TAMAQUA — It’s been 19 years since the Tamaqua boys’ basketball team last appeared in the Schuylkill League playoffs.
There is still plenty of basketball left, but the Raiders cleared a hurdle to get to the league postseason Tuesday.
Bo Rottet (15), Russell Blaker (14) and Brett Kosciolek (11) all reached double figures in scoring, while Tamaqua built an early lead and held off Blue Mountain during a 51-39 Division I victory at the Tamaqua Athletic Complex.
The last trip to the league playoffs for the Raiders (12-2, 6-1 D-I) came in 1995. With Tuesday’s win, Tamaqua took sole possession of second place in the division and the ever important wild-card spot in the league playoffs.
The Raiders remain a game behind division-leading Pottsville (13-0, 7-0) and are now a game up on the Eagles (7-5, 5-2) for second.
The subject of making the league playoffs comes up almost daily for Tamaqua.
“Coach (Caszy Kosciolek) always mentions every night that when we have a big game, this gym hasn’t been this crowded in a while,” Blaker said.
Tuesday was another one of those nights.
The Raiders used an 18-5 run that began late in the first quarter and lasted until the second to build a lead they never lost. Blue Mountain led 10-9 when the run started. When it was over, Tamaqua was up 27-13.
The closest the Eagles got the rest of the way was eight points in the fourth quarter.
“We focused on our defense to contain their shooters in our zone,” Blaker said of the Raiders 2-3 and 3-2 zones. “I think we did a pretty good job of that. Our offense was a little bit slow, through.”
Brett Kosciolek completed a double-double with 10 rebounds and added three blocks, while Nate MacDonald grabbed a game-high 11 boards and scored nine points. Rottet also had three steals.
Mark Chelius led the Eagles with 14 points, but only three in the second half, while Connor Kerstetter had five rebounds. The loss snapped a five-game Blue Mountain winning streak.
Blaker, a junior, has developed into a solid third scoring option for the Raiders this season behind Kosciolek and Rottet in his first year as a starter. He came in averaging 8.5 points per game.
Blaker scored 11 of his points in the first half, including nine in the first quarter.
He opened the game with a three-point play. Blaker later scored on a back-door lob from Tyler Skripko and then on a transition layup to give the Raiders an early 9-6 lead.
After a Chelius drive and Kerstetter bucket inside made it 10-9 at 2:18 of the first quarter, the Raiders began their run. Kosciolek scored on a runner and hit two foul shots after he was fouled on a putback try on an offensive rebound. A MacDonald offensive board led to two more free throws by Blaker, while Rottet hit a 3 to give Tamaqua an 18-10 lead after the first quarter.
MacDonald opened the scoring in the second quarter by scoring inside. After a Chelius 3-point play, Rottet dropped down a pull-up jumper, MacDonald hit 1-of-2 from the foul line, Rottet scored on a fast break and MacDonald on a layup to give the Raiders a 27-13 advantage with 5:19 left in the first half.
Blaker scored Tamaqua’s final points of the half on a drive down the lane, while two free throws from Aaron Albertini made it 31-20 Raiders at halftime.
“The big thing for was us rebounding on the defensive end,” Caszy Kosciolek said. “We got the ball, we got an outlet. We were at our best in that first quarter when we were running in transition.
“The big thing, too, was that we got that lead and maintained that lead. That is what I am really harping on. I am really impressed with our maturity and our basketball smarts.”
Neither team had a great shooting first half, as Tamaqua was 11-for-29 (38 percent), while the Eagles were 6-for-24 (25 percent). Tamaqua did outrebound the Eagles 20-15 over the first 16 minutes.
“I think they did a good job defensively,” Blue Mountain coach Dustin Werdt said. “They took the paint away from us all night. They contested everything.”
Blue Mountain hung around the rest of the night. Three times in the fourth quarter the Eagles cut the deficit to eight, the final came on a drive by Albertini with 1:30 left in the game. But Rottet went 4-of-4 from the foul line to set the final.
“Our kids are going to play hard every night no matter who we play,” Werdt said. “They are not going to win every game but they are going to play hard. They are going to contest.”
Game Summary
BLUE MOUNTAIN (39) — Stramara 1 5-6 8, Kerstetter 1 0-0 2, Barton 0 0-0 0, Lewis 2 2-2 6, Donovan 0 0-0 0, Chelius 5 2-2 14, Albertini 2 4-4 9, Zerbe 0 0-0 0, Biever 0 0-0 0. Totals 11 13-14 39.
TAMAQUA (51) — Shilko 0 0-0 0, Blaker 4 6-7 14, Miller 1 0-0 2, Rottet 4 6-6 15, Zuber 0 0-0 0, McDonald 4 1-4 9, Skripko 0 0-0 0, Bosciolek 3 4-4 11. Totals 16 17-21 51.
BM (7-5, 5-2) 10 10 8 11 — 39 Tam (12-2, 6-1) 18 13 11 9 — 51
3-point FGs: Stramara, Chelius 2, Albertini, Rottet, Kosciolek
JV score: Blue Mountain 60-35