Eck and Ling have overcome a lot and both turned negatives into positives Monday night at Ron Insinger Gymnasium. All their teammates made strong impacts as well and long-time rivals could celebrate two hard-fought tournament wins together.

Eck scored 17 points, dealt four assists and locked down dynamic guard Xaivier Jackson during the fourth quarter as Montoursville defeated Selinsgrove, 66-50 and captured the Pedie McDonald Christmas Tournament championship. Lingg’s two straight treys fueled a game-changing run as Loyalsock opened a big lead before holding off a Bellefonte rally and taking third place with a 57-46 victory.

“I did feel good tonight,” Eck said after battling a weekend illness. “He (Jackson) is a really good player and he hurt us a lot last year. I was just eager to take the challenge for the team and step up and try to guard him.”

“It was really fun,” Lingg said. “I don’t really get much time in (as he works his way back), so to be there for my team and being able to contribute is pretty big for me.”

RALPH WILSON/Sun-Gazette Correspondent Loyalsock's Saoj Jones (0) reaches for a rebound around Bellefonte's Logan Gibson (30) during the boys Holiday Classic at Loyalsock on Monday.

All the Montoursville players stepped up big as the Warriors (7-2) completed an impressive tournament run, defeating the Lancers and 5A Selinsgrove. They also avenged a one-point loss from last year’s semifinals and played super defense while brilliantly moving the basketball inside and outside.

Tournament MVP Cam Cintron scored 14 points and dealt six assists; all-tournament selection Shea Ulmer produced nine points and eight rebounds and sophomore Isaac Erlandson nearly collected a double-double with nine points and 11 rebounds. All eight players coach Mike Mussina scored and Montoursville out-rebounded the experienced Seals, 37-22.

“I’m happy for the kids. They’re working hard and starting to understand what it takes to win basketball games when you’re playing teams who as good as you are,” Mussina said. “You have to get the details right and I think we got a lot better with that tonight. It’s a really good win against a really good team. Hopefully, we can just keep it going.”

Eck helped prevent Jackson from getting going as much as he did last year. The junior guard is one of District 4’s premier players and torched Montoursville for 39 points in last December’s 71-70 victory. He still scored 20 hard-earned points Monday but Eck put a glove on him in the fourth quarter, holding him scoreless and allowing just two shots, both difficult ones.

His teammates did an excellent job rotating and helping as they contained an explosive player who can score every which way. Montoursville’s ability to limit Jackson’s touches played a massive role in the Warriors never letting Selinsgrove pull closer than 11 after building a 20-point late, third quarter lead.

RALPH WILSON/Sun-Gazette Correspondent Bellefonte's John Servant (10) move the ball into the paint during the boys Holiday Classic at Loyalsock on Monday.

“It’s just working hard on the defensive end and getting back,” Eck said. “At practice we worked defense really hard. That’s just what it comes down to.”

“When you’re drawing tough assignments, you have to have the right mentality to deal with a player of his caliber,” Mussina said. “I think we have a group that believes we’re not going to stop him, but we can slow him down enough to give us a chance to win the basketball game. I think that’s what happened today.”

Eck’s defense complemented his first half offensive barrage which was equally crucial to helping Montoursville win. The sophomore broke out of a shooting slump in a huge way, drilling four 3-pointers, including three in the second quarter when Montoursville outscored Selinsgrove, 22-7 and built a 14-point halftime advantage.

Eck made three straight 3-pointers at one point, had a hand in eight consecutive points when Montoursville started gaining separation. He started 7 of 8 from the field, scoring 16 of his 17 points during the first half.

“I had a stretch of games where I struggled with shooting and tonight it felt good. This is the hottest I’ve felt for sure,” Eck said. “It was all working really well tonight, inside and outside. Our big guys played really well and all our guards are finding each other.”

RALPH WILSON/Sun-Gazette Correspondent Loyalsock's Jalil Coates (5) heads into the paint past Bellefonte's John Servant (10) during the boys Holiday Classic at Loyalsock on Monday.

That included Cintron and Ulmer who combined for nine assists. Cintron ran the offense well and continued his strong sophomore year, adding four rebounds and two steals. Ulmer dealt three assists and hit three key fourth quarter shots to help seal victory late.

Montoursville players moved fast and so did the basketball as they frequently set up good shots in the paint and outside. Brennen Imbro and Kingston Fisher combined for 13 points and 10 rebounds in the post and Erlandson capped an impressive tournament with his near-double, giving Montoursville its biggest lead late in the third when he took a perfect Fisher pass up for a layup which made it, 55-35.

Put it all together and Montoursville shot 54.3 % from the field, making eight 3-pointers.

“We made some shots, got some putbacks, and some nice plays from post players,” Mussina said. “We moved the ball well and found the open guy and made the right pass. We had the right recipe; all the ingredients for winning.”

Lingg adds some more flavor to an already dangerous Loyalsock offense. After being cleared to resume practicing right before the season started, Lingg suffered another setback when he pulled his quad. Coach Ryan Cioffi has gradually worked Lingg back into the lineup and Lingg offered a preview of what might be coming early in the second quarter.

RALPH WILSON/Sun-Gazette Correspondent Bellefonte's Saoj Jones (0) shoots over the heads of Bellefonte's Logan Gibson (30) and Anthony Summers (22) during the boys Holiday Classic at Loyalsock on Monday.

Loyalsock started slow but built a 9-6 lead entering the second quarter. Lingg checked in and made an immediate impact, sinking two straight 3-pointers which hit all net. It was just the spark Loyalsock (7-2) needed and it took off from there, reeling off 14 straight points in just 1 minute, 42 seconds.

“It’s been a while since I was able to just feel good and contribute to my team heavily and get them on a run,” Lingg said. “I feel like we didn’t have enough energy and just seeing them go in the hoop is great motivation.”

“There are more than just the six points. There is energy; there is calmness, there’s maturity that Ryan Linng brings,” Cioffi said. “He plays three different sports, and he’s level-headed through everything. He’s easing his way back in and he’s going to be a key factor for whatever we do in the second half.”

Lingg did not score again, but displayed his quickness in the third quarter when he twice beat his defender off the dribble and produced good looks at the rim. It didn’t matter that the shots fell off the mark. The more important lesson was that a balanced team looks like it could be getting another well-rounded player back into a groove at a good time as the HAC-III season opens Saturday.

“He’s a huge weapon for us,” Cioffi said. “We were talking about different things that we need to do in the second half of the season and he’s going to be part of it.”

RALPH WILSON/Sun-Gazette Correspondent Loyalsock's Brecken Gusick (10) dives for a loose ball during the boys Holiday Classic at Loyalsock on Monday.

Braydon Cioffi earned all-tournament honors and scored a team-high 18 points, while adding four steals and three assists. He was one of four players who made 3-pointers during that second quarter blitz when the Lancers were 6 of 7 behind the arc and built a 33-18 halftime advantage.

Isaac Blackwell produced 11 points and six rebounds and Saoj Jones made key plays at crucial times, finishing with 10 points, five rebounds and four assists. Brecken Gusick added seven points and nine rebounds, Jalil Coates five boards and Ronnie Emery hit a 3-pointer during the second quarter blitz.

Bellefonte trimmed a 20-point third quarter deficit to six in the fourth but a Jones dish to Blackwell stopped the run and the Lancers allowed just three points over the final 3 ½ minutes. They also already have eclipsed last year’s victory total.

“They’re learning how to win,” Ryan Cioffi said. “The only way to do that is to go out there and do what we just did; to experience it.

Championship

Montoursville 66, Selinsgrove 50

SELINSGROVE (50)

Xavier Jackson 9 1-1 20, Mac Defazio 2 0-0 4, Jack Piecuch 4 0-0 10, Noah Walter 3 2-2 8, Julian Torres 0 1-2 1, Griffin Paker 1 0-0 3, Chase Carter 2 0-0 4. Totals 21 4-5 50.

MONTOURSVILE (66)

Cam Cintron 4 2-2 14, Shea Ulmer 2 3-4 9, Kingston Fisher 4 0-0 8, Elijah Eck 6 1-2 17, Brennen Imbro 2 1-2 5, Isaac Erlandson 4 1-2 9, Zack Neill 1 0-0 2, Jay Houseknecht 1 0-0 2. Totals 25 8-12 66.

Selinsgrove 19 7 15 9–50

Montoursville 18 22 17 9–66

3-pointers: Selinsgrove 4 (Piecuch 2, Jackson, Carter); Montoursville 8 (Eck 4, Cintron 2, Ulmer 2).

Records: Montoursville 7-2. Selinsgrove 4-3.

Consolation

Loyalsock 57, Bellefonte 46

BELLEFONTE (46)

Grayson Loons 1 1-2 3, John Servant 3 0-0 8, Braeden Fortney 2 0-0 6, Brennan Huntsinger 6 2-5 18, Logan Gibson 2 0-0 4, Daxtyn Krysrer 3 1-1 7. Totals 17 4-8 46.

LOYALSOCK (57)

Jalil Coates 1 0-3 2, Brecken Gusick 2 2-2 7, Braydon Cioffi 5 4-6 18, Isaac Blackwell 4 2-2 11, Saoj Jones 4 2-2 10, Ronnie Emery 1 0-0 3, Ryan Lingg 2 0-0 6. Totals 19 10-15 57.

Bellefonte 6 12 17 11–46

Loyalsock 9 24 12 12–57

3-pointers: Bellefonte 8 (Huntsinger 4, Servant 2, Fortney 2); Loyalsock 9 (Cioffi 4, Lingg 2, Gusick, Blackwell, Emery).

Records: Loyalsock 7-2. Bellefonte 1-8.

RALPH WILSON/Sun-Gazette Correspondent Montoursville's Shea Ulmer (5) and Selinsgrove's Andrew Gesumaria (25) reach for a rebound during the boys Holiday Classic at Loyalsock on Monday.

RALPH WILSON/Sun-Gazette Correspondent Selinsgrove's Griffin Parker (0) tries to block a pass by Montoursville's Brennen Imbro (13) during the boys Holiday Classic at Loyalsock on Monday.

RALPH WILSON/Sun-Gazette Correspondent Montoursville's Brennen Imbro (13) and Selinsgrove's Mac Defazio (11) reach for a rebound during the boys Holiday Classic at Loyalsock on Monday.

RALPH WILSON/Sun-Gazette Correspondent Montoursville's Brennen Imbro reaches to block Selinsgrove's Griffin Parker during the boys Holiday Classic at Loyalsock on Monday.

RALPH WILSON/Sun-Gazette Correspondent Montoursville's Brennen Imbro (13) looks to pass over the head of Selinsgrove's Mac Defazio (11) during the boys Holiday Classic at Loyalsock on Monday.