The Parkland boys basketball team enters this year's District 11 Class AAAA tournament as the defending champ. The Trojans were a No. 6 seed a season ago.

This year, they earned the No. 2 seed and have a bye through the pig tail round and straight to the quarterfinals.

It gives the Trojans a full week off from their last game, which was played last Saturday against Central Catholic in the Lehigh Valley Conference final.

Parkland (18-5) will play the winner of the No. 10 seed Allen at No. 7 seed Easton game on Saturday night at 7:30 p.m. at a site to be determined. If Allen wins their pigtail round game, the quarterfinal game will likely be at Easton, but if Easton beats Allen, Parkland-Easton will probably be played at Allen. The Rovers and Canaries were scheduled to play Wednesday night, after Press deadline.

The two teams pose threats for the Trojans. Allen took Parkland to double overtime earlier in the year, before the Trojans took care of business. And Easton handed Parkland one of its conference losses this season.

"Easton was a very disappointing loss because we were flat from start to finish," said Parkland head coach Andy Stephens. "It wasn't one of our better games this year, but give Easton credit because they were able to win.

"Allen always plays us tough. It seems like every time we play them it comes down to the wire. They have some athletes and a good coach."

Parkland won't know who they play until late Wednesday night, but this senior-laden team will be ready to go to defend their title no matter who is in front of them.

"They're battle tested so I don't have to tell them too much," said Stephens. "They know what to expect, and I just want us to take one game at a time."

The Trojans should be considered one of the favorites this year. Pocono Mountain West, the No. 1 seed, is the Mountain Valley Conference champion, and defeated Parkland the Panthers 57-53 in the 2012 district final.

If the Trojans win their quarterfinal game, they will need just one win in the next two games to reach the state playoffs. Because three teams from District 11 Class AAAA will go to states this year, a third-place game will be needed to be played between the two teams that lose in the semifinals.

Stephens has been going with experience in his starting lineup recently. Seniors Jimmy Hahn, Nick Rindock, Nick Selvaggi, and Justin Zajko were all key contributors on last year's district championship team.

"They've been leaders on the floor and have been in our system for four years, so they know what to expect," said Stephens.

Freshman Sam Iorio has also grown into a key member, and is the fifth starter.