A year ago, Andrew Walter played against South Williamsport. A month ago, patellar tendonitis delayed his Mountie debut and threatened his season.

Tuesday night, Walter had his new teammates cheering his every strong play and a student fan club watching him handle a post-game interview.

Walter certainly has faced challenges, but the South senior has conquered them and fit his new team like a glove. And as he continues settling in, the Mounties look more and more dangerous. Now, they are playoff-bound, too.

Walter produced a double-double of 20 points, 11 rebounds and four blocks Tuesday against visiting Millville off the bench and was part of a marvelous collective effort as South steamrolled the Quakers, 83-41. Levi Butler also scored 20 points, Chance Quimby dealt five assists, Kyree Moy scored 10 points off the bench and South (11-4) won its sixth straight game, securing a District 4 Class AAA postseason berth.

The Mounties let Millville immediately know it had little shot at victory, scoring the game’s first 19 points in the opening 3 minutes, 5 seconds.

“I love it. Team basketball is great. I fit in very well,” said Walter, who played his first three high school years at St. John Neumann. “That’s our motto, being a complete team. It’s about being unselfish, making the extra pass, and not worrying about getting theirs. It’s just about winning the game.”

Walter has helped South do that a lot. True to his words, he also has done so while embracing new roles. Primarily a perimeter player at Neumann as well as a starter the past two seasons, Walter now is excelling as both a sixth man and a post player. He pulled down nine of his rebounds in the middle quarters and scored seven straight points during a game-breaking second quarter run as South opened a 56-24 halftime lead.

Millville had crept back into the game by the first quarter’s conclusion, but Walter’s energy and production off the bench helped South land the early knockout.

“The kid has a knack for rebounds. He can grab a ball off the rim at any time. He provides that little spark coming off the bench,” South coach Joe Simon said. “I’ve known guys throughout my life in basketball who kind of like that role a little bit. They get to see how the game is going, how the refs are calling it, how the other team is playing and then they come in and do their job. Andrew has really bought into that. He has been a great addition, especially in the paint and around the rim.”

Walter dominated the third quarter and had a hand in 14 of South’s 14 points there and in the opening minute of the fourth. He also blocked four shots, made two steals and dealt two assists. He went 6 of 11 from the field and 7 of 9 at the foul line.

South’s lone senior, Walter has only enhanced the team’s chemistry since his arrival. He provides a balanced team another weapon and has averaged 17.3 points and 6.3 rebounds over his last three games.

“I struggled with that (move inside) at the beginning of the season, but I adjusted to it, and it’s working out for us,” Walter said. “It’s what the team needed and I’m glad I could help out.”

South is as well since Walter has provided such a well-rounded weapon. It’s been an impressive run for a player whose season looked like it might be in jeopardy before it started. Walter successfully rehabbed, kept grinding and started hitting his stride as the pain faded.

These days Walter is flourishing as is the team. That’s not a coincidence. Walter does a bit of everything to help the team, whether scoring, rebounding, playing defense or setting others up. He did all four against Millville as did his teammates who continue feeding off each other.

“We were kind of worried about how with a new guy coming in would they be friends, especially since he was an opponent. Kudos to the guys. They’ve taken him in like he’s been a teammate for years,” Simon said. “He’s a very high IQ basketball player. It was very easy to fit in with Levi and Chance and Bobby (Regan) and Neeko (Bowen), guys who saw minutes last year. He was able to pick up what we were doing right away and that helped him from the start. He picked it up, he understood it and he was able to flow.”

The whole team is flowing now and South put together a dominant stretch as it had its enthusiastic student section constantly cheering throughout those three minutes. Coming out like a prime Mike Tyson, South landed repeated haymakers as five players scored during the 19-0 blitz.

Quimby (11 points, 4 steals) scored seven of the first nine points, Butler had seven by quarter’s end and Regan’s long 3-pointer capped the eruption. South reached 20 points before the quarter’s halfway point, but came alive again in the second quarter, making 13 of 17 shots and building a 32-point advantage.

“That was great,” Walter said. “I saw a lot of energy from the fans, from the students, from our team and the bench, so it was exciting to see everyone coming together.”

It’s not just that South has won six straight games, but how it has which stands out. The Mounties are not playing as five individuals but as one. They piled up 20 assists on 31 field goals, and all keep making positive impacts.

Six different players scored in each of the first two quarters and Samir Moy pulled down six rebounds off the bench. Bowen (9 points) dealt four assists, the defense forced 22 turnovers and South built momentum for Friday’s showdown against rival Muncy by focusing on making the right play instead of personal goals.

“One of the things we’ve been preaching all year is team basketball. To have all five guys score at the beginning of the game is a way to set a tone of look at what we can accomplish when we play team basketball,” Simon said. “The stretch we’re on these last six games, we’ve really done that well. We’ve minimized the individual stuff and have played really good team basketball and that’s what has sparked us.”

MILLVILLE (41)

Shane Johnson 2 3-8 7, 1 0-0 2, Caleb Kraintz 5 1-2 11, Jack Farrell 2 0-0 4, Landon Ellis 1 0-0 3, Zeki Boyunegmez 4 0-0 8, Xavier Hughes 1 0-0 3, Levi Dildine 1 0-0 3. Totals 17 4-11 41.

SOUTH (83)

Levi Butler 8 2-6 20, Andrew Walter 6 7-9 20, Bobby Regan 3 1-3 8, Chance Quimby 5 0-0 11, Neeko Bowen 4 0-0 9, Jaymes Carpenter 0 2-2 2, Samir Moy 0 0-0 0, Kyree Moy 4 2-2 10, Judah Butler 1 0-0 3. Totals 31 14-22 83.

Millville 12 12 10 7–41

South 25 31 15 12–83

3-pointers: Millville 3 (Ellis, Hughes, Le. Dildine); South 7 (L. Butler 2, Walter, Regan, Quimby, Bowen, J. Butler).

Records: South 11-4.