Minersville's Shazier Bethea controls the basketball during a Schuylkill League boys' basketball semifinal contest against Blue Mountain at Martz Hall. The Battlin' Miners defeated the Eagles 50-47. (Photo courtesy of Jocelyn Barrett/Skook News).

POTTSVILLE — For three quarters, it felt like a heavyweight fight.

In the final minute, it felt like March.

Shazier Bethea collected a team-high 19 points as Minersville weathered an early Blue Mountain storm and survived a furious late rally to escape with a 50-47 victory in a Schuylkill League boys’ basketball semifinal Wednesday night at Martz Hall.

The win sends the Battlin’ Miners (22-1) back to the league championship game, where they will meet defending champion Pottsville for the second consecutive season.

“All season long our mantra has been ‘next play,’” first-year Minersville coach Chris George said. “And W.I.N. — What’s Important Now. We did that all summer, all preseason and throughout the year. I’ve really been harping on these guys that it doesn’t matter if you make a mistake, it doesn’t matter if the opponent makes a shot — it’s the next play. I think you saw that multiple times tonight. We’re trailing 6-0, we go pass-pass up the wing and get an and-one with Chase (Zimerofsky). That’s because we’re playing with that next-play mentality.”

Blue Mountain (16-8) came out sharp and confident.

Cohen Werner opened the scoring with a strong finish inside, Cohen Kirby followed with a bucket in the paint, and Tyeirre Meade began cooking early. A deep Meade 3 and another by Evan Setlock pushed the Eagles in front 18-6 late in the first quarter before a Camden Rogers 3-pointer for the Miners just before the buzzer cut the deficit to 18-9.

That shot changed the tone.

Minersville chipped away throughout the second quarter. Nolan Plesnarski drilled a 3 off a Shazier Bethea assist, Jordan Bowers finished twice at the rim, and Bethea attacked the foul line for a three-point play that sliced the deficit to one possession.

Blue Mountain answered with interior execution — Werner feeding Beck Henninger and Sean Gaddy battling for second-chance points — but Minersville closed the half within 26-24.

The third quarter belonged to the Miners.

After Meade briefly extended the Eagles’ lead, Bowers went to work downhill. Bethea tied the game with a 3 from the wing, and Rogers followed with a corner triple to knot it again at 32-32.

Then came the swing.

Bethea converted two free throws in transition to give Minersville its first lead, then buried another 3-pointer moments later. Bowers used his length to finish through contact, and suddenly the Miners had seized control, carrying a 41-34 advantage into the fourth.

Rogers opened the final period with a top-of-the-key 3 to push the margin to 10.

Blue Mountain refused to fold.

Kirby finished through contact. Meade slashed to the rim. After a defensive stop, Henninger buried a clutch corner 3 with 1:20 remaining to cut the deficit to 48-47 and send the Eagles bench and cheering section into a frenzy.

With the season on the line, Minersville answered calmly.

Rogers stepped to the free-throw line in the bonus and knocked down both shots with under 30 seconds left to extend the lead to three.

On Blue Mountain’s final possession, Henninger’s semi-contested look from beyond the arc fell short as the buzzer sounded.

Minersville survived.

Bethea was the Miners’ anchor, scoring at key stretches late in the third quarter. Bowers added 14, repeatedly attacking the rim during the pivotal run, while Rogers chipped in 11 — including three 3-pointers and two clutch free throws in the final seconds.

Meade paced Blue Mountain with a game-high 20 points, battling through contact all night. Werner added eight, Henninger scored seven — including the late triple that nearly flipped the script — and Kirby finished with five.

After falling behind by 12 in the first quarter, Minersville outscored Blue Mountain 41-29 the rest of the way, using defensive pressure and timely shot-making to flip the game.

“We told the guys if we could just get it close by halftime, we’ve tended to be a third-quarter team,” George said. “That’s kind of been our calling card. Let’s just get this close by halftime and we know what we do in the third. We didn’t shoot well tonight either. Give Blue Mountain credit — I thought they looked more loose, more comfortable, and they had already played here the other day. All credit to them. They were great. They came out and punched us right in the mouth. I said it was going to be a heavyweight fight. Usually it’s us punching teams early, but tonight Blue Mountain came right at us.”

The Battlin’ Miners now turn their focus to Friday night’s championship showdown against Pottsville at Martz Hall — a chance to avenge last year’s 50-43 loss on the same stage.

“I don’t think I need to say much,” George said of his message heading into the title game. “We probably won’t talk about last year much. I was here for that game — it was a heck of a game. It went back-and-forth and could have gone either way. But we’re trying to focus on being a new team and making our own path. A lot of these guys were on the court in some way last year, so they feel it. I don’t think we’re going to have to give any kind of pep talk before Friday night. It’s Pottsville. It’s Martz Hall. It’s a league title.”

Game Summary

Schuylkill League Boys’ Semifinals

At Martz Hall

BLUE MOUNTAIN (47) — Meade 8 2-3 20, Setlock 2 0-0 5, Kirby 2 1-1 5, Werner 4 0-0 8, Henninger 3 0-0 7, Wargo 0 0-2 0, Gaddy 1 0-0 2. Totals 22 3-6 47.

MINERSVILLE (50) — Adams 0 0-0 0, Rogers 3 2-2 11, Zimerofsky 1 0-1 2, Fessler 0 0-0 0, Bethea 7 3-3 19, Bowers 7 0-0 14, Plesnarski 1 1-2 4. Totals 19 6-8 50.

3-point FGs: Meade 2, Setlock, Henninger, Rogers 3, Bethea 2, Plesnarski

Officials: Wojciechowsky, Litwhiler, Rominski