Williamsport players shed tears following Friday’s District 2-4 Class AAAAAA semifinal at Hazleton.

These were not sad tears, nor current players. These were Williamsport alumni who made the road trip, hoping their alma mater could finally slay a beast which had repeatedly doused its dreams over the years.

And after this resilient, determined Williamsport team slayed that dragon, the past Millionaires could not hide their joy. These were happy tears as Williamsport earned a spot in the district championship.

Playing tremendous defense and producing excellent offensive balance, Williamsport thumped the top-seeded Cougars, 54-37 on their home court. The Millionaires (10-14) won their fifth straight game and defeated Hazleton (16-7) for the first time since 2006. To put into perspective how long it had been since Williamsport won in this annual series, including several playoff encounters, consider that most of the current players were not yet born then.

“We had former players that were there tonight in tears after the game knowing this was all for them and everyone that has been part of this in and the past,” Williamsport coach and alum Justin Marnon said. “It was an amazing night. It was a really great night for the program.”

Few gave Williamsport a chance against a team which had made eight straight district final appearances. The Cougars had defeated Williamsport, 60-40 at the Magic Dome last December but the Millionaires were a different team then. And they showed Hazleton just how much they have grown since.

Nadirah Tutler provided a huge spark off the bench, scoring a team-high 12 points. Payton Baney and Ally Chilson each had 11 and guards Cierra Rainier and Mia Nieto both produced nine. Every player Marnon used made a big impact and Williamsport held Hazleton to its lowest point total this season.

More work remains but Friday’s win provided a moment to savor. So many Williamsport teams came and went but could not knock down that Hazleton wall. This squad finally did and now will go after attacking the next barrier as it tries winning the program’s first district championship since 1995.

The Millionaires will play either two-time defending champion Wilkes-Barre or Wyoming Valley West in Friday’s championship at Mohegan Sun Arena. Wilkes-Barre and Valley West play in the semifinals Monday night.

“They were so excited after the game, and it was about how this was for the other teams and other people. They’re not selfish in any way,” Marnon said. “When you have a program that has struggled to get over that hump, the girls are just taking a lot of pride in the fact that they’re part of this. At the same time, we haven’t accomplished our ultimate goal, so we have to get locked in, practice hard and get ready to play a great opponent.”

Williamsport has been locked in since suffering a disappointing loss at Danville late in the season. That defeat dropped the Millionaires to 5-14. Some teams might have grown discouraged and/or started finger pointing.

These Millionaires simply went back to work. As frustrating as that loss and other close ones were, Williamsport understood that all it hoped to achieve was still there for the taking. This team learned from mistakes, started fixing them and then started surging at the perfect time, winning the last three regular-season games.

Williamsport carried the momentum into the postseason, walloped Delaware Valley in the quarterfinals and then controlled Friday’s semifinal from nearly start to finish. The Millionaires built a 14-6 second-quarter lead, extended it to 11 by halftime, then held off a Hazleton rally early in the third quarter to keep gaining more separation. Every player did her part and the team again dug in defensively while playing super, unselfish team basketball.

“It was all about mindset. Last week we talked in practice about how at this time of year it’s the confident teams that play together that move on and that’s what we looked like (Friday),” Marnon said. “We took the floor with confidence, worked well together and everyone contributed.”

Hazleton has built its tradition upon pressing teams for 90 feet, frustrating them and using defense to fuel the offense. It worked often against Williamsport in the past, these Millionaires turned the tables. Williamsport calmly and effectively ran its offense, worked for good shots and used its defense to disrupt Hazleton.

The Millionaires did not allow more than 12 points in a quarter, while reaching double figures themselves in each quarter. They outscored Hazleton in three of the four quarters and the other one was a draw. The Cougars came out strong after trailing 27-16 at halftime, but Williamsport responded, pushed the lead back to 11 by quarter’s end and landed the knockout blow in the fourth quarter.

Different players heated up at different times and Williamsport won, not by playing as individuals but by competing as one. All the ingredients Williamsport has cooked up during its late season surge burst to the forefront and this team cooked up a winning recipe 18 years in the making.

“We knew Hazleton was going to make runs. At halftime we tried to stress they’re going to make a run. We’ve been here before and we have to weather the storms when they come and they did that,” Marnon said. “We made good adjustments and got the lead back to 11 by the end of the quarter. They were playing on a lot of adrenaline and emotion in that fourth quarter and just continued to execute for four quarters.

“They showed tremendous heart.”

WILLIAMSPORT (54)

Cierra Rainier 4 0-2 9, Ella Wilson 0 0-1 0, Ally Chilson 5 1-2 11, Abby Mahon 0 0-0 0, Jaelynn Helmrich 1 0-0 2, Payton Baney 5 1-2 11, Sydney Crews 0 0-0 0, Nadirah Tutler 6 0-1 12. Totals 24 3-11 54.

HAZLETON (37)

Lynzee Buglio 0 0-2 0, Olivia Williams 2 2-2 6, Kayla Lagowy 2 1-2 5, Alexis Reimold 4 1-2 9, Sophia Shutts 6 0-0 13, Brianna Kennedy 0 3-4 3, Mikayla Fay 0 1-2 1. Totals 14 8-14 37.

Williamsport 14 13 12 15-54

Hazleton 6 10 12 9-37

3-pointers: Williamsport 3 (Nieto 2, Rainier); Hazleton 1 (Shutts).

Records: Williamsport 10-14. Hazleton 16-7.