MINERSVILLE - The stage was set at Minersville Thursday for a rematch of last year's Schuylkill League Championship.

A Pottsville (3-1; 3-0) 22-10 scoring burst in the fourth quarter at Minersville (3-1; 3-1) gave the Crimson Tide a 62-52 win for their third Division I league win in the last week.

"It's been two difficult places to play and two fantastic teams, it really challenged our mental toughness and we figured out how to finish a game," said Pottsville head coach Tyler Heffner.

SEE FULL PHOTO GALLERY: Pottsville boys basketball defeats Minersville

The Crimson Tide went on a 23-9 scoring run in the second quarter for a six-point halftime lead before outscoring Minersville by 12 points in the fourth quarter for the double-figure win.

Ryder Bowers hit a trio of three's to spark Pottsville's 20-0 scoring run for the 27-15 lead with a minute left in the first half.

"Our defense turned into offense easily tonight and if I get in there I'm going to score," said Pottsville's David Kunstek. "We're an aggressive team so we're going to run the floor."

Kunstek led Pottsville's offense with 19 points, Bowers contributed another 14 points and Chris Hobbs added another 11 points.

Minersville jumped out to a 7-0 lead after a Nolan Plesnarski three just three minutes into the game. A Shazier Bethea steal and full court layup put the Battlin' Miners ahead 13-7 with a minute left in the first.

Chase Zimerofsky banked in one of four layups for the Battlin' Miners 15-7 lead at the end of the first quarter.

The Crimson Tide went on a 7-0 run through the first minute of the second quarter for the 15-14 deficit before Bowers hit a three for the 17-15 lead.

"The first quarter their press got to us and in the second quarter it opened up a little and we were able to get in the lane and make passes out," said Heffner. "As a team the grittiness was incredible."

Another Bowers three put Pottsville ahead 22-15 midway through the second quarter before a 20-0 scoring run gave the Crimson Tide a 27-15 lead with a minute left in the first half.

"My teammates finding me and the chemistry that we have, they couldn't really guard me there," said Kunstek. "This gives us confidence because we've beaten two good teams at their place."

Kunstek scored eight points in the second quarter and Pottsville led 30-24 at halftime after another Bethea layup for Minersville brought it within a six-point difference.

Jordan Bowers and Bethea layups capped a 10-4 scoring run to start the second half for a 36-34 deficit with three minutes left in the third. Bowers added 10 points in the third quarter for the 41-40 lead heading to the fourth.

Chris Hobbs knocked down a pair of three's for Pottsville in the fourth quarter for the 52-47 lead with three minutes left in the game.

"Our guards have really committed to our rebounding and when we get out for fast breaks it helps a lot," said Heffner. "It's incredibly mentally tough to keep hitting shots in the fourth quarter."

Christian Alvarez went for six points and Bowers hit four free throws to lead Pottsville to the 62-51 win.

Minersville's offense was led by Bowers' 16 points, Zimerofsky's 15 points and Bethea's 12 points.

Minersville 51 - Adams 0 0-0 0, Rogers 0 0-0 0, Zimerofsky 6 2-4 15, Fessler 2 0-0 5, Bethea 5 2-3 12, Pepin 0 0-0 0, Toth 0 0-0 0, Bowers 8 0-2 16, Mealey 0 0-0 0, Plesnarski 1 0-0 3, McGrath 0 0-0 0, Seddon 0 0-0 0. 22 4-9 51.

Pottsville 62 - Killian 0 0-0 0, Hobbs 3 3-4 11, McGinley 1 0-0 3, Allen 0 0-0 0, Herndon 0 0-0 0, Bainbridge 0 0-0 0, Leskin 0 0-0 0, Alvarez 4 0-2 8, Bowers 3 5-7 14, Eroh 0 0-0 0, Kunstek 9 1-1 19, Clews 0 0-0 0, Kimber 2 2-4 7, Viars 0 0-0 0, Oswald 0 0-0 0, Baker 0 0-0 0.

By Dylan Callaghan-Croley | dcallaghan-croley@republicanherald.com

PUBLISHED: December 10, 2025 at 9:51 AM EST

Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

The Hazleton Area Cougars (2-2) earned their second win of the 2025-26 season on Tuesday night, defeating the Pottsville Crimson Tide (2-1) 63-58. The Cougars, playing their third game in five days, bounced back from a 79-42 loss to Philadelphia's Roman Catholic on Sunday.

Yoyo Moran led Hazleton with 19 points, including 13 points in the second half, thanks to a trio of three pointers. Oscaudy Vasquez also had a strong performance with 14 points, including four three-pointers made. Pottsville's Christian Alvarez led the Tide with 17 points while Ryder Bowers contributed 12 points, all coming from long distance.

"Our squad played a really good team," Hazleton coach Pat Brogan said. "They're well-coached, they're champions from last year, seven seniors. They're good."

"Our guys battled really hard," he continued. "They've had a tough schedule, too, but I'm very proud of our guys. They play very hard, very resilient. A lot of mistakes down the stretch, but they figured out a way to win the game. So I'm really proud of how they played."

Hazleton came out strong in the first quarter and led 16-10 after the first eight minutes of play. Utilizing plenty of ball movement and looking for high-percentage shots, the Cougars had six different scorers in the first quarter alone. With five games in three days, Brogan rotated players consistently throughout the games.

"I saw some guys a little bit tired tonight, so I got guys off the bench going," he said.

Despite the early deficit, Pottsville was not going to go away in Tuesday's game. The Crimson Tide, throughout the game, consistently answered back to Hazleton's small runs. In the loss, the Tide shot extremely well, including a total of seven three-pointers made in the game. Ryder Bowers was nearly automatic from beyond the arc with four three-pointers, including a trio in the fourth quarter.

"They're good. They can shoot, they're strong, and they're very tough kids," Brogan said about his team's struggles to put the Crimson Tide away in the game. "They run plays very efficiently-very few mistakes. They can all shoot the basketball, so that kept them in the game."

Early in the second quarter, the Cougars grew their lead to nine points at 22-13 thanks to back-to-back three pointers from Dylan Stish, who finished with 11 points in the Hazleton win. The Tide would slowly cut down the Hazleton lead and pull within one at 25-24 after a 7-0 run. Hazleton would grow it back to 29-24 before the Tide finished the half on a 5-3 run to head into halftime down 32-29.

Coming out of halftime, Hazleton quickly jumped on the Tide with a 9-4 run, growing their lead back to 41-34, including a trio of three-pointers from Oscaudy Vasquez and Yoyo Moran. Pottsville, facing a 44-36 deficit, would cut the Cougars' lead down to 44-43 late in the third quarter after a 10-0 run, including four points from David Kunstek.

In the fourth quarter, Pottsville would tie it up with a three-pointer right out of the gate, creating a sprint to the finish over the last eight minutes. The Tide would briefly take a 54-51 lead thanks to a three-pointer from Ryder Bowers, but Hazleton would nab the lead right back on back-to-back baskets from Edison Macko and Kendrick Ortiz, putting the Cougars up 56-54.

Late in the fourth quarter, Pottsville found themselves within three and had a chance to take the lead on a pair of Hazleton fouls, but made just 2-of-4 free throw attempts.

With under 20 seconds remaining, Bennett Lipzok made a pair of free throws, bringing the Tide within 61-58, but a YoYo Moran steal and layup on the other end would ice the game for the Cougars, giving them a 63-58 win.

Hazleton will be back in action on Saturday afternoon when it hosts the Reading Red Knights. Pottsville will take on Minersville on Thursday evening at Minersville.

 POTTSVILLE (58) - Hobbs 2 0-0 6, McGinley 0 0-0 0, Allen 1 0-0 3, Herndon 0 0-0 0, Alvarez 6 5-6 17, Bowers 4 0-0 12, Kunstek 4 2-2 10, Clews 1 0-2 3, Kimber 3 0-0 7, . Totals 21 8-13 58.

Hazleton (63) -  Totals 23 5-5 63.

3-point FGs: Bowers 4,Hobbs,Clews,Kimber,Allen

Junior guard Colin McGinley came off the bench to score 10 points in the first half, while senior Brody Herndon knocked down two pressure free throws with 1:10 left in the third quarter to put the Tide ahead 36-32.

The Tide also received steady scoring from seniors Christian Alvarez (14) and Ryder Bowers (13), who combined for five of Pottsville's eight 3-pointers.

But Blue Mountain refused to go away.

Junior forward Cohen Werner scored 12 of his 14 points in the second half to keep the Eagles within a possession for much of the fourth quarter. Their aggressive man-to-man defense nearly stole the game late, holding Pottsville scoreless from the 5:50 mark until Bowers hit two double-bonus free throws with 53.2 seconds left.

Pottsville also received timely late contributions from its starting unit.

Seniors Josh Kimber and Davey Kunstek each scored their first field goals of the night in the fourth quarter, and junior Chris Hobbs drilled a pivotal corner 3-pointer that helped the Tide maintain their narrow advantage.

"I can't be more proud about the way they worked in the offseason," Heffner said about his upperclassmen. "They're such incredible kids. They have a little bit more experience and we look for them to lead. And they did a really good job today. This was a real mental challenge for us and our seniors did a very good job. We had contributions from everybody."

Blue Mountain made one final push in the closing minute as Evan Setlock banked in a runner to bring the Eagles within a bucket, but Pottsville held firm as the Tide secured a win that may prove significant in a crowded Division I race.

Werner finished with a team-high 14 points for Blue Mountain, while Meade followed with 12.

Heffner's first win carried added meaning for the program. A Pottsville basketball alum who worked his way up the coaching ranks starting at the junior high level, he now begins his varsity tenure leading the same Crimson Tide tradition he once played for.

Game Summary

Pottsville 48, Blue Mountain 45

POTTSVILLE (48) - Hobbs 1 0-0 3, McGinley 4 0-0 10, Allen 0 0-0 0, Herndon 0 2-2 2, Alvarez 5 2-4 14, Bowers 4 2-2 13, Kunstek 1 0-0 2, Clews 0 0-0 0, Kimber 1 0-1 2, Viars 1 0-0 2. Totals 17 6-9 48.

BLUE MOUNTAIN (45) - Meade 6 0-0 12, Setlock 2 0-0 4, Kirby 2 3-7 7, Werner 6 1-1 14, Henninger 2 0-0 4, Wargo 0 0-0 0, Gaddy 2 0-0 4. Totals 20 4-8 45.

3-point FGs: Bowers 3, Alvarez 2, McGinley 2, Hobbs, Werner

Officials: Melewsky, Phillips, Towle

JV Score: Pottsville 38-32

ORWIGSBURG - The Pottsville Crimson Tide started off their 2025-26 season on Thursday night with a 48-45 win over rival Blue Mountain.

The victory also marked the first for new Crimson Tide coach Tyler Heffner, who took over this offseason as the leader of the Crimson Tide after Jake Wartella's resignation this offseason.

Wartella led the program for five seasons, which included a 2024-25 Schuylkill League title, five Schuylkill League playoff appearances, and three PIAA playoff appearances.

The Crimson Tide had three scorers end with double-digit evenings, led by Christian Alvarez with 14 points. Ryder Bowers contributed 13 of his own, while Colin McGinley had 10 points.

Bowers was especially efficient in the win, with nine of his 13 points coming from three-point range while also going 2-for-2 at the free throw line.

The Eagles were led offensively by Cohen Werner with 14 points, while Tyeierre Meade recorded 12 points.

After finding themselves trailing 11-9 following the opening quarter of play, the Crimson Tide took a 13-11 lead early in the second quarter and never relinquished the lead.

Pottsville would outscore Blue Mountain 15-10 in the second quarter, with five points from both McGlinley and Bowers in the process.

Coming out of halftime, the Crimson Tide found success from deep with three three-pointers, including a pair from Bowers, as well as taking advantage of two Blue Mountain shooting fouls, making three of four attempts.

Despite the offensive success from Pottsville, Blue Mountain would keep pace with the Crimson Tide throughout the second half.

In the fourth quarter, the Eagles appeared to be on the verge of flipping momentum their way late in the game following a Cohen Werner make and free throw, cutting Pottsville's lead to 38-37.

But Pottsville quickly stopped any momentum as the Crimson Tide answered immediately with a three-pointer from Chris Hobbs that jump-started a 7-0 run, growing the Pottsville lead back out to 45-37.

Blue Mountain mounted one final push to tie the game or win it in the final minutes of the fourth quarter, playing smothering defense and forcing several Pottsville miscues, but the comeback effort fell just short.

"A really tough one to start," Heffner said after his team's win. "We knew obviously it's going to be really difficult coming here. We knew they were going to get their best efforts. Really good team."

The first year coach liked how his team was able to settle down after a slower start to the evening.

"I think we had some jittereas early, we were forcing a lot of things. I thought we settled in. I thoguht some of our seniors settled us down a little bit."

Most importantly, the Crimson Tide showed their depth on Thursday night with eight different Tide players finding their way onto the board.

"We had some contriutions from guys off the bench there that really helped us a lot in the second quarter there. It think it was a great team win."

Pottsville (1-0) returns to action next Monday, December 8, against the Tamaqua Blue Raiders, while Blue Mountain (0-2) will look to stop their two-game skid to open the season on Saturday against Schuylkill Valley in Leesport. The Eagles' next league contest is Monday night when they host the Minersville Battlin' Miners.