RALPH WILSON/Sun-Gazette Correspondent Montoursville's Dahlia Campbell (22) snags a loose ball away from a pair of Loyalsock defenders during a high school girls basketball game at Loyalsock Township on Friday.

Travis Heap thought his high school coaching days were over.

He had enjoyed success at his alma mater, guiding Montoursville to a District 4 Class AAAA championship eight years ago. But Heap wanted to taste coaching at the next level and went to Penn College, serving as an assistant the next six years and helping lay the foundation for the success it is having today.

Turns out, though, one can go home again. Heap is back at Montoursville and eager to help the program relive the winning ways it experienced during his three year run there last decade. The Warriors took a step in the right direction last Thursday, defeating Montgomery, 54-22 and entered Monday’s game against South Williamsport, which ended after press time, looking to even their record at 3-3.

“I never thought I’d come back to high school but it came open and it’s hard to pass up your alma mater and the school you started coaching at,” Heap said. “This program has been down a little bit but at the same time, these girls want to win; they want to be here and it’s been great.”

“Travis is very good at bringing us together and making sure we play as a team,” guard Emily George said after scoring 18 points and making nine steals at Montgomery. “He’s been there and he took Montoursville to a district championship in 2017, so that’s exciting.”

That excitement extends to the younger levels. Montoursville has a strong junior high program and many of those players have attended the high school games as players like George and fellow senior Kayleigh Sheleman connect the present to the future.

While there is a buzz about what is coming, Heap’s mission is to make this year a terrific one. The future is now, especially for the seniors and in a 4A field what is wide open behind five-time defending champion Central Columbia, the possibilities are energizing.

Montoursville has not produced a winning season since that 2017 championship campaign which included the first state tournament victory in 17 years. But with a lot of parity this year and Montoursville having a nice mix of experience, youth and talent, maybe this could be the team which ends the drought.

That is the hope and Heap likes what he sees so far.

“Everyone is saying to me, wait for the eighth-grade class, but I told the girls we’re doing to set the culture this year. We’re setting the standard this year,” Heap said. “When people think, ‘When did the change for Montoursville basketball happen, they’re going to say it was 2025 with those seniors, because that’s when the foundation was laid.”

George and Sheleman are multi-year starters and sophomores Marleigh Bainbridge and Reagan Tucker both either started or came off the bench in every game a year ago. Elsa Kehrer also has valuable experience and younger players like Trinity Belle and Marissa Sweeley are displaying their potential.

Put it all together and Heap is happy he came back. For one, he has two young children and he no longer has to take long recruiting trips. More importantly, he enjoys working with the players he has and building what he hopes is a strong team and now and in the coming years.

“They believe in it and just want to continue to get better. No one has seen our full potential yet,” Heap said. “They’re learning a new system and developing their basketball IQ and once that comes together, we’ll be firing on all cylinders. It’s exciting to be a part of.”

What excites Heap most is knowing Montoursville has so much room to grow and ample time to keep working toward its biggest goals. He knows from his first run there and his time at Penn College that success is not built instantly, but one proverbial brick at a time.

A foundation now is in place. The challenge now is adding the next levels.

“It’s coming together slowly but these girls are figuring it out and they want to learn and are working together,” Heap said. “You can see that the first couple games we were struggling a bit, and the last couple games we’re getting better and that’s what you want to see as a coach. You want to be playing your best basketball at the end of the year.”

Heap believes he has the right players and they believe‒ they have the right coach to do just that.

TRIAL BY FIRE

Williamsport is not only one of the youngest District 4 teams, but also in the running with Loyalsock for toughest early season schedule. Its five losses are against five district title contenders as well as 6A state title candidate Hazleton. So, one must look beyond the 2-5 record to get a feel for where the Millionaires are.

Indications are, they are doing pretty well. Williamsport has won two of its last three games, winning at Selinsgrove and Warrior Run. The Millionaires had good balance and defense in both games. And even in a 61-32 loss against perennial power Hollidaysburg, first year coach Lamar Ballard was happy with the way his team competed.

Laylah Martin scored 13 points in that game, nine against Warrior Run and sophomore Kinsley Cannode added eight. The Millionaires have allowed just 38 points in two victories, so that rigorous schedule seems to be helping them grow up fast.

PUTBACKS

Lewisburg can relate to what Williamsport experienced, playing five freshmen at times with two losses coming against Hughesville and Mifflin County squads who are both 4-1. Again, those games are helping the team progress and Lewisburg won, 43-25 at Selinsgrove last Friday. Ava Motto scored 14 points and freshman India Walker had 10 with eight rebounds. Elliana Rupert, Addy Barner and Kennedy North all grabbed six rebounds … It’s a broken record but Jersey Shore (3-3) also is young and has four new starters. While the Bulldogs dropped close games against Bloomsburg and defending NTL-I champion Troy last week, their efforts were another step in the right direction. Jersey Shore held two dangerous offenses to 74 combined points and Gracelyn Frantz scored a career-high 12 points in a 41-36 loss against Troy … St. John Neumann won its first game Friday, holding off Montgomery, 24-21. Six players scored for the Knights who rallied from down a point at halftime … Milton’s Carrie King and Liz Schrock both made runs at double-doubles in Milton’s 42-39 loss at Danville. Both scored 13 points and King pulled down nine rebounds, while King had seven … Kameron Lightner has double-doubles in all three North Penn-Mansfield games and went for 14 points, 12 rebounds and four steals in a 44-27 win against rival Wellsboro. Sophomore guard Maddie McNamara also had a strong game with 16 points, six rebounds, seven steals and four assists … Sullivan County (3-4) is making nice strides and has won three of its last four games. Eva Fresno scored 14 points and Ansley Baldwin 13 in a 42-10 win at CMVT as the Griffins moved into the top four in the District 4 Class A standings.

Dr, Masse’s top 5 rankings:

(Monday’s late results not included)

1. Hughesville (4-1): Hughesville continued its four-game road trip Monday night at Central Mountain, hoping to win a fifth consecutive game. Despite playing short-handed last week, the Spartans thumped Wyalusing and Shikellamy by 48 combined points. Maddie Smith had two explosive games which you can read about below, but all the players did their parts to help make everything go. Kylie Temple continued her strong senior season, sliding into the starting lineup and scoring 19 points, while Kendall Hamm had 25 in the two wins. All the Spartans took turns helping turn defense into offense and Hughesville surged to the top of the District 4 Class AAA standings. The Spartans will not play again this week before hosting Mike Fought Christmas Tournament next Monday and Tuesday.

2. Loyalsock (4-3): Alaina Dadzie took a pounding Saturday against District 2 AAAAA title contender North Pocono, but that’s nothing new. Despite constantly being raked across the face and/or body and getting no foul shots in the second half, she still torched North Pocono for 34 points, 16 rebounds and two assists in a gutsy 56-49 win. At one point, Dadzie had four players guarding her but she was able to quickly find the open player to make that backfire as, down three starters, the Lancers played their best game this young season. The reigning Class AAA Player of the Year and Bucknell-bound center has grown accustomed to the face-guarding, as well as double and triple teams, but uses it as fuel and keeps going forward as do her teammates who have the week off before playing Jersey Shore next Monday.

“My coaches always tell me to keep my cool. They tell me it doesn’t matter how many people are on me, just play your game,” Dadzie said. “Someone is open somewhere and they knock down the shots; they get open and drive, so it leads to something good happening.”

3. Muncy (4-0): Muncy broke out of its offense shell in its lone appearance last week, scoring 29 first quarter points in a 54-17 win at St. John Neumann. Emma McCormick scored a career-high 13 points and Ava Eyer a game-high 14 points to go along with eight rebounds, four assists and four steals. Rosie Zalonis produced 13 points, eight steals and five assists. It’s early but Muncy leads the District 4 Class AA standings thus far after capturing the previous two championships.

4. South Williamsport (6-1): South has been a busy and successful team, winning three games last week. They played their area-high eighth game Monday night against Montoursville and won hard-fought road contests at North Penn-Mansfield and Bucktail last week. The first game was tied entering the fourth and the other road one South led by one before turning it on in the fourth quarter and outscoring those squads, 33-19 in the fourth quarter. Senior Ella Moore also scored a career-high 22 points in a 65-19 home win against Montgomery. Against Bucktail South displayed super balance with Ivy Minier (12), Carly Quimby (12), Coco Kline (10) and Abigail Holbrook (10) all reaching double figures. Equally exciting for South is that all four are underclassmen.

5. Canton (4-1): A year after reaching states for the first time in 23 years, Canton has continued moving forward and won consecutive games against Meadowbrook Christian and Cowanesque Valley. The Warriors scored a season-high 52 points against Meadowbrook and did not allow a first-quarter point against CV. Daveian Crowley has returned strong from a torn ACL which forced her to miss last season and blocked four shots against Meadowbrook.

Players of the Week

Maddie Smith, Hughesville and Cailyn Van Noy, Canton: Smith torched two opponents last week, setting two records in the process. Three nights after coming within a point of tying the program record for points in a game, Smith broke it, lighting up Shikellamy for 39. The junior guard also broke the record for 3-pointers in a game, draining seven. Three nights earlier at Wyalusing, Smith erupted for 35 points in a 77-49 victory. The three-year starter and all-state softball player entered the Central Mountain game needing 11 points to reach 1,000 and averaged 29.4 points over her first five games.

Van Noy keeps building off her first two successful seasons at Canton and unleashed her entire arsenal in Canton’s two victories. The junior guard scored 48 points, dealt eight assists and made 10 steals in those games. She scored a career-high 29 points against Meadowbrook Christian before scoring 13 of her game-high 19 points during a 26-0 first quarter eruption against CV.

Game of the Week

Jersey Shore at Lewisburg: Tuesday’s game continues what has been one of the more compelling area rivalries over the last five years. Jersey Shore and Lewisburg have played a series of fiercely competitive games during that time; the outcome usually not being decided until the final minute or seconds. Jersey Shore swept two close games a year ago and defeated the Dragons for a second time in three years in the District 4 Class AAAA semifinals. Both teams have mostly new starters this year, but are evenly matched, so this should be another good one.

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