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The Schuylkill League boys basketball playoffs are set to tip off Saturday at Pottsville’s Martz Hall.
Nativity BVM (11-11; 8-7) stunned Lourdes on Tuesday to secure the third and final spot in the Division II standings, and will match up with Pottsville (16-6; 12-2) in the quarterfinal opener at 5 p.m. Saturday.
“It’s something that we set out to do at the beginning of the year,” Nativity coach Brady Burke said after securing the playoff berth. “Anytime you get the chance to go to the league playoffs, it’s a big deal. The kids really wanted it and it showed tonight.”
READ ABOUT THE GIRLS’ MATCHUPS: Schuylkill League playoffs
Blue Mountain (15-7; 10-4) and Schuylkill Haven (15-6; 9-5) are meeting for the second quarterfinal game at 6:30 p.m.
Minersville (20-1; 13-1) won the Division I regular season crown and Tri-Valley (19-1; 13-0) won Division II. Both received first round byes in the league playoffs.
Tri-Valley will match up with either Pottsville or Nativity in the semifinals on Wednesday at 6 p.m.
Minersville will face Schuylkill Haven or Blue Mountain in the second semifinal matchup, immediately following the first game.
“Minersville’s had good teams, and last year they shared the title with Mahanoy Area, so this year our goal was to win the division. We came out and did it so goal number one is accomplished,” Minersville coach Chris George said. “We have four new starters and a brand new coaching staff. Coach (Dave) Mullaney set the principles here, and it was a challenge, but guys bought in and I’m really happy for them.”
The Schuylkill League Championship is set for 7:30 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 13 at Martz Hall.
Pottsville vs. Nativity BVM
Pottsville defeated Minersville in last year’s Schuylkill League title game before going on to win the District 11 Class 5A Championship.
This time around, the Crimson Tide are led by first-year head coach Tyler Heffner and seven seniors — Brody Herndon, Juleon Bainbridge, Grady Leskin, Christian Alvarez, Ryder Bowers and Brandon Viars.
Nativity just squeaked into the league tournament with a 71-68 overtime win at Lourdes on Tuesday. Trey Keating scored 34 points and hit seven 3-pointers, three of them in the fourth quarter and overtime.
“We didn’t make it easy. We had motivation going into today, and it was a rocky start, and we knew making the league playoffs would mean so much to us,” Keating said Tuesday. “We were able to battle back and take it to overtime to get the job done.”
The Hilltoppers have won six of their last nine matchups — the most recent league wins coming against Lourdes, Tamaqua and Shenandoah Valley — and qualified for the league tournament despite being outscored 61-60 by opponents this season.
“We just had to get in,” Burke said. “We feel like we can go toe to toe with anyone in the league. As long as we play our game and keep it close you saw tonight what can happen.”
Keating is Nativity’s leader offensively. He enters postseason play with 2,240 career points and is averaging 23.8 points per game. Keating has scored 640 points this season and is averaging 29.1 points per game. He’s number four in the state and number one in the District 11 and Schuylkill County rankings.
The Crimson Tide have won eight of their last 11 games and ended the regular season with league wins against Mahanoy Area, Pine Grove and Panther Valley.
Christian Alvarez leads Pottsville with 17.5 points per game and Ryder Bowers has averaged 11 points per game. Davey Kunstek has posted 9.8 rebounds per game.
“Just having my teammates and coaches trust is important,” Alvarez said. “They look at me to get to the bucket and make plays, and that’s what I do. Just being smart with the ball and waiting to get our shots is important.”
The last time Pottsville and Nativity met was a 61-55 home win for the Crimson Tide on Feb. 10, 2024. Pottsville won the District 11 5A Championship last year with a 33-30 win over Bangor. The last time the Crimson Tide won a District 11 Championship was in 2021-22 and then during the 2018-19 season prior to that.
Schuylkill Haven vs. Blue Mountain
Schuylkill Haven finished in second place in the Division II standings and Blue Mountain placed third in Division I.
Blue Mountain entered the playoffs on a five-game winning streak, with recent league wins against Mahanoy Area, Pine Grove and North Schuylkill.
Tyeirre Meade led the way with 25 points in the 76-35 win over the Golden Bears on Feb. 3. Cohen Werner added 18 points in that game, while Cohen Kirby scored 12 and Beck Henninger added 11 points.
“We’re bonding and building as a team,” Blue Mountain’s Cohen Kirby said after clinching a playoff spot. “We need that going into leagues, and we can’t play selfish. When we play as a team we play better.”
The Eagles have found a strategy that works for them, and will look to continue using it in the postseason.
“Just setting our own pace and making the other team uncomfortable is what’s worked best for us this season,” Blue Mountain coach Dustin Werdt said. “As long as we can dictate the pace of the game we’re alright.”
The Hurricanes have won four of their last six games, with recent league wins over Lourdes, Williams Valley, Marian Catholic and Weatherly.
Alan Evans has been the Hurricanes go-to scoring target this season, and is joined by a supporting cast of Justin Watcher, Brady Kelly and Brayden Diehl.
Schuylkill Haven has outscored its opponents by an average of 63-54, while Blue Mountain has outscored the competition by an average of 60-44.
Schuylkill Haven clinched a spot in the league playoffs after beginning the season on a six-game winning streak and winning 11 of their first 12 games.
“Our guys have really worked hard, they’re unselfish and all five guys have really good hands and catch a bad pass,” Schuylkill Haven coach Fran Murphy said. “That’s been the key is finishing around the basket when we get a pass.”
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Nativity BVM (11-11; 8-7) stunned Lourdes on Tuesday to secure the third and final spot in the Division II standings, and will match up with Pottsville (16-6; 12-2) in the quarterfinal opener at 5 p.m. Saturday.
“It’s something that we set out to do at the beginning of the year,” Nativity coach Brady Burke said after securing the playoff berth. “Anytime you get the chance to go to the league playoffs, it’s a big deal. The kids really wanted it and it showed tonight.”
READ ABOUT THE GIRLS’ MATCHUPS: Schuylkill League playoffs
Blue Mountain (15-7; 10-4) and Schuylkill Haven (15-6; 9-5) are meeting for the second quarterfinal game at 6:30 p.m.
Minersville (20-1; 13-1) won the Division I regular season crown and Tri-Valley (19-1; 13-0) won Division II. Both received first round byes in the league playoffs.
Tri-Valley will match up with either Pottsville or Nativity in the semifinals on Wednesday at 6 p.m.
Minersville will face Schuylkill Haven or Blue Mountain in the second semifinal matchup, immediately following the first game.
“Minersville’s had good teams, and last year they shared the title with Mahanoy Area, so this year our goal was to win the division. We came out and did it so goal number one is accomplished,” Minersville coach Chris George said. “We have four new starters and a brand new coaching staff. Coach (Dave) Mullaney set the principles here, and it was a challenge, but guys bought in and I’m really happy for them.”
The Schuylkill League Championship is set for 7:30 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 13 at Martz Hall.
Pottsville vs. Nativity BVM
Pottsville defeated Minersville in last year’s Schuylkill League title game before going on to win the District 11 Class 5A Championship.
This time around, the Crimson Tide are led by first-year head coach Tyler Heffner and seven seniors — Brody Herndon, Juleon Bainbridge, Grady Leskin, Christian Alvarez, Ryder Bowers and Brandon Viars.
Nativity just squeaked into the league tournament with a 71-68 overtime win at Lourdes on Tuesday. Trey Keating scored 34 points and hit seven 3-pointers, three of them in the fourth quarter and overtime.
“We didn’t make it easy. We had motivation going into today, and it was a rocky start, and we knew making the league playoffs would mean so much to us,” Keating said Tuesday. “We were able to battle back and take it to overtime to get the job done.”
The Hilltoppers have won six of their last nine matchups — the most recent league wins coming against Lourdes, Tamaqua and Shenandoah Valley — and qualified for the league tournament despite being outscored 61-60 by opponents this season.
“We just had to get in,” Burke said. “We feel like we can go toe to toe with anyone in the league. As long as we play our game and keep it close you saw tonight what can happen.”
Keating is Nativity’s leader offensively. He enters postseason play with 2,240 career points and is averaging 23.8 points per game. Keating has scored 640 points this season and is averaging 29.1 points per game. He’s number four in the state and number one in the District 11 and Schuylkill County rankings.
The Crimson Tide have won eight of their last 11 games and ended the regular season with league wins against Mahanoy Area, Pine Grove and Panther Valley.
Christian Alvarez leads Pottsville with 17.5 points per game and Ryder Bowers has averaged 11 points per game. Davey Kunstek has posted 9.8 rebounds per game.
“Just having my teammates and coaches trust is important,” Alvarez said. “They look at me to get to the bucket and make plays, and that’s what I do. Just being smart with the ball and waiting to get our shots is important.”
The last time Pottsville and Nativity met was a 61-55 home win for the Crimson Tide on Feb. 10, 2024. Pottsville won the District 11 5A Championship last year with a 33-30 win over Bangor. The last time the Crimson Tide won a District 11 Championship was in 2021-22 and then during the 2018-19 season prior to that.
Schuylkill Haven vs. Blue Mountain
Schuylkill Haven finished in second place in the Division II standings and Blue Mountain placed third in Division I.
Blue Mountain entered the playoffs on a five-game winning streak, with recent league wins against Mahanoy Area, Pine Grove and North Schuylkill.
Tyeirre Meade led the way with 25 points in the 76-35 win over the Golden Bears on Feb. 3. Cohen Werner added 18 points in that game, while Cohen Kirby scored 12 and Beck Henninger added 11 points.
“We’re bonding and building as a team,” Blue Mountain’s Cohen Kirby said after clinching a playoff spot. “We need that going into leagues, and we can’t play selfish. When we play as a team we play better.”
The Eagles have found a strategy that works for them, and will look to continue using it in the postseason.
“Just setting our own pace and making the other team uncomfortable is what’s worked best for us this season,” Blue Mountain coach Dustin Werdt said. “As long as we can dictate the pace of the game we’re alright.”
The Hurricanes have won four of their last six games, with recent league wins over Lourdes, Williams Valley, Marian Catholic and Weatherly.
Alan Evans has been the Hurricanes go-to scoring target this season, and is joined by a supporting cast of Justin Watcher, Brady Kelly and Brayden Diehl.
Schuylkill Haven has outscored its opponents by an average of 63-54, while Blue Mountain has outscored the competition by an average of 60-44.
Schuylkill Haven clinched a spot in the league playoffs after beginning the season on a six-game winning streak and winning 11 of their first 12 games.
“Our guys have really worked hard, they’re unselfish and all five guys have really good hands and catch a bad pass,” Schuylkill Haven coach Fran Murphy said. “That’s been the key is finishing around the basket when we get a pass.”
Continue reading...
