MAC basketball championship action concludes on Saturday at four different sites.

Commonwealth Women

On Wednesday Lebanon Valley (13-1, 24-2) cruised to a 55-38 victory over Alvernia, and Messiah (12-2, 19-6) posted a 74-63 win over Widener to advance to the title game in Annville. Messiah is on a nine game winning streak, and this was their third semifinal win over Widener in the last four years and fourth in the last six, putting them in the league championship for the sixth time in the last seven seasons. LVC and Messiah split the season series this year. In the first meeting in Grantham, Lebanon Valley posted a 46-32 win; the Falcons returned the favor in Annville, winning 59-55, a victory that snapped the Dutchmen's 15 game win streak. The Dutchmen are led by Andrea Hoover, Commonwealth Conference Player of the Year, and Suzie Noyes, All-Commonwealth First Team. The Falcons duo of Dori Gyori, First Team All-Commonwealth, and Michele Schleich, All-Commonwealth Second Team, pace their squad. LVC is making its tenth appearance in the Commonwealth Conference tournament with a 5-9 all-time record. LVC and Messiah have met four times in the tournament championship, but have never prevailed. At 1 PM tomorrow we will find out if LVC can break that streak!

Commonwealth Men

The Commonwealth semifinals saw two close games, as top-seeded Alvernia (11-3, 19-6) overcame fourth-seeded Messiah's charge to win 51-49 and second-seeded LVC (10-4, 20-6) came back to top third-seeded Widener 58-56. The Dutchmen have won 11 straight, including last Saturdays last second win over Alvernia in Annville. LVC was last in the title game in 2005 and haven’t won the championship since 1995. The Crusaders are looking for their first Commonwealth title in their second year of conference membership. The two teams split during the regular season. The series is tied at 9-9, and they have met twice in the post season - LVC lost at Alvernia in the NCAA First Round in 1997, and beat them in the ECAC South semifinals in 2004. The Dutchmen are led by the top Commonwealth backcourt- Anthony Trautman, Commonwealth Player of the Year, and Joe Meehan, First Team All-Commonwealth. Alvernia’s fortunes are dictated by pivot Cory Boone and guard Tad Gillis, both named to the All-Commonwealth Team, and Seth Cornell, their leader scorer. LVC beat the Crusaders at home; can they do the same in Reading at 3 PM tomorrow?

Freedom Women

DeSales (10-4, 18-8) women's basketball team is one win away from winning a fourth straight Freedom Conference Title after defeating King's College, 66-52, to advance to the Freedom Conference Championship game on Saturday at 7 PM at home after Misericordia (9-5, 16-10) knocked out top seed, Manhattanville College, in Purchase, NY. The Cougars had been blown out 75-55 by the Valiants four days earlier but Christine Marks, Freedom Player of the Year, rose to the occasion and Misericordia used clutch free throw shooting to seal the deal 57-51. DeSales First Team All-Freedom senior Lori Lidlow led the way on Wednesday and will probably do so again tomorrow night. The two team split during the regular season, the Bulldogs winning at home 56-44 and losing at Misericordia 71-54. DeSales has the home court and championship experience; can Misericordia come in and disrupt their party?

Freedom Men

The top-seeded Aggies (9-5, 16-10) battle second-seeded and two-time defending conference champion DeSales (9-5, 19-7) at 2 PM tomorrow in Doylestown. Delaware Valley is in uncharted territory as it hosted a playoff game for the first time in program history and notched its first-ever postseason win with a 69-66 victory over Wilkes University in Wednesday’s semifinal. The Bulldogs and Aggies split their two regular season meetings, each winning on the opponent’s home court. The first contest was in Center Valley where a 3-pointer with 2.3 second remaining lifted Delaware Valley to an 82-79 triumph. Two months later in Doylestown, DeSales avenged that setback with an 83-73 victory. The Aggies are paced by senior guard and 2011 Freedom Conference Player of the Year James Jones and sophomore center Jeremy Beckett, a Second-Team All-Freedom selection. This is the fifth straight year that head coach Scott Coval and DeSales has reached the Freedom championship game. DeSales advanced to Saturday’s game with a 67-59 home victory over third-seeded Misericordia University. The Bulldogs count on senior guard and First-Team All-Freedom Brian Hunter and sophomore forward Brett Moyer, Second-Team All-Freedom, to lead the way. The Aggies are hot and have the home court, but they face a team that has gone deep into the NCAA tournament the last two years. Something has to give!