JEFFREY REINHART jreinhart@LNPnews.com
THE GAME: District 3 champ Lancaster Mennonite (27-4 overall) vs. District 2 third-place finisher Wilkes-Barre Coughlin (18-8 overall).
WHERE: Hersheypark Arena.
WHEN: Saturday, 1:30 p.m.
WINNER GETS: District 1 runner-up Mount St. Joseph (25-3) or District 2 runner-up North Pocono (20-8).
ABOUT LANCASTER MENNONITE: The Blazers head to States fresh off their first district championship – a 37-27 win over Gettysburg. … Mennonite also won the Section 4 title (in a one-game playoff over Lancaster Catholic, ending the Crusaders’ six-year run of section titles), and fell to Hempfield in the L-L League title game – Mennonite’s first trip to a league final. … Trip to district final was second overall, and first since 1991 (lost to Delone Catholic in Double-A finale). … Knocked off No. 1 seed and league foe Lampeter-Strasburg in district semifinals. … Averaging 53.0 points and giving up 33.8 points a game, with 35 team 3-pointers. … No state titles, and making first trip to States in more than a decade. … Coach is Sherri Gorman (3rd season). … Probable starters – G Dani Zeamer (7.3), G Kelsey Gorman (8.4, 14 3-pointers), G Katelyn Kreider (5.4, 8 3-pointers), G Katelyn Vanderhoff (10.7, 10 3-pointers), F Mary Poole (4.8). … Top sub is F Erin LaVenice (10.0). … Gorman, who will play soccer for Messiah College, has 893 career points; Vanderhoff has 871.
ABOUT WILKES-BARRE COUGHLIN: The Crusaders compete in the Wyoming Valley Conference, where they finished second in Division 1 this season behind Hazleton. That conference does not contest league playoffs, so Coughlin advanced directly to Districts, falling to Holy Redeemer in the semifinals, before bouncing back to beat Nanticoke in the District 2 third-place game. … No state titles, and was not in the field last year. … Tony George is first-year coach. … Top player is 5-9 junior two-way guard Lauren McGinley, who averages 14.1 points a game. … Top low-post defender and shot-blocker is 5-11 sophomore center Kacee Rava. … Second-leading scorer is 5-10 senior guard Laura Taylor (12.0). … Point guard and top 3-point threat is 5-3 junior Jordan Britt. … Jack-of-all-trades fifth starter is 5-10 junior forward Alison Banks.
