MUNCY―Alexis McKeta reached career-high point and rebound totals Wednesday night against rival South Williamsport.

It’s harder to figure out if McKeta set a personal record for times diving on the floor or making hustle plays. She makes so many every time she plays that it’s hard to keep track.

McKeta brought her usual tenacity and showed off her skill set as well, scoring nine points, grabbing nine rebounds and helping Muncy defeat South, 27-14 in a battle of Mid-Penn teams who both entered 2-0. Ava Eyer added eight points, Rosie Zalonis dealt four assists and Muncy (3-0, 1-0) earned a big early-season win against one of its biggest threats in the Mid-Penn West Division.

“Alexis McKeta is absolutely a delight on that floor,” Muncy coach Craig Weaver Sr. said. “She will give you every last ounce she’s got.”

“I look at myself to be hard-working and stay in it no matter what,” McKeta said. “I just try to play hard all the time.”

Anyone who has watched McKeta play can validate how much she does. The senior forward is a relentless athlete and that energy not only creates plays on both ends but has helped her become a more polished player in her first year starting.

McKeta grew up in Muncy before her family moved to Florida when she was in seventh grade. She returned last year and was a valuable reserve, providing some clutch moments during the postseason, and helping Muncy repeat as District 4 Class AA champions.

Now, she is starting and Wednesday’s game could be a launching pad since McKeta played so well in the post on a night when points came at a premium. Tall and quick, McKeta scored six points, pulled down four rebounds and dealt two assists during a game-changing 16-4 second quarter run which gave Muncy a 14-point halftime lead.

“We saw that Ava was being face-guarded, so someone else had to step up and that’s what I tried doing,” McKeta said. “After the first one went in, I was like, ‘I’ve got this,’ and I was able to make multiple shots from there.”

The fact that McKeta was shooting, regardless of the result, pleased Weaver who encouraged her to do so during the first quarter when she passed up in an inside look. When Weaver extended Eyer who brought the defense with her, the post opened up more and McKeta pounced while showcasing her potential.

McKeta made all three shots she took that quarter and had a hand in 10 of the team’s points. In fact, counting her third quarter basket and free throw, McKeta was involved in nine straight Muncy points as it built a 23-9 advantage.

“When she played last year, she really worked and worked and worked at it,” Weaver said. “She’s a worker and she’s an athlete. She’s improved her foul shots, her shooting, the layups and it’s great to see.”

A play in the first-half’s closing seconds perfectly captured what McKeta provides. She hustled into the lane following a missed shot, grabbed a rebound while falling out of bounds and alertly found Anna Zalonis for a buzzer-beating layup which made it, 20-6. It was part grit, part talent and it was exactly what Muncy needed against the similarly feisty Mounties.

“I’ve played with a lot of them before, so I came in and felt part of the team right away in both sports,” said McKeta, who helped the soccer team reach the state’s Final 4 last fall. “That really helped me settle in and we have a good bond.”

South, also featuring several soccer players from a successful team, is building a similar bond under first year coach Jaquan Masteller. The Mounties won their first two games by double-digit margins and played excellent defense against Muncy, holding it to its lowest point total in three games.

The offense struggled against Muncy’s swarming pressure, going 6 of 42 from the field, but South also was playing without two starters and is learning a new system. The offense likely will come, but the defense provides a nice foundation going forward.

That defense was especially strong in the second half when South (2-1, 0-1) allowed just seven points and outscored Muncy by a point.

“We’re going to build on the defense. Right now, we don’t have a rhythm on offense,” Masteller said. “That’s every year. Every year, you’re trying to find a rhythm offensively. We haven’t found it yet, but our defense has kept us in there the whole season. We’re going to lean on that and let the offense come.”

Coco Kline sparked that stifling defense and did a fabulous job defending Eyer. Kline rarely let Eyer get away and limited her to eight shots from the field. She also pulled down four rebounds.

“We were worried about Ava penetrating our defense because of how athletic she is, so we put somebody on her that could match her energy and that was Coco,” Masteller said. “We couldn’t take her off her all night. She did a great job.”

Ella Moore played a strong all-around game, scoring eight points, grabbing seven rebounds, making four steals and blocking two shots. Carly Quimby added four points, five rebounds and an assist. Moore hit a 3-pointer which pulled South within 23-12 midway through the fourth quarter, but Emma McCormick answered with a runner and Muncy did not let South get any closer.

South did not allow a first quarter field goal, but Eyer and Zalonis went 4 for 4 at the line and helped Muncy take a 4-2 lead into the second. The offense came alive then as Zalonis dealt two quick assists to Eyer and McKeta.

While she heated up offensively, McKeta also moved the ball well. Twice in the second quarter, she took the ball in the post, saw two defenders collapse and kicked the ball out to open shooters. Add in players like McCormick (5 rebounds) flying around the court, Rachel Paulhamus and Abby Niedermyer playing well off the bench and Muncy had what it needed to take Round 1 in this two-part series.

“Emma plays such hard defense, but they all do,” Weaver said. “They all really get after it.”

SOUTH (14)

Ella Moore 3 0-0 8, Carly Quimby 2 0-0 4, Brielle Borgess 1 0-0 2, Coco Kline 0 0-0 0, Ayla Minier 0 0-0 0, Kloey Persun 0 0-0 0, Ayla Minier 0 0-0 0, Ana Oeler 0 0-0 0. Totals 6 0-0 12.

MUNCY (27)

Ava Eyer 3 2-2 8, Rosie Zalonis 2 2-2 6, Anna Zalonis 1 0-0 2, Emma McCormick 1 0-0 2, Alexis McKeta 4 1-2 9, Abby Niedermyer 0 0-0 0, Rachel Paulhamus 0 0-0 0. Totals 11 5-6 27.

South 2 4 3 5–14

Muncy 4 16 3 4–27

Records: Muncy 3-0, 1-0 Mid-Penn. South 2-1, 0-1.