MARK NANCE/Sun-Gazette Loyalsock's Maddie Fox (20) breaks up a pass intended for Holy Redeemer's Aleio Atherton (20) in the third quarter.

By CHRIS MASSE

cmasse@sungazette.com

Loyalsock features no defensive system. They are not a man-to-man or a zone team. Basically, the Lancers are a chameleon, forever changing their colors.

It has been that way all season and it paid huge dividends last Friday as Loyalsock defeated Holy Redeemer, 57-41, in its Class AAA state tournament opener. The Lancers constantly switched things up and slowed a potent offense, outscoring Redeemer 26-10 in the fourth quarter while earning a second round matchup Tuesday against Imhotep.

Loyalsock features outstanding athletes, but also some intelligent ones who can quickly adapt. That is a big reason the ever-changing Lancers are both District 4 champions and one of the state’s 16 best teams.

“We’re used to that. We try to be as versatile as we can to throw the other team off,” forward Sarah Van Fleet said after helping limit 1,000-point forward Samantha Yencha to just five points. “We’ve all gotten used to shouting out different defenses when they come in. We are talking to each other, pointing fingers and things like that, so we have that down.”

As efficient as Loyalsock’s balanced offense can be, defense really powers this team. The Lancers are allowing just 38 points per game and have delivered three straight fantastic playoff performances. Redeemer was the only team to crack 40 points in the last three playoff games and Loyalsock held fellow second-round qualifier Warrior Run to 31 points in the district final.

Offense can come and go. Some nights the shots that usually fall, do not go down. But play strong defense each game and one always has a shot at winning. Loyalsock has embraced that philosophy and that was a difference-maker against Redeemer. The defense kept Loyalsock in the game for three quarters and when the offense erupted in the fourth, Redeemer was in big trouble.

“Defense is kind of like an offense for us,” guard Juliana Cruz said following her 6-assist performance. “We get turnovers and runouts and that’s when we speed the other team up and that’s when we start getting points.”

“It’s a team effort and we pressed a lot early, but I had a hunch all week we should play them man and the second half walking out to bench I thought, ‘Let’s do it. Let’s give it a try and go man a little,'” Loyalsock coach Curtis Jacobson said. “We’ve worked on that a little bit each round. It’s another component for us.”

Jacobson has been able to play the mad scientist role as the season has progressed. He is constantly changing defenses as the game progresses. Each time Loyalsock scores, players are looking Jacobson’s way, knowing a switch could be coming. That in itself is the latest step in this team’s progression.

Loyalsock’s four senior starters have played together since third grade and all are four- or three-year varsity starters. Sophomore Summer McNulty has started alongside those players the last two years and this group has grown wiser as it has grown better. A group of standout athletes have become strong basketball players who can quickly process ever-changing situations. Jacobson, a third-year coach, has used that to the team’s benefit, feeling confident that whatever he calls, his players can execute it.

So often, they have. The 24 wins provide the evidence.

“We went into the second half in man and then it kind of changed each possession,” Cruz said. “We’d go man and then he would go ‘3!’ so we’d drop into 3, then we’d go back to man. It went back and forth on each possession, depending on what he was feeling.”

“They know a shot goes in they’re looking at me and we’re calling some number out. They get into it and sometimes we have a miscommunication but with three years together they have experience and they can help each other out,” Jacobson said. “We have interchangeable parts. People can play high or low and that is a luxury, knowing this person doesn’t have to be in this spot. All the credit goes to the team.”

Loyalsock played some of its best defense in the fourth quarter against Redeemer. While the offense heated up, the defense clamped down and held Redeemer without a point for more than four minutes. During that time, Loyalsock turned a tie into a 12-point advantage. The Royals missed six straight shots in the fourth quarter as Loyalsock switched looks, clogged passing lanes and harassed ball-handlers.

Cruz was outstanding up front, Van Fleet and McNulty helped bottle up the middle and Maddie Fox and Sam Stopper each made three steals. Cassie Gee added two steals off the bench while Anna Burdett and Sophia Gardner also played well defenisvely. The looks change, but the effort does not.

Loyalsock is having its best season since 2008 and is a district champion for the first time since 2010. It also has won consecutive state tournament openers for the first time in the 2000s. It all starts with the defense.

“We know how important defense is. We try to play fast and speed the other teams up with our defense,” Van Fleet said. “We go into the game with the mentality that defense wins games.”