Two Laurel Highlands Athletic Conference powers will meet for the third time tonight in the conference title game.

Bishop McCort’s girls won the first two encounters in two tightly-played games with Bishop Guilfoyle. But much more will be on the line at 6 p.m. at Cambria County War Memorial Arena.

“This will be the third time that we’ve gotten to play,” Bishop McCort girls coach John Hahn said. “We know each other pretty well. I’m excited to play at the War Memorial. I’m just looking for a very good basketball game.”

Bishop Guilfoyle is 22-2 overall, 15-1 in the LHAC and 10-0 in Section 1. Bishop McCort is 23-1, with a perfect 16-0 conference mark and a 10-0 record in Section 2.

The Crushers edged the Marauders 46-42 on Dec. 29 in the Great Chevy Shootout in Altoona. When the teams met Jan. 9 at Bishop McCort, the Crushers won 57-50.

“Both basketball games were real good games,” Bishop Guilfoyle coach Mark Moschella said. “Bishop McCort made a couple big plays and they executed well when they had to. We fell short in the fourth quarter against them. It just came down to a couple good possessions on Bishop McCort’s part and they did a good job.”

The Crushers have won 22 consecutive games since a loss to Quad-A State College in the second game of the year.

“Bishop McCort has a very well-balanced basketball team,” Moschella said. “We’re just going to have to do all the little things that it’s going to take to beat a good basketball team.”

Hahn knows Bishop Guilfoyle has plenty of strengths.

“They’re well-coached. They shoot the ball very well. They play excellent defense and make very few mental mistakes,” the Bishop McCort coach said. “They’re a well-disciplined team. Alli Williams, a sophomore, is the go-to girl and an excellent defensive player. She rebounds very well. She can play inside and outside. They run everything through her.”

Bishop McCort has some experience playing on the War Memorial’s new court. The Crushers defeated Bedford 57-22 in the first Suttmiller Classic on Dec. 8.

“We don’t play that much on the big floor. It took us a while when we played at Altoona to get adjusted to the big floor,” Hahn said. “The War Memorial is a big floor. The past few years we’ve played at St. Francis for the District 6 playoffs. There’s no background. The War Memorial is that way.

“We played our first conference game there against Bedford. It takes a while to adjust. The girls loved the floor. They’re excited to play there. I tell them about the tradition of the War Memorial and how all the big games used to be at the War Memorial. It’s going to be a great atmosphere.”