MARK NANCE/Sun-Gazette Correspondent Jersey Shore's Khan McCray (2) shoots around South Williamsport's Bobby Regan (0) in the first quarter.

South Williamsport features just one senior. And that senior, Andrew Walter, is a first-time Mountie after excelling at St. John Neumann the past three years.

Obviously, the Mounties are a young squad. But they also are growing up fast. They showed it last week, splitting two exciting, fiercely-fought rivalry games against Muncy and Neumann.

While South lost at Muncy, 49-44, the experience was a beneficial one for so many in a pressure-cooker type situation for the first time and it paid major dividends two nights later as it pulled away late and defeated Neumann, 66-56.

When one is starting three new players and is loaded with underclassmen any experience is good. That goes double when it gains two playoff-atmosphere like contests in one week.

“We’ve been talking since the Muncy playoff game two years ago where we battled with them that every game, no matter the outcome, you get better every time for having that experience. It showed (Friday),” South coach Joe Simon said following the Neumann win. “We battled with a really athletic team and a stronger team than us. They bodied us a little in the first and we bounced back. I’m super proud of the guys.”

A bonus in that outcome was so many first-time varsity contributors coming up huge. Junior guard Bobby Regan scored a career-high 21 points, 17 coming in the second half when he also added three of his four assists. Regan also scored 10 points in 75 seconds during a critical third quarter sequence.

Sophomore forward Neeko Bowen reached a career-high point total for a second straight game, scoring eight of his 13 in the fourth quarter. Freshman Samir Moy was electric off the bench and Walter continues settling in, collecting a double-double (11 points, 10 rebounds).

“That was very big,” Regan said. “Especially after the loss against Muncy, to come back and beat Neumann which is another rival, felt great for us.”

Like any team, South would love winning every game it plays. But this is a building process and every game played, regardless of result, provides another brick in the foundation. South added quite a few with the two games it played last week.

South nearly overcame a 10-point fourth quarter deficit at Muncy, closing within two late despite foul trouble, losing its leading scorer for large stretches and enduring a rough shooting performance. That environment hardened South for Friday’s game against Neumann and South never flinched in an exciting game where momentum swung like a pendulum.

Each player, including Levi Butler and Chance Quimby who combined for 15 points and five assists, made an impact. In a step-by-step process, South took a big one.

“I feel like we’re slowly building our chemistry up, especially with our new senior Andrew,” Regan said. “We have a lot of young players and we’re working really well together.”

“We’re young and we have a lot of guys who don’t have a lot of experience but we’re getting better and learning,” Bowen said. “It’s great to have games like this at the beginning of the year that you can build on.”

As it grows, South also is becoming more well-rounded. Butler erupted for 43 points in a season-opening win at Canton. He already was a target since he was South’s leading scorer, but Butler has seen especially tight defense ever since.

In the last two games, however, South is showing that it can make that strategy backfire. Regan went off against Neumann; Walter averaged nearly 13 points a game last year and Bowen and Moy are making rapid progress. Quimby runs the offense well and Kyree Moy and Jax Miller provide depth off the bench.

It speaks volumes that South went 12 of 17 from the field in the fourth quarter against Neumann and Butler only shot the ball one time. It’s still early, but it also is encouraging for the coaches to see South building an offense where it could force defenses to pick their poison.

Coming into the season, we weren’t quite sure what we were going to have,” Simon said. “We figured we’d be a one-headed dragon almost with Levi being the primary scorer, but a lot of people are stepping up now.”

The goal now is to keep climbing that ladder one rung at a time. South is a work in progress, but the exciting part is that it already has put in some good work and has so much room to grow.

“It’s great. I love all my teammates,” Regan said following the Neumann win. “They’re great players and this was a great experience.”

“If we can jell like that the majority of our nights, I think we’ll do fairly well this year,” Simon said. “It builds the confidence better than learning with a loss, and it was a great game.”

BATTLE-TESTED: Lewisburg (4-1) has played one of the area’s most demanding schedules early this season. All five games have come against strong teams, including three who are a combined 10-3 and 2025 Class AAAA state quarterfinalist Shamokin.

Lewisburg went 2-1 last week in three road contests, winning, 64-42 at Jersey Shore before losing at Selinsgrove (without last year’s leading scorer Cooper Mowry) and rallying past 6A Mifflin County, 64-62.

While Lewisburg would rather be 5-0, it’s all about the big picture and it understands how much these five games could help it as it prepares for both a rugged HAC-II schedule and the playoffs down the road.

“The better competition we play, the better that makes us,” sophomore LJ Tucker said after scoring a career-high 24 points at Jersey Shore. “I don’t want to blow a team out by 30. I want to be in a dogfight. I want to get better that way and get that experience,

“I think it gets us ready for the rest of the season,” freshman point guard Cortland Michaels said after dealing eight assists at Jersey Shore. “We’re not just playing easy teams and winning by 30. That’s not going to get us ready.”

Lewisburg players understand that games like the ones last week will prepare them. This is a squad which put in a lot of time playing together in the offseason. It did not do so to win games in December. Playing into March is the big goal.

The Selinsgrove loss might sting, but Lewisburg also knows it’s playing the long game. As long as it keeps improving, the better it off it likely will be. And the early returns are impressive since Lewisburg came thundering back and handed Mifflin County its second loss in six games Saturday. The HAC-II is rugged, too, but that is way Lewisburg likes it.

“I think we’ll come out stronger for it and, hopefully, we’ll come out battle-tested by the time we come to the playoffs. Playing teams like this helps,” coach Leon Tucker said. “I think that’s only going to pay dividends going forward.”

PUTBACKS: Before the South game, Neumann opened its week with a 68-47 win at Bucktail. Daiton Thompson (21 points), Jahki Brister (19) and Legend Dillard (16) all scored in double figures with Brister and Dillard reaching career-highs. Thompson is the lone starter back from last year’s team, but the Knights also are starting to jell and could be poised for a nice bounce-back season … Montgomery (2-2) has won two straight and also won at Bucktail, avenging a defeat there last year with a 67-45 win. The Red Raiders drained 10 3-pointers and Parker Bennett (21), Damaj Stewart-Williams (14) and Jace Hanford (10) all reached double digits. Gavin Pick scored a career-high 29 for Bucktail … Wellsboro earned its first win, taking a hard-fought 46-41 contest against Hughesville last Saturday. Five players scored at least seven points and Jonathan Carl had a team-best 10. Gavin Knarr continued his strong start for Hughesville, going for a game-high 18 points and six rebounds, while Alex Schultz had 13 points and eight boards … Williamsport bounced back from a heart-breaking two-point loss at Shamokin and edged Crestwood, 54-53 in overtime. Aden Edwards came up big off the bench, scoring nine points and Naazir Lowe had 10. Kason Ulmer then scored a career-high 16 points in Saturday’s 82-45 loss against defending District 3 Class 6A champion Central York.

Chris Masse may be reached at cmasse@sungazette.com. Follow him on Twitter at @docmasse.

DR. MASSE’S TOP 5 RANKINGS

1. Warrior Run (4-0): Warrior Run put two strong performances together last weekend, routing Shikellamy and Jersey Shore by 76 combined points. The offense has been sizzling but the defense also has been in lock-down mode, allowing just 95 points in the last three games. Warrior Run held Jersey Shore to a season-low Saturday and continues getting contributions spread throughout the roster. Four players scored in double figures against Jersey Shore and the Defenders piled up 19 assists. Ethan Balzer and Aiden McKee both topped 20 points and James Keifer and Landon Polcyn combined for nine assists.

2. Lewisburg (4-1): Not to be repetitive, but Lewisburg is spreading the wealth, too. At least three players scored in double figures in all three games last week and Lewisburg had four against Mifflin County. Nazir Meredith is asserting himself inside and defenses have to pick their poison because Lewisburg is just as potent outside with Tucker, Michaels and Mowery all excellent shooters. Tucker averaged 15.3 points in three games last week and Meredith has at least eight points in all five games.

3. Montoursville (3-1): Montoursville not only has won three straight games, but topped 70 points each time. The Warriors produced 78 and 71 points, respectively, in blowout wins against Shikellamy and Midd-West. Maybe more impressive is the balance this team is showing entering tonight’s game against Hughesville. At least three have reached double figures in the past two games and all 12 scored in a victory against Sayre. The production comes inside and outside; from the starting lineup and the bench. Cam Cintron is becoming another weapon for a team which returned four starters from last year and generated a career-high 18 points at Shikellamy.

4. Loyalsock (3-1): Is there an echo in here? Like the three teams already mentioned, Loyalsock is taking off because it is not just one or two players carrying the load. Four starters are averaging in double figures and the Lancers picked up double-digit road wins at two-time defending District 4 Class AAAA champion Danville and North Penn-Mansfield by 41 combined points. Loyalsock rallied from a halftime deficit for a 62-51 win at Danville and allowed just 11 points in a 30-point win at North Penn-Mansfield. Brecken Gusick, Jalil Coates, Braydon Cioffi and Isaac Blackwell all topped 10 points in both games.

5. Sullivan County (4-0): Sullivan is off to its best start this decade and has won all four games by double-digit margins. The Griffins highlighted their strong opening act with an 89-17 win against Northwest last Friday. Colin King fuels the defense and made 10 steals in that game, generating an unconventional double-double to go along with his 16 points. Tucker Blasi produced 31 points in two wins and Lucas King had five assists against Northwest. Cayden Smithkors is hitting the glass hard and averaging nine rebounds per game. He had a double-double of 10 points and 10 rebounds in a 63-42 win at Millville.

Players of the Week

Brecken Gusick, Loyalsock and Dominic Guardini, Muncy: Coming off a promising freshman season, Gusick is developing into an all-around threat who can fill up the stat sheet. He did so last week and reached a career-high 21 points in both wins. Gusick also hits the board, sees the court well and has helped Loyalsock allow just 42.3 points during a three-game winning streak. Guardini has helped Muncy start 4-2 despite missing three key contributors, including three-year starter Nate Rogers. He averaged 17 points in three games, helping Muncy win hard-fought games against South and Milton. Guardini had a double-double of 19 points, 11 rebounds and four assists against South before coming back and going for 17 points and six boards against Milton.

Game of the Week

Lewisburg at Warrior Run: There are a lot of good matchups this week, including Muncy at Neumann (tonight) and Jersey Shore at Loyalsock (Friday). It’s hard to go wrong here, however, with as many weapons as will be on the floor Wednesday in this battle of No. 1 vs. No. 2. And if it’s anything like last year’s game, fans will really be in for a treat. Lewisburg rallied from 20 down in the fourth quarter to take a lead in the final seconds before Cooper Wilkins sank a buzzer-beating 3-pointer and Warrior Run won on the road, 72-70. Now, we find out if the sequel can somehow top a phenomenal original.