Two teams were on the hunt for playoff glory, but only the Pottsville Crimson Tide walked away with it. They snuck past the Green Wave with a 61-55 win on Saturday. Given Pottsville's advantage in MaxPreps' Pennsylvania basketball rankings (they are ranked 134th, while Nativity BVM is ranked 315th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Pottsville's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Kole Becker led the charge by scoring 19 points. As a matter of fact, that's the most points Becker has scored all season. Christian Alvarez was another key contributor, scoring 16 points.
Despite the loss, Nativity BVM saw an underclassman step up: Trey Keating scored 27 points. That was a full 49.1% of Nativity BVM's points, marking the fourth time in a row he's earned more than a third of the team's points. The team also got some help courtesy of Noah Dolbin, who scored eight points along with five rebounds.
Pottsville is on a roll lately: they've won 11 of their last 12 matchups, which provided a nice bump to their 17-6 record this season. As for Nativity BVM, they have traveled a rocky road recently having lost four of their last five matchups, which put a noticeable dent in their 13-10 record this season.
Pottsville will stay at home for another game and welcome Mahanoy Area at 7:30 p.m. on February 14th. Mahanoy Area will roll in looking for their 24th straight win, something Pottsville surely won't give up without a fight. Nativity BVM does not have any more games scheduled as of now.
