Roaslie Zalonis of Muncy puts up a shot against Cowanesque Valley at Muncy High School. DAVE KENNEDY/Sun-Gazette

A late district final timeout focused not so much upon strategy but on another key element.

While others may have looked toward the court, Muncy players looked inward. There, they again found the character to complete another district championship journey.

Ava Eyer drained a free throw with 23.7 seconds remaining last Wednesday and the defense made two dramatic stands as Muncy edged Southern Columbia, 44-43 and captured a third straight District 4 Class AA championship.

Above all the talent, fundamentals and good coaching, this winning foundation has been built upon something no stat can measure.

“We kept saying during the timeout it’s about heart. How much do we want it and how much can we put into it?” guard Emma McCormick said after her last-second steal secured victory. “We put everything on the line for it.”

They sure did and sure have.

These last three championship Muncy teams share a similar bond. It is about grit and an iron will. The Indians have defeated the top seed twice and a team labeled the tournament favorite each time.

And while Muncy (22-4) defeated Northeast Bradford by 11 points a year ago in the final, the two titles sandwiched around it have been last-second thrillers, Eyer and Rosie Zalonis breaking ties each time with last-second, game-winning foul shots.

When times grow tough, this team seems to play its best. It has the banners to prove it and will now try taking another step Friday when it hosts Wyoming Seminary in the opening round of states.

“It’s kind of a what are you willing to give mentality?” senior guard Anna Zalonis said after scoring nine points against Southern. “And we’re always willing to give everything.”

Zalonis drove that point home a year ago when she played through sickness, vomiting at halftime but still excelling and helping Muncy win another title. That toughness has been contagious during this three-year run, every player possessing it.

That was a huge reason so many shined on the pitch last fall, helping Muncy capture its first district soccer championship. New sport, but same mentality and same result 3 ½ months later. Success comes with a price and Muncy is willing to bid as high as possible to achieve it.

“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. Sometimes the shots do not fall; sometimes the team does not execute the way it hopes. But effort is never in question.

That was the case during a last-season stretch in which Muncy lost three straight games entering districts, including a gut-wrencher in the last second to Northwest in the Mid-Penn championship. What many did not know is the team was ravaged by illness during that week, but still soldiered on, giving determined efforts. The scoreboard went against it, but what Muncy learned during that run helped it turn defeat into gold.

Once healed, Muncy had its quick collective step back and relentless work was converted into relentless energy. And big wins.

The Indians routed Cowanesque Valley in the quarterfinals before exacting revenge against Northwest in the semifinals for a second consecutive year. Southern rallied from 11 down in the fourth quarter to tie it, but Muncy did not crack and gutted out a third straight championship, joining Mount Carmel, Central Columbia and Lourdes as the district’s only three-peat champions this century.

It’s not just those who played in the playoffs either who have paved the way for a 3-peat. It’s all the JV and varsity players coming together. The younger players give the veterans good battles each day and strong practices have led to 22 wins and another district crown.

“If you just would have seen the girls all season long, the effort that they put in is remarkable,” Muncy coach Craig Weaver Sr. said. “We have five freshmen and they started the year a little rough, but as the season went on, those freshmen grew and gotten a whole lot better. That’s what you look for. They push the girls every day.”

When times grew tense against Southern, Muncy kept pushing. The Tigers led 10-3 early, but a McCormick long jumper and Anna Zalonis 3-pointer sparked a run and Muncy pulled even by halftime. After Southern went up four early in the third, the Indians played some of their best basketball this season, going on a 16-2 run and building a 10-point advantage entering the fourth quarter.

Eyer scored 21 points, Rosie Zalonis dealt 10 assists, Alexis McKeta grabbed nine rebounds and Rachel Paulhamus excelled off the bench.

When the heat was turned up, Muncy stayed cool. Players rallied around each other, kept grinding and turned all the lessons learned throughout the year into something special.

“It just shows all the work we’ve put in through the season,” McCormick said. “Knowing all our hard work led to a championship win is amazing.”

The work continued the next day when Muncy returned to practice. One goal has been reached, so the Indians started looking at what’s next and set their eyes toward states.

There, Muncy faces another challenge against Wyoming Seminary but this is a team which embraces the hard. That is what endears this team to so many fans who filled the Montoursville gym last Wednesday.

It’s not just that Muncy wins. It is how it has done so which has propelled it to a historic run.

“We’ve had people show up at every game and it’s nice having people show up and giving you support and wanting you to succeed,” Anna Zalonis said after the final. “We have time to rest up now. We can leave it all on the floor.”

They always do. And their heart continues pounding strong.