In their latest game against St. John Neumann in girls basketball, South Williamsport won 46-42 on Wednesday evening. This win came as a relief after a tight season for the Mountaineers as it moved the Mounties above .500 (9-8) while the Knights drop to 3-12.

It’s South’s second win in its last three games as the Mounties just came out of a difficult game vs. Muncy.

“We came off a really tight game against Muncy, losing by two, so we thought that we were going to come in more focused,” South Williamsport coach Jaquan Masteller said, “but we struggled up and down the whole game. It was good to get the win. It was good to fight through that first half and get the win.”

The first half of the game was tight. South Williamsport scored first with a basket by Carly Quimby, followed up by another from Abigail Holbrook. These early scores from Quimby and Holbrook were a good sign for the team’s strong offense towards the end. Unfortunately for the Mountaineers, the Knights quickly evened the score, and surpassed them for a 14-9 lead.

As tensions built, so did the nerves of both teams. However, both groups of girls stayed focused. Quimby, Holbrook and Ivy Minier all scored 3-pointers in the second quarter, bringing the two opposing teams up to a tie before the first half closed with a nail biting 29-29 tie.

“We had a really badly focused first half, and we just tried to play harder,” Masteller said.

And this advice worked. In the second half of the game, defenses tightened and offense quickened.

The third quarter ended with another tie at 36-36. However, in the fourth quarter the Mounties gained momentum and ducked and swerved between the Knights. A few more baskets from Minier, Maddie Reidy and Holbrook secured the win for South Williamsport.

Three players from South Williamsport — Minier, Quimby and Holbrook — scored double figures, with Holbrook leading the effort with 14 points. Minier scored 12 and Quimby scored 10. Reidy added six.

Bre Nixon from St. John Neumann scored double figures and also the highest score in the game with 17 points, carrying her team after sinking four 3-pointers. Kaydance Meixel and Kallee Johnson both scored seven points, Haylee Meixel and scored six points.

The Mounties will look to find stability as they continue to play this season. The Mounties struggled the last few games, going 2-5 in their last seven contests.

“We’re up and down, so we’re trying to find consistency. Going through the lows and the highs, at some point we’re going to find a medium,” Masteller said. “Everyone’s grown on the team, so we’re going to buy into what they do well, and work on what they don’t.”

South Williamsport 46, St. John Neumann 42

SOUTH WILLIAMSPORT (46)

Ayla Minier 0 0-0 0, Brielle Borgess 0 0-0 0, Ivy Minier 5 0-0 12, Coco Kline 0 4-1 1, Ella Moore 1 2-1 3, Carly Quimby 4 0-0 10, Maddie Reidy 3 0-0 6, Abigail Holbrook 6 2-1 14. Totals 19 6-3 46.

ST. JOHN NEUMANN (42)

Kaydance Meixel 2 2-1 7, Kallee Johnson 2 2-2 7, Brooklyn Clabaugh 1 0-0 2, Haylee Meixel 3 0-0 6, Savana Smith 1 0-0 3, Bre Nixon 5 7-3 17, Alexa Clabaugh 0 0-0 0. Totals 14 11-6 42.

South Williamsport 9 20 7 10 — 46

St. John Neumann 14 15 7 6 — 42

3-point goals: St. John Neumann 8 (Nixon 4, K. Meixel 2, Johnson 1, Smith 1), South Williamsport 5 (Minier 2, Quimby 2, Holbrook 1).