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Loyalsock pulls away late to win Heartland championship

SUNBURY — Loyalsock collected a championship trophy Friday night, but it hopes two more follow.

As lofty as those goals might be, touching that Heartland Conference championship trophy sure felt good. That goes double for four senior starters who will never again play in this exciting tournament.

That group won its second HAC title in three years, dominating the boards and playing tremendous defense as Loyalsock defeated rival Montoursville, 60-40 in the final at the Shikellamy Field House. For a second straight tournament game, the Lancers (23-1) dominated the fourth quarter, outscoring Montoursville 20-6 and blowing open what had been a two-point game late in the third.

“Someone asked me if this ever gets old and I said, ‘never,'” said Loyalsock coach Ron Insinger who has won more than 20 league championships. “This is important because hopefully it’s going to springboard to bigger and better things down the road. There are no guarantees, so it’s nice to have a season goal be met.”

“This was our first goal once we got into the playoffs. We fell short in the final last year so it was good to get it back,” Connor Watkins said after recording his second straight double-double. “It’s been a fun ride. I’ve enjoyed playing with these guys. We played together and we played with fire.”

So did Montoursville (17-7) but Loyalsock’s fire burned brighter as the Lancers eventually wore down a determined team that was playing its third game in three nights. The Warriors, playing in their first HAC final, started strong and held a 22-19 lead early in the second quarter, but Loyalsock built a 5-point halftime lead and never trailed again.

Loyalsock’s rebounding and defensive combination proved lethal. The Lancers outrebounded Montoursville, 40-23 and surrendered just 21 points over the final three quarters, including 12 in the second half. Watkins (14 points, 11 rebounds, 4 assists) and Bam Brima (9 points, 12 rebounds, 4 assists, 4 steals) dominated the glass, while Gerald Ross (14 points, 8 rebounds) and Aiden Gair (17 points, 7 rebounds) also delivered strong performances.

Brima ignited the stellar defensive performance as well, wreaking havoc inside and when he jumped out on the perimeter and swarmed guards. Loyalsock forced 10 second-half turnovers and broke things open with a 24-4 run that bridged the third and fourth quarters. It was a stark contrast to the way the game started as Montoursville made 8 of 15 first-quarter shots as the rivals fought to a 19-19 tie.

“That was one of goals coming in, to control the glass, because we knew (6-foot-5 Austin) Loe was coming back and that they get a lot of second-chance points,” Watkins said. “We understood it would be important to get after it defensively and control the boards.”

“That’s my point of emphasis right now with Connor and Bam and they just did a terrific job on the glass,” Insinger said. “I watched Montoursville (Thursday) night control the boards against the bigs Danville has and that scared me. We really contested shots in the second half and that made a difference, too.”

Montoursville cut a six-point deficit to 36-34 with two minutes remaining in the third quarter but two possessions with a shot at tying or taking the lead came up empty and Loyalsock took a 40-34 lead into the fourth. The Lancers then dominated the final eight minutes for a second straight night against a strong opponent as Gair scored seven straight points and fueled a 20-point quarter.

In two HAC Tournament games, Loyalsock outscored Mount Carmel and Montoursville, 52-22 in the fourth quarter while making 20 of 29 shots. Gair opened the fourth quarter with a 3-pointer before making two foul shots and finishing inside off a Brima assist. Gair then returned the favor, finding Brima inside and Ross converted a steal into a layup as Loyalsock went up 51-34.

Dylan Bower scored four straight for Montoursville, trying to ignite a comeback, but Loyalsock answered with a 9-0 run. The Lancer starters made 7 of 10 fourth-quarter shots and had an enthusiastic student section literally jumping for joy.

“We played hard and we were right there, but we needed a couple breaks and we didn’t have any and they pulled away at the end,” Montoursville coach Mike Mussina said. “We just couldn’t get over the top today and hopefully we have another shot at it next year.”

Montoursville gave itself a shot at the championship by defeating defending champion Danville, 61-57 Thursday night. The Warriors never flinched against Loyalsock and gave a strong effort, but might have run out of gas, making 5 of 20 shots in the second half.

“I’m happy with my kids effort,” Mussina said. “Three nights in a row, the way we played against Danville, it was tough but they played hard. It’s disappointing to lose but I can’t complain about the way our kids played.”

Sophomore guard Dillon Young played a solid game, scoring 11 points, grabbing 8 rebounds and adding four assists. Loe grabbed eight rebounds, Dylan Bower had four assists and both Hunter Shearer and Peyton Mussina scored six points.

Both teams are now hoping they can make extended postseason runs. Loyalsock is seeking its first district championship since 2015 and will be the top seed, hosting No. 8 Troy next Thursday in the District 4 Class AAA quarterfinals.

Montoursville captured its first district championship since 1985 a year ago and will open its title defense as the No. 2 seed in the 4A playoffs. The Warriors will host No. 7 Milton next week on a date to be determined.

“We’re super excited,” Watkins said. “We’ll obviously enjoy this tonight and rest up this weekend and then start Monday and get focused on districts.”

MONTOURSVILLE (40)

Austin Loe 3 0-0 6, Dylan Bower 2 0-0 4, Dillon Young 5 2-2 13, Hunter Shearer 2 0-0 6, Peyton Mussina 2 0-0 6, Brandon Good 0 0-0 0, Josh Burger 2 0-0 5. Totals 16 2-2 40.

LOYALSOCK (60)

Gerald Ross 5 1-2 14, Aiden Gair 6 4-4 17, Anthony Pastore 2 1-2 6, Connor Watkins 7 0-1 14, Bam Brima 4 1-2 9, Idris Ali 0 0-0 0, Dane Armson 0 0-2 0. Totals 24 7-13 60.

Montoursville 19 9 6 6 — 40

Loyalsock 19 14 7 20 — 60

3-pointers: Montoursville 6 (Mussina 2, Shearer 2, Young, Burger); Loyalsock 3 (Ross, Gair, Pastore).

Records: Loyalsock 23-1. Montoursville 17-7

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