×

Weinhoffer helps South defeat Muncy

DAVE KENNEDY/Sun-Gazette Correspondent Muncy’s Noah Rymsza, left, puts up a shot under pressure from South Williamsport’s Ethan Laudenslager at Muncy on Monday night.

MUNCY — Ryan Weinhoffer provided South Williamsport a boost when he hit a buzzer-beating jumper that ended the third quarter.

Weinhoffer then fed Cole Lentz for a layup early in the fourth. And then he hit a go-ahead basket. Then he hit a mid-range jumper that gave South another lead. Then he hit a hook shot. Weinhoffer literally could not miss over the game’s final 8 minutes and 1 second at Muncy. He lit the fuse and the entire team soon erupted as South recorded a big win and gave its playoff hopes a significant boost.

Weinhoffer scored a career-high 15 points, grabbed 10 rebounds and made his last five shots Monday as South Williamsport erased a seven-point late third-quarter deficit and beat the defending District 4 Class AA champions, 63-53. South (6-7) outscored Muncy in the fourth quarter, 24-9, as five Mounties combined to go 10 of 13 from the field while showing how dangerous they can be.

“Everything came together, especially for the whole team. We hustled a lot the whole game and ran the floor well,” Weinhoffer said. “I was feeling pretty good. I felt like the shots were coming to me. We were passing the ball well and the shots came to everybody.”

South opened the fourth quarter on a 7-0 run and closed it on an 11-0 spurt over the last 3:12. Pete Sinibaldi scored 16 points, Cole Lentz made big plays on both ends, recording a double-double, A.J. Flick hit a key inside shot to start the quarter and Ethan Laudenslager (10 points, five assists) continued running the offense well while making a big defensive impact.

Every Mountie shined over the last eight minutes. But it all started with Weinhoffer. The senior forward gave South a much-needed spark when he hit hit his buzzer-beater and stopped 15-5 Muncy run. He then did nearly everything right in the fourth quarter, had a hand in 14 of South’s last 26 points, hit the boards hard and was part of a defense that limited Muncy to no points over the last three minutes.

South is fighting for a Class AA playoff berth and if it qualifies, this performance and this game could provide a turning point.

“We’ve been waiting for a guy inside to step up and Ryan has been doing that the last couple games. He finally busted out in scoring tonight was huge,” South coach Rob Houseknecht said. “Everyone else just fed off him and we’re finally starting to put it all together. Ryan was a big key tonight.”

“We knew coming into this game that it was a must-win game. We needed it for playoffs. It’s a big confidence booster for us,” Weinhoffer said. “We were confident throughout the whole game that we would take this one home.”

Muncy also is fighting for a playoff spot and looked poised to win when it opened two six-point second-quarter leads and a seven-point third-quarter advantage. South, however, scored on buzzer-beaters that ended the second and third quarters. Sinibaldi made a nice outlet pass that Laudenslager turned into a baseline jumper as South ended the first half on a six-point run and tied it 27-27. On both occasions Muncy was holding for the last shot, but a missed layup and a turnover, combined with the South baskets essentially created an eight-point swing that loomed large in the game’s outcome.

The Indians also struggled to stop South’s transition offense throughout the fourth quarter. The lead changed hands five times in the first 4:30 of that quarter with Kolby Moyer hitting consecutive 3-pointers and Dylan Wilt hitting another that gave Muncy its last lead, 53-52. South took over from there.

“South was really well-balanced and give them props. Weinhoffer did a good job and sparked them but to me we’re this close. We’re so close and we just have to get over that hump in a close game,” Muncy coach Jason Gresh said. “Kolby, Dylan and Noah know what they’re doing but we have to get the rest of the team there by playoffs. We knew it was going to be a learning experience every game and it has been. It’s a game of little things.”

South did all the little things right in the fourth quarter, taking the lead for good on Weinhoffer’s hook shot. Sinibaldi then hit a free throw and made a steal that he turned into a layup. Lentz (14 points, 10 rebounds) then blocked a shot and took a pass from Laudenslager in for a layup. Laudenslager went coast to coast out of a timeout and just like that, South led 61-53 with 1:45 remaining.

Sinibaldi scored eight of his 16 points in the fourth quarter and clinched the win by draining two free throws with 41 seconds left. It was the third time this season that South rallied to win a close road game against a team that defeated it last year. The Mounties have exceeded last year’s win total and have wins against both a defending league and district champion. South is trying to make a strong final push this season and last night was a good start.

“If we can put it together for four quarters we’re going to be a very tough team,” Houseknecht said. “We have four guys that can score in double figures consistently. They just have to get the confidence. They’re finally starting to see they can do it. If we can get that night after night it’s going to be very different for us the next couple games.”

South Williamsport 63,

Muncy 53

SOUTH (63)

Pete Sinibaldi 5 5-6 16, Cole Lentz 5 3-8 14, Ethan Laudenslager 4 2-2 10, A.J. Flick 1 2-2 4, Ryan Weinhoffer 7 1-2 15, Tyler Trojan 0 0-0 0, Evan Laudenslager 1 0-0 2, Nate Persun 0 0-0 0, Landon Sanford 1 0-1 2. Totals 24 13-21 63.

MUNCY (53)

Noah Rymsza 8 3-4 19, Kolby Moyer 4 0-0 13, Dylan Wilt 7 1-2 18, Kyle Lenhart 0 0-0 0, Tanner Gold 1 0-0 3, Connor Sassano 0 0-0 0, Giovanni Persun 0 0-0 0, Max Rymsza 0 0-0 0. Totals 20 4-6 53.

South 13 14 12 24–63

Muncy 15 12 17 9–53

3-point goals: South 2 (Sinibaldi 1, Lentz 1); Muncy 7 (Moyer 3, Wilt 3, Gold 1).

Records: South (6-7), Muncy (6-7).

NEWSLETTER

Today's breaking news and more in your inbox

I'm interested in (please check all that apply)
Are you a paying subscriber to the newspaper? *
   

COMMENTS

Starting at $4.62/week.

Subscribe Today