HS BASKETBALL: Bears bring back-to-back District XI titles home
KAYLEE LINDENMUTH / SHENANDOAH SENTINEL - Mahanoy Area's #21 Brady Alansky leaps for a lay-up.
POTTSVILLE – Mahanoy Area’s unblemished season continued Saturday at Martz Hall, as the Bears won back-to-back District XI 2A boys basketball titles.
The Bears, now 27-0 and on to the state playoffs, faced a familiar foe in Marian Catholic.
They are division rivals in the Schuylkill League, and Mahanoy swept the Colts in the regular season with 61-38 and 59-40 victories.
Saturday’s matchup was a similar showdown, a 73-55 victory in Mahanoy’s favor.
Mahanoy Head Coach Ted Styka told the Sentinel they’d prepped for Marian’s defense over the past few days.
“[Their defense] wasn’t a shock to us when we came out,” Styka said.
“It’s great to win, it’s always great to win,” Styka added. “Hopefully it continues. We’ve got to stay focused and keep our eyes on the prize now.”
Mahanoy took control of the game early, jumping out to a 10-0 lead midway through the first quarter.
Heading into the locker rooms at halftime, Mahanoy led 38-21.
With the game well-in hand, the Bears received a standing ovation from their supporters as the clocked neared zero.
“It feels great,” Mahanoy Area Junior Jace Yedsena told the Sentinel postgame. “I wouldn’t want to do it with anyone else, and back-to-back it feels even better.”
Heading into states, Yedsena stressed the importance of maintaining defensive intensity.
The Bears will play Northwest Area from Shickshinny next Saturday in the opening round of state playoffs.
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