The following is a look at the four District 4 playoff fields. Williamsport (7-15) will compete through District 6 Class 6A and face an uphill climb against top-seeded Altoona (18-3). The winner plays either No. 2 State College or No. 3 Mifflin County for the championship.

CLASS AAAA

(8 teams, Top 3 advance to states)

Undefeated Central Columbia (24-0) has captured five straight championships and there is no reason to believe it will not make it six since nearly every player is back from last year. The Blue Jays host No. 8 Athens in the opening round and look like a team which could make a serious state tournament run, especially with sophomore guard Quinlan Blake one of the state’s top 4A players.

RALPH WILSON/Sun-Gazette Correspondent Muncy girls basketball coach Craig Weaver meets with his players during a high school basketball game against South Williamsport this year. Muncy is the No. 2 seed for a third straight season in the District 4 Class AA playoffs.

Assuming Central wins its opener, it would play either No. 5 Milton or No. 4 Lewisburg. Those rivals split two games during the regular season and are playing for a third straight postseason. Carrie King is a 1,000-point scorer for Milton who has seven double-doubles and Liz Schrock is a rebounding/defensive difference-maker. The same goes for Lewisburg’s Teagan Osunde who is coming off a 29-point, 13-rebound performance Saturday at Montoursville. Lewisburg (11-11) has won three straight games, heating up at the perfect time.

No. 2 Mifflinburg (13-9) has won five straight games and defeated No. 7 Danville, 51-33 last month. The Wildcats also have two, two-point wins against No. 6 Shamokin. If they get past Danville, they will play either the Indians or No. 3 Jersey Shore.

The Bulldogs (13-9) have had a strong season after graduating four starters and finished second in the HAC-I. They rallied from down nine in the fourth quarter to win at Mifflinburg in December and return all but two players next year.

Tournament sleeper–Shamokin: With Central on one side of the bracket, we relegated this to the other side and Shamokin has shown it can play with anyone in this field not named Central.

Projected semifinals: Central over Lewisburg; Shamokin over Mifflinburg. Projected final: Central over Shamokin. Consolation game: Lewisburg over Mifflinburg

KEVIN RAUCH/Special to the Sun-Gazette Bucktail’s Kendall Wagner shoots against Millville during a Mid-Penn game this year. The Bucks are in the District 4 Class A playoffs and hope to make some noise and a deep run.

CLASS AAA

(10 teams,

Top 4 advance)

Hughesville and Loyalsock have met in consecutive championships but must navigate a challenging field if they hope to do so again. Loyalsock (16-7) became Lycoming County’s first state champion a year ago and has overcome injuries and adversity to surge late, winning five straight games before coming within a shot of handing Central its first loss at the HAC Tournament semifinals.

Loyalsock is the No. 3 seed and will host No. 6 Line Mountain in a rematch of last year’s quarterfinal. The Eagles (15-7) being a six-seed shows how deep this field is. Jaekairah Harden fuels the defense, Alaina Dadzie is having another strong year and players like Madison Perry and Addi Barowy have come on strong down the stretch.

The Line Mountain-Loyalsock winner faces one of three teams in the semifinals, either No. 2 Troy, Wyalusing or South Williamsport. No. 7 Wyalusing (14-8) fuses veterans with exciting young talent and hosts No. 10 South (12-10) in the first round. Ella Moore is South’s lone senior and has had a good year as has sophomore guard Carly Quimby. The Mounties displayed their chops Friday, defeating Line Mountain, 37-31.

Troy (21-3) has won 15 straight games and romped to the NTL-I championship. The Trojans have a nice mix of speed, shooters and height.

Top-seeded Hughesville (21-3) is seeking to regroup following its loss against Central in the Heartland Conference championship. The Spartans had seemingly been in cruise control the last few weeks and the Central game may been the jolt the 2024 champions needed. Six players have had prominent roles the past two seasons and freshman Casey Schultz is becoming a weapon off the bench.

Hughesville could see a familiar face in the quarterfinals if No. 8 Bloomsburg defeats No. 9 North Penn-Mansfield in the opening round. Bloomsburg (11-11) played the Spartans tough in last year’s quarterfinals and returns a strong core of starters, including Delaney Zentner. North Penn-Mansfield (11-11) has made nice strides this season, winning three more games, and Kameron Lightner is a rebounding dynamo, topping 300 this season. Sophomore Maddy McNamara has enjoyed a breakout season as well.

No. 5 Mount Carmel heads to No. 4 Towanda for an intriguing quarterfinal. Towanda defeated the Tornadoes in last year’s third-place game and has most of those players back, but Mount Carmel surged late in the year, beating Loyalsock, 43-42 in overtime.

Tournament sleeper–Mount Carmel: That Loyalsock victory says a lot about this team’s potential, especially since it is a fairly young group which hit its stride once gaining more experience.

Player to watch–Kendall Hamm, Hughesville: The junior point guard can be a defensive menace but also has huge offensive upside, especially when she uses her quickness to her advantage. She can be a tone-setter on both ends.

Projected semifinals: Hughesville over Mount Carmel; Troy over Loyalsock. Projected final: Troy over Hughesville. Consolation game: Loyalsock over Mount Carmel

CLASS AA

(8 teams, Top 3 advance)

Muncy has captured consecutive championships and is the No. 2 seed for a third straight time. The Indians (19-4) won a second straight Mid-Penn West Division championship and allow the fewest points per game in the district. Four starters return from last year’s team and Muncy has fresh motivation after Northwest edged it, 42-41 in Saturday’s Mid-Penn championship.

Muncy should have little trouble in the quarterfinals against No. 7 Cowanesque Valley (4-18) although Starr Ordway has had a nice senior season.

If Muncy wins that game it likely will see Northwest for a third time this season and a second straight year in the semifinals. The Rangers are heavy favorites against No. 6 East Juniata (9-13). Northwest defeated Muncy for a second straight year in the Mid-Penn final and has both experience and skilled shooters.

Top-seeded Northeast Bradford (20-3) has lost consecutive hard-fought finals against Muncy and won 19 straight games before losing to Towanda in the NTL Showcase semifinals. Guard Leah Beebe has unlimited range and Kara Dughi is strong inside. NEB defeated Muncy last month, 35-30.

Montgomery (2-19) will have a hard time at NEB in the quarterfinals, but the playoff experience should be a nice boost for a team which returns a lot next year and which also has a strong junior high.

Barring a monster upset, NEB will face either No. 4 Canton or No. 5 Southern Columbia in the semifinals. Canton (17-5) has enjoyed its best regular season of the 2000s and finished third last year, defeating Southern in the quarterfinals. Cailyn Van Noy is among the area’s leaders in points and steals.

Tournament sleeper–Southern: Forget the team’s 10-12 record. This is, by far, the fields most battle-tested team, fighting through the imposing HAC-III. Injuries were a part of a slow start and sophomore Kailee Helwig may be the field’s best player.

Projected semifinals: Southern over NEB; Northwest over Muncy. Projected final: Southern over Northwest. Consolation game: NEB over Muncy.

Class A

(8 teams, top 3 advance)

As is the case in 4A, seven teams are likely fighting for second behind a prohibited favorite. Defending champion Lourdes (22-2) should bulldoze No. 8 Millville in the quarterfinals and returns nearly every player from last year’s state semifinalist.

Bucktail or Meadowbrook Christian awaits Lourdes in the semifinals. No. 4 Bucktail (13-9) has made a five-win improvement this season and has three excellent players to build around in Kendall and Kelsie Wagner and Eva Sockman who is averaging an area-best 16.2 rebounds per game.

Meadowbrook (12-9) is seeking its fifth straight semifinal appearance and defeated Bucktail, 39-23 last month. Maddy Fasnacht averages 14.8 points per game.

Northumberland Christian (11-4) jumped from the No. 5 seed to No. 2 in recent weeks, heating up at the right time and hosts No. 7 North Penn-Liberty. Haley Litzelman seems like an all-state lock for the Mounties, averaging 22.5 points and 13.3 rebounds per game. Kendall Graham adds nine points per game.

The winner of that game faces either No. 3 Benton or No. 6 Sullivan County. Benton (15-7) reached last year’s championship and swept two games from Sullivan.

Tournament sleeper–Sullivan County: Yes, Benton won those games, but Sullivan is one of the area’s most improved teams this year and won four straight at one point following a 6-9 start. Eva Fresno and Ansley Baldwin have had some big games and Lily McCarty sets a tenacious defensive tone.

Projected semifinals: Lourdes over Meadowbrook; Benton over Norry Christian. Projected final: Lourdes over Benton. Consolationg ame: Norry over Meadowbrook

Dr. Masse’s Top Five

1. Hughesville (21-3); 2. Loyalsock (16-7); 3. Muncy (); 4. Canton (17-6); 5. Lewisburg (11-11)