TURBOTVILLE–An athlete’s life is made of moments which seem like they might last forever but can pass by in an instant. That is especially true when one is a senior whose high school days are dwindling.

A tough opponent, a packed gym and a playoff environment presented Warrior Run senior Landon Polcyn one giant moment Wednesday night.

And he owned it.

Polcyn scored eight of his 18 points during a fourth quarter comeback, drained five 3-pointers, dealt five assists and helped Warrior Run edge Lewisburg, 59-56 in an early season showdown between district title contenders. Ethan Balzer also scored 18 points, Aiden McKee 15 and James Keifer added nine assists as the Defenders (5-0) erased an eight-point second-half deficit and remained undefeated, surviving their most challenging test thus far.

“It is a fun senior memory. I’m happy that this is a group of kids that I get to play my last year with,” Polcyn said after also helping fuel Warrior Run’s fourth quarter defense. “I love everyone on my team. Everybody is great, and we’re happy to keep rolling.”

Polcyn helped Warrior Run keep rolling through choppy waters as both teams overcame eight-point deficits. Lewisburg (4-2) trailed by eight late in the first half before closing on a 6-0 run in the final 90 seconds and going up, 42-34 with 81 seconds remaining in the third quarter.

Clayton Skokoski and Polcyn drained 3-pointers to make it a 5-point game entering the fourth and Polcyn’s fourth trey cut the deficit to 45-53. McKee (7 rebounds, 6 blocks, 4 assists) drilled a go-ahead 3-pointer which made it, 50-49 and Warrior Run never trailed again.

Polcyn took command from there, first finding Keifer cutting toward the basket along the baseline for a layup off the inbound pass. Next, Polcyn banked in a 3-pointer from the left wing and Warrior Run led, 55-49. The three-year starter added two free throws 18 seconds later and Warrior Run went ahead, 57-49 with 1 minute, 2 seconds left.

“He played a heck of a game,” Warrior Run coach Eric Wertman said. “He shot the ball really well and defended.”

“We knew we were going to win this game; it was just a matter of by how much,” Polcyn said. “It was a close game and we’re happy that we got to play a tough team this early.”

Lewisburg displayed just how tenacious it is, nearly again erasing an eight-point deficit. Despite the odds being against them, the Green Dragons fought back and had two game-tying 3-point attempts in the last 13 seconds rim out, the final one coming at the buzzer. LJ Tucker caught fire in the last minute, scoring off a drive, hitting two free throws and draining a clutch 3-pointer which made it, 58-56 with 13.4 seconds left.

McKee hit a foul shot seconds later, but Cortland Michaels stole a pass following the first missed 3-pointer and gave Lewisburg one last chance with Tucker’s last-second shot just falling off the mark.

“It was a great atmosphere. This was fun to play. I’m upset with the loss, but couldn’t be prouder of how they played,” Lewisburg coach Leon Tucker said. “This is going to help us down the road and playing a tough team like that is helping us get better. It’s helping us reach our full potential.”

LJ Tucker continued his fantastic sophomore campaign, scoring a game-high 21 points and adding four rebounds with two steals. He scored 13 second-half points and gave Lewisburg its first lead, 37-34 six minutes into the second quarter. Jaylen Walker then made a steal and layup before Cooper Mowry hit a 3-pointer as Lewisburg scored nine straight points in 70 seconds to go up, 42-34.

This time it was Warrior Run’s time to fight back, something it had not had to do in its first four games. The Defenders won all four games via the mercy rule but showed they have the grit to match their talent, connecting on eight 3-pointers and selflessly moving the basketball to generate 22 assists against Lewisburg’s swarming, switching zone defenses.

“That was the best thing for us. That’s a really good basketball team that punched us in the face numerous times and we stood up to them, stuck together and got a win in the end,” Wertman said. “That’s what was needed. That was the perfect scenario that could happen to us early in the season.”

Lewisburg did an excellent job limiting Warrior Run’s second half inside touches, but Polcyn heating up changed the complexion as did Keifer’s pinpoint passing. McKee was contained but still grabbed seven rebounds, dealt four assists and blocked six shots.

More important than the numbers was the poise Warrior Run revealed after it appeared Lewisburg had seized all the momentum. A team which reached last year’s 3A Sweet 16, knows it will be challenged a lot going down the stretch and passed its first test.

“This group is pretty calm, maybe a little too calm for my liking, but I thought they handled it super well,” Wertman said. “As far as composure, I thought they were really good down the stretch.”

Before it heated up offensively, Lewisburg stayed in the game with relentless rebounding, nearly doubling Warrior Run up on the boards through three quarters. Rebira Jemana grabbed 16 rebounds, nearly half of them offensive and Nazir Meredith added nine.

The second and third-chance opportunities gave Lewisburg a chance to settle in and prevent Warrior Run from breaking things open in the second quarter. As was the case with Warrior Run, every player did his part at different times with freshman point guard Cortland Michaels continuing to excel in key moments, scoring 10 points, pulling down six rebounds, dealing four assists and making three steals.

Mowery added 10 points and three assists and for a second straight year, the Dragons never buckled. Nearly a year to the date, Lewisburg rallied from a 20-point fourth quarter deficit and took a last-second lead before Cooper Wilkins drained a buzzer-beating 3-pointer which lifted Warrior Run to a 72-70 victory.

Sequels do not always live up to the hype, but this rematch exceeded it.

“I’m proud of the way our kids battled,” Coach Tucker said. “There were a couple times in the game where I thought we could have put our heads down and Warrior Run could have overpowered us, and the game could have gotten away from us. We dug in and battled back; got some tough buckets and continued to stay the course.”

LEWISBURG (56)

Cortland Michaels 5 0-0 10, Cooper Mowry 4 0-0 10, Jaylen Walker 1 0-0 2, LJ Tucker 7 3-3 21, Nazir Meredith 2 1-2 5, Rebira Jemana 3 1-1 8. Totals 22 5-6 56.

WARRIOR RUN (59)

Carter Sheesley 0 0-0 0, James Keifer 2 1-2 5, Clayton Skokoski 1 0-0 3, Carter McCormick 0 0-0 0, Aiden McKee 6 1-2 15, Landon Polcyn 5 3-4 18, Ethan Balzer 9 0-0 18. Totals 23 5-8 59.

Lewisburg 14 12 19 11–56

Warrior Run 18 10 12 19–59

3-pointers: Lewisburg 7 (Tucker 4, Mowry 2, Jemana); Warrior Run 8 (Polcyn 5, McKee 2, Skokoski).

Records: Warrior Run 5-0. Lewisburg 4-2.