Forest Hills and Johnstown will meet tonight for the third and most important time this boys basketball season.

The two Laurel Highlands Athletic Conference rivals will compete for the District 6 Class AAA title at 7:30 p.m. at St. Francis University’s DeGol Arena.

The teams split two previous meetings, with Forest Hills (20-5) handing Johnstown (21-1) its lone loss of the season, 67-62, on Jan. 19 in Sidman; and the Trojans coming back to beat the Rangers 74-58 a month later in the LHAC championship game at Richland High.

“They’ll take what they’ve done well and try to do it again. Both teams will do that,” said Johnstown coach Neil Cobaugh, whose team is the defending 6-AAA champion.

“Both teams will try to eliminate the mistakes.”

Added Forest Hills coach Lance McGough, “We feel – as I’m sure they feel

– pretty comfortable about what they’re going to do against us, and they’re comfortable with what we do against them.”

Each team has survived a playoff scare en route to a date in the title contest.

Forest Hills nearly was eliminated in the first round against Bellefonte. The Rangers needed standout 1,000-point scorer Luke Gallaher to hit two free throws with 0.3 on the clock simply to force overtime in a game Forest Hills eventually won 58-54. Tanner Thomas, another 1,000-point scorer and 500-rebounder, had 26 points and 20 boards in that win.

McGough’s team came back to knock off top-seeded Huntingdon 61-42 in the semifinals.

“We couldn’t have played a worse game than we did against Bellefonte and we found a way to win,” McGough said. “The last game our kids played very loose and were very comfortable.

“There was not much pressure on us. We knew we were lucky to be there. I had not seen us hustle and play as good of game as a team together as we did (Saturday against Huntingdon).”

Johnstown had a first-round bye and then held off a determined Lewistown team 53-51 in the semifinals. Lewistown nearly scored on a desperation shot at the buzzer on a controversial play because Lewistown had a sixth man on the court.

“Playoff experience came into play for us, especially the last game when we were stuck behind the 8-ball,” Cobaugh said. “We didn’t panic when shots didn’t go down. You see the experience of these guys and some of the plays they make to get a basket or make a good stop. Our guys have been down that road and can handle some of those bumps and take them in stride.”

Johnstown has relied on balance. Quentin Brandon, a 6-foot-2 junior, averages 15 points and five assists a game.

Dwight Andrews, a 6-5 junior, and Alkwan Williams, a 6-2 junior, each score

13 points a game, and Williams hauls in

9.7 boards a night.

Isaiah Haselrig, a 6-4 junior, averages

11.8 points, and Philip Madison, a 5-8 sophomore, averages 9.6 points and 4.3 assists a game.

“We have a great team concept,” Cobaugh said.

Forest Hills’ Gallaher and Thomas are a formidable one-two punch.

“Tanner is tough. They have a nice inside-outside duo with Gallaher and Thomas,” Cobaugh said. “If you try to stop the outside game, you leave the inside game weak and Thomas will hurt you. If you try to sag back to stop Thomas, Gallaher will hurt you.

“They’re not a one-dimensional team.”

McGough said his Rangers are even more dangerous when the players around those two elevate their play as well.

“If I have other kids step up we’re going to be tough to beat,” McGough said. “If it’s just those two it will be a good game. The one-two punch is excellent. But the problem is if one of those two is off, you’re back down to one.

“Our last game Tanner only contributed six points but he controlled the boards and the inside defensively. My other kids stepped up. We’re a very good team with just those two scoring. We’re a heck of a team when other kids step up.”

McGough pointed to big performances by Cody Moss, Kody Johnson, Eric Daniels, Neil Wysocki and Adam Helsel at different points of the season. McGough said Helsel will miss tonight's game due to his ejection in the semifinals.

Cobaugh agreed that the Rangers have depth.

“Forest Hills does a nice job of forcing turnovers and getting out in the open floor,” he said. “They like to set up their players very well. They’ve got a couple guys that understand their role on the team and they do their best to try to fulfill that role.”

Johnstown learned from its setback at Forest Hills. McGough believes the Rangers have gained valuable experience from the LHAC loss to Johnstown.

“It was about a minute and a half span that cost us the game,” McGough said.

“They went on a 12-2 run late in the third quarter. Beside that I think we’ve played them pretty well.

“At the time they were up  2 or 3 so that made it that they were up 14 or 15 in the fourth quarter and we couldn’t recover. We can’t give up any runs like that. They’re so potent that any time of the game they can put that type of run up. We have to limit their chances and make sure they can’t put that type of string together or it will be a long night.”