Lewisburg rolled into its PIAA Class AAAA quarterfinal on the heels of a narrow victory in the second round and survived another thriller on Friday night against Bishop McDevitt to advance to the semifinals with a 60-58 victory.

The Crusaders grabbed the tip and put down a quick bucket for the first points of the game, but LJ Tucker answered with a 3-pointer on the next possession to get the Green Dragons rolling.

That became a theme.

The sophomore knocked down another bucket in the first quarter before truly catching fire in the second, notching four of his six 3-pointers in that frame alone en route to a game-high 23 points.

MARK NANCE/Sun-Gazette Correspondent Lewisburg's Cortland Michaels (0) drives around Bishop McDevitt's Evan Sullivan (3) and Patrick Denisco (1) in the second quarter of the PIAA Class AAAA Quarter-final game at Pottsville's Martz Hall Friday.

“I say it all the time, but when I see that first one go in, the confidence is there,” Tucker said. “It’s good for the energy, too. I feel like I play better when the crowd’s into it, and that was big tonight.”

While Tucker’s onslaught helped the Green Dragons build a 13-point lead at halftime, Bishop McDevitt led after a back-and-forth first frame. Lewisburg buckled down, and Tucker hit two 3-pointers in a row to kick off a 9-0 run that the Crusaders wouldn’t recover from until less than a minute left in the game.

“LJ’s been locked in and ready to go,” Lewisburg coach Leon Tucker said. “But credit to his teammates for finding him in spots where he can make shots. He puts the work in, but none of this is possible without some of the older leaders we have on our team. This was awesome.”

The Green Dragons had all the momentum heading into the break, but McDevitt chipped away to slowly take it back. The Crusaders found some perimeter offense of their own, spurring an 18-7 run that led to a three-point lead for Lewisburg after the third quarter. But, a charging opponent was nothing new for the Green Dragons.

“We’ve done this all year, even back to the PHAC championship when Southern Columbia made a big run and we were able to close it out,” coach Tucker said. “We’ve been prepped for this moment, and we’ve been in this situation before.”

MARK NANCE/Sun-Gazette Correspondent Lewisburg's Ribira Jemama (33) shoots over Bishop McDevitt's Patrick Denisco(1) in the fourth quarter of the PIAA Class AAAA Quarter-final game at Pottsville's Martz Hall Friday.

Against a physical Crusader squad, the Green Dragons’ defense was key. Rebira Jemama and Nazir Meredith once again took away the paint, and Jemama came up with a big block late to emphasize the factor the unit played.

“Credit to them because that was a great team, but man, we came out like a house on fire,” coach Tucker said. “They fought back and made us earn it, but I thought our defense was the difference between us winning and losing this game. When it mattered most, we needed to do a good job of being fundamentally sound, and they did that.”

Bishop McDevitt took its first lead since the second quarter at 54-53 with less than two minutes remaining, but Lewisburg answered on the next possession, and Meredith hit a free-throw after a foul in the backcourt to push the lead back to two.

The defense shut down the Crusaders’ next possession, and a loose ball ended up in the hands of a streaking Jemama, who stretched the lead to four with a finger roll at the basket. Lewisburg’s bench thought they’d won when the buzzer sounded, but a basket from Bishop McDevitt was counted to bring the game to 60-58 with 0.4 seconds remaining.

It only delayed the celebration by a few minutes, though, as LJ Tucker’s inbound heave was grabbed by Bishop McDevitt, who managed to get a half-court shot off before the buzzer, but it rattled off the outside of the rim to send Lewisburg to the next round.

MARK NANCE/Sun-Gazette Correspondent Lewisburg's Cortland Michaels (0) shoots in heavy traffic in the fourth quarter of the PIAA Class AAAA Quarter-final game at Pottsville's Martz Hall Friday.

The Green Dragons now advance to the final four of the state bracket, something the program’s never done, and that’s not lost on this year’s squad.

“Being a part of this historic team is awesome,” LJ Tucker said. “We’re going to remember this forever.”

Lewisburg will face Devon Prep in the PIAA Class AAAA semifinals on Monday at a time and location to be determined.

Lewisburg 60, Bishop McDevitt 58

BISHOP MCDEVITT (58)

MARK NANCE/Sun-Gazette Correspondent Lewisburg's Cortland Michaels (0) drives the ball around Bishop McDevitt's Ridi Mabiala (31) in the third quarter of the PIAA Class AAAA Quarter-final game at Pottsville's Martz Hall Friday.

Patrick Denisco 6 0-0 14; Kenyon Portee 6 3-4 15; Ethan Hammer 3 4-4 11; Tommy Jones 2 3-3 8; Dom Baker 4 0-0 8; Ridi Mabiala 1 0-0 2. Totals: 22 10-11 58.

LEWISBURG (60)

LJ Tucker 8 1-4 23; Nazir Meredith 5 3-8 13; Cooper Mowry 2 0-2 4; Cortland Michaels 1 4-8 6; Rebira Jemama 4 2-4 10; Jaylen Walker 2 0-0 4. Totals: 22 10-26 60.

Bishop McDevitt 13 9 22 14 — 58

Lewisburg 12 23 12 13 — 60

MARK NANCE/Sun-Gazette Correspondent Lewisburg's Cooper Mowry (1) drives around Bishop McDevitt's Patrick Denisco (1) in the third quarter of the PIAA Class AAAA Quarter-final game at Pottsville's Martz Hall Friday.

3-point goals: Bishop McDevitt 3 (Denisco 2, Hammer 1), Lewisburg 6 (Tucker 6).

Records: Bishop McDevitt (23-5), Lewisburg (24-4).

MARK NANCE/Sun-Gazette Correspondent Lewisburg fans cheer on the boys basketball team as they take on Bishop McDevitt in the PIAA Class AAAA Quarter-final game at Pottsville's Martz Hall Friday. They were not disappointed as Lewisburg won 60-58.

MARK NANCE/Sun-Gazette Correspondent Lewisburg's Cooper Mowry (1) drives around Bishop McDevitt's Ethan Hammer (0) in the second quarter of the PIAA Class AAAA Quarter-final game at Pottsville's Martz Hall Friday.

MARK NANCE/Sun-Gazette Correspondent Lewisburg's Ribira Jemama (33) shoots between Bishop McDevitt's Akeelyn Smith (23) and Dom Baker (32) in the second quarter of the PIAA Class AAAA Quarter-final game at Pottsville's Martz Hall Friday.

MARK NANCE/Sun-Gazette Correspondent Lewisburg's Leon Tucker, II (3) celebrates after scoring two and drawing a foul in the first quarter.

MARK NANCE/Sun-Gazette Correspondent Lewisburg's Nazir Meredith (23) shoots over Bishop McDevitt's Ridi Mabiala (31) in the first quarter of the PIAA Class AAAA Quarter-final game at Pottsville's Martz Hall Friday.

MARK NANCE/Sun-Gazette Correspondent Lewisburg's Leon Tucker, II (3) shoots against Bishop McDevitt's Dom Baker (32) in the first quarter of the PIAA Class AAAA Quarter-final game at Pottsville's Martz Hall Friday.