The Schuylkill League is no stranger to good basketball.
There’s no other place that’s more evident than girls hoops, where Nativity B.V.M, Marian Catholic and Pine Grove, to name a few, have made their mark on the state scene.
Every night is a dog fight in the Coal Region, and that was evident last week. Pine Grove girls were dealt loss No. 1, thanks to Blue Mountain. Pottsville boys tasted defeat for the first time, losing to North Schuylkill. And the league continues to heat up night after night.
Here’s a look at the top 5 headlines in basketball and wrestling the past week.
1. Pottsville, Pine Grove downed
Defense wins championships.
That’s what North Schuylkill used against Pottsville as the Spartans held the Crimson Tide to 35 points and earned a big home victory.
"Defensively, the North Schuylkill Spartans played North Schuylkill basketball, and that may be an understatement," North Schuylkill coach Curt Ziegmont said to the Pottsville Republican and Herald. "Right now we hold our own destiny because everything we want is still in front of us."
Steve Ennis netted 19 points in the victory for the Spartans, which included eight in the third quarter. Pottsville’s Josh Whalen and Nick Schlitzer combined for 27 points.
"We are still in a good position to win the league, and I told our guys after 10 games I'm happy where we are at," Pottsville coach Dave Mullaney told the newspaper.
In girls basketball, Pine Grove also caught the upset bug. Leading by six points, the Cardinals watched Blue Mountain rally for a two-point victory.
Lauren Bubeck gave the Eagles the lead with less than four minutes to play.
"I'm just so happy for that locker room right now," Blue Mountain coach Ruth Weidman told the Pottsville newspaper. "They needed something that shows the work is benefiting."
Two weeks prior, the Cardinals beat the Eagles by 11 at their holiday tournament.
2. Tough week for Mountain League favorite Indian Valley
Indian Valley first-year head coach Bob Sealy had his Indian Valley Warriors primed and ready for a big week of action. Ranked No. 5 in last week’s Central and Eastern Pennsylvania polls, the Warriors got themselves a big victory over Tyrone Area and seemed prepared to steal a Mountain League road win at Central Mountain.
That was a game decided in the final seconds with a baseline jumper off the hands of IV freshman Seth Wagner for a 59-58 Warrior win.
"He is a young kid, but sometimes, young players don't feel the pressure of a situation like that," Sealy said. "There is pressure, but it's not like we think of pressure. He just played hard and took a good shot. That's the most minutes that he's played all year. We got great minutes out of all of our subs. It just worked out for us tonight."
The problem for the Warriors was the game prior and after. Indian Valley was dealt a home defeat by a surging Central Martinsburg squad last Friday.
The surprising loss came Thursday night when the team was upended in Centre County by one-win Bald Eagle Area, thanks to a big night from BEA’s Nick Taylor. In a week where it appeared Indian Valley could build an early lead in the Allegheny Division, the Warriors enter this weekend's play tied with Central Mountain.
3. Buie continues to light it up for State College
Taran Buie is starting to find his groove at State College High School. That’s not only bad news for future Little Lions opponents. It’s bad news for possible state playoff opponents in the Quad-A bracket.
Buie’s slick, smooth moves were on display Wednesday night as he netted 32 points in a State College rout of Altoona, 66-42. Buie, a Penn State recruit, knocked down a shot from more than 20 feet to end the first quarter and finished his night with 32 points. It was his first 30-plus point outing of 2009-10.
"We saw his deep game," State head coach Drew Frank told the Centre Daily Times. "We haven’t seen that other than on the practice floor. His ability to finish at the rim has always been a strength. Tonight we saw if the defense is going to play off of him, he’s willing to take what they give him."
4. Seminary rolls to Escape the Rock title
Just like expect going into the annual Escape the Rock tournament at Council Rock South High School, it turned into a two-team race – nationally-ranked Wyoming Seminary and nationally-ranked Central Mountain.
Seminary got the better of the Wildcats, leaving with the team title. The two schools claimed championships in nine of the 14 weight classes. Sem’s Dom Malone (112), Kyle Johnson (119), Simon Kitzis (135) and Chris Moon (160) were champs, while CM had titlists in Brian Brill (140), Andrew Alton (145), Dylan Alton (152), Dylan Caprio (171) and Zach Corl (285).
It was the second time the two teams ran into each other at a competition, with the first coming at the Walsh Ironman in December. Other Pennsylvania champs included Line Mountain’s Zain Retherford (103) and Council Rock North’s Jamie Callender (189).
5. Wildcats, Rams on a state-title collision course
Because Wyoming Seminary is a prep school, it won’t get a chance to compete for a PIAA state championship. But a possible clash in the PIAA Class AAA bracket is already being talked about around the state. It involves Central Dauphin and Central Mountain, both ranked in the Top 7 nationally.
And it appears each will remain undefeated until a possible February showdown at the Giant Center. Recently, the Rams ripped through the competition at the annual Cumberland Valley Duals, beating Pennsylvania teams Plymouth-Whitemarsh (58-10), Cumberland Valley (42-19), Shikellamy (38-22) and Boyertown (42-27).
Central Mountain, fresh off a victory over Mountain League foe Lewistown, will head to the local Jersey Shore Duals this weekend. The Wildcats are the No. 1 seed for the event. Possible opponents include Greenville, Commodore Perry, Line Mountain and Warrior Run. The common opponent between the Rams and Wildcats will be Shikellamy, as the Braves travel to Bald Eagle Township later in the month for a Big 7 showdown.
MaxPreps Central and Northeastern Pennsylvania Top 5
Boys Basketball (Last Week’s Rank in Parenthesis)
1. State College, District 6 (1)
2. Hughesville, District 4 (3)
3. Loyalsock, District 4 (5)
4. Abington Heights, District 2 (2)
5. Carbondale, District 2 (NR)
Dropped out: Pottsville, Indian Valley
Girls Basketball
1. Bishop Guilfoyle, District 6 (2)
2. South Williamsport, District 4 (3)
3. Pine Grove, District 11 (1)
4. Abington Heights, District 2 (4)
T5. Old Forge, District 2 (5)
T5 Nativity BVM, District 11 (NR)
State Wrestling
1. Wyoming Seminary, Prep School (1)
2. Central Dauphin, District 3 (2)
3. Central Mountain, District 6 (3)
4. Blue Mountain, District 11 (4)
5. Easton, District 11 (NR)
Dropped out: Council Rock South
Tom Fox is sports editor at The Lock Haven (Pa.) Express and covers Central and Eastern Pennsylvania for MaxPreps. He can be reached at tfox@lockhaven.com.
