Braeden Doyle, Tri-Valley boys' basketball

SCHUYLKILL HAVEN — This one had everything a January heavyweight bout is supposed to have: momentum swings, shot-making under pressure, defensive grit and a finish that stayed undecided until the final tick.

In a battle fitting of Schuylkill League Division II’s top two teams, Tri-Valley outlasted Schuylkill Haven 77-76 on Thursday night in a physical, back-and-forth showdown that felt every bit like a postseason preview at the CACL Complex.

“With four seniors on the floor, they’re seasoned,” Tri-Valley coach Mike Masser said. “I challenged our guys and told them we’ve got to get tougher. We’re not closing games out. Give Haven credit — I’m not sure what they shot, but I thought they shot a tremendous percentage from three.”

The Hurricanes (11-2, 5-2 D-II) entered the night trailing the Dawgs (12-1, 7-0) by one game in the standings, and for 32 minutes, neither side blinked.

Schuylkill Haven struck first.

The opening quarter featured four lead changes before the Hurricanes created a small cushion late. Alan Evans sank a pair of free throws with 42.0 seconds remaining to give Haven a 16-15 edge, and Bradyn Diehl buried a 3-pointer in the closing moments to send the Hurricanes into the break leading 19-15 after Tri-Valley came up empty at the buzzer.

Haven carried that momentum into the early stages of the second quarter, but Tri-Valley answered by turning up its defensive intensity.

Kingsley Johnson sparked the response with a 3-pointer, and on the very next possession, Braeden Doyle cleaned up a miss to cap a quick five-point surge. Still, the Dawgs couldn’t quite flip the lead before halftime, as the Hurricanes held a narrow 38-36 advantage at the break.

Schuylkill Haven came out of the locker room aggressively, but Tri-Valley refused to let the game slip.

Haven maintained control for much of the third quarter until Owen Miller split a pair of bonus free throws with 7.0 seconds remaining in the frame, knotting the score 54-54 and setting the stage for a frantic final period.

Trey Porter opened the fourth with a twisting layup to give Tri-Valley its first lead since the opening quarter, and what followed was a possession-by-possession chess match. Seven lead changes later, Doyle attacked the rim for a strong finish before finding Cooper Carl slicing through the lane on the next trip. Carl converted the basket and the foul, completing a three-point play that pushed the Bulldogs ahead 71-69 with 1:18 left.

After another empty possession by Haven, Miller powered home a layup to extend the margin to 73-69 with about 50 seconds remaining. The Hurricanes wouldn’t go quietly. Gavin Klock and Justin Watcher traded baskets to make it 75-71, then Max Heim added a post hook to pull Haven within two.

But Doyle calmly knocked down two bonus free throws with 8.3 seconds left, and although Evans drilled a deep 3-pointer in the final seconds, Schuylkill Haven had no timeouts remaining and the clock ran out on the Hurricanes’ final rally.

“It was a dogfight,” Masser said. “I was telling the boys coming into tonight that it was going to be a dogfight — it was going to come down to who was tougher at the end. I felt that possession late, Braeden Doyle took the team on his shoulders.

“I said to him halfway through the fourth quarter, ‘Get it done.’”

Coach Masser also made it a point to credit his assistant coaches, Mike Deeter, Chase Deeter and Kade Deeter, for their dedication and efforts into coaching the Dawgs to victory through gritty Division II games.

Doyle finished with a game-high 32 points and 10 rebounds, knocking down four 3-pointers and delivering repeatedly in the game’s biggest moments. Johnson added 14 points for Tri-Valley, while Carl chipped in nine points and 10 rebounds. Miller contributed seven assists and six points, and Porter grabbed 16 rebounds while scoring eight.

Schuylkill Haven was led by Evans and Justin Watcher with 18 points, while Diehl scored 15. Heim added 13 as the Hurricanes placed four players in double figures.

“I thought Tri-Valley’s offensive rebounding hurt us,” Schuylkill Haven coach Fran Murphy said. “In the first half, they got us on their breaks a little bit. We did a much better job in the second half. I’m not sure if it was rebounding or turnovers — we had 11, they had 12 — but they shot 15 free throws and we only shot five. That was a problem. I’d have to go back and watch the film, but that’s a big difference right there.”

Game Summary

Tri-Valley 77, Schuylkill Haven 76

SCHUYLKILL HAVEN (76) — Evans 6 2-2 18, Diehl 6 0-0 15, Kelly 5 0-0 12, Watcher 7 2-3 18, Heim 6 0-0 13, Lucas 0 0-0 0. Totals 30 4-5 76. 

TRI-VALLEY (77) — Carl 4 1-1 9, Miller 2 2-4 6, Porter 3 2-4 8, Johnson 5 2-3 14, Doyle 13 2-3 32, Klock 4 0-0 8. Totals 31 9-15 77.

3-point FGs: Johnson 2, Doyle 4, Evans 4, Diehl 3, Kelly 2, Watcher 2, Heim

Officials: Rizzo, Groody, Senunas

JV Score: Schuylkill Haven 48-44