POTTSVILLE BOYS BASKETBALL

2015-2016 Season

PIAA BOYS' HOOPS: Pottsville falls in 2nd round of Class AAA playoffs

LEROY BOYER

Published: March 9, 2016

READING - There's an old basketball adage that says teams "live and die" by 3-point shooting.

Pottsville's tremendous boys' basketball season was effectively killed by 3-point shooting Tuesday night.

Lower Moreland drained 3-pointers on four consecutive possessions late in the fourth quarter to defeat the Crimson Tide 52-47 in a PIAA Class AAA second-round playoff game at the Geigle Complex.

Lower Moreland (21-5), the District 1 runner-up, advances to Friday's quarterfinals to face District 12 champion and defending state champion Neumann-Goretti, a 113-71 winner over Scranton Prep.

Pottsville's season, which included the Tide's fifth Schuylkill League title in six years and second consecutive District 11 crown, comes to an end at 28-1.

"They were very good defensively, and we knew

they could shoot it," Pottsville coach Dave Mullaney said. "For the most part, we did a nice job. Late, they got loose."

Offensively, Pottsville was never able to find its rhythm shooting from the outside.

The Tide opened the game 0-for-6 from the field, falling behind 6-0 just four minutes into the game. Pottsville finished the game 15-for-40 shooting (38 percent), but was just 3-for-23 (13 percent) from 3-point range.

"Their objective coming in was to take away our post game," Mullaney said. "They wanted to go front and back of people, and they did a good job with that. It was tough for us to get paint touches that way.

"The thing that was open for us was the 3-point shot."

Lower Moreland, whose tallest player was just 6-foot-3, packed it in defensively to contain 6-3 Jordan Melochick and 6-7 Ian Renninger, leaving the Crimson Tide with wide-open looks from the outside.

Most of the time, however, Pottsville didn't hit them.

"We got open looks that we normally knock down," senior guard Tanner Gerchak said. "Tonight they just didn't fall. That happens. It sucks it has to happen 29 games into the year."

Despite their rough outside shooting, Pottsville stayed in the game behind its tough defense and its ability to drive to the basket.

A 15-2 run over an eight-minute stretch of the first half gave Pottsville a 15-8 lead, and an 18-14 advantage at intermission.

The Lions opened the second half on a 10-2 run to take a 24-20 lead midway through the third, but Pottsville countered with a 10-0 spurt to build a 30-24 advantage and led 30-26 after three.

Patrick Schenk started the spurt with a 3-pointer, Renninger had three points inside and Jordan Abdo scored on a layup and hit two free throws.

Abdo led the Tide with 15 points, while Melochick had 14 and Renninger contributed eight points and eight rebounds. Nearly all of those points came off dribble penetration or lob passes inside.

"I thought coming into this year we'd be a 3-point shooting team, and we haven't shot it great the second half of the year," Mullaney said. "We started attacking the basket, and our guys did a great job of that."

Lower Moreland, which hit 14 3-pointers in its first-round win over Milton Hershey, was held to just one trey through the first three quarters.

That changed in the fourth.

With the game tied at 35, a pair of free throws by Melochick gave Pottsville a 37-35 lead with 4:13 to go.

The next four times they had the ball, the Lions were able to get dribble penetration by guard Danny Duffy, who led all scorers with 23 points. When the Pottsville defense collapsed, Duffy kicked it out to a wide-open gunner from the outside.

"They were just a lot more aggressive getting to the lane making plays," Gerchak said. "When that happens, the defensive collapses and shots open up. They hit all of them. That's basketball sometimes."

Dicky Rhoads and Tyler Millan each hit triples before Nick Smolka buried back-to-back shots from the left corner. The final one gave Lower Moreland a 47-44 lead with 1:28 left.

The Lions then iced it from the line, hitting 5-of-6 free throws down the stretch as Pottsville struggled to hit outside shots.

"We were probably helping too much," Mullaney said. "We made a switch putting Melochick on (Duffy), and Melo pretty much shuts everybody down. I think we were helping a little more than we needed to, because I think he could have guarded him 1-on-1. That left their shooters open, and that was our downfall.

"We just lost guys here and there."

After the game, Mullaney and his players reflected on what was another magical season for the Crimson Tide.

Despite heavy graduation losses, Pottsville won Schuylkill League and District 11 Class AAA titles en route to 28 straight wins entering Tuesday.

"It was an amazing season. I couldn't be more proud. I'm just sad to see six seniors in there crying," Mullaney said.

"I couldn't be more proud of our seniors. They were amazing this year. I'm around them so much, probably 300 days a year, and they're like family to me. It's tough to see them hurting right now.

"It's going to hurt now, but the 28-1, the Schuylkill and district titles, nobody expected that out of us this year. That's a credit to them. They're great kids."

Game Summary

PIAA Class AAA Second Round

At Geigle Complex, Reading

POTTSVILLE (47) - Gerchak 0 0-0 0, Thomas 1 0-0 3, Melochick 5 4-4 14, Witman 0 0-0 0, Jo. Abdo 4 6-7 15, Schenk 2 0-0 5, Renninger 3 2-5 8, Ju. Abdo 0 2-2 2. Totals 15 14-18 47.

LOWER MORELAND (52) - Wiggins 1 0-4 2, Millan 3 3-4 11, Duffy 8 7-8 23, Fazio 1 0-0 2, Rhoads 2 0-1 6, Keys 0 0-0 0, Smolda 2 0-0 6, Gould 1 0-0 2. Totals 18 10-17 52.

Potts (28-1) 6 12 12 17 - 47 LM (23-7) 6 8 12 26 - 52

3-point FGs: Thomas, Jo. Abdo, Schenk, Millan 2, Rhoads 2, Smolda 2

Photo By John Liddle

By Mike Carnahan

Published: March 5, 2016

MINERSVILLE - Pottsville's Maldeen Thomas picked the perfect time to come out of a mini offensive slump.

The Crimson Tide's defense was on from the start. It added up to another first-round win for Pottsville in the PIAA Class AAA playoffs.

Thomas scored 13 points to lead a balanced attack, while the Crimson Tide's defense frustrated West Scranton for most of the night during a 43-25 victory Friday at Minersville Area High School's Thomas Fitzpatrick Gymnasium.

Jordan Melochick added 13 points and Jordan Abdo 11 for Pottsville (28-0), which won its third consecutive opening-round game in the PIAA playoffs. The Crimson Tide beat Lower Moreland (58-38) in 2014 and Valley View (63-37) last year.

The second round is where the Crimson Tide's season has ended the past two years. Next up is the District 1 runner-up Lower Moreland (20-5) on Tuesday at a site and time to be determined. Lower Moreland beat Milton Hershey, the District 3 third-place finisher, 67-56 in a first-round game Friday.

For Thomas, it was his first PIAA playoff victory as a starter.

"It feels great to win a game like this, especially in the state playoffs," Thomas said. "I am just glad our team came out with a win and we will prepare for the next game."

Thomas, who came in averaging 10.5 points per game, averaged only 6.3 per game during Pottsville's District 11 championship run, including two in the Crimson Tide's 65-55 victory over Blue Mountain in the title game.

Thomas spent some extra time the past few days at the YMCA working on his shooting, and it paid off Friday.

"I came into the game thinking I was going to be more aggressive offensively, keep my pace up defensively and just play well in a big game like this," he said.

Thomas' biggest quarter was the third when he scored five points. All of his points were set up by steals, including two of his own. His first steal lead to Thomas getting fouled on a drive. He made 1-of-2.

Melochick had a steal on the Invaders' next possession. That led to a transition layup from Thomas, who was fouled on the shot. He missed the free throw, but Pottsville led 25-13 with 5:36 left in the frame. Thomas' second steal led to a layup of his own with 1:05 remaining, giving the Crimson Tide a 32-18 advantage.

Thomas' steal and layup were part of an 8-0 Pottsville run from late in the third quarter to early in the fourth that made it 38-18, effectively putting the game away.

The Crimson Tide's man-to-man defense was in control from the start. West Scranton (17-10), the third-place finisher out of District 2, had trouble finding any rhythm on offense. And on the occasions the Invaders did get shots, they weren't finishing.

The focus was to shut down West Scranton's Cole Stetzar, the Invaders' leading scorer who came in averaging 13.9 points. Pottsville's Christian Witman was matched up with Stetzar for most of the night and did the job, as Stetzar finished with just three points.

Shaun Fanning led West Scranton with nine points.

"I thought we did pretty well as a team," Pottsville coach Dave Mullaney said of his defense, which held an opponent to 40 points or less for the 16th time this season. "I through Christian Witman really stepped up for us. That was a team effort, but Christian was on him (Stetzar) the majority of the game and he did a great job there."

The Invaders didn't have a bad shooting night, hitting 11-for-26 (42 percent) from the floor, but did turn the ball over 17 times, including 11 in the first half. The Crimson Tide went on a 12-0 run from late in the first quarter into early the second quarter that turned a 5-5 tie into a 17-5 lead.

Game Summary

PIAA Boys' AAA First Round

At Minersville High School

WEST SCRANTON (25) - Minnick 0 0-0 0, Lipowitch 1 0-0 2, Carlton 0 0-0 0, Stetzar 1 0-0 3, Fendrick 2 0-0 4, R. Mangan 0 0-0 0, A. Mangan 0 0-0 0, Merrifield 0 0-0 0, Williams 3 1-4 7, Cuillo 0 0-0 0, Fanning 4 1-2 9, Harrington 0 0-0 0, Scardo 0 0-0 0, Medici 0 0-0 0, Hart 0 0-0 0. Totals 11 2-6 25.

POTTSVILLE (43) - Ju. Abdo 0 1-2 1, Gerchak 0 0-0 0, Wood 0 0-0 0, Thomas 6 1-3 13, Melochick 5 2-2 13, Witman 0 1-2 1, Pellish 0 0-0 0, Jo. Abdo 3 4-5 11, Renninger 1 0-0 2, Schenk 1 0-0 2, O'Pake 0 0-0 0. Totals 16 9-14 43.

WS (17-10) 5 6 7 7 - 25 Potts (28-0) 12 8 14 9 - 43

3-point FGs: Stetzar, Melochick, Jo. Abdo

Crimson Tide Rolls to 28 - 0

With a 43-25 victory over West Scranton 

Pottsville - West Scranton

Photo By John Liddle

Photo By John Liddle

Photo By John Liddle

Photo By John Liddle

Photo By John Liddle

Photo By John Liddle

Photo By John Liddle

Photo By John Liddle

Photo By John Liddle

Photo By John Liddle

Photo By John Liddle

Photo By John Liddle

Photo By John Liddle

Photo By John Liddle

Photo By John Liddle

Photo By John Liddle

Photo By John Liddle

Photo By John Liddle

Photo By John Liddle

Photo By John Liddle

Photo By John Liddle

Photo By John Liddle

Photo By John Liddle

Photo By John Liddle

2016 PIAA AAA State Tournament - 1st Round

Pottsville Crimson Tide verus West Scranton

Friday, March 4, 2015

7:30 PM 

Come out and support the Crimson Tide 

MIKE CARNAHAN

Published: February 27, 2016

FOUNTAIN SPRINGS - Pottsville's Tanner Gerchak quickly showed that Friday wasn't going to be an "ordinary" offensive performance for the usually quiet senior guard.

The Crimson Tide's defense was its usual self in the second quarter, helping ensure another championship celebration was in store at end of the night.

Gerchak scored a season-high 11 points and Pottsville clamped down on Blue Mountain in the second quarter en route to a 65-55 victory in the District 11 Class AAA boys' basketball championship game at North Schuylkill's Cesari-Hope Gymnasium.

The victory gives Pottsville its second straight District 11 Class AAA crown and improves the unbeaten Crimson Tide to 27-0.

Gerchak scored the Crimson Tide's first points of the night on a 3-pointer, one of the three treys he had in the game. But it was the defense in the second quarter that helped turn the tide as No. 1 Pottsville outscored the No. 3 Eagles 11-5 in the quarter to take a 21-14 halftime lead.

Blue Mountain (21-6) hung around the rest of the night, but could never overtake the Crimson Tide, who beat the Eagles for the fourth time this season.

Friday was Pottsville's second championship this year after the Crimson Tide beat the Eagles in the Schuylkill

League title game Feb. 12. It was the Tide's seventh district title overall and second consecutive championship after a 57-41 win over Allentown Central Catholic last year.

Next up for Pottsville is West Scranton, the third-place finisher out of District 2, in the first round of the PIAA playoffs Friday, March 4.

Blue Mountain also advances, and will take on District 4 champion Lewisburg next Friday.

Gerchak was one of four new starters for Pottsville this season and he couldn't have picked a better time to turn in his best offensive performance of the season Friday.

"It is almost leaving me speechless," Gerchak said. "It is just good for myself, my coaches and my teammates and school in general and really the city."

Gerchak came in averaging 2.7 points per game, with his previous season high being eight points against Jim Thorpe on Jan. 13. He hit two 3s in the first quarter Friday, drained a buzzer-beater to end the third and went 2-of-4 from the foul line in the fourth. He also had a pair of assists and ended up guarding the Eagles' Mark Chelius for most of the second half after Jordan Melochick got into foul trouble in the first half.

Gerchak's 3 from the wing at the end of the third gave Pottsville a 43-32 lead.

"At the end of a couple of practices, I stick around and fire up some half-court shots," Gerchak said. "The coaches are always like ‘It you get one of those in the game, you better make it.' When I saw Melo was struggling to get the ball, I saw it coming to me and I just put it up. I guess the practice paid off."

Melochick led the Crimson Tide with 20 points, scoring 16 in the second half, with 10 coming in the third quarter. He also had six rebounds. Senior Jordan Abdo added 10 points, while sophomore Ian Renninger compiled 10 points and eight rebounds in a balanced scoring attack for the Crimson Tide.

"It just feels great to win another one," said Melochick, who was Pottsville's only returning starter from last year's 28-1 team. "All the hard work we put in, it paid off tonight."

Aaron Albertini drained six 3-pointers and scored a team-high 20 points for the Eagles, who were in their first district title game since 2007. Chelius added 17 points and five assists, while Brayden Lewis netted 13 points.

Blue Mountain led 14-12 with 6:30 remaining in the second quarter after Albertini hit a 3-pointer from wing.

That last the Eagles' last lead of the game. It was also Blue Mountain's last points of the first half and final points for nearly nine minutes as the Eagles went 0-for-13 from the floor during that stretch.

"It seems to happen every time you play Pottsville, you go through a 5-6 minute stretch where you go without a field goal," Eagles coach Dustin Werdt said. "We were getting some looks, but they were rushed. They speed you up offensively. When you are looking to take a shot there is somebody hanging on you or somebody there defending you. Even when you are open, you are not open against them."

As Blue Mountain struggled to score, Pottsville slowly took control.

A 3-pointer from Melochick off a cross-court pass from Patrick Schenk gave the Crimson Tide the lead for good with 4:41 left in the first half. It started an 11-0 run that lasted into the second half.

A Lewis jumper off a pick at the top of the circle with 6:06 left in third quarter broke the drought and sliced Pottsville's lead to 23-16.

"We really weren't doing things consistently on the defensive end in the first quarter," Crimson Tide coach Dave Mullaney said. "There were some gambles and different things we don't want to be doing. I thought we locked in better in the second quarter and we stayed pretty consistent the rest of the game."

Pottsville built a 40-28 lead after Melochick hit two fouls shots with 2:09 remaining in the third quarter. The Eagles hung around the rest of the game, but the closest they got was 43-34 early in the fourth quarter. The Crimson Tide shot 10-of-15 from the field in the second half and were 18-of-26 from the foul line in the fourth quarter.

This year's Pottsville team had the difficult task of following last year's squad. But the results for the Crimson Tide at this point in the season are same as they were last year - another perfect record heading into states.

"Living up to last year's expectations were tough," Gerchak said. "We lost a great group of guys. It is a program, that is why it is always next man up. We just wanted to leave our own mark on the program and really just hats off to coach (Mullaney)."

Added Melochick: "I think it was really big for us, because nobody thought we could do what we did last year. We just proved everyone wrong."

Game Summary

District 11 Class AAA Championship

At North Schuylkill High School

BLUE MOUNTAIN (55) - Puzzi 0 1-2 1, Kerstetter 0 0-0 0, Welsh 0 0-0 0, Lewis 6 1-1 13, Albertini 6 2-2 20, Chelius 5 6-8 17, Zerbe 0 2-3 2, Hoynoski 0 0-0 0, Biever 1 0-0 2. Totals 18 12-16 55.

POTTSVILLE (65) - Ju. Abdo 0 0-0 0, Gerchak 3 2-4 11, Thomas 1 0-0 2, Melochick 4 10-13 20, Witman 1 2-2 4, Jo. Abdo 3 4-7 10, Renninger 3 4-5 10, Schenk 2 4-7 8. Totals 17 26-38 65.

BM (21-6) 9 5 18 23 - 55 Pot (27-0) 10 11 22 22 - 65

3-point FGs: Albertini 6, Chelius, Gerchak 3, Melochick 2

Photo By John Liddle

Photo By John Liddle

Photo By John Liddle

Photo By John Liddle

Photo By John Liddle

Photo By John Liddle

Photo By John Liddle

Photo By John Liddle

Photo By John Liddle

Photo By John Liddle

Photo By John Liddle

Photo By John Liddle

Photo By John Liddle

Photo By John Liddle

Photo By John Liddle

Photo By John Liddle

Photo By John Liddle

Photo By John Liddle

 
Pottsville tops Bethlehem Catholic in OT

by leroy boyer

Published: February 24, 2016

ORWIGSBURG - Pottsville's tough non-league schedule prepared it for games like Tuesday's 57-53, overtime victory over Bethlehem Catholic in a District 11 Class AAA boys' basketball semifinal.

When the Crimson Tide faced adversity, they knew how to handle it.

When Pottsville needed a big defensive play, somebody made one.

When the Crimson Tide needed to hit a big shot, somebody stepped up and drained one.

The result? A third straight trip to the PIAA playoffs and a shot at back-to-back district titles.

Jordan Melochick scored a game-high 22 points, including the 1,000th of his career, as Pottsville rallied past the Golden Hawks in front of a packed house at Blue Mountain High School.

The victory improves the top-seeded Crimson Tide to 26-0 and sets up an all-Schuylkill League title tilt with Blue Mountain in Friday's championship game. The Eagles advanced with a 66-64 overtime win over Salisbury.

"It's an awesome feeling," Pottsville coach Dave Mullaney said afterward. "We knew we were going to be in this type of game tonight. We were very fortunate to be on the right side of it."

Pottsville's non-league schedule included wins over Glen Mills, Wilson West Lawn, Governor Mifflin, Williamsport, Shamokin, Salisbury and Berks Catholic, giving the Crimson Tide a taste of what it's like to play with some of the best teams in the eastern part of the state.

That experience came in handy when Bethlehem Catholic (14-10) used great play by its dynamic guard tandem of DeAndre Tillett and Micaiah Fraction to outscore Pottsville 17-9 in the third quarter and build a 43-37 lead after three frames. Tillett scored 20 of his team-high 21 points over the first three frames, while Fraction had eight of his 13.

That's when Mullaney - with a tip of the hat to assistant John Toomey - changed things up defensively and put Maldeen Thomas on Tillett.

"Maldeen has made plays for us all year," Mullaney said. "John Toomey made that switch defensively. We wanted to go with somebody different (on Tillett), and as soon as I asked he pointed to Maldeen Thomas right away. That was the absolute difference in the game. We were struggling with him.

"Maldeen just adds that little bit extra. That's not something you teach. He's just a great athlete."

Thomas responded with a game-changing play that typified Pottsville's entire defensive philosophy.

With the Tide down by six, the 6-foot-1 senior poked the ball away from Tillett at midcourt and dove onto the floor for the loose ball. As he corralled the ball and started to roll, he found Jordan Abdo alone in the frontcourt with a bounce pass that led to a three-point play.

"I knew I was doing well offensively, and I had to step up defensively," said Thomas, who made a similar steal later in the fourth quarter. "I knew I had to step up and make a big play defensively.

"I just beat (Tillett) to a spot. I knew he was a drive-first type of player and I had to beat him to a spot."

Added Mullaney: "When we were down six, we were on the brink there. He made a great play."

Abdo, who finished with 18 points, followed that sequence with a driving layup on Pottsville's next possession to slice Bethlehem Catholic's lead to 43-42, and the teams battled back and forth the rest of the way.

Abdo's 15-foot jumper, off a high screen by Melochick, tied the game at 48 with 3:02 remaining, but Fraction buried a 3-pointer to put the Golden Hawks back ahead.

Bethlehem Catholic still led 53-50 after Justin Paz hit the second of two free throws with 18.1 seconds left.

With his team needing a big shot, Melochick delivered.

Getting the ball on the left wing, Melochick squared up and calmly drained a 3-pointer to tie it with 9.1 seconds left. When Tillett missed a runner in the paint, the game headed to overtime.

"We ran wave-through and they set a player screen for me," Melochick said. "I was deep, but I was able to set myself, so that helped me a lot. I was able to get my shot on line, and that made it easier to make.

"It felt awesome. I don't know how to describe it."

It was the second standing ovation for Melochick, who scored the 1,000th point of his career on a step-back jumper as time expired in the first quarter to give Pottsville a 16-15 lead. The Tide led 28-26 at intermission.

"We ran a play for me and I got the ball isolated on the post," Melochick said of the milestone shot. "He was playing off me a little, so I gave him a little jab step, did a step back and made it. That felt good to finally get it off my chest."

Pottsville's defense dominated the four-minute extra session, as the Hawks shot 0-for-6 from the field and committed a turnover. Ian Renninger collected four of his game-high 13 rebounds in the final moments, helping Pottsville prevent any second-chance opportunities.

Melochick put Pottsville ahead with a free throw with 2:47 left, then made it 55-53 on another free throw with 53 seconds left. A pair of free throws by Thomas iced the victory with 7.5 seconds left.

When Pottsville needed a big play, Melochick was the guy who stepped up offensively.

"Jordan Melochick is a superstar," Mullaney said. "If you look at it from a coach's perspective and what he can do on the basketball floor, it's amazing. Guard 1-5, score in a variety of ways. There's no flash with him. He's just a great, great player."

Game Summary

District 11 Class AAA Semifinal

At Blue Mountain High School

BETHLEHEM CATHOLIC (53) - Fraction 4 2-2 13, Tillett 7 3-4 21, Paz 1 2-3 4, Dawson-Amaah 3 1-3 7, Posch 1 2-2 4, Spigner 0 2-2 2, Jones 1 0-1 2. Totals 17 12-17 53.

POTTSVILLE (57) - Gerchak 0 0-0 0, Thomas 0 8-10 8, Melochick 7 6-9 22, Witman 0 0-0 0, Jo. Abdo 7 3-5 18, Ju. Abdo 0 0-0 0, Renninger 3 0-0 6, Schenk 1 0-0 3. Totals 18 17-24 57.

BC (14-10) 15 11 17 10 0 - 53 Potts (26-0) 16 12 9 16 4 - 57

3-point FGs: Fraction 3, Tillett 4, Melochick 2, Jo. Abdo, Schenk

Photo By John Liddle

Photo By John Liddle

Photo By John Liddle

Photo By John Liddle

Photo By John Liddle

Photo By John Liddle

Photo By John Liddle

Photo By John Liddle

Photo By John Liddle

Photo By John Liddle

Photo By John Liddle

Photo By John Liddle

Jordan "Melo" Melochick scores his 1000th point!

by mike carnahan

Published: February 23, 2016

District 11 Boys' Basketball

Semifinal Capsules

CLASS AAA

No. 5 Bethlehem Catholic (14-9)

vs. No. 1 Pottsville (25-0)

When: Today, 7:30 p.m.

Where: Blue Mountain High School, Orwigsburg

About the Golden Hawks

Head coach: Ray Barbosa (1st season)

How they got here: Beat No. 4 Allentown Central Catholic 55-46 in Friday's quarterfinals

Probable starting lineup: G Micaiah Fraction (sr., 5-foot-7, 8.7 points per game), G DeAndre Tillett (sr., 5-8, 11.1), G Justin Paz (fr., 5-7, 10.7), F Kweku Dawson-Amoah (sr., 6-5, 13.4), F Andrew Posch (sr., 6-3, 5.6)

Key reserves: F Julian Spigner (sr., 6-3, 6.7), F Anthony Jones (soph., 6-4, 1.5).

About the Crimson Tide

Head coach: Dave Mullaney (9th season)

How they got here: Beat No. 9 Lehighton 52-31 in Friday's quarterfinals

Probable starting lineup: G Tanner Gerchak (sr., 5-7, 2.8 ppg), G Maldeen Thomas (sr., 6-1, 11.0), F Jordan Melochick (sr., 6-3, 13.2), G Christian Witman (sr., 6-3, 2.9), G Jordan Abdo (jr., 5-11, 13.0)

Key reserves: G Justin Abdo (jr., 5-11, 1.3), F Ian Renninger (soph., 6-7, 7.3), G Patrick Schenk (sr., 6-3, 5.6)

Game notes: Fraction led the Golden Hawks with 17 points in their quarterfinal victory, while Tillett added 12. ... Golden Hawks were down 33-30 entering the fourth quarter before going on a 13-0 run to take the lead for good. Fraction scored seven straight points during the run. ... Jordan Abdo had 11 points in quarterfinal-round victory, while Witman and Melochick added 10 apiece. Witman's 10 points were a career high. Crimson Tide led 11-10 after the first quarter and then held a 41-21 scoring advantage the rest of the game. ... Hawks, who were 3-19 last season, finished third in Eastern Pennsylvania Conference Steel Division standings and lost to Parkland 65-51 in first round of league playoffs. ... Golden Hawks will play either an up-tempo game or run their offense out of half-court sets, depending on the opposition. ... Crimson Tide like to wear teams down with their half-court, man-to-man defense. ... Melochick, who is the only returning starter from last season, needs five points to reach 1,000 for his career.

What's next?: Winner advances to Friday's District 11 Class AAA championship game vs. the winner of No. 3 Blue Mountain and No. 2 Salisbury. Winner earns PIAA playoff berth. Loser takes on Blue Mountain-Salisbury loser Friday in consolation game. Loser can qualify for PIAA playoffs with win in Friday's consolation game.

Photo By John Liddle

Photo By John Liddle

Photo By John Liddle

Photo By John Liddle

By Leroy Boyer

Published: February 20, 2016

MINERSVILLE - The Pottsville boys' basketball team doesn't have a player that jumps off a stat sheet.

There isn't a player averaging 20 points a game, one that's being pursued by NCAA Division I college coaches or one that's scored 1,000 career points.

Instead, the Crimson Tide do it with defense, shutting down the opponent's top scorers, creating points off turnovers and scoring in transition.

Offensively, somebody different steps up every game in what has become a balanced attack.

All of that was the case Friday in a 52-31 rout of Lehighton in a District 11 Class AAA quarterfinal at Minersville Area High School's Fitzpatrick Gymnasium.

Jordan Abdo led a trio of double-digit scorers with 11 points, Christian Witman scored a season-high 10 and the Crimson Tide forced 16 turnovers to improve to 25-0 overall.

Top-seeded Pottsville will face No. 5 Bethlehem Catholic, a 55-46 winner over Allentown Central Catholic, in Tuesday's semifinals at a site and time to be determined.

"We have a bunch of guys that can do a bunch of things," said Witman, who entered the game averaging 2.6 points per game. "We all bring what we have to the table every single night. Sometimes it's points, sometimes it's steals, sometimes it's rebounds.

"We just go out there every single play and play as hard as we can."

Abdo was the guy who stepped up in the first half, scoring six of his points in a 16-6 run that put the Crimson Tide up 25-16 at intermission.

Lehighton (14-10) grabbed a 10-9 lead late in the first quarter on a pair of free throws by Damian Mele before Pottsville went on a quick 6-0 spurt to take control. Jordan Melochick scored on a drive, Abdo hit a jumper and Maldeen Thomas converted a steal into a layup.

Pottsville forced 11 turnovers in the first half, with Thomas scoring seven of his nine points.

"I thought Maldeen Thomas played with a ton of energy tonight," Pottsville coach Dave Mullaney said. "Even when we were struggling offensively, his energy defensively creating transition points was big in the first half."

The Crimson Tide's goal in the first half was to drive to the basket and get Lehighton's two big men, Nick Chambers and Hunter Greene, in foul trouble. Chambers picked up his third foul with 6:56 left in the second quarter and finished with just four points, while Greene was saddled with his fourth foul with 5:33 left in the third quarter.

Neither fouled out, but the foul trouble limited their effectiveness. Greene led the Indians with nine points, scoring six in the first half and his other three on free throws in the fourth quarter.

"We wanted to get their bigs in foul trouble, because we knew they didn't have a great bench," Abdo said. "Every time we get a mismatch, we try to take advantage and score as many points as we can."

Pottsville opened the second half on a 15-3 run to put the game out of reach. Lehighton committed five turnovers in that span and hit just 1-of-8 shots.

Witman was the offensive catalyst, starting the run on a short jumper off a feed from Tanner Gerchak, then burying a pair of 3-pointers later in the run.

Witman's final 3-pointer gave Pottsville a 40-19 lead with 2:26 left in the third quarter, and Lehighton never got closer than 16 points the rest of the way.

"I'm usually a role player. Play good defense, get on the floor," Witman said. "Ten points is my highest scoring game all year."

Added Mullaney: "We tell our guys that if they're confident, shoot it. It's easier to do it within the flow of an offense. He's played well for us all year, distributing the ball and defensively. It's great to see him hit a couple of shots in a big game tonight."

Melochick finished with 10 points and nine rebounds for Pottsville and needs just five more points to reach 1,000 for his career. He also drew the defensive assignment on Chambers, who scored 13 and 12 points in the two Schuylkill League Division I contests between the teams earlier this season.

"Their defense is fantastic," Lehighton coach Rich Oertner said. "I don't think they're a great offensive team. I think they're a fantastic defensive team, and that's where their scoring comes from. They just wear you down."

Game Summary

District 11 Class AAA Quarterfinals

At Minersville

LEHIGHTON (31) - McDowell 2 0-0 5, Zwetolitz 2 0-1 5, Mele 1 2-3 4, Chambers 1 2-2 4, Greene 3 3-5 9, Venuto 0 1-2 1, Carpenter 1 0-1 2, Howland 0 1-2 1. Totals 10 9-16 31.

POTTSVILLE (52) - Gerchak 1 0-0 2, Thomas 4 1-4 9, Melochick 5 0-0 10, Witman 4 0-0 10, Jo. Abdo 5 1-4 11, Ju. Abdo 1 0-0 2, Renninger 2 0-0 4, Schenk 2 0-0 4, O'Pake 0 0-0 0, Wood 0 0-0 0, Pellish 0 0-0 0. Totals 24 2-8 52.

Leh. (14-9) 10 6 6 9 - 31

Potts. (24-0) 11 14 15 12 - 52

3-point FGs: McDowell, Zwetolitz, Witman 2

Photo By John Liddle

Photo By John Liddle

Photo By John Liddle

Photo By John Liddle

Photo By John Liddle

Photo By John Liddle

Photo By John Liddle

Photo By John Liddle

Photo By John Liddle

Photo By John Liddle

Photo By John Liddle

Photo By John Liddle

Photo By John Liddle

Photo By John Liddle

Photo By John Liddle

Photo By John Liddle

Photo By John Liddle

By Mike Carnahan

Published: February 13, 2016

Jordan Melochick has had the opportunity to enjoy plenty of championships during his career for the Pottsville boys' basketball team.

He got to be a part of another Friday night. This one was just a little bit more special.

Melochick, a senior playing in his final game at Martz Hall, recorded a double-double with 11 points and 12 rebounds to help the Crimson Tide roll past Blue Mountain 65-47 for their second straight Schuylkill League boys' title and sixth in seven years.

Pottsville has appeared in seven consecutive league finals and has won 16 titles overall. The only loss during the recent run was a 45-44 defeat to Mahanoy Area in the 2014 title game.

Melochick, who's been a four-year starter for the Crimson Tide, has had a hand in Pottsville's last three league championships.

"This one feels a little bit better because I am a senior this year," Melochick said. "I was just trying to be a leader for everybody else and pave the way for them."

There was some drama in the semifinals Thursday after Pottsville (24-0), the Division I champs, fell behind by 10 points early in the second quarter and eight early in the third against Division III champ Shenandoah Valley. A big second half carried the Crimson Tide to a 62-45 victory.

There was no such drama Friday.

Pottsville took the lead for good at 9-8 on a putback by Ian Renninger with 1:53 remaining in the first

quarter. The Crimson Tide then went on a 17-6 run to end the first half to go up 31-18 at halftime. Pottsville increased its advantage to 46-30 at the end of the third quarter.

Melochick has quietly put together a solid career for Pottsville, playing along side players such as Travis Blankenhorn and Eli Nabholz. Melochick was the only returning starter for Pottsville this season, and has compiled the best offensive season of his career. He came into Friday's game leading the team in scoring at 13.4 points per game.

The results on the court haven't changed a bit, either. The Crimson Tide are still kings of the Schuylkill League.

"All the time we put in the offseason," Melochick said of the keys to the season. "We play together all the time and that really helped us a lot throughout the season."

Melochick was one of four Pottsville players that scored in double figures Friday. Junior Jordan Abdo had 18 points and seven rebounds, while sophomore Ian Renninger came off the bench to add a season-high 17 points and seven boards. Maldeen Thomas also had 10 points and five rebounds for the Crimson Tide.

Senior Mark Chelius led the Eagles (19-5), playing in their first league championship game since 2007, with 18 points. The Division I wild card, Blue Mountain had been able to stay with Pottsville during their two regular-season meetings this season, but that wasn't the case Friday.

The Eagles finished the night 14-of-37 (38 percent) from the floor and were outmuscled on the boards as Pottsville held a 28-14 rebounding edge.

"Tonight, Pottsville took it to us," Blue Mountain coach Dustin Werdt said. "They played well, they shot the ball well, they attacked the basket. They did everything offensively you want a team to do."

The Crimson Tide were 23-of-40 (58 percent) from the floor Friday, including a 5-of-8 showing from 3-point land. All five of the 3-pointers came in the first half as Pottsville hit on 5-of-7. Thomas had two 3s in the first half for the Crimson Tide, with his second coming on a step-back shot from the corner with 2:52 left in the half that gave Pottsville a 24-15 lead.

Tanner Gerchak, Patrick Schenk and Abdo also had 3s in the first 16 minutes for the Crimson Tide. Abdo's 3 from the wing came with 1:14 remaining in the first half to put Pottsville up 30-18.

"We were pretty selective shooting them," Pottsville coach Dave Mullaney said. "It is one thing just to throw them up but if we can run some offense, get the ball moving a little bit, try to work inside out, you have a better chance that those are going to go in."

Melochick scored the Crimson Tide's first points of the second half on a drive down the lane. He later another drive down the lane at 3:24 to make it 39-23.

Pottsville built its biggest lead of the night to that point with 6:16 to go in the game after Abdo knocked two foul shots in a 1-and-1 situation, making it 52-30.

"We really had an emphasis on we really needed to get back to winning every quarter," Mullaney said. "In the past couple of weeks, we've been making runs that are good enough to get wins, but we are not winning every quarter. That is something we always prided ourselves in years past and everybody bought into that tonight. In each quarter, we were pretty consistent."

Game Summary

Schuylkill League Boys' Championship

At Martz Hall

BLUE MOUNTAIN (47) - Puzzi 1 0-0 2, Kerstetter 0 0-0 0, Welsh 0 0-0 0, Lewis 4 0-0 9, Albertini 2 2-2 7, Chelius 5 6-7 18, Zerbe 1 5-8 7, Hoynoski 0 0-1 0, Biever 2 0-0 4. Totals 15 13-18 47.

POTTSVILLE (65) - Ju. Abdo 0 0-0 0, Gerchak 1 0-0 3, Thomas 3 2-4 10, Melochick 3 5-7 11, Witman 0 0-1 0, Jo. Abdo 6 5-5 18, Renninger 8 1-3 17, Schenk 2 1-2 6. Totals 23 14-22 65.

BM (19-5) 8 10 12 17 - 47 Pot (24-0) 12 19 15 19 - 65

3-point FGs: Lewis, Albertini, Chelius 2, Gerchak, Thomas 2, Jo. Abdo, Schenk

Photo By John Liddle

Photo By John Liddle

Photo By John Liddle

Photo By John Liddle

Photo By John Liddle

Photo By John Liddle

Photo By John Liddle

Photo By John Liddle

Photo By John Liddle

Photo By John Liddle

Photo By John Liddle

Photo By John Liddle

Photo By John Liddle

Photo By John Liddle

By Leroy Boyer

Published: February 13, 2016

Ian Renninger's job in Friday's Schuylkill League boys' basketball championship game was simple.

Come off the bench, spell the Pottsville starters for a few minutes, play tough defense and crash the boards.

The production the Crimson Tide got out of the 6-foot-7 sophomore was well beyond their expectations.

Renninger scored a season-high 17 points, pulled down seven rebounds and recorded three blocks in Pottsville's 65-47 rout of Blue Mountain at Martz Hall.

Dominating the middle on both ends of the floor, Renninger turned the fourth quarter into the Schuylkill League Dunk Contest, throwing down three slams as Pottsville (24-0) won its second straight Schuylkill League boys' title and sixth in seven years.

"Ian we kind of look at as another starter for us, he's so talented. He plays starter's minutes," Pottsville coach Dave Mullaney said. "Tonight he was huge.

"His offensive rebounding in the first half ... that was so critical for us offensively. He also had some blocks on the other end."

Renninger, Patrick Schenk and Justin Abdo were part of a Crimson Tide bench that produced 23 points and had a big hand in Pottsville's first-half success.

All three entered the game midway through the first quarter and had an immediate impact.

Schenk, a 6-3 senior, drained a triple from the top of the key as part of a 6-0 run that gave Pottsville a quick 7-2 lead.

Abdo, a 5-11 junior and the twin brother of starter Jordan Abdo, took care of the ballhandling duties when senior guard Tanner Gerchak got into foul trouble.

"As a bench, we try to come in and do what the starters do," said Schenk, who finished with six points. "No let-off. Keep it the same all the time.

"Coach lets us shoot if we're confident. It feels great to make any type of contribution, especially in a championship game like this."

Added Mullaney: "Patrick Schenk has hit big shots for us all year. He really understands our system and has gotten better and better as a defender. We're always comfortable with him."

Renninger's initial job was to contain Blue Mountain's center, 6-7 sophomore Jakob Biever. Biever scored a pair of baskets on a layup and a hook shot as part of a 6-0 run that gave Blue Mountain an 8-7 lead with 2:19 left in the first quarter.

Renninger not only contained Biever, but the Pottsville defense didn't let him score the rest of the game.

Renninger, meanwhile, scored consecutive baskets off offensive rebounds late in the first quarter to give Pottsville a 12-8 lead after one frame, then added another recycled basket in the second quarter.

His buckets were part of a concentrated effort by Pottsville to dominate the glass, get offensive rebounds and create second-chance scoring opportunities.

Renninger's second-quarter bucket started a 14-4 run to close the first half that gave Pottsville a 31-18 halftime lead.

"The kid is a great athlete. He's got size, he can jump. He does a great job attacking the rim for offensive boards," Blue Mountain coach Dustin Werdt said of Renninger.

"A lot of their offensive rebounds came because we got beat off the dribble and we had to help with our big guy, and (Renninger) crashed. Give him credit. He did a great job."

Jordan Abdo (18 points) and Jordan Melochick (11 points, 12 rebounds) took over the game in the second half for Pottsville, helping the Crimson Tide extend their lead to 52-30 early in the fourth.

That's when Renninger stole the limelight and excited a paid crowd of 2,626.

His first dunk came off a feed from Melochick with 4:50 left. He followed that with a layup, then added two more dunks off perfect passes from Gerchak and Jordan Abdo.

All three slams fired up a boisterous Pottsville student section that was right above the Tide's basket and put an exclamation point on another Schuylkill League championship.

"It just comes. I don't really try for it, it just happens," Renninger said of his dunks. "I'm not going to lie ... it's pretty cool dunking in front of all these people. It was awesome."

Photo By John Liddle

Photo By John Liddle

Photo By John Liddle

Photo By John Liddle

Photo By John Liddle

Photo By John Liddle

Photo By John Liddle

Photo By John Liddle

Photo By John Liddle

Photo By John Liddle

Photo By John Liddle

Photo By John Liddle

Photo By John Liddle

Photo By John Liddle

Photo By John Liddle

Photo By John Liddle

Photo By John Liddle

Photo By John Liddle

Photo By John Liddle

Photo By John Liddle

Photo By John Liddle