Ron Insinger wins 700th at Loyalsock

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HUGHESVILLE - Five years ago Kory Datres delivered Loyalsock coach Ron Insinger his 600th career win in dramatic fashion, hitting a near half-court buzzer-beating 3-pointer against Lewisburg.

Five years later Insinger was sitting on 699 wins and 700 was a near lock. So too, was the fact that no matter when or where Insinger earned that win it could never come close to matching the heroics that gave him 600.

His players begged to differ.

Playing an outstanding game on both ends from start to finish, Loyalsock built an eight-point third-quarter lead then held off a furious last-minute Hughesville rally Monday, upsetting the Spartans 59-57 and giving Insinger his 700th win in memorable fashion. The Lancers (9-1, 3-1 Heartland-II) handed the defending District 4 Class AA champions their first home loss since February of 2007 while helping their long-time coach enter an exclusive fraternity. Insinger became just the fifth Pennsylvania boys coach to reach 700 wins and is now 102 wins from becoming the all-time leader.

"This is awesome. My cousin (Datres) hit the buzzer-beater five years ago and for me to be in this game and see his 700th win is pretty great," Loyalsock forward Stephen Stopper said. "To get 700 wins is remarkable. That just shows what kind of coach C.I. (Coach Insinger) is and the way he loves the game and the way he coaches."

Insinger has coached at Loyalsock for 35 years and done so with stunning success. In addition to leading the Lancers to nine district championships, he also has had 22 20-win seasons since 1974.

What has made Insinger such an outstanding coach was on display Monday as Loyalsock defeated the state's sixth-ranked Class AA team. Playing in front of a packed and noisy gym that was nearly filled to capacity well before the junior varsity game ended, Insinger installed a solid game plan then watched his players brilliantly execute it. The Lancers attacked Hughesville's strong defense, negated the Spartans explosiveness with some excellent half-court defense and never let the Spartans mount the kind of game-breaking runs that have highlighted their three straight state-tournament qualifying seasons.

"I'm proud of coach. He works hard with us and we practiced hard all summer and play really well together," Loyalsock center Isaac Bittle said. "We've been working hard up to this point and I'm glad we got the win. We're playing team basketball and that's what it's all about."

Still, victory was not ensured until the end. Trailing by two, Hughesville forced a turnover with 17 seconds remaining. The Spartans were without a timeout and worked the ball inside before going back outside. Bryan Hoover launched a three-pointer from the left wing and for a split second it appeared Insinger would be denied 700 the way he earned 600. But while Hoover's shot was on target it glanced off the rim and fell to the ground as Loyalsock's players and fans erupted with cheers.

Players and students quickly engulfed Insinger, whose face was almost as red as Loyalsock's maroon jerseys, and soon after hoisted them on their shoulders, giving him a victory ride at one of the district's toughest places to win.

"That just compounds the joy of this win because it's something you'll never forget no matter where we played it, but it's really special here because this is a very, very difficult place to win and we beat a great team," Insinger said. "They're not a good team, they're a great team and the kids came into their house and pretty much controlled things."

Frankie Pagana helped Insinger breathe a little easier with 1:27 remaining when he beat his defender off the dribble, scored on a drive and gave Loyalsock a 59-54 lead with 1:27 remaining. Win No. 700 moved even closer when Bittle blocked Jordan Holmes' putback and Loyalsock gained possession with less than a minute remaining.

But home or away, Hughesville (9-2, 3-1) never makes things easy for opponents and nothing changed Monday. The Spartans forced a turnover and Rezin Davis drained a clutch 3-pointer, cutting the deficit to 59-57 with 26 seconds remaining. Hughesville then forced another turnover but could not complete the comeback, suffering its first loss to a District 4 Class AA team since the 2007 district semifinals.

"We made a couple key turnovers that put a scare into me, but the kids knew all along they could do it," Insinger said. "I looked into their eyes and they felt confident and that's 95 percent of it. That speaks volumes to the quality of kids that we have."

Loyalsock showed no fear in a hostile environment, taking an 8-3 early lead and losing it for just 20 seconds in the second quarter. Colin Kelly found Tyler Girio for a buzzer-beating layup that extended Loyalsock's halftime lead to four and Hughesville did not pull closer than three until Davis's late 3-pointer.

The Spartans hit seven of 10 third-quarter shots but Loyalsock answered nearly every Spartan rally with a counter-punch of its own and outscored them 17-15. Loyalsock handled Hughesville's pressure well as starters and reserves both made big impacts while forcing Hughesville into 14 turnovers during the first three quarters.

"That was the first time somebody hit us in the mouth and I was going to find out tonight whether we were pretty good or not and we're not very good. That's a fact. We're very overrated," Hughesville coach Nick Tagliaferri said. "Guys were on different pages. Half the team is running one thing, half the team is running the other. I guess that's on me because we're not communicating for whatever reason."

Holmes played excellent off the bench for Hughesville, keeping it in the game at times while scoring 13 points and grabbing six rebounds. Davis also delivered a gusty performance on an injured ankle, scoring 14 points and blocking two shots after being a game-time decision to play.

Nine different players scored for Loyalsock and Antoine Ellison-Love led the way, scoring 16 points while adding five rebounds and four assists. Bittle overcame early foul trouble, finishing with 10 points, eight rebounds and four blocks, most of them crucial ones in the second half. Kelly, who had four assists and three steals, hit a late third-quarter 3-pointer and his big plays at the end of the second and third quarters were huge in the game's outcome.

Insinger went to his bench early and often as Darek Bartlett scored six points and helped the Lancers build a 13-7 first-quarter lead while Girio added six points. Whatever the mixture on the court, Loyalsock never seemed to miss a beat against a team that swept three games from it last year.

"For coach to get 700 in this type of atmosphere at Hughesville, I think this right here took us one more notch up," Stopper said. "This game was more than a playoff atmosphere. It was nuts. I couldn't even hear myself think out here. That we pulled out this win just shows we're a pretty tough team."

And they are a team that can take pride knowing they gave Insinger one of the most memorable wins of his career. Considering how many times Insinger has won that's a pretty impressive achievement.

LOYALSOCK (59)

Isaac Bittle 5 0-2 10, Antoine Ellison-Love 6 4-7 16, Stephen Stopper 1 2-5 4, Colin Kelly 2 0-0 6, Frankie Pagana 2 0-0 5, Sharif Jones 1 0-0 2, Bobby Wozniak 0 0-0 0, Mike Kinney 1 0-0 2, Darek Bartlett 4 0-0 8, Tyler Girio 3 0-0 6. Totals 25 6-14 59.

HUGHESVILLE (57)

Rezin Davis 5 3-5 14, Brian Gerney 3 0-0 6, Addison Hanford 3 2-2 8, Bryan Hoover 2 3-4 7, Drew Eiswerth 3 0-0 6, Jordan Holmes 6 1-1 13, Greg Taggart 1 0-0 2, Andy Laychur 0 0-0 0, Bryce Pardoe 0 1-2 1. Totals 23 10-14 57.

Loyalsock13 20 17 9-59

Hughesville9 20 15 13-57

3-pointers: Loyalsock 3 (Kelly 2, Pagana); Hughesville 1 (Davis). Records: Loyalsock 9-1, 3-1 HAC-II. Hughesville 9-2, 3-1. JV Score: Hughesville 60-54.