Minersville's T.J. Bowers, left, and Jake Kavanaugh cheer on the Miners during a District 11 boys' basketball playoff game at Martz Hall (Photo by Kelly Wiley).

You could sense the importance of the matter in Mike Masser’s voice.

The veteran Tri-Valley boys’ basketball coach was passionate when he talked about his team’s opportunity to make program history in Saturday’s District 11 Class AA title game against Marian at Martz Hall.

“Tri-Valley has never won a district title in basketball in school history,” Masser said following Wednesday’s win over Moravian Academy. “We set that goal, but we have to come together to achieve it.”

The Dawgs are one of three Schuylkill League teams looking to end lengthy district title droughts this weekend as District 11 holds its basketball championship games for boys and girls in all six classifications.

Both the Tri-Valley boys and Williams Valley girls have never won a District 11 basketball title. The Schuylkill Haven girls haven’t garnered district gold in 40 years. It’s been a while for the Marian boys (2017) and Minersville boys (2016) as well.

Ten Schuylkill League teams remain alive in the District 11 basketball playoffs, with seven vying for titles. Of the other three, the Mahanoy Area boys and North Schuylkill girls will compete in “win-or-go-home” consolation games Saturday for the right to earn a PIAA playoff berth. The Nativity boys will trek nearly 3 hours to face District 6 third-place finisher Ferndale in a PIAA Class A boys’ play-in game Saturday, with the winner making the PIAA tourney.

Here’s a complete list of all District 11 basketball playoff games this weekend involving Schuylkill League teams, with radio broadcast information included in parentheses. You can get full coverage of every game on T102sportsnow.com:

District 11 Basketball Playoffs

Friday, Feb. 28

Boys’ 5A championship, Pottsville vs. Bangor, 6 p.m., Blue Mountain (WPPA)

Girls’ 3A championship, Schuylkill Haven vs. Notre Dame-GP, 6, Easton MS (T-102)

Girls’ AA championship, Marian vs. Williams Valley, 8 p.m., Blue Mtn. (T-102)

Saturday, March 1

Girls’ 4A consolation, North Schuylkill vs. NW Lehigh, 1, Pleasant Valley (T-102)

Boys’ A PIAA play-in game, Nativity vs. Ferndale, 2, Tyrone

Boys’ 3A consolation, Mahanoy Area vs. Notre Dame-GP, 4, Martz Hall (T-102)

Boys’ AA championship, Tri-Valley vs. Marian, 6, Martz Hall (T-102)

Boys’ 3A championship, Minersville vs. Catasauqua, 8, Martz Hall (T-102)

(Tickets for all District 11 games cost $7 (plus applicable fees) and must be purchased online at www.districtxi.hometownticketing.com. Spectators ages 65 and over are admitted free with proof of age)

Tri-Valley made the District 11 Class AA boys’ finals in 2022 and 2023, losing to Shenandoah Valley and Mahanoy Area, respectively. The Dawgs qualified for the PIAA Tournament in both of those seasons, losing in the first round.

A unique thing about Saturday’s game is that only the District 11 champion in Class AA makes the state field. So, despite being a district final, Saturday’s 6 p.m. contest at Martz Hall is also a “win-or-go-home” situation.

The Colts have won recent district titles in 2017, 2011, 2010, 1999 and 1995. They are in the district championship game for the second straight season, falling to Mahanoy Area 73-55 in last year’s Class AA finale.

“It feels great to get to the finals knowing that no one in our school has ever won (a district title) before and we have the opportunity to do it,” said Tri-Valley junior Gavin Klock, who scored 22 points in Wednesday’s win. “It feels great.”

The Williams Valley girls are in a District 11 title game for the first time since 2015 when the Vikings lost 42-40 to Shenandoah Valley in a Class A title game.

The Vikes (21-3) and Fillies (21-3) are meeting for a third time after splitting their two Schuylkill League Division II contests and thus sharing the Division II championship. Marian captured a 28-23 victory Jan. 7 in Hometown, while Williams Valley won the rematch 41-34 on Jan. 30 in Tower City.

Marian should get a boost tonight with the return of junior guard Olivia Serfass, who has been sidelined with a broken foot and didn’t play in the second meeting with Williams Valley.

The Fillies are no stranger to district title games, winning District 11 crowns in Class A in 2022 and Class AA in 2023 under current coach Damian Fritz. In his fourth year with the Fillies, Fritz has compiled an 89-18 overall mark that includes four 20-win seasons.

“They’re a good team and they’re well-coached,” Fritz said of Williams Valley. “Their zone presents a lot of problems for us. We know what they do, but they do it very well.

“I’m really excited about that game and I know our girls are really excited. Two really good teams going at it. It’s a really good matchup. I’m looking forward to the opportunity to play for another district title.”

‘Public School State Champs’

Regardless of tonight’s outcome, both Marian and Williams Valley have earned berths in the PIAA playoffs. That forced me to look up the Vikings’ best girls’ basketball team ever — the 1999 “public school state champions.”

In 1999, the Jordin Schaffner-led Vikings earned the third seed from District 11 into the PIAA Class A playoffs behind Nativity and Marian. Schaffner was a sensational player, scoring a school-record 2,537 points that ranks her fifth all-time in Schuylkill League history behind legends Maria Fantanarosa (3,823), Kim Homa (3,151), Michelle Swantner (2,857) and Meggan Yedsena (2.751).

In the state playoffs, Williams Valley downed Christopher Dock 71-45, beat Elkland 82-40 and then upended Marian 62-38 to advance to the state semifinals, where they lost to eventual state champion Nativity 67-31. The Vikes finished 22-9.

Williams Valley was the only public school among the final four teams in girls’ Class A that season, joining Nativity, DuBois Central Catholic and Bishop Guilfoyle. Nativity defeated Guilfoyle 74-67 in the state final.

That prompted the Vikings to make up T-shirts that read “Public School State Champions” that they wore en masse to Martz Hall for the Nativity-Marian state semifinal game. It’s 26 years later, and I still remember what they look like.

Lourdes teams split in District 4 finals

Congratulations to the Lourdes girls, who completed their stampede through the District 4 Class A playoffs with a 54-21 rout of Millville in Thursday’s championship game at Montoursville High School.

The top-seeded Red Raiders (20-6) decked Northumberland Christian, Meadowbrook Christian and Millville by a combined 148-52 score, with Millville’s 21 being the most points Lourdes allowed in any of the three games.

Lourdes moves onto the PIAA playoffs and will play District 3 No. 6 Veritas Academy (20-5) in the first round March 8.

The Lourdes’ boys, meanwhile, came up just short in their quest for district gold with a 57-53 loss to top-seeded North Penn-Liberty. The Red Raiders (8-17) also advance to the PIAA tourney and will travel to the District 3 runner-up, either High Point Baptist (15-6) or Shalom Christian (13-5) in the first round March 7.

Student Sections??

I’ve been disappointed at the District 11 basketball games that I’ve covered through the first three rounds by the lack of student cheering sections.

One of the things about the Schuylkill League playoffs at Martz Hall that makes them so special are the loud and raucous student sections in the upper decks behind the baskets. This year was no different.

Student sections serve a key purpose as the players on the court — their friends and classmates — thrive off the energy that student sections bring to the overall atmosphere of the game. They serve as a pick-me-up when things aren’t going well and can be tough on opposing teams in crucial situations.

So far, however, only Pottsville and Minersville have brought that energy to the District 11 playoffs with large and loud student sections, often dressing in some sort of theme. Pottsville, for example, is going with a “White Out” theme for tonight’s game vs. Bangor.

In fact, while I haven’t covered the Tide or Miners in districts, the best student section I’ve seen so far is Lincoln Leadership, which was loud at both the boys’ game against Nativity and the girls’ game with Williams Valley.

Attention Schuylkill County students: If your team is still alive in the postseason, get all your friends together and come out and support your classmates who are giving their all on the court. They could use your support.