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Few thought South Williamsport would be among the state’s top eight Class AA teams this season. Not even the players.
But they sure believe now.
Look at the heights this team has scaled. Look at where it is now.
Lacey Kriebel scored a game-high 12 points, every Mountie played stellar defense and South led from start to finish Friday at Lehighton High School as it pounded District 1 champion Sacred Heart in the state tournament’s second round. The Mounties (23-4) have reached and unprecedented program level now and are state quarterfinal bound for the first time.
South will meet a familiar opponent in Tuesday’s Elite 8 when it faces defending state champion Mount Carmel at a time and place to be determined. Those rivals split two previous games with South edging Mount Carmel in the district semifinals. That South will be playing in that game speaks volumes about how far this team with just one senior starter has come.
“I would say that if at the beginning of the season you would have told me we would be playing in the Elite 8, I would have said no way,” senior captain Claudia Green said. “To know that’s happened feels great. We’re so excited to play another game.”
South has come light years from where its postseason journey began. The Mounties trailed Millville by 18 points in their district tournament debut before storming back. Everyone keeps producing strong contributions and now South has broken new ground.
But they remain far from satisfied.
“I’m not sure if it’s really set in yet with the girls what they have accomplished which is not necessarily a bad thing. They’re just focused on the next game,” South coach Justin Marnon said. “Maybe when this is over they’ll realize what they have accomplished, but for right now it’s sort of, let’s keep working and preparing for Mount Carmel. We’ll celebrate all the things have happened after the season is over.”
South had erased second-half deficits in its three postseason wins entering Friday’s game. That included coming back from nine down in the fourth quarter at Minersville to win the first-round game, 37-35. This time, South kept its fans’ and coaches’ heart rates more subdued, controlling the game from the second quarter on. The Mounties never trailed and used an 11-2 second-quarter run to build an 11-point halftime lead.
Sacred Heart, the six-time defending District 1 champion, pulled as close as seven midway through the third quarter, but South pushed the lead to 13 entering the fourth and soon landed the knockout blow.
“They really clamped down on defense and after they got it to 21-14 we got some better looks and were able to convert,” Marnon said. “The defense stayed strong and that helped us maintain control of the game.”
“We came into the game knowing not much about the team we were playing, so we just tried to focus on ourselves,” Green said after scoring 11 points. “We focused on playing good defense and making some of the shots that we hadn’t recently and that’s what we did. We got a lead and stayed with it.”
South has mostly used a swarming 2-3 zone defense this season, but went man-to-man and showed it can be equally effective there. The Mounties forced key turnovers which helped them take the early lead and they never stopped making life miserable for Sacred Heart. South allowed single digits in all four quarters. The defensive looks might change, but the way the Mounties compete defensively does not.
South also displayed its usual balance with different players heating up at key times. Kriebel and Green reached double figures while Piper Minier scored six points and freshman Alizabeth Schuler five. Seven different players scored with Aleigha Rieppel and Sofia Casella also making their presence felt. Schuler and fellow freshman Abby Akers shined off the bench and South dominated all facets over the last 12 minutes, outscoring Sacred Heart, 21-8.
“We got some great contributions from Alizabeth and Abby off the bench. We were able to put them in and give some of the girls a rest and not miss a beat,” Marnon said. “Our passing was not as sharp as it has been, but once we started sharing the ball and getting everyone touches, especially when we get some looks inside, then things open up.”
“We know if they try to stop me or Lacey or anyone else, we can look outside or dish it out to someone else,” Green said. “We have confidence they’re going to make that shot.”
South’s confidence has grown throughout the season. Other may doubt them, but the Mounties are not doubting themselves. They made it through a rugged District 4 field in which all three qualifiers have reached the state quarterfinals. Now South is letting the entire state know what it can do.
What South wants to do now is resume its work. South has become one of the team’s top eight states, but at its core this team is a group of workers. They have fought hard for everything they have earned and the fight continues. South will battle on with an army of blue-clad fans as well, excited to cheer on this team for who it is as much as for what it has done.
“When we got into the locker room they were ready to get to work right away,” Marnon said. “Seeing (Mount Carmel) for a third time is going to be a big challenge and we’ll probably see things that we didn’t see last time. These are teams that know each other very well. It comes down to who executes and makes shots and who is playing solid on the defensive end.
“We’re looking forward to it. It’s going to be a great atmosphere.”
SOUTH (42)
Abby Akers 1 0-0 2, Kaitlyn Apker 0 0-0 0, Lacey Kriebel 5 0-0 12, Zoe Threeton 0 0-0 0, Claudia Green 5 1-2 11, Piper Minier 3 0-0 6, Sofia Casella 1 0-0 2, Alizabeth Schuler 2 1-2 5, Aleigha Rieppel 1 1-2 4. Totals 18 3-6 42.
SACRED HEART (22)
Grace Brown 0 1-2 1, Kyra Santura 3 2-2 10, MJ Donohue 0 1-2 1, Ainsley Davis 2 0-0 4, Keara McCaffery 0 0-2 0, Avery Schultz 3 0-0 6. Totals 8 4-8 22.
South 10 11 9 12-42
Sacred Heart 8 2 7 5-22
3-pointers: South 3 (Kriebel 2, Rieppel); Sacred Heart 2 (Santura 2).
Records: South 23-4.