NTL girls' teams look ahead to playoffs

Sophomores Kayla Bohn (left) and Karli Duffee are two key members of Coudersport coach Brian Green's bench. Bohn's aggressive defense often flusters opposing players. She and Duffee can both ably handle the ballhandling duties. Duffee has also established herself as one of the league's top threepoint shooters.

With just two weeks left in the regular season, several teams in the Northern Tier Girls' Basketball League are looking ahead to the PIAA District 9 playoffs.

D9 has an open format, so any school can enter, regardless of record. Coudersport, Austin, Northern Potter and Smethport (13-6) are likely to get in. One or two other NTL squads may be on the bubble, pending their final regular season performance.

Coudersport (18-0) has ridden its ferocious defense to the top of the standings. Only Northern Potter (15-4) has a shot at unseating the Falcons. Those two teams clash next Friday night in Coudersport.

On Tuesday, Austin (12-6) hung close to visiting Coudersport in the first half, but faded after the break, falling to the Falcons 48-28. The score stood 19-14 at halftime. Jessica Wilson played a strong inside game for the winners, scoring 16 points and controlling the boards. Whitney Crosby had 14 points and 11 rebounds for Austin.

Paul Burdick photos

Cameron County's Kristin Sestina had 13 rebounds and scored 14 points in the Red Raiders' 38-31 win over visiting Port Allegany (5-14). Whitney Lewis finished with nine points and six rebounds. Strong foulshooting down the stretch helped CCHS (8-11) pull out the win.