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Dragons finding ways to win

Watching Lewisburg celebrate winning last year’s District 4 Class AAAA championship, one could not help but think a similar scene would unfold a year later. The Green Dragons had just captured their second consecutive district championship and it appeared four starters would return in 2018.

Then leading scorer Sal Brown did not return. Then dynamic double-digit scorer Dylan Farronato decided not to play. Suddenly, Nate Liscum was the only returning senior starter and the only one who averaged more than seven points per game last year. Lewisburg tried adapting and entered the season with a new approach. When that did not work, the Dragons tried another … and then another.

Finally, Lewisburg has found something that works. A team that was 2-8 two weeks ago suddenly has come to life and is fighting for the eighth, and likely final, 4A district playoff berth. Even with Liscum, who is averaging 25.1 points per game, being injured last Friday, Lewisburg kept moving forward and throttled Milton, 70-51. That was the team’s third straight win, a streak that started against likely playoff qualifier Mifflinburg and continued against five-time defending District 4 Class A champion St. John Neumann. Right before the streak began, Lewisburg gave current top seed Danville a serious scare, dropping a 51-50 heartbreaker.

“It’s a credit to them because, as coaches, we were wondering what type of team we were going to have. We thought we had something going into the season and that didn’t develop so we started with what we had planned and then we changed something and then we changed something again,” Lewisburg coach John Vaji said following the Milton win. “This is about the third philosophical change that we have made with our style of play. We think we finally have an identity with this team and we think we finally know how we want to play.”

That includes pressing opponents, increasing the tempo and utilizing a deep bench. The Dragons (5-8) have averaged 72.7 points during the winning streak, opening with an 88-66 win against Mifflinburg. It is a strategy that has worked well, allowing everyone to get involved and helping wear down opponents. Players are embracing their new roles and all nine players used in the Milton win made strong contributions.

It took a while, but the pieces are starting to come together. It could be just in time, too.

“We’re all starting to find our niche,” reserve Nate Dreher said after scoring 13 points and grabbing five rebounds against Milton. “There’s a lot of games coming up and a lot of challenges, but it’s coming along.”

“It’s step by step, but we’re starting to climb that mountain a little bit in a positive direction right now,” said Vaji, who has led Lewisburg to three district championships the past four seasons. “We’re just trying to get better every day.”

It looked like Lewisburg might get knocked back down that mountain Friday when Liscum injured his ankle midway through the second quarter. Liscum was on crutches when he returned from the locker room in the third quarter, but the Dragons rallied around him and played one of their best games. Three players scored in double figures for a third straight game and Lewisburg produced 20 assists and made 15 of 23 second-half shots. The game was tied when Liscum exited, but Lewisburg built its lead to as many as 22 late in the fourth quarter.

The severity of Liscum’s injury is unknown, but he could miss this week’s games. That means Lewisburg needs similar efforts to Friday’s because it has a difficult four-game week starting at Hughesville tonight. Still, the Dragons also enter this stretch confident after seeing how well they performed against Milton. Starting forward Nick Shedleski scored 15 points, starting guard Aaron Hoover grabbed nine rebounds, guard Coleman Witherite provided 11 points and four rebounds. Freshman Ben Liscum added a team-high six assists. Then there were reserves like Dreher, Sam Miller, Peter Lantz and Andrew Ramirez who shined all night, combining for 26 points, 15 rebounds, seven assists and five steals.

“There’s really no worries at that point. We trust in our teammates and we trust in their ability and in what they can do,” Dreher said. “Some nights it could be Aaron, some nights it could be Nick, sometimes it could be Coelman, Ben Liscum, myself, Charlie Blough or Draven Doebler. I can name players all the way down the line. Different players on different nights will come in and bring energy. That’s what is great about this team. That’s what I love about this team.”

Lewisburg holds the district’s longest playoff streak, having qualified in each of the last 22 seasons. The Dragons last suffered a losing campaign in 1995 when Bill Clinton was still serving his first term as president.

The Dragons are not focused on that streak. They simply are seeking improvement. They fell into a big hole, but they are steadily climbing out of that. Lewisburg has proven skillful at adapting and is looking dangerous. If the defending champions do extend that postseason streak, they could the last team a high-seeded team wants to see. Either way, the Dragons will continue fighting.

“It’s a challenge but I haven’t heard them talk about it. They just come to practice and try to accomplish whatever they can accomplish at practice and then leave it on the floor each game. That’s all we can ask of everybody.”

LISCUM LIGHTNING

Hopefully, the area has not seen the last of Liscum playing basketball. The explosive senior was a valuable reserve on a record-setting 26-win district champion two years ago and was a well-rounded starter on last year’s champion. Liscum embraces the challenge of becoming Lewisburg’s go-to player and was unstoppable at times over the first 12 games, topping 30 points in four of six contests at one point.

Liscum has excellent shooting range, but he has become lethal off the dribble and has carved up repeated junk defenses and double teams designed to slow him down. More impressive than the production is how Liscum never takes a possession off, defends hard, leads well and makes his teammates better.

“I feel super bad for him because he was having an unbelievable year,” Vaji said. “Hopefully it’s nothing too long and we have other guys continue to step up and we get him back and keep climbing the mountain.”

PUTBACKS

Neumann lost senior leader Jaiden Lynch to injury against Lewisburg but bounced back and defeated Montgomery, 73-21, Saturday to stay tied for first in the Mid-Penn with Millville. The Knights (7-4) are undefeated in league play and had Anthony Marrazzo, Malaki Parlante, David Hill and Brandon Loner all score in double figures. Neumann has a big game tonight against rival Sullivan County which is just one game behind it in the Mid-Penn … Speaking of Sullivan, the Griffins have won five straight and pounded Benton, 62-21 in their only game last week. Four-year starter John Saxe had a big game, scoring 21 points and hitting nine 3-pointers. Sullivan (9-3) drained nine 3-pointers in that game and has connected on 43 during their winning streak … Muncy (10-3) bounced back from an eight-point loss against Hughesville and defeated CMVT, 62-58. Matt Coyner recorded a double-double, scoring 20 points and grabbing 14 rebounds while Muncy went 25 for 29 at the foul line … North Penn-Mansfield (10-5) has won six of its last seven games and is getting solid production throughout its starting lineup. Dylan Meyer and Garrett David form a nice inside tandem and Meyer went for 17 points and 13 rebounds in a district championship rematch win against Northeast Bradford. David scored 15 points and added nine rebounds in a 61-48 win against Cowanesque Valley … Zach Rentzel is coming on strong for Canton and produced 16 points each in wins against Montgomery and Williamson, helping the Warriors keep their AA playoff hopes alive … Speaking of AA playoff bubble teams, Cowanesque Valley (4-7) boosted its chances when Seth Huyler, Tyler Vargeson, Christian Kemp and Skyler Vinluan all scored in double figures in a 63-57 win over Towanda.

Dr. Masse’s Top 5 Boys Basketball Teams

1. Williamsport (8-5)

The Millionaires have won most of the close games they have played this season, but 14-win Cedar Crest ended that run, Saturday when it won a back and forth contest, 59-55. Williamsport has another challenging game against a District 3 title contender Thursday when it goes to Harrisburg. Guard Marcus Simmons is coming on strong and had 17 points against Cedar Crest. The only starter back from last year’s district champion, Simmons is averaging 17.3 points over his last three games. Senior Darryl Wilson leads Williamsport in scoring and added 14 Saturday.

2. Wellsboro (15-1)

Just one game into the season, coach Todd Outman predicted Brandyn Tuttle would average a double-double this year. It was a bold statement, especially Tuttle had just started his first varsity game earlier that night. But as the regular season draws closer to ending, Tuttle is making his coach look like a prophet. Tuttle is averaging 14.4 points and 10.9 rebounds per game while helping the Green Hornets win 14 straight games. Tuttle scored a career-high 23 points in a 52-25 win over current AA top seed Wyalusing last week two nights after grabbing 23 rebounds in a 49-30 win against Jersey Shore. Dalton Prough also is a double-double threat and had 17 points and 11 rebounds in Friday’s 67-36 win against North Penn-Liberty.

3. Loyalsock (9-3)

The Lancers had last week off and have not played since losing to HAC-II leading Danville 10 days ago. Loyalsock is a game behind Danville in the HAC-II but rallied from a two-game deficit to edge out the Ironmen last year en route to capturing the division and then the overall conference championships.

4. Central Mountain (7-3)

Hollidaysburg snapped Central Mountain’s four-game winning streak last week but the Wildcats lost to Hollidaysburg during the regular season a year ago also before coming back and beating it in the District 6 Class AAAAA championship. Central Mountain is tied for first in the HAC-I and can take sole possession when it goes to co-leader Jersey Shore Wednesday. Collin Jones, Matt Storeman, Trevor Hanna and Isaiah McCann all are averaging in double figures. Jones, a junior forward, is second among area scorers, averaging 18.8 points per game and also is grabbing 8.6 rebounds per game.

5. Montoursville (8-3)

The Warriors are off to their best start of the 2000s and won three games in four nights, beating Jersey Shore, Warrior Run and Northwest, all by double digits. Montoursville has moved up to the No. 2 seed in the current District 4 Class AAA standings and its busy schedule continues tonight when it plays Bloomsburg. Montoursville continues to move the ball well and play unselfish basketball with different players having big games on different nights. Dylan Bower is coming on strong and scored a season-high 14 points in a 62-44 win over Jersey Shore while also hitting the boards hard. John McCarthy had 15 points and 12 rebounds in that game and is among the area’s leading scorers. Luke Warnecke is an excellent passer and also scored 14 points in Saturday’s 49-38 victory against Northwest.

Players of the Week

Nick Kasper, North Penn-Mansfield

and Owen Kiess, Montoursville

Kasper is one of three Tigers averaging in double figures and he scored a career-high 23 points in the 68-42 win against Northeast Bradford. Two nights later Kasper matched that total, again scoring 23 points and adding seven rebounds as Mansfield defeated Cowanesque Valley. Kiess is flourishing while playing point guard for the first time. The senior does a nice job running a balanced offense and averaged 16 points in three wins. Kiess scored a career-high 20 points against against Northwest and added five steals in the Jersey Shore victory.

Game of the Week

Williamsport vs. Loyalsock

A fantastic area rivalry is renewed Saturday at Lycoming’s Lamade Gymnasium in a game that likely will again draw a large crowd. Local bragging rights bring out the intensity and almost always makes for an entertaining game when these two get together. The Millionaires have won two straight in this series but over the last 15 years both teams have taken turns holding the upper hand. Expect a big and boisterous crowd and a game that could be close from start to finish.

Masse may be reached at cmasse@sungazette.com. Follow him on Twitter at @docmasse

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