North Schuylkill's starting five, Jadelin Stitzer, Mya Conti, Monica Selgrade, Addisyn Balicki and Gianna Capone, huddle prior to Friday's Schuylkill League Division I game at Blue Mountain (Photo by Leroy Boyer).

As a youth basketball game filled the halftime break Dec. 22 at Williams Valley, six local PIAA officials sat huddled in a small room behind the scorer’s table.

During a conversation, I posed to them the following question: Who is the best Schuylkill League girls’ basketball team you’ve seen so far?

Officials are the best people to ask such a question, because they see every team from an up-close-and-personal, unbiased view. The men and women in stripes diligently work games every night, usually getting to see every team multiple times. They know the league inside and out.

As the conversation continued, there was no clear-cut answer between the group. As they broke down each team, the answers varied.

Why? Because each of the Schuylkill League’s top girls’ teams has question marks:

** North Schuylkill doesn’t have a post player.

** Schuylkill Haven has no depth, with four standout players and no bench.

** Pine Grove has been inconsistent, with no dominant scorer.

** Tamaqua doesn’t have a point guard.

** Lourdes has the best frontcourt, but can its guards handle pressure?

** Mahanoy Area is young and inexperienced in big-game situations.

** Williams Valley has no depth, often playing just five girls the entire game.

** Marian is extremely young and just went through a coaching change.

I’ve seen all eight teams listed above and I agree with those officials. There isn’t a dominant girls’ team in the Schuylkill League this season … at least just yet.

It’s a storyline to follow as the season heads into January.

Division Races

As we approach the midway point of the 2025-26 season, let’s break down the two Schuylkill League division races:

DIVISION I — North Schuylkill (6-2, 5-0) and Schuylkill Haven (7-2, 5-0) are both unbeaten in Schuylkill League Division I play, each suffering a pair of non-league losses to talented teams.

The Spartans fell to Class 6A teams Downingtown West and State College this week at the State College Holiday Tournament. Schuylkill Haven has non-league defeats to District 4 Class 3A contenders Hughesville (7-1) and Mount Carmel (8-2).

Pine Grove (8-3, 4-1) and Tamaqua (8-3, 3-2) are also in the Division I title conversation. The Cardinals lost by one point to North Schuylkill on Dec. 9, beat Tamaqua at home Dec. 16 then suffered a mind-boggling 44-22 loss at Williams Valley in a non-league game Dec. 22.

Tamaqua dropped league games at Schuylkill Haven and Pine Grove, then scored an impressive non-league win Monday over previously unbeaten Mahanoy Area.

I’ve seen all four of the Division I contenders, plus Blue Mountain (3-6, 2-3), and they’re pretty even. I’m excited to see how things stand after this coming week, when all the contenders face each other.

Tuesday, Schuylkill Haven visits North Schuylkill in a game that will be broadcast live on T-102 FM. Friday, North Schuylkill travels to Tamaqua and Pine Grove treks to Schuylkill Haven.

DIVISION II — Mahanoy Area (7-1, 5-0) and Lourdes (7-1, 4-0) are unbeaten so far in Division II play and face off Tuesday in Mahanoy City.

I’ve seen both clubs and this should be a great matchup. Of the teams I’ve seen so far this season, the Bears and Red Raiders have been the most impressive.

Williams Valley (8-2, 2-2) and Marian (5-4, 3-2) both lost to Mahanoy Area and Lourdes in the first round of Division II play and appear to be battling for that final Schuylkill League playoff berth out of Division II. The Vikings visit Hometown to face the Fillies on Tuesday.

Williams Valley has the longest current win streak among Schuylkill League teams at four straight. Shane Zellers’ squad has played much better since those early losses to Lourdes and Mahanoy, so it will be interesting to see how the Vikes fare through the second round of league play.

TSN Super 7 Poll

Considering everything listed above, here’s the initial T102 Sports Now Super 7 Girls’ Basketball Poll. Lots of big games this week, so I’m sure it will change several times moving forward:

1. Lourdes 7-1

2. North Schuylkill 6-2

3. Schuylkill Haven 7-2

4. Pine Grove 8-3

5. Tamaqua 8-3

6. Mahanoy Area 7-1

7. Williams Valley 8-2

District 11 Update

Through games played Wednesday, several Schuylkill League teams were ranked high in their respective classes in the District 11 power rankings.

In Class AA, Williams Valley is No. 1 in the seven-team field, with Marian, Shenandoah Valley, Minersville at 3-4-5.

In Class 3A, Mahanoy Area and Schuylkill Haven are ranked 1-2, with Pine Grove at No. 5. Class 3A is a subregional with District 12, with 13 teams in this classification.

In Class 4A, North Schuylkill and Tamaqua are at No. 3 and No. 4 behind unbeaten Lehighton (9-0) and Northwestern Lehigh (9-1).

Despite being 2-7 overall, Pottsville is third in the seven-team Class 5A field. Weatherly, at 2-4, is No. 2 in the District 2/11 Class A subregional behind Bethlehem Christian (5-2). Bethlehem Christian is the only team in the eight-team bracket with a winning record so far.

To see the District 11 power rankings, visit https://powerranking.gimpsoftware.com/Rankings/Basketball%20-%20GirlsXIRanking.html

‘Tough situation’ at Marian

It’s been a rough campaign so far at Marian.

A year ago, the Fillies went 23-5 and reached the PIAA Class AA quarterfinals. During the offseason, head coach Damian Fritz resigned after compiling a 91-20 record in four seasons and took the head coaching position at Pottsville. Several key players, including Fritz’s daughter Addy, did not return from last year’s squad.

Jeanette Shafer Barron took over as head coach just prior to the season. She then suffered a broken foot during practice in early December. Her daughter, assistant coach Emily Shaud, ran the team in a Dec. 12 home loss to Mahanoy Area. Shafer Barron resigned four days later with the Fillies sitting at 2-3 overall.

Marian hired Jeff Onushco to take over the program. An assistant coach with the Fillies under Paul Brutto for 22 seasons, Onushco was familiar with the program and was able to step right in as the Marian head coach.

Onushco, 56, guided the Fillies to wins over Tri-Valley, Jim Thorpe and Oley Valley before Marian fell 51-18 to Lourdes on Tuesday night. The Fillies head into 2026 at 5-4 overall.

“Marian is a great school. I had a lot of good years here,” said Onushco, who works for Kidspeace International in Orefield. “We won league, district and state championships.

“Right now it’s a tough situation. We’ve had four games and five practices. Trying to get everything in that we have to get in, working on defense … it would have been nice to have them since the beginning of the year. It’s not easy with five practices.”

Onushco has some challenges ahead of him.

Marian only has nine girls in its program and does not play JV games. Juniors DeAnna Pugh and Brooke Hannis-Miskar and sophomore Addy Marek are the only players on the roster with varsity experience.

That lack of depth and inexperience prevents Onushco and his staff from conducting 5-on-5 drills, although he said he was going to bring in some guys to help with practices.

Onushco is also the head women’s basketball coach at Penn State Hazleton. The Lions are on holiday break from Dec. 14 through Jan. 7, and Onushco said he told the Marian administration his time with the Fillies might be limited due to his college obligations.

For the time being, he’s trying to get the Fillies on track and focused toward claiming a Schuylkill League playoff berth and qualifying for the District 11 Class AA playoffs.

“I’m proud of our kids,” Onushco said. “They’ve been through a lot. To take on a new coach, to absorb everything they’ve absorbed … we’ve put a lot in. We’ve thrown a lot at them. We put a whole new offense in.

“We also don’t have enough players to go 5-on-5 at practice. It’s tough to simulate some of the stuff. It’s easy to do when it’s choregraphed. When a team is actually moving and doing stuff … we were not prepared as we will be when we have some practices.”