North Schuylkill's Mya Conti looks for an open teammate during a game earlier this season against Pine Grove (Photo by Justin Reed/Skook News).

FOUNTAIN SPRINGS — Rich Wetzel planned to go fishing one day last spring when his phone rang.

Just two weeks after his North Schuylkill girls’ basketball team’s season had concluded, his players wanted to get back to work.

“Last year we played 28-29 games,” Wetzel begins his story. “It was two weeks after the season and my phone rang. ‘Coach, can we go to the gym?’ I had three of those kids who are just going to start to play here in this gym two weeks after the season. I wanted to go fishing. But that’s the kind of mentality they have.

“The mentality here is these kids have a vested interest in girls’ basketball. They want to put the time in. Time is 10 months before the season starts. That’s a credit to them. That’s what they wanted to do.”

The hard work Wetzel’s group put in during the offseason is paying off in another banner season for North Schuylkill.

The Spartans take a 10-3 overall record and a four-game win streak into Thursday’s game at Pine Grove and are the only unbeaten team in Schuylkill League Division I play with an 8-0 mark.

North Schuylkill tests itself with a vigorous non-league slate.

The Spartans opened the season with five straight league victories before suffering a pair of close non-league losses to Class 6A Downingtown West (12-2) and Class A state-ranked Linville Hill Christian (11-1) at the State College Holiday Hardwood Classic on Dec. 27-28.

After a win over Class 4A Shamokin (10-5), the Spartans sustained their other loss in a non-league game at Central Columbia (10-1), the top-ranked Class 4A team in District 4.

In addition to those four games just mentioned, District 4 Class 3A power Loyalsock (11-1) visits the Cesari-Hope Gymnasium on Saturday, while District 2 Class 5A contender Pittston (11-3) treks to Fountain Springs on Jan. 25.

If you’re good in math, the combined record of those six teams is 65-13.

“Our non-league schedule helps us tremendously,” said Wetzel, who is in his ninth season at the helm. “We play very, very good teams. Loyalsock was the No. 1 team in the state, they just got beat. Pittston is very good.

“We only care about 14 games, and that’s the 14 league games. I don’t mind losing a game. All those other games help us prepare for the 14 league games. (Winning the league championship) That’s ultimately our goal.”

North Schuylkill has reached the Schuylkill League girls’ championship game six times in eight seasons under Wetzel, including the last five. The Spartans won the crown in 2020, 2021 and 2023 before losing 30-19 to Blue Mountain in last year’s final.

Only one starter from that club, which went 21-6 overall and lost to Scranton Prep in the first round of the PIAA Class 4A playoffs, returned this season — junior guard Mya Conti.

Joining Conti in the current starting lineup is seniors Hannah Kane and Maria Monahan, junior Jadelin Stitzer and sophomore Gianna Capone. Freshmen Monica Selgrade, Addy Balicki and Ella Digris are the first three off the bench.

“We’re young. I have three freshmen out there,” Wetzel said. “I only returned one starter and a couple of kids who didn’t really play. They’re coming along.

“They’re tough-minded kids. They practice really hard and we’re athletic enough that we can play this way.”

Conti, who is this week’s Fanelli, Evans & Patel T102 Sports Now Athlete of the Week, is the straw that stirs the drink, excelling in transition for fast-break layups while also being able to hit the 3-point shot.

Kane and Stitzer provide length, rebounding and scoring inside while Capone is the Spartans’ main outside shooter and Monahan provides ballhandling and defense.

“My younger kids, each game that goes along, they’re getting better and better,” Wetzel said. “Our defense is hard to learn. It’s easy to make some mistakes. But each game we’re progressing. Once we get that down a little better …”

North Schuylkill was picked fourth in the T102 Sports Now Schuylkill League Division I Preseason Coaches Poll, which has served as motivation for the Spartans, both Wetzel and Conti admitted. The poll was put up on the wall and highlighted by the players for them to see every day.

With their great start, this group of Spartans is poised to join the squads before them in continuing North Schuylkill’s great girls’ basketball tradition, one that has produced 17 Schuylkill League championships.

“Our expectations are always the same,” Wetzel said. “I know I have tough and athletic kids. I knew that from the start.

“Come November 15th, I didn’t know how good of basketball players we were, but I knew if I asked them to come here for three hours, they practiced hard for three hours. We had to use that to our advantage, the athleticism, the quickness and the toughness.

“It’s nothing magic that I do. It’s the vested interest from the kids, from the players. They want to keep this program being successful. There’s a sense of pride in it.”

Division races taking shape

With the Schuylkill League slate one round into the second half, the playoff races in both divisions are starting to take shape.

North Schuylkill (8-0 league) and Schuylkill Haven (7-1) have emerged as the title contenders in Division I. The Spartans beat the Hurricanes 58-37 in their first meeting Jan. 7 in Schuylkill Haven. They meet again Jan. 30 in Fountain Springs.

The race for the third spot in Division I has gotten interesting, as Tamaqua (5-3) leads Blue Mountain (4-4) and Pine Grove (4-4) by one game. Pottsville (3-5) is still in it, but two games behind the Blue Raiders. Those teams all have to play each other again, so this race will be interesting to watch as the league slate progresses.

Marian (7-0 league) is the lone unbeaten in Division I, one game in the loss column ahead of Williams Valley (7-1). The Fillies beat the Vikings 28-23 in their first meeting Jan. 7 in Tower City; they square off again Jan. 30 in Hometown.

Red-hot Lourdes (6-2), which has won five straight, has surged into the third playoff spot in Division II, one game ahead of Mahanoy Area (5-3). One of those five straight Lourdes wins came over the Golden Bears on Jan. 7 in Shamokin; they meet again Jan. 30 in Mahanoy City.

The top three teams in each division qualify for the league playoffs. The Division I and Division II champions earn byes into the semifinals. In the quarterfinals, the Division I runner-up faces the No. 3 team from Division II and the Division II runner-up takes on the No. 3 team from Division I.

The Schuylkill League quarterfinals for both boys and girls are scheduled for Saturday, Feb. 8, at Martz Hall. Official times have not been announced.

The league semifinals will be either Tuesday or Wednesday, Feb. 11-12, at Martz Hall. Championship Night is set for Friday, Feb. 14, at Martz Hall.

More on the league playoffs as we get closer to February.

District 11 outlook

Heading into Thursday’s play, five local teams have already clinched spots in the District 11 playoffs:

Class AA — Marian (14-1), Williams Valley (13-2)

Class 3A — Schuylkill Haven (11-3)

Class 4A — North Schuylkill (10-3, 8-0 league), Tamaqua (12-3)

Teams must win at least 50 percent of either their overall games (11) or league games (7) to qualify for the district playoffs.

Among the other local teams, Pine Grove (9-6, 4-4) and Mahanoy Area (7-5, 4-4) in Class 3A; Blue Mountain (5-9, 4-4) in Class 4A; and Pottsville (4-9, 3-5) in Class 5A have reasonable shots to get in. There are some other teams — Shenandoah Valley, Panther Valley, Weatherly — that could also get in, but need to do some work.

For those teams out of the league playoff picture, qualifying for districts is the goal. It will be interesting to see how those “bubble” teams fare down the stretch.

Tamaqua to honor late state trooper

Tamaqua’s Lady Raider Booster Club is inviting the public to honor and celebrate the memory of fallen Pennsylvania State Trooper Peter Conforti on Monday, Jan. 27, when the Tamaqua girls’ team hosts Pine Grove.

A Tamaqua Area High School graduate and former football standout for the Blue Raiders, Conforti suddenly and tragically passed away while off duty Wednesday, July 31, 2024. Known to his family and friends as Pete, he enlisted in the Pennsylvania State Police in 2016 and was a graduate of the 146th cadet class. Throughout Conforti’s career, he worked in Troops H and L and was most recently assigned to the patrol section of Frackville and Hamburg stations in Troop L. Conforti proudly served and diligently protected the citizens of this Commonwealth for eight years.

Conforti was an avid outdoorsman, hunter and collector of antler sheds. He was happiest when he could be in the woods, spending time checking on his trail cameras and sharing his finds with his family and friends. When he wasn’t in the woods, he was by his family’s side. Pete leaves behind his high school sweetheart, Alex, and their 1-year-old son, Abram, who will be in attendance at the Jan. 27 game.

The public is invited to reflect on his life, share stories and pay tribute to his enduring impact on the Tamaqua community.

T-shirts and bracelets were sold online, with all proceeds given to the family. The online store (https://vas.chipply.com/ladyraidersconforti) closed at midnight Tuesday. Contact the Lady Raiders Booster Club if you’re still interested in purchasing any merchandise.

The night’s activities begin with the eighth-grade game at 5 p.m. There is no JV game. Senior recognition starts at 6 p.m., followed by varsity warm-ups and the varsity game at 6:30 p.m. Conforti will be recognized and honored at halftime.

Time changes for Monday games

North Schuylkill and Blue Mountain have moved up their starting times for Monday’s varsity contests due to the NCAA College Football Playoff National Championship between Notre Dame and Ohio State.

Both the Minersville at North Schuylkill and Tamaqua at Blue Mountain games will have 6 p.m. varsity starts. Mark your calendars if you’re a fan of any of those four teams. You can listen to the Tamaqua-Blue Mountain game on T-102 (101.9 FM).