DAVE KENNEDY/Sun-Gazette Cooper Mowery of Lewisburg reaches for a loose ball against Montoursville earlier this season.

Leon Tucker certainly could not ease into his coaching debut at Lewisburg three years ago.

Sure, the Green Dragons were coming off consecutive Class AAAA district final appearances, winning the 2022 championship, but most of the players who guided those teams graduated. This was a relatively inexperienced squad.

But it had room to grow. So did Tucker and his staff. Together, each group has made the other better and the program has improved each season. The Dragons won six regular season games that debut year but rallied in the postseason, reaching states. They then made a five-win improvement a season ago and ride an 11-game winning streak into the regular’s season’s final week.

Lewisburg (16-4) also is the HAC-II champion, finishing undefeated in a rugged league and securing the program’s first outright league crown since 2011. It has not been an easy journey but it certainly has been a rewarding one.

“It’s been a long road. I’m happy that the kids continue to work. They’ve done a great job just wanting to get better,” Tucker said after last Wednesday’s 66-37 Senior Night win against Loyalsock. “As much as I’m pushing them, they’re pushing me as a coach as well. It’s been awesome to finally see the results.”

Seniors Aiden Eby, Rebira Jemana, Nazir Meredith and Cooper Mowry have been there every step of the way, helping Tucker lay the building blocks. That quartet has formed the backbone for a hard-working team which blends both veteran leadership with young talent.

Add in some selfless play, super balance and Lewisburg has gathered steam throughout the season. The Dragons will play in the HAC Tournament later this week, opening in the semifinals against HAC-I co-champion Shamokin and likely will be the top seed for districts.

The work continues, but Lewisburg certainly has come a long way.

“That first year we had somewhere between seven and nine games decided by single digits and we had leads in a bunch of them,” Tucker said. “To have games like that now and be able to respond and handle them the right way, it shows their growth as players, our growth as coaches and the program as a whole. It’s been pretty cool to see how it’s kind of blossomed.”

Lewisburg put together a strong offseason program and competed throughout the state. The competition helped, but so, too, did all those experiences simply competing together. It built the camaraderie which could not be broken during a tough early-season stretch.

Lewisburg built a demanding non-conference schedule and started 5-4, although all four losses were close. Instead of crumbling, Lewisburg pulled closer together, understanding those games were going to help in the grand scheme.

It’s played its best basketball since. Meredith and Jemana help control the paint while Mowry and LJ Tucker are explosive scoring guards and freshman point guard Cortland Michaels has a knack for getting all the ball in ideal positions. Add in reserves like Jaylen Walker excelling, and Lewisburg has built a team as complete as it is strong.

“Everybody has their role; everybody just needs to play their game,” Eby said. “Everybody has their own thing that they need to do. That has an impact on the whole team.”

Now Lewisburg hopes to continue making an impact. But that impact really does not focus upon what lies ahead. It’s simply concentrating on improving each day.

The Dragons have built something good. Now they hope to keep building.

“It’s been a nice little streak. We just want to keep it going. It’s one day at a time,” Tucker said. “We’ll get back after it and get back and practice and continue to work. We’ll see what we can improve on and go from there.”

RUBBER MATCH

Rivals Muncy and South Williamsport finished the regular season perched atop the Mid-Penn West Division standings. Both went 7-1 in league play, the only loss coming against the other. That means they will play a championship tonight at Millville, the winner advancing to Saturday’s Mid-Penn title game to face East champion Sullivan County at St. John Neumann.

Expect quite a game because, going back to the 2024 district quarterfinals, all five contests have been thrillers, the winner overcoming a fourth quarter deficit three times. Muncy took the first game last December, 49-44 before South turned an eight-point third quarter deficit into a 64-57 victory last month.

Both games have featured huge crowds and tonight likely will be no different. South has won 13 straight games and Muncy three since that last encounter. As fun as the last five games have been, this one could end up being the most exciting yet.

SUPER SUB

Williamsport freshman Saleem Overton has made big strides throughout the season and is becoming a reliable weapon off the bench. He proved that last week, scoring 25 points in wins against Danville and Loyalsock. Capable of playing both guard positions, Overton was at the heart of a game-changing second quarter run during Williamsport’s 63-55 win against Loyalsock and scored 10 points while playing tough defense.

“Saleem Overton is playing extremely well for us right now. He doesn’t look like a freshman now,” Williamsport coach Allen Taylor said. “His confidence is growing every time we put him out on the floor.”

It’s not a coincidence that Williamsport’s three-game winning streak coincides with Overton and fellow freshman Mekhi Gaston settling in. Obviously, both are still learning but they also are much more comfortable and have helped the Millionaires surge to the top of the District 2-4 Class AAAAAA standings.

Overton’s older brothers are former Williamsport all-staters Jahad Thomas and Stanley Scott. There are facets of each their games in his, too. A player who was mostly a defensive ace earlier this season now is providing production on both ends.

While doing so Overton is creating his own identity.

“He’s physical and he seeks contact. I was pleased to see him putting together a strong of solid games offensively,” Taylor said. “We know he will go out there and compete defensively but now he’s coming on offensively. If you can bring someone like that off the bench, it’s a blessing.”

PUTBACKS

Parker Bennett made history last week, becoming Montgomery boys’ basketball’s all-time scoring leader. Bennett broke the previous mark, held by Scott Wertz, with a 30-point performance in a 77-41 win at Canton. The senior guard scored his 1,000th point earlier this season and has eclipsed 1,400 career points … Two nights later, St. John Neumann guard Daiton Thompson joined a select fraternity, scoring his 1,000th career point with a dazzling 38-point performance in a 72-63 overtime loss against Central Mountain. Thompson missed half his sophomore season with an injury and looked like a long shot to reach 1,000 but has averaged an area-high 24 points per game this season, totaling 504 … Cowanesque Valley (8-14) has doubled last year’s win total and concluded its regular season with a 69-31 win against Williams. Five players scored at least nine points for the Indians who will play at either Muncy or Line Mountain in the District 4 Class AA quarterfinals … Jason Harer collected his 12th double-double with 22 points, 10 rebounds and six assists in North Penn-Mansfield’s 55-46 win against Wyalusing. Andy Hermansen added 16 points and eight steals … Ty McDermit scored a career-high 22 points in Jersey Shore’s 68-28 win against Midd-West and Landon Lathan dealt nine assists two nights later in a 63-48 win against East Juniata. Khani McCray, Jacob Lorson and Breylan Guerrero all reached double figures in that win.

Dr. Masse’s top five rankings

1. Warrior Run (20-1): Warrior Run produced one of its gutsiest wins this season last Monday, outlasting Southern Columbia, 55-50 in overtime without starter Landon Polcyn. It was a big road win, similar to earlier this season when Polcyn and Aiden McKee were out but Warrior Run fought its way past Loyalsock. Clayton Skokoski stepped up big in overtime at Southern and delivered again Friday against Central Columbia, draining four 3-pointers during a game-changing second quarter as the Defenders won, 64-38. Warrior Run has won 13 straight games and will face Selinsgrove in Thursday’s HAC Tournament semifinals, reaching 20 regular season wins for the first time in the 2000s.

2. Lewisburg (16-4): All five Lewisburg starters are averaging at least eight points per game and three in double figures. Michaels is among the area leaders in assists and dealt seven against Loyalsock. Mowry scored 23 points, Jemana had a double-double and Meredith scored 12 points.

3. Montoursville (15-6): Montoursville ended two years of frustration in impressive fashion last Monday, defeating Mount Carmel, 58-39. The Tornadoes had won four straight against Montoursville, including beating it in last year’s District 4 Class AAAA quarterfinals. The Warriors held Mount Carmel to 30 fewer points than in the first meeting this season and continued displaying quality balance with all five starters generating at least nine points. Exciting for both the present and future was that sophomores Isaac Erlandson and Cam Cintron combined for 24.

4. Sullivan County (18-3): Not even NBA teams face stretches like Sullivan County did the previous week. The Griffins played four games in five nights without the luxurious accommodations those pro teams possess. They won all four by double-digit margins each time, while clinching District 4 Class A’s top seed. Equally impressive, the defense did not allow more 32 points in those games. Lucas King averaged 15.5 points during that stretch and Colin King totaled 19 points with 21 rebounds in the last two. Sullivan closes its regular season Tuesday against Wyalusing before facing either Muncy or South in Saturday’s championship. The Griffins are trying to win their first league crown since sharing the 2018 one with Millville and Neumann.

5. South Williamsport (15-4): South ran its winning streak to 11 games and extended in dramatic fashion last Monday against defending District 4 Class A champion North Penn-Liberty. There, the Mounties rallied from 11 down with 4 minutes, 15 seconds remaining to win, 54-51. Levi Butler hit a game-tying 3-pointer and converted a game-winning 3-point play before scoring 32 points in Saturday’s 90-57 win against Bucktail. Four players reached double figures against Bucktail, including Andrew Walter, Neeko Bowen and Bobby Regan. Walter ignited the North Penn-Liberty comeback, scoring eight straight Mountie points and converting a four-point play.

Players of the Week

Tevin Williams, Williamsport and Evan McTish, North Penn-Liberty: Williams averaged 17 points per game as the Millionaires won all three and gathered momentum entering the regular season’s final week. The sophomore has only scratched the surface of his potential but is having a strong season and came up big against Loyalsock with 19 points, three steals and three blocks.

McTish has produced five double-doubles in his last seven games and was a point at South from going 3-for-3 last week. The senior forward is a strong post player who averaged 19.7 points and 14 rebounds during a busy week. He capped that stretch with a 24-point, 15-rebound, three-steal effort in an 81-55 win against Canton.

Game of the Week

Montoursville at Jersey Shore: Tonight’s game should be a good one with both heating up at the right time. Montoursville has won four of its last five games and Jersey Shore three of its last four. Both will be part of a deep 4A district playoff field as well, potentially squaring off in the quarterfinals. Montoursville rallied from a 10-point, late second quarter deficit a year ago to win, 47-41 in its regular-season finale.

–Masse may be reached at cmasse@sungazette.com. Follow him on Twitter at @docmasse