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Loyalsock thumps Troy, captures fourth straight district championship

By Chris Masse 6 min read

MANSFIELD--Loyalsock players fans stood and applauded as the final seconds ticked away. Jaiden Ross pointed toward the boisterous student section and acknowledged them. His teammates exchanged some hugs and handshakes.

A huge celebration, though, never happened. Winning District 4 championships has become the norm at Loyalsock.

But that does not diminish the spectacular achievement. Winning districts is incredibly hard even if Loyalsock has made it look easy at times over the years. And this 2022 championship was one of the most hard earned.

Maybe that’s why it feels so good.

A season after losing four starters, Loyalsock left no doubt that it remains District 4 Class AAA’s undisputed king. Brendan Clark scored 19 points, Jaiden Ross played spectacular defense and every Lancer made a positive impact as Loyalsock routed Troy, 69-39 and captured a fourth consecutive district championship Saturday night at Mansfield University.

"It feels great to know where we started and where we’ve ended up," Jaylen Andrews said after scoring nine points and grabbing five rebounds. "With everything we’ve been through it feels great to come out on top."

"With about two minutes left I looked up at the scoreboard and had to fight back tears because I was just so happy for our kids," Loyalsock coach Ron Insinger said after winning his 25th district title. "They all did a great job."

They all will receive varsity letters, too. Loyalsock’s tradition is that if a player competes in a district final, he earns a varsity letter. With Loyalsock (23-4) imposing the mercy rule with 2 minutes, 30 seconds remaining, Insinger inserted every player, driving home what a collaborative effort this was.

That Loyalsock won so convincingly against an outstanding NTL-I champions shows how far this group has come. The Lancers, who play District 2’s Riverside in Wednesday’s state tournament at a District 4 site, returned just one player who received significant varsity minutes from last year’s state champion.

And in its first two district games, Loyalsock looked vulnerable, surviving a quarterfinal scare against Mount Carmel before erasing a 15-point deficit and edging Southern Columbia in overtime. Even Saturday, Loyalsock trailed 12-6 after the first quarter.

But at the perfect time, Loyalsock put everything together, stymied a powerful offense and became Insinger’s second group to win four straight district crowns. That means the seniors will have graduated having won districts every season, joining the 2004 and 2005 senior classes as the only ones to do so in this program’s storied history.

"We really had a chip on our shoulder because we had this big doubt against us that we weren’t going to make it," Ross, one of those seniors, said. "We just had to keep proving everybody wrong. We kept doing it on the court and these are the results."

"Recently it’s kind of crazy but there’s been a lot of talk on the internet doubting us," Andrews said. "We felt like we had a lot to prove tonight."

Point proven.

Loyalsock outscored Troy, 63-27 over the final three quarters turning a showdown between the top two seeds into a blowout. The Lancers held Troy (22-5) to its lowest point total and played one of their top defensive games this season.

Loyalsock started changing the game’s complexion with that stifling defense, forcing seven second-quarter turnovers and building a 25-20 halftime lead which kept growing throughout the second half. The Lancers seemingly could do no wrong at the start of the third and fourth quarters, going up 18 five minutes into the third before settling for a 13-point advantage entering the fourth.

Just when it looked like Troy might be rallying, Loyalsock dropped the hammer. The Lancers scored the fourth quarter’s first nine points and just 93 seconds into it, led 54-32. Loyalsock made its first four shots from the field during that blitz and everyone Insinger used shined in front of an overflowing crowd.

"We got back to our midseason form a little bit," Insinger said. "We picked up the defensive level a couple notches."

It was a true team effort with different players making key impacts at critical times. Clark built off his sensational performance in the semifinals, again leading all scorers while adding seven rebounds. Ross played an incredible defensive game, limiting Troy all-time leading scorer Ty Barrett to 15 hard-earned points, while adding 17 points and four steals. He also let Barrett make just one second-half field goal.

Saraj Ali made a run at a double-double with 11 points, 8 rebounds and five assists and Nate Bauman scored 10 points. Gage Patterson and Tyler Gee were big off the bench, especially in that game-changing second quarter. Patterson, who returned from an injury, made a hustling steal at midcourt, knocking the ball toward Gee who then found Bauman for a layup which put Loyalsock ahead to stay, 17-16 with 2:20 remaining in the first half.

Ross then scored four straight points and the Lancers had a full head of steam entering halftime, while taking the steam from an explosive offense.

"It’s definitely a lot more of an accomplishment when everybody contributes to the W," Ross said. "It makes everyone feel part of the team and makes everyone feel like they helped us earn this medal and that’s what we did."

Loyalsock forced 17 turnovers over the final three quarters and emphatically closed the game, going on a 24-7 run. The Lancers contested shots well, crashed the boards and played high-energy basketball over the final 24 minutes.

Just as important, Loyalsock efficiently executed its offense over the last three quarters. The Lancers took 3-pointers in the flow of the offense but did a much better job working the offense and looking inside than they had done the past two games. That showed as Loyalsock erupted for 45 second-half points.

Clark was tough inside against St. Francis-bound lineman Mason Imbt, scoring 13 second-half points and going 4 of 5 from the field during that time. Ross was a force defensively, but also offensively in the third quarter when he scored seen quick points and helped push the lead to 18. Bauman helped Loyalsock deliver the knockout blow, effectively attacking the basket and scoring six fourth-quarter points.

Loyalsock played like a team on a mission and now that mission continues Wednesday against Riverside. Many doubted whether Loyalsock could win a fourth straight district title and more probably will be questioning whether they can make another state title run.

The Lancers have now won league and district championships, but their tank is not empty. They welcome critics offering them more fuel.

"It’s a great accomplishment," Andrews said. "But we still have a lot more to go."

TROY (39)

Ty Barrett 4 4-6 15, Ethan Vannoy 3 0-0 8, Mason Imbt 4 4-4 12, Jackson Taylor 0 0-0 0, Colin Loveland 2 0-0 4, Justice Chimics 0 0-0 0. Totals 13 8-10 39.

LOYALSOCK (69)

Saraj Ali 5 0-0 11, Brendan Clark 6 4-4 19, Jaiden Ross 7 2-3 17, Jaylen Andrews 4 1-1 9, Nate Bauman 5 0-0 10, Tyler Gee 0 2-2 2, Braydon Miller 0 0-0 0, Gage Patterson 0 0-2 0, Will Burdett 0 0-1 0, Messiah Baldwin 1 0-0 2. Totals 28 9-13 69.

Troy 12 8 12 7--39

Loyalsock 6 19 20 24--69

3-pointers: Troy 5 (Barrett 3, Vannoy 2); Loyalsock 3 (Ali, Clark, Ross).

Records: Loyalsock 23-4. Troy 22-5.

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