D-11 Basketball Roundup: Runkle reaches 1,000 as Haven rolls; Blue Mountain boys’ surge
Schuylkill Haven junior Mckenna Runkle, second from right, poses with her family after scoring her 1,000th career point during Friday's District 11 Class 3A quarterfinal win over MaST Community Charter at Martz Hall. Posing with Mckenna are, from left: mom Melanie Runkle, dad Bud Runkle and brother Noah Runkle (submitted photo).
POTTSVILLE — A milestone and a mismatch.
McKenna Runkle crossed the 1,000-point mark in emphatic fashion Friday night, pouring in 32 points as Schuylkill Haven rolled past MaST Community Charter 55-16 in a District 11 Class 3A quarterfinal game at Martz Hall.
The Hurricanes (21-4) left little doubt from the opening tip. Applying full-court pressure and turning defense into offense, Schuylkill Haven forced 16 turnovers and limited MAST (14-10) to just five first-half points while building a commanding 34-5 halftime lead.
Runkle entered the night needing 30 points to reach the milestone and wasted no time attacking. She scored in transition, knocked down perimeter shots and controlled the glass. Her moment came late in the third quarter when she buried back-to-back 3-pointers, pushing the lead to 49-8 and officially eclipsing 1,000 career points.
The Hurricanes’ defense set the tone early. Audrey Hutchinson sparked the run with steals and coast-to-coast finishes, including a full-court layup that stretched the lead to 25-2 midway through the second quarter. Schuylkill Haven closed the first quarter on a 9-0 burst and never looked back.
Runkle added 11 rebounds to complete a dominant all-around performance, while Hutchinson contributed nine points and 10 steals in a relentless defensive effort.
Schuylkill Haven continued to pour it on in the second half, opening the third quarter with a 15-2 run to trigger the running clock.
With the win, the Hurricanes advance to the District 11 3A semifinals, where they will face Pine Grove on Tuesday at a site and time to be announced.
MaST Charter (16) — Ewald 0 0-0 0, Jackson 2 0-0 4, Mulray 1 0-2 2, Hamilton 2 0-0 5, Barth 0 1-2 1, Zvcal 0 2-2 2, Greagher 1 0-0 2, Johnson 0 0-0 0, Santulli 0 0-0 0, Ehling 0 0-0 0. Totals 6 3-6 16.
Schuylkill Haven (55) — Hutchinson 4 1-2 9, Runkle 11 7-10 32, Siket 2 1-2 5, Terefencko 2 3-7 7, Benedict 0 0-0 0, Houvig 0 0-0 0, Strenkoski 0 0-0 0, Bayer 1 0-0 2, Brand 0 0-0 0, Farrell 0 0-0 0, Kovaleski 0 0-0 0, Wade 0 0-0 0. Totals 20 12-21 55.
| Team | 1Q | 2Q | 3Q | 4Q | Final |
| MaST (14-10) | 2 | 3 | 4 | 8 | 16 |
| SH (21-4) | 14 | 20 | 15 | 6 | 55 |
3-point FGs: Runkle 3, Hamilton
BOYS’ BASKETBALL
Blue Mountain 63, Shikellamy 45
POTTSVILLE — Blue Mountain flipped the switch after halftime and never looked back.
The Eagles used a dominant second half to pull away from Shikellamy for a 63-45 victory in a District 11 Class 5A quarterfinal game Friday at Martz Hall.
Clinging to a slim two-point lead at the break, Blue Mountain (17-8) outscored the Braves 33-17 over the final two quarters, turning a tight contest into a convincing postseason statement.
Tyeirre Meade led the charge with 20 points, attacking in transition and knocking down three 3-pointers. Cohen Kirby added 12 points and controlled the glass with 12 rebounds, while Beck Henninger scored 11 and Cohen Werner chipped in 10 — including seven in the fourth quarter to seal it.
Blue Mountain set the tone early when Meade forced a turnover and went coast-to-coast for a quick 5-0 lead. The Eagles pushed ahead 21-12 by the end of the first quarter behind a pair of Henninger 3-pointers, but Shikellamy (11-12) responded in the second.
Aaron Bucher sparked a 16-9 Braves run, tying the game at 21-21 before Justin Ziegler’s shooting helped keep it tight.
Blue Mountain managed to carry a narrow 30-28 lead into halftime after Meade scored inside in the final minute.
The momentum shifted for good in the third. After Shikellamy briefly grabbed a 33-32 edge on a Ziegler 3-pointer, Blue Mountain answered with an 11-0 run. Henninger and Meade connected from beyond the arc, Sean Gaddy added a 3-pointer, and Kirby finished inside to stretch the lead to 43-33.
Meade capped the quarter with another basket, sending the Eagles into the fourth ahead 47-35.
From there, Werner took over. He scored on consecutive layups early in the fourth, finishing through contact and cleaning up around the rim as Blue Mountain extended the margin to double digits. Kirby added a late basket inside, and the Eagles closed the door with steady defense and efficient half-court execution.
Blue Mountain advances to the District 11 Class 5A semifinals and will face Selinsgrove Area on Tuesday at 8 p.m. at Martz Hall.
Shikellamy (45) — Bucher 3 0-0 7, Hewlett 0 0-0 0, Brosious 0 0-0 0, Stahl 1 4-6 6, Peifer 5 0-0 11, Hewlett 0 0-0 0, Walter 3 1-1 7, Zeigler 3 0-0 8, Hoover 0 2-2 2, Sykes 2 0-0 4, Reese 0 0-0 0, Johnson 0 0-0 0, Sprenkel 0 0-0 0, Hallman 0 0-0 0, Garcia 0 0-0 0. Totals 7 7-9 45.
Blue Mountain (63) — Meade 8 1-4 20, Setlock 1 0-0 2, Kirby 4 4-4 12, Pritiskutch 1 0-0 2, Disante 0 0-0 0, Singh 0 0-0 0, Werner 4 2-4 10, Henninger 3 2-2 11, McDonough 0 0-0 0, Wargo 0 0-0 0, Schuster 0 0-0 0, Gaddy 2 0-0 6, Evans 0 0-0 0, Martin 0 0-0 0. Totals 23 4-9 63.
| Team | 1Q | 2Q | 3Q | 4Q | Final |
| Shik (11-12) | 12 | 16 | 7 | 10 | 45 |
| BM (17-8) | 21 | 9 | 17 | 16 | 63 |
