Schuylkill Haven's Mckenna Runkle shoots a free throw in the fourth quarter of Monday's Schuylkill League Division I game at Tamaqua (Photo by Leroy Boyer).

Defensive pressure in 4th lifts Hurricanes to key win

TAMAQUA — A lack of depth prevents Schuylkill Haven from playing the aggressive, in-your-face defense that helped the Hurricanes capture their first Schuylkill League girls’ basketball championship last season.

In the fourth quarter of a key Schuylkill League Division I game Monday at Tamaqua, that attacking defense returned.

Schuylkill Haven forced 11 fourth-quarter turnovers and got some key points late from Mckenna Runkle and Kylie Siket to down the Blue Raiders 39-35 at the Tamaqua Athletic Center.

“We definitely turned it up,” said Runkle, who had a game-high 19 points. “We really wanted it. We came out in the fourth quarter and we knew we had to turn it up. We did and it worked out for us. We’re going to keep doing that.”

An ugly first half that had the teams combine to shoot 13-for-58 (22%) from the field ended with the Hurricanes up 18-15 at intermission.

Schuylkill Haven (10-4, 7-1 D-I) then scored just three points in the third quarter, shooting 1-for-16 from the field. Haven also had a trio of starters with three fouls, which hampered the Hurricanes from playing tight defense, especially in the paint.

That changed in the fourth quarter.

Schuylkill Haven opened the final frame by forcing a turnover on four straight Tamaqua possessions, going on a quick 5-0 burst that put the Hurricanes up 26-22 with 6:57 left.

The spurt gave Schuylkill Haven some life and some momentum, setting the stage for a thrilling finish.

“I guess you could say we kept that in our back pocket until the end of the game,” Schuylkill Haven coach Tony Sanders said. “The girls did a really good job.”

Tamaqua (10-4, 5-3) answered Schuylkill Haven’s spurt with a 6-0 run of its own, as Ceanna Gormley made a layup and Millie Black scored a pair of buckets.

The teams traded missed shots and turnovers over the next two minutes until Ava Terefencko stole the ball at midcourt and went in for a layup, tying the game at 28-28 with 3 minutes left.

The Hurricanes went back in front on a layup by Audrey Hutchinson with 2:37 left, but Leah Black’s 3-point play put the Blue Raiders up 31-30 with 2:37 left.

Schuylkill Haven forged back in front on a jumper by Hutchinson and two free throws by Runkle. Kendle Miller then brought the home crowd to its feet with an off-balance, bank-shot 3-pointer that put the Blue Raiders up 35-34 with 56 seconds left.

Before the cheering ended, however, Runkle charged right back at the Tamaqua defense, attacking the basket. She was fouled, hitting both free throws to put Haven up 36-35 with 48.4 seconds left.

Runkle went 6-for-6 at the line in the fourth quarter.

“It was a close game. I wanted to get to the basket and get fouled and go to the line,” Runkle said. “I saw a lane open and I just drove. I went hard, got the foul and got to the line.”

The final minute of Monday’s game played out in a very similar fashion to the team’s first meeting this season, which Schuylkill Haven won 40-37. In that game, Tamaqua had a chance to tie or go ahead in the final minute but couldn’t convert.

Monday, Tamaqua got a good shot in the paint in an attempt to take the lead, but the shot missed. The Hurricanes quickly got the ball down the floor and Siket scored on a layup in transition with 24 seconds remaining.

A junior guard, Siket had been 0-for-18 from the field prior to that layup. After Tamaqua was called for an offensive foul on its next possession, Siket hit 1-of-2 from the foul line with 6.9 seconds left to ice it. Those three points were her only points of the game.

“Haven … you can see that they understand and know the game, which is something we definitely lack across the board,” Tamaqua coach Erika Davis said. “Kudos to them, they deserve the win.”

Hutchinson added 10 points for Schuylkill Haven, while Miller paced Tamaqua with three 3-pointers and 15 points.

Lauren Ligenza pulled down 15 rebounds, 13 of which came in the first half. An aggressive effort by Haven to keep her off the boards was successful, holding her to just two rebounds and two points over the final 16 minutes. She finished with seven points.

“Me and Audrey Hutchinson, we worked really hard on defense,” Runkle said. “We knew we had to keep her (away from the basket) on offense and defense. I thought we did a great job of that. That was definitely a keep part of the game, I thought.”

Tamaqua entered the game on a five-game win streak that included a 46-43 overtime win Friday over North Schuylkill. The Blue Raiders, however, shot just 4-for-25 in the first half, finished 8-for-17 at the foul line and committed 27 turnovers.

“That was our worst game of basketball,” Davis said. “It was not good the way we opened up. (Haven) set the tone right away with how the game was going to go.

“We came out flat. It was a game of a letdown after a big win.”

The victory keeps the Hurricanes tied for first place in the Division I standings with North Schuylkill (8-4, 7-1), which walloped Panther Valley on Monday. It also creates a two-game spread between the Hurricanes and Spartans and three teams tied for third place — Tamaqua, Blue Mountain (7-7, 5-3) and Pine Grove (10-5, 5-3).

The win also gives Schuylkill Haven a sweep of Tamaqua, which could be important in tiebreaking scenarios, if needed.

“It’s big for us in Division I and Division I is crazy right now,” Sanders said.

Added Davis: “Crazy is a good way to put it. It’s anybody’s night any given day. The hunt is an every night thing and if you’re not ready to play you’re going to get beat and then you’re no longer in the mix.

“That’s what I keep preaching to the girls, how big every single game is. It doesn’t matter, records go out the window. It’s a mental aspect at that point in time.”

Game Summary

SCHUYLKILL HAVEN (39) — Hutchinson 5 0-0 10, Siket 1 1-2 3, Runkle 6 6-6 19, Terefencko 3 1-6 7, Strenkoski 0 0-0 0, Wade 0 0-0 0, Bayer 0 0-0 0. Totals 15 8-14 39.

TAMAQUA (35) — M. Black 2 2-2 6, Ellington 0 0-4 0, Ligenza 3 1-2 7, Miller 5 2-4 15, L. Black 1 2-3 4, Gormley 1 1-2 3, Bamford 0 0-0 0. Totals 12 8-17 35.

3-point FGs: Runkle, Miller 3

Officials: Wood, J. Dean, Bulka

JV Score: Tamaqua 43-10