Catasauqua head boys basketball coach Eric Snyder recently talked about how a relative to Bangor head boys' basketball coach commented on the Roughies.

They stated how the Roughs have played better in the second half of the season, focusing on their victory over the Northern Division top-seeded Slaters in recent weeks.

Catty's veteran coach was optimistic that his team's recent surge could continue to rise when they opened the Colonial League playoffs against Salisbury Wednesday night at Southern Lehigh High School, which is unfortunately past Press deadlines.

The Roughies entered the postseason as the top seed in the upcoming District 11 Class 2A playoffs and likely would retain their status with a league title. If they didn't win the title, the Roughies likely would be no lower than a third seed for the anticipated five-team showdown in which the top-three teams would receive a bye in district play.

In the opening round scheduled to begin next week, the fourth- and fifth-seeded teams would meet.

Snyder also likes his team's momentum as they finished the regular season by winning 10 of their last 12 contests, a similar path from last year's 11-1 sprint over the last 12 games that eventually catapulted them into the Colonial League final against Notre Dame.

He saw some similarities from last year's club compared to this year's unit, but he also saw some differences.

"It is different," he said. "We had a lot of shooters last year.

"This year, we have guys like Dave Wetherhold and Dakota Schiffer who will both go to the basket. We also have a solid front line with Derrick and Kevin Bond, who together block a ton of shots and get rebounds with their unbelievable wing spans, and Parrys Marshall can hit jumpers outside and play inside.

"But we do have guys here who can take over a game on any given night. All of them have had big nights for us this year. All of them can also handle the ball well. We don't have a go-to guy this year, but we have a true team out there. "

Snyder also reiterated his mantra about the typical slow maturing process of his club due to the late influx of football players.

"It takes a while for the football players to get into shape," said Snyder. "Any team that plays us knows it is true. It is always a struggle for us the first few weeks until we get everything together. We knew it would take a while this year."

However, the Roughies can still claim the top spot unless Notre Dame wins its second consecutive league crown. Before the league tournament, Catty had the top spot followed by Notre Dame, North Schuylkill, Williams Valley, and Minersville. A league champion receives an automatic top seed in districts.

"Notre Dame is the hottest team around right now and they have all of their people back," said Snyder, whose club finished with an overall 15-7 regular season mark. "Williams Valley will have a tough time winning their (Schuylkill) league with Pottsville around.

"We just have to keep playing well on both ends of the ball and see what happens."