Anna Zalonis held ice against her knee. Rosie Zalonis hobbled through post-game ceremonies.

Aside from the ice packs, those two and all their teammates wore something more important around their necks–gold medals. Again.

Talk about symbolic. Muncy fought through pain, illness and adversity all season. Southern Columbia pushed it as hard as possible Wednesday night at Montoursville.

But Muncy remains District 4’s best Class AA girls’ basketball team.

The Indians achieved what only Mount Carmel and Lourdes have done this century and captured a third straight district championship. The players again absorbed all the punishment, kept moving forward and solidified themselves as a District 4 dynasty.

Ava Eyer hit a go-ahead free throw with :23.7 seconds remaining, Emma McCormick made a last-second steal and Muncy edged Southern, 44-43 in an absolute thriller to capture a third straight district championship. Eyer scored a game-high 21 points, Rosie Zalonis dealt 10 assists and Anna Zalonis drilled three 3-pointers as a resilient, determined, tough group enhanced its legacy as best in program history.

“I think it’s really a testament of the collective work that we’ve had as a team and constantly having that and constantly striving for something better,” Anna Zalonis said. “It’s really just amazing. I’m so happy. There are happy tears.”

“I wanted to cry; I wanted to smile,” McCormick said after dribbling out the final seconds for a second straight playoff game. “I was hugging everyone. It just feels so great.”

Muncy likely will host its state tournament opener next week, playing District 2’s runner-up next Friday, March 6.

Once again, Muncy played great at the most important time, upping its district playoff win streak to nine games. The Indians avenged a Mid-Penn final loss against Northwest in the semifinals, then fought off a Southern squad which took out the No. 4 and No. 1 seeds last week.

Nothing came easy this season, and everything was earned the hard way Wednesday. That is what makes this latest championship so rewarding.

“We came in here with nothing to lose. We just had to go at it as hard as we could and we knew we were guaranteed another game,” Eyer said. “We just had to give it everything we had.”

Muncy knows no other way to play. Above the talent, the shooters, the good coaching and the fundamentals, this dynastic foundation has been built upon an insatiable desire to win. Whatever the price for glory, Muncy gladly pays it.

The Indians did so again against Southern, turning a four-point third quarter deficit into a 10-point lead entering the fourth. Southern erased an 11-point deficit and tied the game with 27 seconds left, but Muncy never cracked.

Again, when everything was on the line, the Indians pulled together. Winning one championship is marvelous, two is phenomenal and three is really rare air. But breakout the 3-peat T-shirts because Muncy made it happen and every athlete, whether she played Wednesday or not, put their fingerprints upon that championship trophy.

“You get that first one and then you get the second and now the third one is really hard. Just how hard they work all season long, this just put the icing on the cake,” Muncy coach Craig Weaver Sr. said after earning his seventh district championship. “This was was in our sights. This is what we were playing the whole year for. We were playing to try and get a three-peat.”

Consider it, mission accomplished.

A team filled with soccer players who captured a district title last fall, made it happen on the hardwood despite a late start to the season. The Indians rallied from an early seven-point deficit against Southern, tied it at halftime and dominated the third quarter, closing on a 16-2 run to open a 10-point lead.

An Anna Zalonis 3-pointer gave Muncy its biggest lead, 40-29 with 4 minutes, 36 seconds remaining, but Southern stormed back. Kailee Helwig scored 10 of her 17 points over the next four minutes and her steal and layup tied the game, 43-43 with 27 seconds left.

As was the case against Northwest in the semifinals, Muncy stayed cool under fire. Eyer was fouled seconds later and went to the line. Two years ago, it was her cousin Rosie Zalonis who sank the game-winning free throws in the final seconds against Northeast Bradford.

Now, Eyer had the moment to remember. She missed the first shot but barely hit rim on the second and Muncy led, 44-43. It was the capper on a brilliant game as Eyer scored 17 second-half points, including 11 in the third quarter. She added five rebounds and four steals.

“The first one I was like, ‘OK it’s in the past, I just have to make the next one,'” Eyer said. “I said a quick prayer, calmed my mind, took a deep breath and just shot it.”

From there, Muncy turned up the defense. Southern worked for a good shot, but saw only blue jerseys in passing lanes and/or in front of ball-handlers. A baseline shot was off the mark inside the 10-second mark and a scrum ensued with the ball bouncing out of bounds off a Muncy defender.

Southern called timeout and drew up its last play. Muncy players delivered a message on the other bench.

“When he called the timeout, they came over and one of the girls said, ‘We will not lose this game,'” Weaver said. “I said OK, that’s what I want to hear.”

Muncy lived those words and swarmed when the entry pass was thrown in front of the basket. McCormick, Eyer and Alexis McKeta were all there and jarred the ball free. McCormick corralled the bouncing ball, dribbled away from traffic and into history. The senior guard sprinted directly toward the Muncy bench, jumped into her teammates’ arms and the party was on.

“(Helwig) came around. Lexi picked her up and I picked her up and I just saw the ball on the ground,” McCormick said. “I just thought, ‘I have to get this, it’s do or die.’ I just started running like I did last game and it felt great.”

Muncy created great feelings throughout the third quarter, excelling on both ends. Rosie Zalonis found Eyer three straight times as Muncy took the lead and before Anna Zalonis’s 3-pointer broke a 25-25 tie. Eyer made five of her last six shots in that quarter, then punctuated her spectacular flurry with a last-second pass to McKeta who converted a layup which made it, 35-25 entering the fourth.

Eyer scored inside again early in the fourth and Zalonis drilled her third trey, making it, 40-29. It was not so much that Zalonis connected on those shots either. It was when she did so with that giving Muncy its biggest advantage after her previous two sparked a first quarter rally and snapped a third quarter tie.

“It was momentum,” Zalonis said. “Defense is normally what drives us but offensively, it was nice to get that boost, so we could come back on defense with energy.”

Energy poured from all those who participated as well as the reserves and the many Muncy fans who made Montoursville’s gym feel like a home game at times. Muncy needed a lift when it missed nine of its first 10 shots before clawing back within four entering the second quarter.

The thing is, Muncy did not worry about starting cold from the field. Whether the last shot or sequence was good or bad, the Indians stay focused on the next one. That is the most important.

Embracing that mentality, every player made her mark at crucial times, including McKeta who grabbed nine rebounds. McCormick added six rebounds to go with her seven first-half points and Rachel Paulhamus was huge off the bench in the final 54 seconds after Zalonis was sidelined with leg cramps.

It has never been about the individual. This group always has embraced team over me. Now, they will all work together forever as champions, earning a three-peat which even most decorated programs only dream about.

This team has made its dreams come true–again.

“The fact that it was a close game made it even more exciting,” Anna Zalonis said. “This one we really had to fight for, so I think it makes it all 10 times more rewarding.”

MUNCY (44)

Ava Eyer 8 5-13 21, Rosie Zalonis 1 0-0 3, Emma McCormick 3 0-0 7, Anna Zalonis 3 0-0 9, Alexis McKeta 2 0-0 4, Rachel Paulhamus 0 0-0 0. Totals 17 5-13 44.

SOUTHERN (43)

Kailee Helwig 6 2-3 17, Olivia Jones 6 2-2 14, Macie Swank 3 0-2 6, Alana Reuter 1 0-0 2, Bella Snyder 1 0-0 2, Amelia Leslie 1 0-0 2, Rosie Martino 0 0-0 0. Totals 19 4-7 43.

Muncy 9 10 16 9–44

Southern 13 6 6 18–43

3-pointers: Muncy 5 (A. Zalonis 3, R. Zalonis, McCormick); Southern 1 (Helwig).

Records: Muncy 22-4. Southern 12-13.