March 9.

LIBERTY Coach: Nigel Long (4th season, 50-38)

Players to watch: Blake Hargrove (6-0, So. G) 15.9 ppg; Jahsi Cole (5-9, Jr. G) 3.6 ppg ; Jake Pukszyn (6-2, So. G) 9.0 ppg; Caden Vermuelen (6-1, Sr. G) 6.8 ppg; Angel Holguin (6-6, Sr. F) 7.3 ppg; Quinn Lucas (6-6, So. F) 1.1 ppg; Will Palmer (6-4, So. F) 8.7 ppg.

About the Hurricanes:

Advanced with a 49-27 win over Nazareth and a 53-42 win over Emmaus. … Average 50.1 ppg, allow 43.8 ppg. … Have made 131 3s, allowed 103. … Hargrove leads with 58 3-pointers. … Shoot 69% from the foul line led by Hargrove’s 79% . … Lost to Parkland 52-33 in the EPC semifinals and also fell to the Trojans 50-45 in overtime on Jan. 24. … Hargrove had 21 points in the first meeting with Parkland, but just nine in the EPC playoff. … Lost to Parkland 57-43 in last year’s district title game. … Hurricanes have won eight previous district championships with the first coming in 1925. … Last district title came in 2010 with a 55-37 win over Whitehall. … Long was a member of a Freedom team that lost to Parkland 65-50 in a 2013 district final. PARKLAND

Coach: Eddie Ohlson (first season, 21-5)

Players to watch: Nick Coval (6-2, Sr. G) 22.3 ppg; Luke Spang (6-0, Sr. G) 3.1 ppg; Jayden Thomas (6-3, Sr. G) 11.0 ppg; Robbie Ruisch (6-4, Sr. F) 5.6 ppg; Zaire Smaltz (6-6, Sr. F) 9.3 ppg; Blake Nassry (6-2, Fr. G) 2.8 ppg; Connor Johns (6-2, Sr. F) 1.0 ppg; Michael Toth (6-2, Sr. F); Josh Pulver (5-9, Sr. G).

About the Trojans: Advanced with a 50-38 semifinal win over Stroudsburg as Coval scored 25 points. … Coval, a Davidson commit, has 2,019 career points, and is just the seventh player in Lehigh Valley boys basketball history to score 2,000. With at least two games left in his career, he has a chance to pass 1989 Allentown Central Catholic graduate Billy McCaffrey (2,051 points) for sixth all-time. … Coval has 69 3-pointers this season and 251 treys in his career. … Parkland averages 57.8 ppg, allows 46.8 ppg. … Trojans have made 184 3-pointers, allowed 97. … Shoot 77% from the foul line led by Coval’s 93% (129 of 139). … Coval had 15 in first meeting against Liberty and 19 in the EPC playoff. … Parkland outscored Liberty 28-13 in the second half of the second meeting. … Parkland is going for its 12th district title. Trojans have also lost six times in district finals. … Won first district title in 1978 and have won 10 D11 golds since 2000. … Ohlson was a member of Parkland’s 2003 district title team.

Keith Groller’s prediction: Liberty has plenty of momentum with 14 wins in its last 17 games since a 55-46 loss at Reading on Dec. 27. The Hurricanes had 14 assists on 18 field goals in their win over Emmaus. They have allowed just 69 points in two district games and they are much more playoff-savvy than the team that reached the district final last year. But the one team they haven’t been able to beat is Parkland. The Trojans showed some vulnerability in their win over Stroudsburg, but it’s extremely difficult to pick against Coval. Parkland 52-48.