Northampton head girls basketball coach Jeff Jacksits knows Parkland’s team quite well.

Jacksits’ sixth-seeded bunch will meet third-seed Parkland for the third time this season in the opening round of the PIAA District 11 playoffs Friday night at Whitehall for a 6 p.m. tipoff.

Earlier in the season, Parkland won both contests, registering a 58-30 victory in the season opener between both clubs, and capturing a 40-28 victory in the rematch Jan. 31. Heading into the postseason, Northampton (12-10) won three of their last five games, while Parkland (15-7) won two of its last three.

Jacksits isn’t allowing the two defeats to dampen his team’s spirits.

“In the first game, we fell apart to their press,” noted Jacksits. “With the time before districts, we were able to work on some things to combat it. The second time we played them we lost by 12, and we had too many turnovers.

“Hopefully, we can do a better job this time around.”

Jacksits knows Parkland will center its presence around Kids’ senior center Grace Lesko, the East Penn Conference (EPC) Most Valuable Player who averages 20.1 per game. It is nearly half of their team average of 42 points per game.

Yet, the team has recently responded around her.

“She is used to being double- or triple-teamed per game,” said Jacksits. “But Grace has adjusted to it.

“In our last couple of games, we played better as a team and had more contributions. She wasn’t the high scorer of the game. Hopefully, Grace will see the light. We are capable of having other girls step into that type of role.”

Fellow senior Nicole Yellen is the second-leading scorer on the team, averaging 9.1 per contest. Senior Madelyn Hurst chips in with 5.2 points, and Anne Beenders adds 3.5 points.

Jacksits is optimistic this can be the game when it all comes together. Even though the Kids start four seniors, Lesko and Yellen are the lone returnees.

“We haven’t been able to put four quarters together,” he stated. “We have been playing better lately, and things have been clicking. We have had a lot of new girls in the lineup.

“We just have to keep working at it.”

Jacksits has had memorable matchups with Parkland in the past, but last year’s district championship is still on his mind. Parkland pulled out a 30-29 victory.

“We were up 19-2 and we lost,” stressed Jacksits. “That’s not a positive one, but it is still with us.

“If we can get by Parkland, we believe we are in a good bracket. We like our chances healing into this one.”