|
|
Number
|
Player
|
Points
|
|
21
|
Brandon Bridy
|
|
|
3
|
Travis Blankenhorn
|
|
|
25
|
Ryan Coyle
|
199
|
|
|
Bobby Witman
|
|
|
40
|
Zach Wile
|
|
|
|
Jordan Melochick
|
|
|
23
|
Eli Nabholz
|
|
|
|
John Toomey
|
|
|
|
Connor Hinchliffe
|
|
|
5
|
Jake Plachko
|
|
|
2
|
Ty Painter
|
|
|
|
Mike Kuperavage
|
|
|
|
Tyler Moser
|
|
|
|
Jed Dunkel
|
|
|
|
Danny Doyle
|
|
|
|
Dylan VanBuskirk
|
0
|
|
|
Pat Coyle
|
0
|
|
|
Kevin Hampford
|
0
|
|
|
Daymarr Jackson
|
0
|
|
|
Derek Shuman
|
0
|
|
|
Kyle Shuman
|
0
|
|
|
AJ Stevens
|
0
|
|
|
Jake Guzick
|
|
 |
| 2012-2013 |
Coach Mullaney | | 21 Wins | | 6 Losses | | | | |
| | | |
| | | |
| Team | Ty | Travis | Tyler | Jake | Bobby | Danny | Brandon | John | Eli | Ryan | Connor | Mike | Zach | Jordan | Jed | |
Opponents |
W/L |
| | Painter |
Blankenhorn | Moser | Plachko | Witman | Doyle | Bridy | Toomey |
Nabholz | Coyle | Hinchliffe | Kuperavage | Wile | Melochick |
Dunkel | Totals | | | | Danville Ironmen | 0 | 14 | | | 3 |
| 18 | 0 | | 1 | 0 |
| 4 | 5 | | 45 | 46 |
L | | Wilson Bulldogs | 0 | 11 |
| 0 | 2 | | 12 | 0 |
| 10 | | | 5 | 5 |
| 45 | 56 | L | | Governor Mifflin | 0 | 16 | | 0 | 2 |
0 | 18 | 2 | | 17 | 0 |
0 | 2 | 7 | | 64 | 40 |
W | | Williamsport | 0 | 13 |
| | 0 | | 15 | 0 |
| 4 | | | 5 | 0 |
| 37 | 45 | L | | Pine Grove Cardinals | 2 | 12 | | 6 | 2 |
0 | 21 | 2 | | 3 | 3 |
0 | 3 | 8 | | 62 | 21 |
W | | Shamokin Indians | 4 | 11 |
| 2 | 0 | 0 | 18 | 4 |
| 10 | 3 | 2 | 8 | 3 |
| 65 | 26 | W | | Nativity Green Wave | 2 | 15 | | 3 | 6 |
0 | 8 | 0 | | 15 | 3 |
0 | 0 | 4 | | 56 | 27 |
W | | Pocono Mountain West | | |
| 0 | 4 | 0 | 7 | 0 |
| 3 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 0 |
| 26 | 47 | L | | Tamaqua Blue Raiders | 0 | | | 0 | 7 |
0 | 19 | 0 | | 16 | 0 |
0 | 2 | 2 | | 46 | 25 |
W | | Blue Mountain Eagles | 0 | |
| | 2 | | 16 | 0 |
| 10 | | | 8 | 7 |
| 43 | 33 | W | | Hamburg Hawks | 0 | | 3 | 0 | 10 |
0 | 12 | 3 | | 11 | 3 |
3 | 10 | 2 | | 57 | 25 |
W | | North Schuylkill Spartans | 4 | |
| 0 | 7 | 0 | 20 | 0 |
| 8 | 0 | | 6 | 5 |
| 50 | 31 | W | | Panther Valley Panthers | 1 | | 2 | 0 | 6 | 0 |
18 | 2 | | 13 | 0 | 3 |
3 | 11 | | 59 | 31 | W |
| Jim Thorpe | 0 |
13 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 19 |
2 | | 4 | 2 | 3 | 9 |
4 | | 63 | 34 | W | | Muhlenberg Mules | 0 | 24 | 0 | 0 |
5 | 0 | 14 | 6 | | 5 |
0 | | 0 | | | 54 |
46 | W | | Pine Grove
Cardinals | 2 |
14 | | 5 | 8 | | 17 |
0 | 15 | 7 | 0 | | 3 |
| | 71 | 37 | W | | Tamaqua Blue Raiders | 0 | 8 | 0 | 0 |
5 | 0 | 29 | 0 | 4 | 7 |
0 | 0 | 4 | 2 | | 59 |
42 | W | | Blue Mountain
Eagles | 0 |
13 | | | 3 | | 17 |
0 | 2 | 8 | | | 1 |
2 | | 46 | 39 | W | | North Schuylkill Spartans | 0 | 15 | 0 | 2 |
6 | 2 | 10 | 0 | | 0 |
3 | 0 | 8 | 4 | 2 | 52 |
32 | W | | Emmaus Hornets |
| 17 | | | 12 | |
11 | 0 | | 8 | | |
0 | 2 | | 50 | 45 | W |
| Panther Valley Panthers | 0 | 11 |
0 | 0 | 13 | 1 | 17 | 2 |
| 11 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 8 |
2 | 73 | 41 | W | | Jim Thorpe | 0 | 8 | 2 | 2 |
9 | 0 | 24 | 0 | | 11 |
5 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 65 |
33 | W | | Williams
Valley Vikings | 0 |
13 | | 0 | 0 | 0 | 18 |
0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | | 7 |
2 | | 45 | 27 | W | | Mahanoy Area Bears | 0 | 8 | | 0 |
1 | | 18 | 0 | 3 | 1 |
| | 0 | 4 | | 35 |
21 | W | | Lehighton
Indians | 3 |
10 | | | 2 | 0 | 14 |
2 | 1 | 18 | 0 | | 0 |
8 | 1 | 59 | 30 | W | | Bethlehem Catholic | | 21 | | |
2 | | 12 | 0 | 9 | 3 |
| | 0 | 3 | | 50 |
56 | L | | Salisbury |
| 20 | | | 2 | |
6 | | 6 | 2 | | |
0 | 3 | | 39 | 45 | L |
| | |
| | | | | |
| | | | | |
| | | | | | Totals | 18 | 287 | 7 |
20 | 126 | 3 | 428 | 25 | 40 |
211 | 22 | 13 | 110 | 101 | 5 |
1416 | 981 | |
| Season PPG Average |
0.78 | 13.67 | 1.00 | 1.11 | 4.67 | 0.18 |
15.85 | 0.96 | 5.00 | 7.81 | 1.16 | 0.87 |
4.07 | 4.04 | 1.00 | 59.00 | 36.33 | |
| | | | |
| | | | |
| | | | |
| | | | |
| Crimson Tide PPG | | 52.44 | | Crimson Tide | | 21 Wins |
6 Losses | | Did Not Play In Game |
| Schuylkill League Semi-Finals | District XI AAA Semi-Finals | |
| | | Opponents PPG | | 36.33 | |
| | | | |
| | Schuylkill League
Championship | District XI AAA-Play-In |
| | | | |
| | | | |
| | | High
For Season | | District XI AAA-Quarter-Finals | | | | |
|
Final Stats For
2012-2013 Season
| Roster
Overview | GP | GS | FG - FGA (FG%) | 2P - 2PA (2P%) | 3P - 3PA (3P%) | FT - FTA (FT%) | OR - DR | AST | STL | TO | BLK | PF | Pts | | 11 Bobby Witman | 27 | 27 | 45 - 85 (0.53) | 45 - 84 (0.54) | 0 - 1 (0.00) | 31
- 48 (0.65) | 45 - 79 | 22 | 22 | 26 | 38 | 62 | 121 | | 21 Brandon Bridy | 27 | 27 | 159 - 338 (0.47) | 145 - 286 (0.51) | 14 - 52 (0.27) | 79 - 107 (0.74) | 47 - 80 | 56 | 52 | 62 | 5 | 36 | 411 | | 30 Connor Hichliffe | 26 | 0 | 8 - 29 (0.28) | 2 - 8 (0.25) | 6
- 21 (0.29) | - | 3 - 15 | 4 | 1 | 7 | 1 | 9 | 22 | | 15
Danny Doyle | 26 | 0 | 1 - 14 (0.07) | 1 - 10 (0.10) | 0 - 4 (0.00) | 1 - 2 (0.50) | 2 - 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | - | 3 | 3 | | 23 Eli Nabholz | 13 | 0 | 15 - 31 (0.48) | 6 - 13 (0.46) | 9
- 18 (0.50) | 6 - 10 (0.60) | 8 - 10 | 10 | 5 | 6 | 3 | 12 | 45 | | 5 Jake
Plachko | 27 | 0 | 9 - 34 (0.26) | 5 - 12 (0.42) | 4 - 22 (0.18) | 0 - 1 (0.00) | 6 - 8 | 12 | 10 | 11 | 2 | 10 | 22 | | 13 Jed Dunkel | 4 | 0 | - | - | - | 1 - 2 (0.50) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 1 | | 22 John Toomey | 27 | 0 | 14 - 31 (0.45) | 14 - 29 (0.48) | 0 - 2 (0.00) | 1 - 6 (0.17) | 16 - 20 | 21 | 8 | 23 | 1 | 30 | 29 | | 45 Jordan Melochick | 25 | 6 | 40 - 84 (0.48) | 40 - 77 (0.52) | 0
- 7 (0.00) | 19 - 32 (0.59) | 11 - 33 | 22 | 18 | 17 | 5 | 35 | 99 | | 35
Mike Kuperavage | 26 | 0 | 6 - 12 (0.50) | 2 - 5 (0.40) | 4 - 7 (0.57) | - | 3 - 9 | 2 | 2 | 4 | - | 2 | 16 | | unknown | 27 | 0 | 4 - 5 (0.80) | 4 - 4 (1.00) | 0
- 1 (0.00) | - | 0 - 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | - | 14 | 8 | | 25
Ryan Coyle | 27 | 27 | 70 - 160 (0.44) | 43 - 76 (0.57) | 27 - 84 (0.32) | 36 - 51 (0.71) | 17 - 59 | 59 | 38 | 44 | 1 | 58 | 203 | | 3 Travis Blankenhorn | 21 | 21 | 95 - 222 (0.43) | 45 - 89 (0.51) | 50
- 133 (0.38) | 27 - 39 (0.69) | 20 - 61 | 35 | 18 | 22 | 5 | 38 | 267 | | 2
Ty Painter | 25 | 0 | 4 - 12 (0.33) | 3 - 7 (0.43) | 1 - 5 (0.20) | 8 - 16 (0.50) | 4 - 15 | 10 | 11 | 13 | 1 | 10 | 17 | | 4 Tyler Moser | 17 | 0 | 2 - 5 (0.40) | 1 - 4 (0.25) | 1
- 1 (1.00) | 2 - 2 (1.00) | 1 - 1 | 1 | - | 1 | - | - | 7 | | 40
Zach Wile | 27 | 27 | 37 - 117 (0.32) | 25 - 68 (0.37) | 12 - 49 (0.24) | 16 - 25 (0.64) | 21 - 81 | 52 | 29 | 29 | 10 | 31 | 102 |
Salisbury ends Pottsville's season by anthony burkhart (staff writer aburkhart@ republicanherald.com) Published: March 1, 2013 ORWIGSBURG - When the calendar turns to March, uncharacteristic mistakes become glaring errors for a playoff basketball
team. The repercussions are enormous. So was the case Friday night as Pottsville's
slew of fourth-quarter errors ultimately cost the Crimson Tide their season in a 45-39 loss to Salisbury in a tightly contested,
back-and-forth District 11 Class AAA consolation game at Blue Mountain High School. In
a win-or-go-home matchup that had a PIAA Tournament berth on the line, Pottsville and Salisbury exchanged the lead 12 times
in what amounted to a see-saw affair. When it mattered most, the Crimson Tide
committed seven fourth-quarter turnovers. Salisbury slowly sneaked away, jumping off the hypothetical playground ride that
sent the top-seeded Crimson Tide's season crashing to the ground. No. 6 seed
Salisbury (18-8) advances to the state tournament and will take on District 2 runner-up Wilkes-Barre GAR in the first round
next Friday. Pottsville's season is fin- ished. For the second straight season, the Crimson Tide (21-6) miss out on the state tournament. "We didn't play well and we made mistakes we hadn't made all season. I don't know how else to say it,"
Pottsville coach Dave Mullaney said. "Salisbury is a good, well-coached team and defends well. We saw that tonight." Salisbury's defense forced most of the mistakes, but others - balls dribbled off a foot, 3-second violations - were
little mistakes by Pottsville that eventually added up. "Those turnovers
in the fourth quarter weren't even mistakes we made throughout the rest of the game," Mullaney said. "I don't know
how to explain it." Travis Blankenhorn scored a game-high 20 points for
the Tide, including four 3-pointers. But there was little offensive production outside of the sophomore. Senior Brandon Bridy was blanketed all night and held to six points on 3-of-13 shooting. Pottsville shot 13-for-41
(32 percent) as a team. "This is a difficult one for us, especially all
of our seniors for it to end like this," Bridy said. "Give Salisbury credit for their defense. It was difficult
for us to get anything going except for (Blankenhorn)." Both teams traded
buckets much of the first half as the lead changed hands six times. Blankenhorn hit a corner 3-pointer at the second-quarter
buzzer to give the Tide a 22-21 lead at the break. The third quarter was much
of the same. Eli Nabholz nailed a trey to give Pottsville a 25-24 lead with five minutes remaining in the quarter. The next
trip down the floor, the Falcons took back the lead on a Justin Aungst layup. The
back-and-forth play continued over the final minutes and the teams finished the third quarter knotted at 33. Salisbury opened the fourth quarter on a 6-0 run. Blankenhorn hit his final 3-pointer to cut the lead to 39-36 with
4:09 remaining, but that's as close as the Tide would get. Mistakes led to turnovers,
turnovers led to fouling. The Falcons shot 16 free throws in the fourth quarter and hit half of them to seal the victory in
the final minutes. Aungst led the Falcons with 12 points while teammate Austin
Uhl added 11, including going 7-for-12 from the line and 4-for-8 in the fourth quarter. "I watched five or six games of Pottsville and I'm so impressed with their physicality," Salisbury coach
Jason Weaver said. "I'm very proud of our defense and what we did tonight against a squad like that. Holding a player
like Bridy to six points is no easy feat." This season was the first in
Class AAA for Pottsville since competing in AAAA the last two seasons. The Tide earned the No. 1 seed for the district tournament,
but Mullaney said that provided no added pressure and failing to get to states doesn't make the season unsuccessful. Pottsville's seniors leave the program having guided the Crimson Tide to four straight Schuylkill League titles.
"I think this season was a huge success and I'm very proud of what we've
accomplished," Mullaney said. "With the schedule we played and winning another Schuylkill League title, I would
categorize it as a huge success. These seniors can be proud and we'll definitely miss them." Game Summary District 11 Class AAA Consolation At Blue Mountain SALISBURY (45) - Cooperman 3 1-1 7, Brown 1 1-2 4, B. Reichenbach 1 0-0 3, D. Reichenbach 1 0-1 3, Vangeli 1 1-2
3, Aungst 6 2-3 14, Uhl 2 7-12 11. Totals 15 12-21 45. POTTSVILLE (39) - Blankenhorn
8 0-0 20, Witman 1 0-0 2, Bridy 2 2-2 6, Nabholz 2 0-0 6, Coyle 0 2-4 2, Wile 0 0-0 0, Melochick 0 3-6 3. Totals 13 7-12 39. 3-point FGs: Brown, B. Reichenbach, D. Reichenbach, Blankenhorn 4, Nabholz 2
Bethlehem Catholic surges past Pottsville by leroy boyer (sportS editor lboyer@republicanherald.com) Published:
February 26, 2013 ORWIGSBURG
- For the first seven minutes, everything went Pottsville's way. The Crimson
Tide buried four 3-pointers. They controlled the tempo. They patiently worked for an open shot on offense, then converted
it. They controlled the paint. They prevented second-chance opportunities. Unfortunately
for Pottsville, the Tide couldn't maintain that level of play. In the second
half, Bethlehem Catholic took advantage. The Golden Hawks overcame a 15-point,
first-half deficit to surge past Pottsville 56-50 in a District 11 Class AAA boys' basketball semifinal at Blue Mountain High
School. Freddie Simmons Jr. scored 14 of his team-high 18 points in the second
half and Justin Lenzer drained two huge fourth-quarter 3-pointers as Bethlehem Catholic advanced to Friday's championship
game against Allentown Central Catholic, a 62-48 winner over Salisbury. The loss
doesn't eliminate Pottsville, as the Crimson Tide will play Salisbury in the District 11 Class AAA consolation game Friday
at a site and time to be determined for the right to advance to the PIAA playoffs. "I
thought we were well prepared," Pottsville coach Dave Mullaney said. "A shot here, a shot there, a rebound here,
a rebound there, maybe things are different. "We're happy to be still alive,
and maybe we can get a win Friday and move on to states." The Crimson Tide
dominated all facets of the game in the first quarter. Offensively, Pottsville
exposed a mismatch by posting Travis Blankenhorn underneath, which led to several easy baskets in the Tide's Princeton offense. When the Hawks shifted their defense, Pottsville went to the perimeter, shooting 4-of-7 from 3-point range. Blankenhorn
scored 10 of his game-high 21 points in the first quarter, while Ryan Coyle and Eli Nabholz each connected on 3-pointers. With 56 seconds left in the opening frame, Pottsville led 21-6. "We
had an advantage in the post at times, and we got some easy baskets under there, and our shots were falling from the outside,"
Mullaney said. "I think that was great, but I also think throughout the rest of the game that kind of led us to take
a little too quick of a shot, and that's uncharacteristic of us." Pottsville
shot 8-for-13 from the floor in the first quarter, but just 11-for-40 over the final three frames. "We had good looks the entire game," Mullaney continued. "We had some really good looks, and our guys
ran our sets well. Then our shots didn't fall. And against a quality team like that, you can't do that for three quarters." Bethlehem Catholic slowly crawled back in it, getting 6-foot-11 center Matt Husek more involved in the offense. Husek,
who finished with 15 points, 13 rebounds and three blocked shots, became a force on the defensive end while the Hawks picked
up the tempo. Bethlehem Catholic used a 13-2 run in the first half to trim Pottsville's
lead to 29-23 at halftime. "We made a couple of quick halftime adjustments,"
Bethlehem Catholic coach Michael Frew said. "We wanted to pressure them, force tempo, and those things started to go
in our favor and give us a little bit of momentum as the game went on." Pottsville
extended its lead to 38-28 with 2:44 left in the third quarter on a 3-pointer by Nabholz and two spinning moves in the lane
by Brandon Bridy, who finished with 12 points. Bethlehem Catholic got more aggressive
offensively, taking the ball to the rim and crashing the boards offensively. That led to a bevy of free-throw opportunities,
as the Hawks shot 15-for-21 from the foul line in the second half. Husek and
Simmons led the charge, combining for 12 points - eight on free throws - in a 14-0 run that gave Bethlehem Catholic a 42-38
lead with 7 minutes left. After shooting 1-for-12 from the field in the first
half, Simmons scored 10 points in the third quarter. "He's extremely talented,
and we knew that coming in," Mullaney said. "We had the best defender that we've ever had here guarding him (Bridy),
and at times he struggled with him. He was able to get to the basket. "(Husek)
hurt us in the first half, and (Simmons) killed us in the second half." The
teams battled back and forth over the next 5 minutes, with Pottsville taking a 47-46 lead on two free throws by Bobby Witman
with 2:33 left. Lenzer then drained back-to-back 3-pointers, the first off an
offensive rebound, to put Bethlehem Catholic ahead to stay. Lenzer finished with
12 points, while Simmons collected 12 rebounds. "Offensive rebounds hurt
us all night," Mullaney said. "We knew coming out of halftime that if we didn't secure those, it was going to be
our downfall, and it was."
| Rank | School | W | L | T | | 1*** | Pottsville Area | 20 | 4 | 0 | 0.720424 | | 2 | Allentown Central Catholic | 20 | 2 | 0 | 0.810073 | | 3 | Wilson Area | 21 | 1 | 0 | 0.764428 | | 4 | Blue Mountain | 18 | 4 | 0 | 0.688751 | | 5 | Bethlehem
Catholic | 11 | 10 | 0 | 0.657998 | | 6 | Salisbury Township | 15 | 7 | 0 | 0.646089 | | 7 | Northern Lehigh | 14 | 8 | 0 | 0.589869 | | 8 | Southern Lehigh | 11 | 11 | 0 | 0.543142 | | 9 | Lehighton
Area | 11 | 11 | 0 | 0.541592 | | 10 | Tamaqua Area | 13 | 9 | 0 | 0.537034 | | 11 | Palisades | 9 | 13 | 0 | 0.468030 | | 12 | Saucon
Valley | 7 | 15 | 0 | 0.428387 | | 13 | Northwestern Lehigh | 7 | 15 | 0 | 0.414982 | | 14 | Panther
Valley | 6 | 16 | 0 | 0.356199 | | 15 | Jim Thorpe Area | 3 | 19 | 0 | 0.330151 | | 16 | Palmerton
Area | 1 | 21 | 0 | 0.261927 | | | All Teams In Green Make Districts | | | | |
Crimson Tide hammer Lehighton in
AAA quarterfinalby anthony burkhart (staff writer aburkhart@republicanherald.com) Published: February 22, 2013 ORWIGSBURG - When
Pottsville was sluggish out of the gate in Friday's District 11 Class AAA boys' quarterfinal game, Ryan Coyle's hot hand kept
the Crimson Tide neck-and-neck with Lehighton. The Tide offense and defense eventually improved, and when Pottsville
had a chance to put away the Indians for good in the third quarter, Coyle's hot hand was there again, this time to bury Lehighton. Coyle
drained a career-high five 3-pointers - two in the first quarter and three in the third - scoring a season-high 18 points
as top-seeded Pottsville cruised to a 59-30 win over Lehighton at Blue Mountain High School. Pottsville (21-4) will
take on No. 5 Bethlehem Catholic in Tuesday's semifinal, a 7:30 p.m. matchup at Blue Mountain. The Golden Hawks defeated No.
4 Blue Mountain 54-40. Early on, the Tide missed seven of their first eight shots. It was Coyle's second 3-pointer with
1:20 left in the quarter that jump-started a 7-0 run over the final 80 seconds that turned momentum in Pottsville's favor. From
there the Tide's defense was tighter; the offense was smoother. Things ran as they should for a No. 1 seed. "I
felt like my shot was on tonight, and I got a lot of clean looks," said Coyle, who was 5-for-5 from the floor. "It
took us a little bit of time at the beginning to get settled, and I'm glad I could knock down a couple of those 3s to
keep us in it early on." Pottsville's defense kicked in during the second quarter, limiting Lehighton (12-12) to
just three points and zero field goals on 0-for-4 shooting. Lehighton committed seven turnovers in the quarter. Pottsville
ultimately held Lehighton to 18 points through three quarters of play. "Our kids are pretty good defenders and
that's the style we've played all year," Pottsville coach Dave Mullaney said. "That's what we expect to do and that's
one part of the game we know is going to be consistent. Tonight that kept us in it early on." Pottsville built
a 25-10 halftime lead before outscoring the Indians 20-8 in the third quarter behind Coyle's three 3-pointers. "He's
a very good shooter and he's always capable of something like that," Mullaney said of Coyle. "He got a lot of looks
tonight when (Lehighton) would focus on (Brandon) Bridy or (Travis) Blankenhorn. Give him credit, he took advantage of what
they gave him." Bridy scored 14 points, while Blankenhorn added 10. Pottsville had the game on cruise control
the rest of the way, but that was never reflected in the intensity of play. Several injury timeouts and two intentional
fouls littered the second half as both teams went at each other - on the floor and in the stands. Finally, with 5:11
left in the game, Schuylkill League president and District 11 committee member Carl McBreen called both coaches to center
court to calm things down after a hard foul on Coyle. "I'll say this, Lehighton kept fighting and they weren't
going to give up," Mullaney said. "To be honest, I think we frustrated them and sometimes things happen. I saw two
teams playing hard." Lehighton never did give up and continued to foul the Tide to the very end despite trailing
by nearly 30 points, which drew the ire of the Pottsville crowd. If this was a preview for a game atmosphere when Lehighton
joins the Schuylkill League in the 2014-15 season, there will be some raucous meetings. "I'm sure there will be
some matchups again that have this intensity the whole way through," Mullaney said. "When they do get in the league
they're going to be a tough team. "We fought hard tonight and stayed focused at the task at hand. Now we can move
on to the next one and put our focus there."
Game Summary District 11 Class AAA Boys' Quarterfinal
At Blue Mountain LEHIGHTON (30) - Rossino 2 0-0 4, Farano 0 3-4 3, Crum 3 3-4 9, Williams 1 1-2 4, McCandless 1 1-2
3, K. Knappenberger 0 0-0 0, Skrincosky 0 0-0 0, J. Knappensberger 2 0-0 5, Mele 1 0-0 2. Totals 10 8-14 30. POTTSVILLE
(59) - Painter 0 3-6 3, Blankenhorn 4 0-0 10, Witman 1 0-1 2, Bridy 4 6-7 14, Toomey 1 0-0 2, Nabholz 0 1-4 1, Coyle 5 3-6
18, Wile 0 0-0 0, Melochick 3 2-2 8, Dunkel 0 1-2 1. Totals 18 16-28 59. 3-point FGs: Williams, J. Knappensberger, Coyle
5, Blankenhorn
Bridy gets offensive in Tide's win over Golden Bearsby
leroy boyer (sports editor lboyer@republicanherald.com) Published:
February 16, 2013
First, there was a soft jumper
from just inside the foul line. Nothing but net. Then came a steal and a coast-to-coast drive for a layup. Up and in. Late
in the first quarter, a 3-pointer from the top of the key. Swish. A spin move
for a bucket ... another spin move to a hook shot. Both good. Finally, a driving,
off-balance, fall-away shot from the right wing with two defenders in his face that kissed off the glass and went in. If Friday's Schuylkill League boys' basketball championship game was a game of H-O-R-S-E, Pottsville's Brandon Bridy
would have had Mahanoy Area saddled up by the middle of the second quarter. The
Crimson Tide senior put on an impressive offensive display in the first half at Martz Hall, scoring 13 of his game-high 18
points to propel Pottsville to a 35-21 victory over the Golden Bears. The scoring
outburst helped the Tide to a 23-9 halftime lead as Pottsville captured its fourth straight Schuylkill League boys' crown. The victory, coupled with Bangor's 51-47 OT win over Wilson in the Colonial League final, gives the Tide the
top seed in the upcoming District 11 Class AAA playoffs. "I try to score
a variety of ways," Bridy said. "Turn to the basket and shoot. Have confidence when you shoot. "Some of those acrobatic shots ... I don't know what to say about them. I just threw them up and they went in." Bridy's outburst in the first half was the only offensive highlight on a night where both defenses were dominant.
Nine of Bridy's 13 first-half points came during a 15-2 Pottsville run that put the Crimson Tide ahead for good. "We got out to a strong start, and that's what we wanted to do," Bridy said. "Mahanoy is a great team,
a great defensive team. That 13-point run really helped us get momentum going into the second half." Bridy shot 6-for-9 from the field in the first half as Pottsville shot 10-for-21 (48 percent). Mahanoy Area made
some defensive adjustments in the second half, holding Pottsville to just 12 points on 4-of-15 shooting (27 percent). Bridy's first-half outburst was too much to overcome, however. He also delivered when it counted in the second half,
nailing a 3-pointer to open the fourth quarter that pushed the Tide's lead to 29-16. "We
didn't realize until too late in the first half that we couldn't let Bridy 1-on-1 down low," Mahanoy Area coach Mickey
Holland said. "We didn't have anybody that could guard him down in the post. Tyler (Cavenas) didn't realize until too
late that he had to double. In the second half, we doubled down on him in the post and then jumped out on their shooters." What makes Bridy so hard to defend is his versatility. At 6-foot-1, he's quick and smooth enough to play point guard
and shooting guard, but also big enough to play down low. In Pottsville's motion
offense he does a little bit of everything, making it hard for opposing defenses to contain him. "Brandon was responsible for a lot of our offense in the first half," Pottsville coach Dave Mullaney said.
"Like he's done all year, he can score in a variety of ways, whether it's on the break, in the post or on the perimeter. "When you have a guy like that, you know you're going to get points from him and he's going to be consistent
night in and night out. Something is always going to be working for him. "That
was the case tonight. He scored in a variety of ways, where a lot of players aren't able to do that." As Bridy strode to the foul line late in the fourth quarter, the large Pottsville student section started chanting,
"MVP, MVP." Friday, it was very fitting. "Yeah, I heard it. It's cool, it's awesome," Bridy said. "I just try to embrace it, don't try to get
a big head about it. Just move on to the next play."
| 59 Game Win Streak | | Against Schuylkill League Opponents | | | | DATE | PLACE | OPPONENT | W/L | STREAK | | 1/15/2010 | HOME | Jim Thorpe | | | | 1/19/2010 | AWAY | @ Panther Valley | W | 1 | | 1/22/2010 | AWAY | @ Blue Mountain | W | 2 | | 1/26/2010 | HOME | Tamaqua | W | 3 | | 1/29/2010 | AWAY | @ Pine Grove | W | 4 | | 2/2/2010 | AWAY | @ Schuylkill Haven | W | 5 | | 2/5/2010 | HOME | North Schuylkill | W | 6 | | 2/12/2010 | HOME | Panther Valley | W | 7 | | 2/9/2010 | AWAY | @ Jim Thorpe | W | 8 | | 2/17/2010 | PLAYOFF | Williams Valley-semi finals | W | 9 | | 2/19/2010 | PLAYOFF | Marian - Sch League-finals | W | 10 | | 2/27/2010 | PLAYOFF | Panther Valley | W | 11 | | 3/2/2010 | PLAYOFF | Jim Thorpe | W | 12 | | | | | | | | DATE | PLACE | OPPONENT | W/L | STREAK | | 12/21/10 | HOME | Blue Mountain | W | 13 | | 12/23/10 | HOME | Pine Grove | W | 14 | | 12/28/10 | HOME | Schuylkill Haven | W | 15 | | 12/30/10 | HOME | Nativity BVM | W | 16 | | 1/4/11 | AWAY | Panther Valley | W | 17 | | 1/7/11 | AWAY | Tamaqua | W | 18 | | 1/11/11 | HOME | Jim Thorpe | W | 19 | | 1/14/11 | AWAY | North Schuylkill | W | 20 | | 1/20/11 | AWAY | Blue Mountain | W | 21 | | 1/24/11 | AWAY | Pine Grove | W | 22 | | 1/27/11 | HOME | Panther Valley | W | 23 | | 1/31/11 | HOME | Tamaqua | W | 24 | | 2/3/11 | HOME | Jim Thorpe | W | 25 | | 2/7/11 | HOME | North Schuylkill | W | 26 | | 2/15/11 | PLAYOFF | Marian - Playoff | W | 27 | | 2/18/11 | PLAYOFF | Pine Grove - Playoff | W | 28 | | 12/20/2011 | AWAY | Blue Mountain | W | 29 | | 12/23/2011 | HOME | Pine Grove | W | 30 | | 12/27/2011 | AWAY | Schuylkill Haven | W | 31 | | 12/29/2011 | HOME | Nativity | W | 32 | | 1/4/2012 | AWAY | Panther Valley | W | 33 | | 1/6/2012 | HOME | Tamaqua | W | 34 | | 1/10/2012 | AWAY | Jim Thorpe | W | 35 | | 1/13/2012 | HOME | North Schuylkill | W | 36 | | 1/19/2012 | HOME | Blue Mountain | W | 37 | | 1/23/2012 | AWAY | Pine Grove | W | 38 | | 1/26/2012 | HOME | Panther Valley | W | 39 | | 1/30/2012 | AWAY | Tamaqua | W | 40 | | 2/2/2012 | HOME | Jim Thorpe | W | 41 | | 2/6/2012 | AWAY | North Schuylkill | W | 42 | | 2/14/2012 | HOME | Marian | W | 43 | | 2/17/2012 | HOME | Pine Grove | W | 44 | | 12/20/202 | HOME | Pine Grove | W | 45 | | 12/27/2012 | HOME | Nativity | W | 46 | | 1/2/2013 | HOME | Tamaqua | W | 47 | | 1/4/2013 | AWAY | Blue Mountain | W | 48 | | 1/7/2013 | AWAY | North Schuylkill | W | 49 | | 1/10/2013 | Home | Panther Valley | W | 50 | | 1/14/2013 | AWAY | Jim Thorpe | W | 51 | | 1/22/2013 | AWAY | Pine Grove | W | 52 | | 1/25/2013 | AWAY | Tamaqua | W | 53 | | 1/29/2013 | HOME | Blue Mountain | W | 54 | | 2/1/2013 | HOME | North Schuylkill | W | 55 | | 2/5/2013 | AWAY | Panther Valley | W | 56 | | 2/7/2013 | HOME | Jim Thorpe | W | 57 | | 2/13/2013 | HOME | Williams Valley | W | 58 | | 2/15/2013
| HOME | Mahanoy Area | W | 59 |
Defense leads Pottsville to 4th straight Schuylkill League title by mike carnahan (staff writer mcarnahan@republicanherald.com) Published: February 15, 20
The chants of "It's a four-peat" rained
down from the Pottsville student section. When the buzzer sounded, the Crimson Tide bench rushed the Martz Hall floor and mobbed each other at center court,
some holding up "No. 4" signs with their fingers. Another year, another
Schuylkill League boys' basketball title for Pottsville. The fourth one followed
a similar format as the first three - its star player dominated and the Crimson Tide had an exceptional night on defense. Brandon Bridy scored a game-high 18 points and Pottsville's defense held Mahanoy Area to the lowest point total in
a Schuylkill League boys' championship game en route to a 35-21 victory Friday night. Sophomore Travis Blankenhorn added eight points and eight rebounds for Pottsville, which won its 13th overall league
championship, thanks in large part to a another dominating defensive performance. "That's
what we are at Pottsville," said Bridy, who's been a starter for the Tide since he was a sophomore. "We pride ourselves
on defense." It's the main reason the streak continues. The 21 points Pottsville
allowed was lowest since the Tide held Marian to 25 in 2010. North Schuylkill also held Williams Valley to 25 points in 2009. Everybody had a hand in Friday's victory. It was extra special for senior Bobby Witman, who missed all of last season
with a torn ACL and LCL he suffered during the football preseason. He went through nine months of rehabilitation, returning
for the football season this past fall. "It is great to come back and get
four in a row, especially last year, missing the entire year," he said. "I finally got one of my own." The Tide (20-4) got some even better news from the Lehigh Valley later Friday when Bangor knocked off Wilson 51-47
in overtime in the Colonial League championship game. It means that Pottsville will be the No. 1 seed when District 11 Class
AAA playoffs begin next week. First, the Tide had to take care of business against
the Golden Bears, who were making their first appearance in the league finals since 2007 and were coming off a thrilling,
come-from-behind, 42-39 semifinal victory Wednesday over Blue Mountain. Led by
a stifling effort by the Crimson Tide guards, Pottsville limited the Golden Bears (18-5) to 9-for-36 (25 percent) shooting
from the floor and forced 21 turnovers, with 14 coming in the first half as the Tide built a 23-9 halftime advantage. "They were just too good," Mahanoy Area coach Mickey Holland said. "Defensively, they are a step above
everybody that we face. They are big, they are quick, strong, so well coached. They are never in the wrong spot. They know
what you want to do and they take it away." One key for the Tide's defense
Friday was shutting down Mahanoy Area's Tyler Cavenas. The 6-foot-4 center finished the night with a double-double of 11 points
and 11 rebounds, but was held in check most of the night. The 6-5 Witman was
responsible for guarding Cavenas most of the night, with help from Eli Nabholz and John Toomey. Witman wanted to use his reach
and speed to get in front of Cavenas. "We had backside help the whole time
so I just got to front him a little bit and try to use my speed to get around him," said Witman, who had two steals.
"I had a lot of help from everybody else." Out front, Bridy held the
Bears' Dylan Mahmod, who keyed Wednesday's comeback victory, to two points on 1-of-10 shooting, including an 0-for-6 effort
on 3-pointers. "I tried to get him off the 3-point line a lot," Bridy
said. "His dominant hand is the left so I was forcing him right, making him go to his right, and see if I could get a
steal. I did that a couple of times. I think I did a good job on him." Ryan
Coyle was responsible for guarding point guard Kyle McGee. Coyle set an early tone as he had a steal on the Bears' first possession.
He was fouled on his way to basket and hit 1-of-2 from the line. Coyle then forced
Mahanoy Area into a turnover on its next possession, one of the eight it had in the first quarter. "I was just trying to make it hectic for him to make a pass, even take a dribble and keep hounding him,"
Coyle said. "Tonight we made it a point to start out fast and finish strong." Pottsville led 10-3 after the first quarter and by 14 at the half. The closest the Bears got was late in the third
quarter when Brian Miller hit a 3-pointer from the wing, making it 25-16. "I
thought it was our most consistent effort the entire year," Pottsville coach Dave Mullaney said. "We didn't take
a possession off. I was really proud of our guys. I was really proud of our guys on both ends." Game Summary Schuylkill League Boys' Championship At Martz Hall POTTSVILLE (35) - Blankenhorn 4 0-2 8, Witman 0 1-2 1, Bridy 7 2-6 18, Coyle 0 1-3 1, Wile 0 0-0 0, Nabholz 1 0-0
3, Melochick 2 0-0 4, Toomey 0 0-0 0. Totals 14 4-13 35. MAHANOY AREA (21) -
Mahmod 1 0-0 2, McGee 0 0-0 0, Miller 2 0-0 6, Cavenas 5 1-3 11, Kuzma 1 0-0 2, Richmond 0 0-0 0, Merchlinsky 0 0-0 0. Totals
9 1-3 21. 3-point FGs: Bridy 2, Nabholz, Miller
Defense, Bridy lead Pottsville to victory over Williams Valleyby
mike carnahan (staff writer mcarnahan@republicanherald.com) Published:
February 13, 2013
Pottsville calmly lined up for the postgame handshake, showing little emotion,
except for perhaps Brandon Bridy, who clapped a few times. After Wednesday's
45-27 victory over Williams Valley at Martz Hall in the Schuylkill League boys' basketball semifinal, the Crimson Tide find
themselves in a familiar position - playing for a league title. The win earned
Pottsville (19-4), the Division I champ, its fourth consecutive trip to the championship game. The Tide will look to make
it four straight titles against Division III champ Mahanoy Area (18-4) at 7:30 p.m. on Friday at Martz Hall. The Golden Bears battled back from an 11-point, fourth-quarter deficit to stun Division I wild-card Blue
Mountain 42-39 in overtime during Wednesday's other semifinal. "It is very
hard to get back here every year and to do it four times is a tremendous accomplishment," Pottsville's Brandon Bridy
said "Give credit to our coaches. (They are the) best coaches in the world to get us back here four years in a row." Bridy had a game-high 18 points for Pottsville, while Travis Blankenhorn added 13 points, including three
3-pointers. Both Bobby Witman and Blankenhorn grabbed six rebounds apiece for the Tide and Ryan Coyle had three assists and
three steals. The way the Crimson Tide earned another trip was also familiar:
Plenty of physical, intense man-to-man defense that totally took the Division II champ Vikings (17-6) out of their offense
early in the second until the final buzzer. Williams Valley led 14-13 after Colin
Harrison hit a baseline jumper with 6 minutes left in the first half. For the next 15 minutes, the Vikings had just one field
goal - a layup by Stephen Sedesse after a steal with 28 seconds remaining in the first half. Nick Rodichok hit a 3-pointer from the corner at 7:03 of the fourth to stop the drought. After hitting 4-of-9 from the floor in the first quarter, the Vikings, who came into the night with the league's
highest scoring offense at 60.2 points per game, were just 3-of-26 (12 percent) from the floor the rest of the game. Harrison and Stephen Sedesse were held to six points apiece and Owen Daniel scored only two. Sedesse entered
the game averaging 11.8 points per game and Sedesse and Harrison scored 10 points per game apiece. "We knew their defense would be strong and it was," Williams Valley coach Denny Kasper said. "They
took it to us and got stronger as the game went along. It was very difficult to run our offense, and that's a tribute to them." Pottsville's defense set up its offense, which struggled at times against Williams Valley's 3-2 zone. The
Tide went on two key runs, though, turning missed shots and turnovers into points in transition. "It took us a while to get going," Coyle said. "Our outside shooting wasn't really there for
us so it helps to get a couple of steals, get out in transition and score." The
first spurt was a 10-2 run to finish the first half as Bridy scored eight of his points in the second quarter. After Harrison's bucket made it 14-13, Zach Wile hit 1-of-2 from the line. A Witman block and rebound turned
into a fast-break layup for Bridy. After Coyle set up Jordan Melochick for two inside, Bridy hit a 7-foot hook shot in the
lane with 1:35 to go, making it 21-14. After Sedesse's layup, Bridy finished
the half by banking in a one-handed shot over the defense in the lane as the buzzer sounded. "The
first half we were pretty hesitant against the zone," Bridy said "We weren't attacking it good enough and some of
our shots weren't going in like usual. I just try to attack and try to create for others and make plays." Pottsville's defense really got going in the third quarter as the Vikings missed all six of their shots and
turned the ball over six times with five coming on Tide steals, leading to a 13-1 run. Up
by 10 at 27-17 after Janson hit 1-of-2 from the foul line with the 1:33 remaining, Pottsville put the game away. Bridy hit
a jumper, Coyle's steal set up a Blankenhorn layup, and Coyle went in for 2 after a another steal at half court. Blankenhorn
then knocked down a 3-pointer from the wing before the third-quarter buzzer, which was set up by a drive and kick out by Bridy. "We started cranking up a bit in the second half," Coyle said. "First half wasn't bad, but
the second half was where we really stepped it up." Game Summary Schuylkill
League boys' semifinal At Martz Hall POTTSVILLE
(45) - Painter 0 0-2 0, Blankenhorn 5 0-0 13, Plachko 0 0-0 0, Witman 0 0-0 0, Doyle 0 0-0 0, Bridy 8 1-2 18, Toomey 0 0-0
0, Nabholz 0 0-0 0, Coyle 2 0-2 5, Hinchliffe 0 0-0 0, Wile 2 3-3 7, Melochick 1 0-0 2. Totals 18 4-9 45. WILLIAMS VALLEY (27) - Daniel 1 0-0 2, Harrison 3 0-0 6, Sedesse 2 2-2 6, Matter 0 0-0 0, B. Miller 1 0-0
2, Jansen 0 3-4 3, Rautzahn 0 1-2 1, Rodichok 1 2-2 5, C. Miller 1 0-0 2. Totals 9 8-10 27. 3-point
FGs: Blankenhorn 3, Bridy, Coyle, Rodichok
Pottsville 65 Jim Thorpe 33 Brandon Bridy netted 11
of his 24 points in second quarter to key a big run in the Crimson Tide's Division I victory over the Olympians. Pottsville outscored Jim Thorpe 23-8 in the second. Ryan Coyle added 11 points for the Crimson Tide. JIM THORPE (33) - Harleston 3 0-0 7, Heydt 0 0-0 0, Lindsey 3 2-4 8, M. Principe 0 0-0 0, Green 0 0-0 0, Smith 0
0-0 0, Snisky 0 0-0 0, S. Principe 0 0-0 0, McElmoyle 1 0-0 3, Micciche 2 0-0 6, Brown 3 1-5 7, Luciano 0 0-0 0, Everitt 1
0-0 2. Totals 13 3-9 33. POTTSVILLE (65) - Painter 0 0-0 0, Blankenhorn 3 0-0
8, Moser 1 0-0 2, Plachko 1 0-0 2, Whitman 3 3-5 9, Dunkel 0 0-0 0, Doyle 0 0-0 0, Bridy 9 4-4 24, Toomey 0 0-0 0, Coyle 4
2-2 11, Hinchliffe 2 0-0 5, Kuperavage 0 0-0 0, Wile 1 1-2 4, Melochick 0 0-0 0. Totals 24 10-13 65. 3-point FGs: Harleston, McElmoyle, Micciche 2, Blankenhorn 2, Bridy 2, Coyle, Hinchliffe, Wile JV score: Pottsville 46-21
Tide Pounds The Panthers The Crimson Tide Rolled to a victory over Panther Valley by the score of 73 - 41. The 73 points was a season high
total for points. It also continued the Crimson Tide's streak to 56 wins in a row against Schuylkill League teams.
The Tide had a well balanced scoring attack with four players scoring in double digits. Brandon Bridy
led the way with 17 points, followed by Bobby Witman 13 points and Travis Blankenhorn and Ryan Coyle adding 11 points each. The Tide close out the regular season Friday at home against Jim Thorpe. The Tide will try and remain
undefeated in Division 1 for the Third straight year.
Pottsville 73 Panther Valley 41 LANSFORD - Brandon
Bridy scored eight of his 17 points in the first quarter as the Crimson Tide broke out to a 23-2 lead and cruised the rest
of the way in a Division I game against the Panthers. Bobby Witman also scored
13 points, while Ryan Coyle and Travis Blankenhorn netted 11 each for Pottsville. Brett
Kerschner and Steven Romanchik had 11 and 10 points, respectively, for Panther Valley. POTTSVILLE (73) - Painter 0 0-0 0, Blankenhorn 4 3-6 11, Moser 0 0-0 0, Plachko 0 0-0 0, Witman 6 1-1 13, Doyle 0
1-2 1, Bridy 7 2-2 17, Toomey 1 0-0 2, Coyle 4 2-2 11, Hinchcliffe 0 0-0 0, Kuperavage 1 0-0 2, Wile 1 4-6 6, Melochick 4
0-0 8, Dunkel 1 0-0 2. Totals 29 13-19 73. PANTHER VALLEY (41) - Dubosky 0 0-0
0, Szczecina 2 2-2 7, Kusko 0 0-0 0, Stano 2 1-1 5, Romanchik 4 0-3 10, Kerschner 4 0-0 11, Ferryman 2 0-0 4, Vermillion 0
0-0 0, Keo 0 0-0 0, Hudicka 0 0-0 0, Campbell 1 0-0 2, Nase 0 0-0 0, Owens 0 0-0 0, Horan 1 0-0 2, Moore 0 0-0 0, Weng 0 0-0
0. Totals 16 3-6 41. 3-point FGs: Bridy, Coyle, Szczecina, Romanchik 2, Kerschner
3 JV score: Pottsville 51-27
Pottsville tops Emmaus in overtimeby mike carnahan (staff writer mcarnahan@republicanherald.com) Published: February 2, 2013 Pottsville's Bobby Witman made all four of
his free throws during the final 4 minutes of Saturday's game. So did Travis Blankenhorn. It's
somewhat ironic, since foul shooting almost cost the Crimson Tide a win. After
missing critical free throws down the stretch in regulation, Pottsville was perfect from the line in overtime to pull away
for a hard-fought 50-45, non-league victory over Emmaus at Martz Hall. The Tide
(16-4) led by eight at 42-34 after Brandon Bridy hit 1-of-2 from the foul line in a 1-and-1 situation with 1:36 left in regulation.
But Pottsville missed its next four free throws as the Green Hornets (10-10) went on an 8-0 run, finished off when Derek Tannous
hit a deep 3-pointer from the wing with 4.6 seconds left. The Tide had a chance
to win it on their final shot when Emmaus' defense went with Pottsville's shooters and Zach Wile, who was inbounding the ball
in front of the scorers' table, found Witman wide open underneath on a pick. But Witman's layup try was too hard as the buzzer
went off. Nate Feiertag put the Green Hornets up 43-42 when he hit 1-of-2 from
the line at 1:18. But Witman gave Pottsville the lead for good as he was fouled attempting to put in a Bridy missed 3-pointer
at 1:02. He hit both to make it 44-43. With the Tide in the double bonus, Blankenhorn
hit four consecutive foul shots. After Emmaus' Joe Nicolini scored on a layup with 3.7 seconds to go, Witman iced the game
for good, hitting two more free throws to set the final. "This is good win
for us," Pottsville coach Dave Mullaney said. "It really was. After the way we started, I wasn't really sure." The Tide, coming off a 52-32 Schuylkill League Division I-clinching rout of North Schuylkill on Friday, was
5-for-21 (24 percent) from the floor over the first 16 minutes as the Green Hornets built an 18-10 advantage late in the first
half. But the shots started to drop for Pottsville in the second half as the Tide hit on 12-for-19 (63 percent) the rest of
the game, including a 4-for-7 showing from 3-point land. Mullaney was somewhat
disappointed with the Tide following their 46-39 win over Blue Mountain last Tuesday. But he felt Friday's victory was one
of Pottsville's best offensive showings of the season and was pleased Saturday, considering the competition. Despite their overall record, Green Hornets, a District 11 Class AAAA playoff qualifier, were coming off
a 56-54, triple-overtime victory over William Allen on Friday. They improved to 8-4 in the Lehigh Valley Conference, keeping
their league playoff hopes alive. "I thought we played really well,"
Mullaney said. "We didn't shoot the ball well in the first half but I thought we defended well and I thought we executed
well offensively. We just knew some shots were going fall for us and in that third quarter were able to make a little run." Blankenhorn had a game-high 17 points, with 14 coming in the second half. Witman added a season-high 12 points.
He also grabbed five rebounds and had four blocks, all in the fourth quarter. Bridy
had 11 points and four assists and Ryan Coyle contributed eight points, five rebounds and three assists. Feiertag led Emmaus with 14 points, while Tannous added 11 and Gabe Shankweiler 11 rebounds. Blankenhorn also hit three 3-pointers in the game, with his first coming with 3 seconds left in the first
half to cut Emmaus' lead to 18-13 at intermission. Pottsville opened the second
half on an 11-0 run as Coyle hit a 3 from the top of the circle, Blankenhorn hit a 3 from the wing, Witman went in for a layup
after a steal at half court and Blankenhorn finished the run, picking up a deflected ball and knocking down a 3 from the corner
at 5:16, giving the Tide a 24-18 lead. Pottsville started to work the ball inside
more in the fourth quarter with lob passes and seemingly had the game in hand with its eight-point lead with 1:36 to go. "Down the stretch, that was tough," Mullaney said. "For the most part we had guys on the line
that we wanted on the line, but they weren't able to convert." With two
games left in the regular season, as well as league and District 11 Class AAA postseason spots locked up, Pottsville can now
begin playoff preparations. "Everything we've challenged our guys to do
they've done," Mullaney said. "Anything we've emphasized, they've responded. I think we've covered everything, but
it is just a matter of being consistent with everything. When we do that, we are a pretty good team."
Tide earn Division I crownPublished: February 2, 2013
Travis Blankenhorn scored a game-high
15 points as Pottsville got out to an early lead en route to a 52-32 victory over North Schuylkill at Martz Hall that clinched
the Schuylkill League Division I championship and a spot in the league playoffs for the Crimson Tide. Pottsville opened
the game on a 14-4 run as Blankenhorn scored five of his points in the first quarter. He added eight points more in the third
as Pottsville built a 45-19 advantage and put the game away. Brandon Bridy added 10 points for Pottsville, which clinched
the Division I title for the fourth consecutive year and is looking for its fourth straight overall league title. Bobby
Grigas placed the Spartans with 11 points. NORTH SCHUYLKILL (32) - Hughes 1 0-0 2, Ennis 0 0-0 0, Murray 0 0-0 0, Weist
0 0-0 0, Marlow 0 0-0 0, Meyer 3 0-0 8, Wiley 0 0-0 0, Manbeck 0 0-0 0, Howard 0 0-0 0, Damiter 1 2-2 4, Grigas 2 7-8 11,
Stokes 1 1-2 3, Walsh 2 0-0 4, Mazeika 0 0-0 0, Hillbish 0 0-0 0. Totals 10 10-12 32. POTTSVILLE (52) - Painter 0 0-0
0, Blankenhorn 6 0-0 15, Moser 0 0-0 0, Plachko 1 0-2 2, Witman 3 0-0 6, Dunkel 1 0-0 2, Doyle 1 0-0 2, Bridy 5 0-0 10, Toomey
0 0-0 0, Coyle 0 0-0 0, Hinchcliffe 1 0-0 3, Kuperavage 0 0-0 0, Wile 3 0-0 8, Melochick 1 2-3 4. Totals 22 2-5 52. 3-point
FGs: Meyer 2, Blankenhorn 3, Hinchcliffe, Wile 2 JV score: Pottsville 48-40
Posted on January 30, 2013 by mcarnahan By Mike Carnahan, Republican-Herald Sports Writer
Pottsville made its share of plays down the stretch
to hold off rival Blue Mountain for 46-39 victory in a Schuylkill League Division I contest Tuesday at Martz Hall.
But
the Crimson Tide’s start played a huge role in the win, too.
Pottsville opened the game on an 13-2 run, scoring
the first 8 points of the game on a Bobby Witman putback, a bucket inside by Ryan Coyle, a jumper by Brandon Bridy and drive
down the lane and layup by Travis Blankenhorn. That score came at 5:44 of the first quarter.
After the Eagles Will Bornstein
scored on a layup, Blankenhorn hit a 3-pointer from the top of the circle and Bridy finished off the run by scoring on a drive
from the wing at 1:06.
Kyle Slane gave Blue Mountain some momentum, banking in a 3-pointer over two Pottsville defenders
at the buzzer to make it 13-5 at the end of the first.
Despite the win, Pottsville coach Dave Mullaney wasn’t pleased
with the way the Tide played overall in the second half.
“It was huge, especially with the way Blue Mountain played
in the second half, with that lead we were going to struggle” he said. “I am at a loss for some of the things
that we do and play, I would just assume that we would be better. Blue Mountain is very good team, very well coached with
a lot of good players and we were very fortunate to get this win.”
—
When the season started, a concern
for the Tide was their health.
Blankenhorn was coming off an injury from football while Eli Nabholz was out a bad back.
Mullaney was somewhat concern with depth.
But it also meant that some who might not have received playing time did. Now,
Pottsville might have one of the deepest benches in the league.
Jordan Melochick, John Toomey, Nabholz and Ty Painter
all saw playing time off the bench. The four only produced a combined four points but contributed key minutes. Toomey grabbed
two rebounds and had an assist – a bucket inside by Bridy early in the fourth quarter – while Nabholz had two
points and three rebounds and Melochick hit two foul shots in the third quarter after he was fouled inside.
Mullaney
had high praise for Toomey.
“Our team probably does better with John Tommey in the game,” Mullaney said.
“He does so many things right. Our offense always looks better and our defense looks better. I am just too dumb to play
him more minutes.”
Now the bench might be tested again.
Nabholz, a sophomore who missed the first the first
15 games of the season before returning Jan. 22 at Pine Grove, left with an apparent ankle injury after he scored his only
points on a spin move in the lane during the third quarter. Nabholz was down on the court for several minutes and was then
helped off. His ankle was iced down and he was on crutches as he took part in the postgame handshakes.
It is not known
how many games, if any, Nabholz will miss.
—
Blue Mountain sharp-shooter Peter Harding had a rough night Tuesday.
Closely hounded by Bridy, he struggled to get open looks in the first half and was held scoreless. Harding had a better second
half, scoring eight points, including two 3-pointers.
Harding was also battling the flu.
According to Blue Mountain
coach Dustin Werdt, Harding has been sick for three days. The plan was to try to get him more breaks Tuesday but with the
foul trouble the Eagles had, Harding ended up playing almost the entire game.
“For him to play the number of minutes
he did, that just shows how tough he is,” Werdt said.
—
Both schools were well represented by vocal,
and packed, student sections Tuesday, giving the game a truly championship atmosphere. The Crimson Tide side fans also had
two oversized, cut-out heads of Blankenhorn in their section.
HS boys' basketball rankings: Neumann-Goretti returns to Class AAA's No. 1 spotMICHAEL BULLOCK, pennlive.com, January 28, 2013Here's installment No. 5 of our PIAA Class AAA
boys' basketball rankings for the 2012-13 season — with a few needed nuggets tossed in. Records are current through
Jan. 27.1. Neumann-Goretti
(13-4) -- last week: 2 --
Returning to their customary perch atop the Class AAA rankings — Imhotep’s 22-point tumble against Vaux had something
to do with the Saints’ promotion, but so did dustings of Philly Catholic League rivals Roman Catholic and Monsignor
Bonner — the reigning three-time champions have some interesting games ahead. Philly’s Bishop McDevitt, Archbishop
Ryan and Father Judge are the next three pieces of the regular season’s closing stretch. 2. Imhotep Charter (16-4) -- last week: 1 -- While losing to a formidable
Vaux outfit that’s been parked at No. 2 in the Class A rankings for some time isn’t a complete surprise, getting
drilled 73-51 at home can’t sit well with Andre Noble’s talented Panthers. And undoubtedly it won’t. While
Imhotep will close out regular-season play with dates at Philly Public League rivals Bartram and Communications Tech, look
one or both of those Division A playmates to pay and pay dearly.3. Allentown Central Catholic (15-2) -- last week: 3 -- With relatively comfortable victories last week over Lehigh Valley Conference
opponents Nazareth and Whitehall, the Vikings raised their winning streak to 11 games. Mike Kammerer poured in 25 points against
Nazareth — including five 3-pointers — splendid 6-4 junior Muhammad Ali Abdur-Rahkman paced ACC’s win over
Whitehall with 18. Although Stroudsburg and Dieruff visit later in the week, Tuesday’s trip to Parkland will have everyone
in the LVC paying close attention. Some might even decide to wander into Parkland’s spacious digs.4. Archbishop Carroll (13-4) -- last week: 5 -- Can’t quite get a grip
on Paul Romanczuk’s talented Patriots, but maybe that’s why Carroll keeps jumping floors on an up-and-down elevator
ride. Opened last week with a nice win at home over HM Archbishop Wood, but followed that up by falling 52-46 at Class AAAA
power St. Joseph’s Prep despite 18 points from Binghamton recruit Yosef Yacob. Three more Philly Catholic League tests
this week against Lansdale Catholic, Cardinal O’Hara and Archbishop Ryan. Going up?5. Beaver Area (15-1) -- last week: 6 -- Andy Podbielski’s Bobcats just keep plugging along, adding victories
over WPIAL Section 2 playmates West Allegheny and Ambridge to a win total that just continues to grow. Maybe several more
will get tacked on this week, but they won’t come without a struggle as journeys to Central Valley and District 10-AA
power (Class AA No. 8) West Middlesex will keep Beaver Area’s bus driver extremely busy. Probably have a fleet of cars
and SUVs right behind.6.
Chartiers Valley (16-1)
-- last week: 7 -- With lopsided victories over outmatched Waynesburg Central, McGuffey and Sto-Rox tucked away — Char
Valley won by an average of 52 points per — it looks like Tim McConnell’s consistently powerful Colts have their
transition game cranked up to a full boil. Comes at a good time, too, since a visit to Montour is set for Tuesday night. Another
road trip will occur later in the week when the Colts make the jaunt to Knoch.7. Susquehanna Twp (18-1) -- last week: 8 -- Even though 6-6 senior Jonas Page and his trusty perimeter game were idled
by illness, Vince Rogers’ explosive Indians stretched their winning streak to eight games by popping Mid-Penn Keystone
rivals Hershey and Red Land. And that’s eight straight wins since Jan. 4, when the Tribe tumbled at Palmyra. Fittingly,
the Field House marquee will be flashing Palmyra until the Cougars visit on Tuesday night. Mechanicsburg will make a stop
on Friday.8. Abington Heights
(14-2) -- last week: 9 --
Ken Bianchi’s Comets certainly had a productive week, sweeping Scranton, Delaware Valley and Gill (N.J.) St. Bernard’s.
And while the latter tumbled when all-state junior guard J.C. Show buried a pair of late free throws — despite foul
difficulties, Show finished with 19 in the Lehigh Valley showcase success — the others were turned away much more decisively.
Northeast Pennsylvania opponents Valley View and Wallenpaupack are up next for Abington Heights.9. Mars (13-3) -- last week: 4 -- Tough to keep things going every night in the WPIAL — even in non-league
play — as Rob Camody’s Fighting Planets watched their six-game win streak go poof in a 61-60 loss to a North Hills
club that’s several games below .500. No word if former North Hills great LaVar Arrington rocketed in for the Mars contest,
but he may have dropped a line or two at some point on one of his suburban D.C. talk shows. Testy Section 1 scraps with Indiana
and Kittanning should get the Planets’ full focus.10. Berks Catholic (15-3) -- last week: 10 -- Make that 10 consecutive victories for Snip Esterly’s Saints — Fleetwood
was the latest to fall — who should make a healthy run at next month’s Berks County crown before defending their
3-AAA championship against a host of potential contenders. While Hamburg and Twin Valley are sitting nervously on deck, Berks
Catholic will cap a three-game week on Saturday by welcoming Class A’s New Hope Academy to suburban Reading.OUR HONORABLE MENTIONSSpeaking of District 3, unbeaten Donegal (19-0), a Steel-High club (15-2)
that sports a 15-game winning streak, Bishop McDevitt (11-6), Palmyra (14-5), Greencastle-Antrim (14-3) and Gettysburg
(15-5) are just some of the other programs that hope to supplant Berks Catholic atop the medal stand. ... Montour
(13-4) will carry a five-game win streak into Tuesday’s matchup with WPIAL rival Chartiers Valley. Thomas
Jefferson (12-5) — which last week lost to Montour — Uniontown (13-2) and West
Mifflin (12-3) also are making noise in District 7. ... Meanwhile, District 10 contenders such as General
McLane (11-4), Hickory (12-3) and Girard (11-4) keep beating up on one another. ... District 11’s Wilson
Area (17-1), thanks to conquests of Pen Argyl and Southern Lehigh, now owns a 15-game winning streak. Dave
Mullaney’s Pottsville Crimson Tide (13-4) has won five straight and 12 of 13. ... Reigning 4-AAA champ Danville
(12-2) won its eighth straight by hammering Heartland-I rival Milton. ... Archbishop Wood (10-6)
continues to play its Philly Catholic League brethren tough, but needs a signature victory. Philly Electrical (10-10)
trailed by 14 points early on Saturday against McCaskey, but had it down to two (48-46) before falling by 13. ... Glen
Mills (11-6) is getting terrific play from Harrisburg native Jay’re Jackson, and he’ll need another strong
effort this week when the Battlin’ Bulls meet Chichester and Penn Wood. While Holy Ghost Prep (12-4)
split a pair of games last week, but another toughie awaits the perennial 1-AAA power Tuesday night at Church Farm.MICHAEL BULLOCK: mbullock@pennlive.com
Coyle’s clutch baskets;
Melochick’s key minutesBy Mike Carnahan, Republican-Herald Sports Writer
Pottsville’s Ryan Coyle has scored 18 combined
points during the Crimson Tide’s last two games, key Schuylkill League Division I victories over Blue Mountain 43-33
last Friday and a 50-31 rout of North Schuylkill on Monday. Those are solid numbers for the senior guard but a little deeper
digging reveals an even more impressive feat.
Of those 18 points, 11 have been buzzer beaters to end quarters, with six
coming against the Eagles and five versus the Spartans.
Last Friday, Coyle hit a 3-pointer at the end of the first from
the top of the key, putting Pottsville up 8-6, a lead the Tide never lost. He then drained another 3 in similar fashion just
before halftime, making it 20-12.
Coyle was at it again Monday.
He swished a 3-pointer from the wing at the end
of the first quarter, set up on penetration and a kick out pass by Brandon Bridy, giving Pottsville the lead for good at 10-7.
He then drove the baseline and scored inside at the end of the third, making it 36-18.
“I’ve seen so much
film on Pottsville so far this past year and every game, every game that I’ve watched, (Coyle) hit at least one, if not two, buzzer beaters,” North Schuylkill coach
Curt Ziegmont said after Monday’s game. “The kid is clutch. If any NBA guy was watching the game I was watching,
just at the end of the first quarter, what does he hit, a 3, with me in his ear, because I was standing right behind the kid.
Trust me, I was in his ear.
“Every time you think you have something going, one of those kids steps up, makes a
big shot and takes the wind out of your sails. That’s their bread and butter.”
—-
The Tide also
have a knack for getting key minutes from different players. Such has been the case for freshman Jordan Melochick.
Pottsville
coach Dave Mullaney had reason for concern going into the Tide’s critical contests against the Eagles and Spartans,
especially since sophomore Travis Blankenhorn missed both with a knee injury. But Melochick, a 6-foot-2 guard/forward has been an excellent starting in Blankenhorn’s place.
He scored seven
points and grabbed four rebounds against the Eagles, and then had five points during Monday’s victory over the Spartans.
Melochick also played almost the entire game against North Schuylkill, finally coming out early in the fourth quarter when
he picked up his fourth personal foul.
“He doesn’t play like a freshman,” Mullaney said of Melochick
“He is very, very skilled and has a high basketball IQ, which makes him fit in with the rest of our guys.”
Through Dec. 30
INDIVIDUAL SCORING
GP TP PPG
Brett Kosciolek, Tam
7 119 17.0
Brett Stallone, Wea
6 102 17.0
Will Bornstein, BM
7 117 16.7
Jeff Yordy, Nat
7 116 16.6
Brandon Bridy, Pot
7 112 16.0
Jake Szczecina, PV
7 108 15.4
Zack Oquendo, Lou
8 118 14.8
Peter Harding, BM
7 102 14.6
Devin Masser, TV
8 108 13.5
Daniel Preston, Ham
8 108 13.5
Ryan Karnish, Mar
7 94 13.4
Anthony Pennypacker, Lou 8 106
13.3
Travis Blankenhorn, Pot 7 92
13.1
Tyler Cavenas, Mah 8
105 13.1
Justin Alvarez, SV
7 90 12.9
Ian Buffington, UD
9 116 12.9
Larry McNeil, Mah
8 100 12.5
Jake Damiter, NS
8 99 12.4
Bo Rottet, Tam
7 87 12.4
Steven Romanchik, PV
7 83 11.9
Joey Haganey, Wea
6 71 11.8
Nick Merva, SV
7 82 11.7
Jake Wolfe, PG
8 91 11.4
Matt Savitski, Lou
8 90 11.3
Kyle Kaledas, Nat
7 11 11.0
Austin A. Weaver, UD
9 99 11.0
Owen Daniel, WV
7 76 10.9
Charlie Wallish, Wea
6 65 10.8
Colin Harrison, WV
7 75 10.7
Isaac Melochick, Min
9 95 10.6
Brendan Miller, WV
7 74 10.6
Damon Meyer, NS
8 85 10.6
Chris Palubinsky, SV
7 74 10.6
Kyle Slane, BM
7 74 10.6
Stephen Sedesse, WV 7
71 10.1 INDIVIDUAL 3-POINT SHOOTING
GP Tot 3/PG
Peter Harding, BM
7 22 3.1
Nick Merva, SV
7 21 3.0
Travis Blankenhorn, Pot 7
20 2.9
Jake Szczecina, PV
7 20 2.9
Devin Masser, TV
8 22 2.8
Brett Stallone, Wea
6 13 2.2
Luke Stano, PV
7 15 2.1
Vinnie Fanelli, SH
6 12 2.0
Kyle Kaledas, Nat
7 13 1.8
Larry McNeil, Mah
8 14 1.8
Damon Meyer, NS
8 14 1.8
Jeff Yordy, Nat
7 13 1.8
Bo Rottet, Tam
7 12 1.7
Shane Grapsy, BM
7 11 1.6
Josh Kisha, Ham
8 12 1.5
Brett Kosciolek, Tam
7 10 1.4
Stephen Sedesse, WV 7
10 1.4
Ryan Karnish, Mar
7 10 1.4 TEAM OFFENSE
Team
GP PF PPG
Blue Mountain
7 481 68.7
Weatherly
6 385 64.2
Williams Valley
7 437 62.4
Tamaqua
7 400 57.1
Lourdes
8 436 54.5
Mahanoy Area
8 435 54.4
Upper Dauphin
9 483 53.7
Pottsville
7 374 53.4
North Schuylkill
8 412 51.5
Shenandoah Valley
7 360 51.4
Marian
7 355 50.7
Nativity
7 347 49.6
Panther Valley
7 335 47.9
Hamburg
8 340 42.5
Minersville
9 350 38.9
Jim Thorpe
7 264 37.7
Pine Grove
8 276 34.5
Tri-Valley
8 259 32.4
Schuylkill Haven
6 163 27.2 TEAM DEFENSE
GP PA PPG
Pottsville
7 261 37.3
Lourdes
8 334 41.8
Minersville
9 378 42.0
North Schuylkill
8 338 42.3
Marian
7 299 42.7
Mahanoy Area
8 342 42.8
Tri-Valley
8 343 42.9
Schuylkill Haven
6 258 43.0
Upper Dauphin
9 393 43.7
Williams Valley
7 333 47.6
Tamaqua
7 334 47.7
Blue Mountain
7 336 48.0
Weatherly
6 293 48.8
Panther Valley
7 348 49.7
Shenandoah Valley 7
373 53.3
Jim Thorpe
7 376 53.7
Hamburg
8 462 57.8
Nativity
7 410 58.6
Pine Grove
8 477 59.6
TEAM 3-POINT SHOOTING
Team
GP 3s 3/PG
Panther Valley
7 54 7.7
Blue Mountain
7 44 6.3
Pottsville
7 41 5.9
Williams Valley
7 39 5.6
Shenandoah Valley 7
38 5.4
Tamaqua
7 33 4.7
Mahanoy Area
8 35 4.4
Nativity
7 31 4.4
Weatherly
6 26 4.3
Tri-Valley
8 31 3.9
North Schuylkill
8 30 3.8
Schuylkill Haven
6 23 3.8
Hamburg
8 29 3.6
Marian
7 25 3.6
Pine Grove
8 20 2.5
Upper Dauphin
9 22 2.4
Jim Thorpe
7 16 2.3
Lourdes
8 17 2.1
Minersville
9 18 2.0 TEAM FOUL SHOOTING
Team
FTM FTA Pct.
Blue Mountain
89 132 .674
Pottsville
65 97 .670
Tamaqua
61 93 .656
Nativity
60 93 .645
Panther Valley
69 110 .627
North Schuylkill
78 126 .619
Upper Dauphin
77 125 .616
Hamburg
51 83 .614
Weatherly
48 81 .593
Pine Grove
52 88 .591
Marian
76 130 .585
Lourdes
90 154 .584
Minersville
72 124 .581
Mahanoy Area
86 149 .577
Williams Valley
72 130 .554
Shenandoah Valley
60 120 .500
Jim Thorpe
36 73 .493
Schuylkill Haven
18 37 .486
Tri-Valley
32 76 .421
(Stats are bases on games reported to the Republican-Herald)
Through Dec. 30 W-L Pv. 1. Pottsville 4-3 1 2. North
Schuylkill 6-2 2 3. Blue Mountain 6-1 8 4. Marian 6-1 4 5. Lourdes
7-1 5 6. Tamaqua 6-1 10 7. Mahanoy Area 5-3 6 8. Upper Dauphin 6-3 NR 9. Williams Valley 5-2 3 10.
Weatherly 5-1 NR - Complied by Mike Carnahan
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