Wellsboro was the last Northern Tier team to win a Class AAA title, in 2017-18, when NP-Mansfield was double A. Last season, NPM was the 7th seed and lost to 2nd seed Troy in the quarterfinal round. Troy would fall to Loyalsock in the finals.

This will be the third match-up between the Tigers and the Trojans this season, with NP-Mansfield winning 70-60 at home and 43-40 in Troy.

In the first meeting at Troy, NP-Mansfield held Troy to just two first quarter points, led 20-13 at the half, then opened up a 35-22 lead late in the third and held on for the 43-40 win.

Karson Dominick had 19 points to lead NPM, 13 of them in the first half, while Brody Burleigh added 12 points. Cooper Shaw netted seven, Alex Davis notched three and Sam Lawrence scored two points.

In the 70-60 win at home in late January, the Tigers took a 17-12 lead after one and extended the lead to 28-14 before Troy closed the half with a 10-0 run to cut the lead to 29-23 at the break.The Tigers would finish the game on a 25-12 run .. including a 13-for-15 effort from the free throw line in the final frame .. to earn the win.

Dominick scored 10 of his game-high 20 points in NP-Mansfield’s big fourth quarter, while Burleigh added seven points in the fourth and finished with 13 points. Shaw scored 16 points, Davis scored 10, Lawrence had seven points and Andrew Green had four points for the Tigers.

North Penn-Mansfield’s two wins against Troy were the Tigers’ fifth and 17th in their 21-game win streak. They enter the championship with a 24-2 record.

The Trojans, now 17-7, have won their last five games, with their last loss coming to Athens, which was a game after their second loss to NP-Mansfield.

Both teams will qualify for the State Championships, as AAA will take the top three finishers from District 4.

The Championship game will be played Saturday at Mansfield University’s Decker Gym at 7 p.m. Tickets to the game must be purchased in advance and online, HERE.