HS Boys’ Hoops Roundup: Minersville, Schuylkill Haven, Tri-Valley, Pottsville notch league wins
Minersville's Shazier Bethea (middle) rises up to defend a shot by Blue Mountain's Cohen Kirby (10). Also pictured is Shane Fessler (4) for the Battlin' Miners (Photo by Kelly Wiley).
MINERSVILLE — Shazier Bethea took control early and Minersville did the rest.
Bethea collected a game-high 24 points, nine rebounds and six assists as the Battlin’ Miners held off Blue Mountain 55-49 in a physical Schuylkill League Division I boys’ basketball battle Friday night at the Thomas Fitpatrick Gymnasium
Minersville set the tone in the opening quarter, racing out to a 19-6 lead as Bethea’s aggressive drives and strong interior play. Chase Zimerofsky and Bethea each had six points on the first frame.
Blue Mountain settled in during the middle quarters, trimming the deficit with balanced scoring and defensive pressure, but the Miners never surrendered control.
Zimerofsky totaled 13 points and Jordan Bowers chipped in 10 for Minersville. Bethea’s work on both ends proved decisive as the Miners answered every Blue Mountain push down the stretch.
Tyierre Meade led Blue Mountain with 13 points, while Cohen Kirby added 12 and Beck Henninger finished with 11.
BLUE MOUNTAIN (49) — Meade 5 1-3 13, Setlock 3 0-0 8, Kirby 4 4-6 12, Pritiskutch 0 0-0 0, Werner 0 0-0 0, Henninger 3 4-4 11, Wargo 0 0-0 0, Gaddy 2 0-0 5. Totals 17 9-13 49.
MINERSVILLE (55) — Adams 0 0-0 0, Rogers 1 2-4 5, Zimerofsky 5 0-0 13, Fessler 0 0-0 0, Bethea 9 4-5 24, Bowers 2 5-6 10, Plesnarski 1 0-0 3. Totals 18 11-15 55.
| Team | 1Q | 2Q | 3Q | 4Q | Final |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BM (9-7, 5-4) | 6 | 15 | 14 | 14 | 49 |
| Min (14-1, 9-1) | 19 | 10 | 14 | 12 | 55 |
3-point FGs: Meade 2, Setlock 2, Henninger, Gaddy,
Officials: Towle, Ruminski, Dennis
JV Score: Blue Mountain 56-18
Schuylkill Haven 75, Weatherly 65
SCHUYLKILL HAVEN — Justin Watcher powered a balanced offensive effort with a team-high 23 points as Schuylkill Haven pulled away from Weatherly Division II action.
Max Heim and Brady Kelly both chipped in 19 points as the Hurricanes built an early lead and matched Weatherly shot for shot in the second half.
Ian McKeegan led all scorers with 27 points for Weatherly, while Niko Saldukas added 16.
WEATHERLY (65) — Adler 3 2-2 9, Kokinda 0 2-2 2, McKeegan 12 2-2 27, Cuddeford 0 0-0 0, Saldukas 5 3-3 16, Davis 1 1-2 3, Brown 0 0-0 0, Wagner 2 3-4 8. Totals 23 13-15 65.
SCHUYLKILL HAVEN (75) — Evans 2 6-8 12, Diehl 1 0-0 2, Kelly 9 1-2 19, Watcher 10 3-3 23, Heim 7 4-7 19, Lucas 0 0-0 0. Totals 29 14-20 75.
| Team | 1Q | 2Q | 3Q | 4Q | Final |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wea (8-6, 3-6) | 6 | 16 | 20 | 23 | 65 |
| SH (12-4, 6-3) | 20 | 12 | 20 | 23 | 75 |
3-point FGs: Evans 2, Heim, Adler, McKeegan, Saldukas 3, Wagner
Officials: Karinch, Burke, Gerald Misstishin
North Schuylkill 53, Pine Grove 38
PINE GROVE — Julian Nelson delivered a steady performance, dropping a game-high 16 as North Schuylkill earned a Division I victory over Pine Grove.
Dylan Cairo added 11 and the Spartans used a strong first half to seize control. North Schuylkill led 31-14 at halftime and never looked back.
Teagan Schneck-Haines paced Pine Grove with 10 points.
NORTH SCHUYLKILL (53) — Cairo 2 6-6 11, Damiter 3 0-0 8, Maziekas 3 0-0 8, Wall 0 0-0 0, Mengel 0 1-8 1, Kacilowicz 2 0-1 4, Kronkowski 0 0-0 0, Bani 0 0-0 0, Nelson 4 6-12 16, McNally 2 2-5 6, Cabral 0 0-0 0, Gallagher 0 1-2 1, Osenbach 0 0-0 0, Hannon 0 0-0 0. Totals 16 16-35 53.
PINE GROVE (38) — Hitz 0 0-0 0, Smeltz 0 0-0 0, Fairell 1 0-0 2, Hannevig 2 0-2 6, Kimmel 0 1-2 1, Witmer 1 0-2 2, Schneck-Haines 3 1-2 10, Herber 1 2-2 4, Felty 2 2-5 7, Kolb 2 0-4 4, Snyder 1 0-0 2, Shanahan 0 0-0 0. Totals 14 6-19 38.
| Team | 1Q | 2Q | 3Q | 4Q | Final |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NS (9-6, 5-4) | 15 | 16 | 8 | 14 | 53 |
| PG (6-12, 2-8) | 5 | 9 | 15 | 9 | 38 |
3-point FGs: Cairo, Maziekas 2, Nelson 2, Schneck-Haines 3, Felty
Officials: Melusky, Lutzick, Houser
Pottsville 67, Tamaqua 41
TAMAQUA — Davey Kunstek and Christian Alvarez each totaled 15 points as Pottsville rolled past Tamaqua in a Division I game.
Alvarez and Kunstek powered the Crimson Tide to break the game open with a 23-point third quarter. Chris Hobbs and Colin McGinley added eight points.
Jakin Tamagini led Tamaqua with 16 points, while Terrance McDowell added nine.
POTTSVILLE (67) — Hobbs 3 0-0 8, McGinley 3 0-0 8, Allen 2 2-3 6, Herndon 1 0-0 2, Bainbridge 0 0-2 0, Leskin 1 0-0 3, Alvarez 6 3-5 15, Bowers 3 0-0 9, Kunstek 7 1-1 15, Clews 0 1-2 1, Kimber 0 0-0 0. Totals 26 7-13 67.
TAMAQUA (41) — McDowell 3 3-4 9, McCabe 0 0-0 0, Edmonds 1 2-2 5, Schickram 0 1-4 1, Shannon 0 0-0 0, Frohnheiser 2 0-2 4, Wargo 1 0-0 3, Makovec 0 0-0 0, Tamagini 7 1-1 16, Broadway 0 0-0 0, Lare 1 0-0 3. Totals 15 7-13 41.
| Team | 1Q | 2Q | 3Q | 4Q | Final |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Po (13-3, 9-0) | 11 | 13 | 23 | 20 | 67 |
| Tam (2-13, 2-7) | 7 | 8 | 13 | 13 | 41 |
3-point FGs: Bowers 3, Hobbs 2, McGinley 2, Leskin, Edmonds, Wargo, Tamagini, Lare
Officials: Scheeler
JV Score: Tie 45-45
Tri-Valley 79, Lourdes 39
HEGINS — Braeden Doyle set the tone collecting a game-high 29 points as Tri-Valley overwhelmed Lourdes in Division II action.
Gavin Klock chipped in 13 points and Kingsley Johnson finished with 14 as the Dawgs jumped out to a 27-12 first-quarter lead and never slowed down.
Gaven Renn led Lourdes with seven points.
LOURDES (39) — Scicchitano 5 0-0 10, G. Renn 3 0-0 7, B. Rishel 2 0-4 4, Moore 2 0-0 5, J. Rishel 4 0-0 8, Williams 1 0-0 2, Sheganoski 0 0-0 0, B. Renn 1 0-0 3. Totals 18 3-4 39.
TRI-VALLEY (79) — Carl 4 2-4 10, Miller 1 0-0 2, Porter 5 1-2 11, Johnson 6 1-2 14, Doyle 10 7-9 29, Klock 5 2-2 13, Clemmer 0 0-0 0, C. Troutman 0 0-0 0, T. Troutman 0 0-0 0, Olmos 0 0-0 0. Totals 31 13-19 79.
| Team | 1Q | 2Q | 3Q | 4Q | Final |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lou (8-7, 3-6) | 12 | 9 | 11 | 8 | 39 |
| TV (15-1, 9-0) | 27 | 23 | 22 | 7 | 79 |
3-point FGs: G. Renn, J. Rishel, B. Renn, Johnson, Doyle 2, Klock
Officials: Shober, O’Donnell, James Misstishin
Williams Valley 48, Shenandoah Valley 36
TOWER CITY — Gabe Rodriguez paced a Williams Valley as the Vikings topped Shenandoah Valley in Division II play.
Chris Dickerson added eight and the Vikings used a strong second half to pull away.
David Burrous led Shenandoah Valley with 13 points.
SHENANDOAH VALLEY (36) — Reyes 2 0-0 5, Rivera 2 0-0 4, Nunez 0 0-3 0, Gonzalez 1 0-0 3, Burrous 3 5-6 13, B Hernandez 2 0-0 6, Christopher 0 0-0 0, Bench 2 0-2 5. Totals 12 5-10 36.
WILLIAMS VALLEY (48) — Rodriguez 7 0-0 16, Dickerson 3 0-0 8, Rautzahn 0 0-0 0, Achenbach 4 1-2 9, Kandybowski 3 1-2 7, B. Zilinski 1 2-2 4, K. Zilinski 1 2-3 4. Totals 19 6-9 48.
| Team | 1Q | 2Q | 3Q | 4Q | Final |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SV (2-14, 0-9) | 12 | 10 | 5 | 9 | 36 |
| WV (8-7, 5-4) | 8 | 13 | 14 | 13 | 48 |
3-point FGs: Reyes, Gonzalez, Burrous 2, B. Hernandez 2, Bench, Rodriguez 2, Dickerson 2
JV Score: Shenandoah Valley 39-34
Panther Valley 65, Mahanoy Area 51
MAHANOY CITY — Danny Wehr powered Panther Valley and led all scorers with 19 points as the Panthers defeated Mahanoy Area in a Division I matchup.
Brody Breiner added 14 points and Chase McArdle collected 10 as the Panthers built an early lead and controlled the tempo throughout.
Nico Dicasimirro led Mahanoy Area with 15 points, while Ryan Zilker chipped in 12.
PANTHER VALLEY (65) — Moyer 3 0-0 7, Crampsie 0 0-0 0, McArdle 3 4-6 10, Breiner 4 5-9 14, Mitchell 1 0-0 2, Revell 0 0-0 0, Wehr 8 1-2 19, Baneravage 3 0-0 7, Thomas 3 0-2 6, Maynard 0 0-0 0, Williams 0 0-0 0. Totals 25 10-19 65.
MAHANOY AREA (51) — Gallagher 1 0-0 3, Bowman 5 2-3 14, Perez 0 0-0 0, Wagner 0 0-0 0, Dicasimirro 3 4-4 15, Lebby 0 0-0 0, Cedenio 0 0-0 0, Smith 1 2-3 5, Corona 0 0-0 0, Byrne 1 0-0 2, Zilker 6 0-0 12. Totals 18 8-10 51.
| Team | 1Q | 2Q | 3Q | 4Q | Final |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PV (6-9, 2-7) | 22 | 14 | 13 | 14 | 65 |
| Mah (5-10, 3-6) | 16 | 12 | 16 | 7 | 51 |
