TOWANDA–Every time they looked toward the crowd, Loyalsock players saw mostly Black and Orange. And seemingly every oriole-looking fan was rooting against them.

It was a new experience for a young team featuring just one senior. But it was one the Lancers embraced.

By game’s end, Loyalsock silenced all those Towanda fans who made it feel like a rock concert at times.

Loyalsock brought the noise Thursday, leading from start to finish and playing one of its best games as it defeated NTL-I champion Towanda, 63-54 in the District 4 Class AAA quarterfinals. Braydon Cioffi scored 20 points, Saoj Jones 15 and the Lancers (14-9) earned a spot in next week’s semifinals against Southern Columbia at a place and time to be determined.

“The crowd was loud and the atmosphere was fantastic, so I’m really proud of the kids because to get a win like that says a lot about their character,” Loyalsock coach Ryan Cioffi said. “This was the biggest win of their careers and now it allows them to play basketball into nearly March.”

Loyalsock has made a big turnaround after going 6-16 a year ago when every current player was seeing significant varsity action for the first time. That seasoning and maturity showed against Towanda. The Lancers snapped Towanda’s seven-game winning streak and became just one of five teams to beat it in 25 games this season.

Loyalsock dominated the first half and played one of its best quarters in the second, scoring 24 points to grab a 34-17 halftime lead. It then held off repeated Towanda comeback attempts as all seven players scored and stepped up in key situations.

“Towanda is a great team and is really well-coached. You can tell they know how to win and they’re not going out without a fight,” Cioffi said. “Every time they punched, we punched back and that’s a testament to the players.

“The word we use is connected and the seven players who played were connected.”

That especially shined through in the first half when all seven scored. Reserves Ronnie Emery and Ryan Lingg played key roles. Emery fanned the first quarter flames with a 3-pointer and Lingg was a pivotal part of a second quarter surge, making a steal and layup.

Isaac Blackwell added 11 points and Jalil Coates and Brecken Gusick took turns with Braydon Cioffi containing dynamic point guard Boom Thompson.

“That’s gigantic when you can come off the bench and hit a 3 and get a steal and layup,” Cioffi said. “You can’t put a price tag on that.”

Braydon Cioffi helped put out three fires in the fourth quarter with clutch, extinguishing 3-pointers. After Towanda cut it to nine, he drained consecutive 3-pointers. The Knights then pulled within seven, but Cioffi drilled another trey and the lead stayed in the 9-10 range over the final two minutes.

While Loyalsock’s offense heated up throughout the first half, it was the defense which set the tone and kept Towanda’s closed off. The Lancers did their best to keep the ball out of Thompson’s hands and the strategy worked. Loyalsock surrendered just five first quarter points and outscored Towanda, 24-10 in the second quarter. This coming against a team fresh off an impressive NTL Tournament championship run.

Handling both Towanda’s crowd and an aggressive defense, Loyalsock effectively used a strong inside-outside game. Jones continued his outstanding late season push and controlled the paint early on. That opened up the perimeter and Loyalsock had one of the NTL’s best defensive teams on its heels throughout the night.

“We wanted to get Saoj involved early and he had a fantastic first half,” Cioffi said. “We were able to play off that in the second half.”

Loyalsock laid the foundation for Thursday’s success the past three days at practice. Following a grind of a late-season schedule against some of the district’s premier teams, the Lancers made the best use of a 12-day layoff. They healed up, then went to Mansfield University last Saturday and watched Towanda defeat Athens for the NTL Showcase championship.

Hungry and refreshed, Loyalsock attacked this week’s practices and gained confidence. Excellent practices translated into a signature win in a challenging environment against a challenging opponent.

“We had three of our best practices of the year,” Cioffi said. “They were in a great mindset. They felt like they were the better team and they played that way.”

LOYALSOCK (63)

Saoj Jones 6 1-2 15, Ryan Lingg 1 0-1 2, Ronnie Emery 1 0-0 3, Isaac Blackwell 3 5-7 11, Jalil Coates 1 3-6 5, Brecken Gusick 2 3-6 7, Braydon Cioffi 6 3-4 20. Totals 20 15-26 63.

TOWANDA (54)

Thompson 7 2-3 19, Vincent 2 4-6 9, Stroud 0 2-2 2, Welles 1 0-0 2, Clark 2 0-0 4, Farrell 4 0-1 9, Garner 2 5-6 9. Totals 18 13-18 54.

Loyalsock 10 24 12 17–63

Towanda 5 12 14 23–54

3-pointers: Loyalsock 8 (Cioffi 5, Jones 2, Emery); Towanda 5 (Thompson 3, Vincent, Garner).

Records: Loyalsock 14-9. Towanda 20-5.