HS Boys’ Hoops: Bethea, Miners clip Tri-Valley in a heavyweight thriller
Minersville's Shazier Bethea rises up for a layup (Photo by Kelly Wiley).
MINERSVILLE — Two of the county’s most consistent programs traded punches for 32 minutes, and fittingly, the outcome came down to one final defensive stand.
Senior guard Shazier Bethea poured in a career-high 36 points, and Minersville survived a frantic final minute to edge Tri-Valley 70-68 in a non-league heavyweight showdown of Schuylkill League division champions Thursday at the Thomas Fitzpatrick Gymnasium.
“We did a lot of in-and-out stuff this game, subbing here and there,” Minersville coach Chris George said. “(Nolan) Plesnarski’s 3-pointer in the corner was huge for us — we really needed that at that moment. But obviously, Shazier Bethea and Jordan Bowers, these are the moments they live for.
“I say it a lot — our soccer guys won in soccer, Nolan’s a big part of the baseball team, Brandon (Adams) was a big part of the football team, and Shazier has been winning games here for three or four years now,” George added. “I’m really happy for these guys. It was a great moment, and kind of a cool game here. Weirdly, a game some people didn’t think really mattered — but it meant a lot for us for districts.
“We want to keep that No. 1 seed. There’s no guarantee you’re going to stay in that spot, and we’ll play whoever we get, but we want to put ourselves in the best possible position. We told our guys going in there was a lot of pride on the line and a lot at stake, but in the end it’s Tri-Valley — and you probably didn’t need to say anything. They’ve been pretty amped. You could see it the last two days at practice.”
Coincidentally, both teams entered at 20-1, having already staked claim to their respective Schuylkill League division crowns, and from the opening tip it was clear neither was interested in blinking first.
Tri-Valley (20-2) weathered an early storm before settling in behind its physical half-court defense and ball movement. After Minersville (21-1) jumped out to an early lead fueled by Bethea’s downhill attacks, the Dawgs closed the first quarter with momentum.
A late Trey Porter 3-pointer gave Tri-Valley its first lead, and the visitors carried an 18-17 advantage into the second quarter.
The second period belonged to the Dawgs’ execution.
Braeden Doyle finished a no-look feed from Owen Miller for an early three-point play, and Kingsley Johnson knocked down a pair of 3-pointers as Tri-Valley stretched the margin. Porter controlled the glass and finished through contact, while Doyle buried a corner 3 in the final minute to give the Dawgs a 41-38 halftime lead after a tightly played opening half.
Minersville flipped the script after the break.
The Battlin’ Miners came out aggressive defensively, forcing turnovers and turning them into points. Bethea ignited the surge with a steal and a thunderous finish, then followed with a series of strong drives and finishes through contact. Bowers added energy on the glass and in transition as Minersville outscored Tri-Valley 22-11 in the third quarter to take a 60-52 lead into the fourth.
Tri-Valley wasn’t done, though.
Doyle went to work on the block, scoring through traffic and drawing fouls, while Gavin Klock converted inside to cut the deficit. After a corner 3 from Plesnarski pushed Minersville back ahead 66-60, Doyle answered again — first with a triple, then with another deep look that trimmed the margin to four.
The final two minutes delivered pure chaos.
After Bethea finished inside to make it 70-63, Doyle drilled a deep 3 and then Miller jumped a passing lane for a layup, suddenly pulling the Dawgs within 70-68 with just over a minute remaining. Tri-Valley’s pressure forced a turnover, and the Dawgs had a chance to steal it.
Doyle’s potential go-ahead 3 rattled out, and after an offensive rebound and timeout, Tri-Valley had one final chance with 3.1 seconds left.
But not on Bethea’s watch — not on the Battlin’ Miners’ senior night.
The senior guard read the inbounds perfectly, stepping into the passing lane for the game-clinching steal to seal the win.
Bethea’s 36-point night proved decisive, as he scored at all three levels and controlled the game in crucial stretches. Bowers added 14, Plesnarski chipped in seven, and Zimerofsky contributed nine for the Miners.
“At the beginning of the game I was nervous — it could be my last home game,” Bethea said. “I didn’t know how it was going to end, but we wanted that win. It was crazy. It was scary, I’m not going to lie. But we pulled it out.
“I turned my back, saw the ball, and knew I had to get it.”
Doyle led Tri-Valley with 27 points, including four 3-pointers, while Johnson scored 12, Porter added 11, and Cooper Carl collected nine in the loss.
“All credit to Tri-Valley, because we made some mistakes down the stretch,” George said. “But it’s like I always tell the kids — you either win or you learn. Hopefully tonight we won, and we’re going to learn a little bit too.
“They threw some different stuff at us. We jumped out early, we did it again in the third, but I told them it was going to be like a heavyweight boxing match. They’re going to throw punches at us, and we’re going to throw them back. You’ve got to be able to match it, because they’re not going to go away.”
It was a non-league game in name only — a physical, high-level battle between two teams built for February — and a reminder that when margins are this thin, every rebound, every loose ball, and every read can decide the night.
Game Summary
Minersville 70, Tri-Valley 68
TRI-VALLEY (68) — Carl 4 1-2 9, Miller 1 1-2 3, Porter 5 0-0 11, Johnson 4 2-2 12, Doyle 10 3-3 27, Klock 3 0-0 6, Clemmer 0 0-0 0. Totals 27 7-9 68.
MINERSVILLE (70) — Adams 0 0-0 0, Rogers 1 2-2 4, Zimerofsky 4 1-2 9, Fessler 0 0-0 0, Bethea 15 4-6 36, Bowers 5 3-4 14, Plesnarski 2 1-1 7. Totals 27 11-15 70.
| Team | 1Q | 2Q | 3Q | 4Q | Final |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TV (20-2) | 18 | 23 | 11 | 10 | 68 |
| Min (21-1) | 17 | 21 | 22 | 10 | 70 |
