MILTON–As Loyalsock walked off the West Catholic court last March it marked both an end and a beginning. The heartbreaking state quarterfinal loss closed the book on another district championship season, one that culminated with a Class A state quarterfinal appearance.

Three senior starters played their final games, too. Mia Patterson and Allyia Kennedy knew they were coming back the next season, but also understood their old roles were done.

They were now the team leaders. And the senior captains are playing those parts mighty well so far.

Patterson nearly recorded a double-double, Kennedy was a difference-maker inside and they set a relentless tone Monday at Milton, helping Loyalsock rout the Black Panthers, 52-14. A young team featuring seven players who have limited or no varsity experience won a third time in four nights, building off an impressive showing at last weekendás State College Tournament while showing the expectations remain the same.

“It’s important for us to show leadership to some of the young girls and be patient with them because they’re not as experienced,” Patterson said after scoring a game-high 16 points, grabbing nine rebounds, making three steals and adding three assists. “They maybe don’t know what to do in certain situations, so we need to be how Summer (McNulty) and Cassie (Gee) were for us and take on that responsibility of telling them what to do and giving them confidence.”

That confidence is growing with Patterson and Kennedy forming a strong foundation to build upon. Those two set the tone throughout the preseason, the younger players followed and Loyalsock remains a serious threat after winning state tournament games in each of the last four years. All nine players coach Curtis Jacobson used Monday made positive contributions and the defense put on a clinic, allowing just four field goals and helping Loyalsock build a 30-4 halftime lead against a team which entered 2-0.

Patterson and Kennedy were at the center of the early surge. Patterson had a hand in each of Loyalsock’s 12 first-quarter points, Kennedy (12 points, 6 rebounds, 2 blocks) pulled down three early rebounds and the Lancers went up, 12-4. This after Kennedy scored 43 points at the State College Tournament and Patterson collected a double-double in Saturday’s championship win against State College.

“I think we’re still trying to figure out the chemistry because we did lose quite a few players from last year,” Kennedy, who will play at Elizabethtown next year, said. “We don’t have a lot of returning player, so we’re not yet where I think we could be at, but it’s definitely starting to click more and more as we play more games.”

“The message from the moment we lost to West Catholic was, “It’s your turn.’ They’ve been a big part of our success, but they’ve never had to be the person. It’s different and some people fold in that situation and just can’t handle it. It’s going to be a growth and maturing process throughout the entire year for them and for everybody,” Jacobson said. “I’m proud of the effort they put in during the offseason and they’re kind of reaping the benefits now although there is a long way to go.We have different pieces than we had last year, so it’s nice to have two people to build around. It takes a little pressure off everyone else, too.”

Loyalsock was the only one applying pressure Monday against a team coming off a 65-point showing Saturday at St. John Neumann. And the Lancers showed how dangerous they can as all those pieces begin falling into place.

Sophomore Izzy Dadzie is an exciting prospect who grabbed nine rebounds, while Rhandie Jessell and Grace Baylor added five each. Chloe Kennedy and Rylie French each drained two 3-pointers off the bench and Katie Ryder and Julie Ellis also provided quality minutes.

“They have to be confident and they have to know how crucial they are. We wouldn’t put them in if we didn’t think the could excel which is kind of how we were when we were younger,” Allyia Kennedy said. “I think they’ll be a crucial part for the program, not just this year but the next few years as well.”

That goes double if Loyalsock builds off the effort it displayed against Milton. The Lancers absolutely dominated the boards, outrebounding Milton, 41-15. They were especially devastating on the offensive glass, grabbing more offensive rebounds (17) than Milton did total boards. Patterson pulled down six offensive rebounds and Loyalsock scored eight first-half points directly off offensive putbacks.

Loyalsock complemented its hard-nosed rebounding with some swarming defense. The Lancers rarely let Milton receive quality looks at the basket and held it scoreless for 11 minutes bridging the first and third quarters. During that span, Loyalsock used that defense to jump start the offense and scored 20 straight points. Five players scored during that stretch and Loyalsock hounded Milton into shooting 4 of 34 from the field. The Lancers also forced eight first-half turnovers and cut down on their turnovers, losing just four during the first three quarters while dictating the pace.

“I kind of think once we play at a high level defensively the offense kind of comes,” Patterson said. “When we were trapping and pressing, the offense kind of flowed right through it. When everyone’s energy is up then they play well.”

“We’ve focused since I’ve been here on defense. It’s at least going to keep you in games, it’s going to keep you around. You’re going to have nights where you don’t shoot the ball well and that happens more times than not. That’s the reality of playing basketball,” Jacobson said. “Defense travels. Whether you’re home, away or at a neutral site, it travels anywhere you go. We try to trigger that into offense. That was our plan (Monday) because we have to do a better job of getting easier baskets and you do that by playing defense.”

This season is a building process and Loyalsock has much more building to do. But another brick was laid Monday and the growth continues.

“We’re definitely making a lot of progress through practice,” Patterson said. “People are meshing better.”

LOYALSOCK (52)

Allyia Kennedy 6 0-0 12, Mia Patterson 6 4-6 16, Grace Baylor 2 0-0 4, Rhandie Jessell 2 0-0 4, Izzy Dadzie 1 0-0 2, Rylie French 2 0-0 6, Juile Ellis 0 0-0 0, Katie Ryder 1 0-2 2, Chloe Kennedy 2 0-0 6. Totals 22 4-9 52.

MILTON (14)

Kiersten Stork 0 2-3 2, Leah Walter 0 0-0 0, Morgan Reiner 1 1-3 3, Abbey Kitchen 1 0-0 2, Kyla Rovenolt 1 3-4 5, Brooklyn Wade 1 0-2 2. Totals 4 6-12 14.

Loyalsock 12 18 7 15–52

Milton 4 0 6 4–14

3-pointers: Loyalsock 4 (French 2, C. Kennedy 2).

Records: Loyalsock 3-0. Milton 2-1.