HS BASKETBALL: Mahanoy girls rout Minersville, win 4th District title in a row
KAYLEE LINDENMUTH / SHENANDOAH SENTINEL - Mahanoy Area's #25 Haley Moss dribbles past a Minersville defender.
POTTSVILLE – Exactly a year to the day that Mahanoy’s state title quest was squashed by the coronavirus pandemic, the Golden Bears punched their ticket back to the state tourney.
Head Coach Eric Moucheron still had his ticket to that game in his wallet during Saturday’s District XI 2A championship at Martz Hall, as his Lady Bears faced Minersville.
“This is the closure we were looking for,” Moucheron said after the 51-29 rout.
The Bears came out of the gate at a rapid pace, quickly putting the Battlin’ Miners in a double-digit deficit.
Couple that with an defensive performance that held the Miners to only two points in the first quarter — both free throws — and the Bears held a 15-point lead at the half, 29-14.
“Our defense was phenomenal. I couldn’tve asked for more,” Moucheron said. “We shot extremely well, but it starts with our defense.”
“We stressed strong start, fast start,” Moucheron said. “We knew if we could set the tone, come out from the start, we would just coast from there.”
That, they did. By the midpoint of the third period, Mahanoy held a 26-point lead, and heading into the fourth, the score stood at 45-17, a 28-point lead.
With the game winding down, backups for both squads found playing time as Mahanoy sealed the victory.
With a 51-29 final score, the Golden Bears secured their fourth District XI title in a row and will move on to the PIAA State Tournament, facing District 1 Champion Sacred Heart, from Bryn Mawr, on March 16 at a time and site to be announced.
Following their victory Friday night, the team was welcomed back to Mahanoy City with a fire truck parade.
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