Schuylkill League Boys’ Basketball Championship
Tonight, at Martz Hall
Tamaqua (19-4, Division I wild card)
vs. Pottsville (23-0, Division I champion), 8 p.m.
About the Blue Raiders
Head coach: Caszy Kosciolek (4th season)
How got here: Beat Division II champ Minersville 59-53 in Wednesday’s semifinal
Last appearance in title game: 1994 — Beat Marian 59-52
Previous league titles (since 1966): Two (1976, 1994)
Team statistics: Offense (58.0 points per game), defense (43.3 ppg)
Probable starting lineup: G Russell Blaker (jr., 6-1, 8.5 points per game), G Bo Rottet (sr., 6-0, 17.3), F Nate MacDonald (sr., 6-1, 5.7), F Tyler Skripko (sr., 5-10, 3.4), F-C Brett Kosciolek (sr., 6-7, 17.2)
Key reserves: G Ben Miller (sr., 6-1, 1.3), G Thaddaeus Zuber (fr., 5-9, 1.4), G Ernie Shilko (sr., 5-8, 1.7)
About the Crimson Tide
Head coach: Dave Mullaney (8th season)
How got here: Beat Division III champ Mahanoy Area 59-31 in semifinal
Last appearance in title game: 2014 — Lost to Mahanoy Area 45-44
Previous league titles (since 1966): 14 — 1980, 1981, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1989, 1993, 1995, 2000, 2004, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013
Team statistics: Offense (62.2 points per game), defense (31.9 ppg)
Probable starting lineup: G Connor Hinchliffe (sr., 6-1, 4.7), G Ty Painter (sr., 5-7, 3.2), G Travis Blankenhorn (sr., 6-2, 16.7), G-F Jordan Melochick (jr., 6-2, 9.3), F-C Eli Nabholz (sr., 6-5, 12.4)
Key reserves: F Jed Dunkel (sr., 6-2, 2.3), G Derek Shuman (sr., 6-1, 1.1), G Christian Witman (jr., 6-1, 1.9), G Jordan Abdo (soph., 5-10, 6.2)
Game notes
Rottet (23 in the game) and Kosciolek (18) combined for 26 second-half points as the Raiders pulled away in their semifinal win over the Miners. Rottet scored 16 of his points in the second half and finished the night 12-for-15 from the foul line. ... Crimson Tide were down 11-2 early in the first quarter against the Golden Bears before holding a 57-20 scoring advantage the rest of the game. Blankenhorn led the Crimson Tide with 12 points. ... Third meeting between two this season. Crimson Tide used a fourth-quarter run to pull away and win 57-40 on Jan. 5 and then dominated the second meeting, winning 53-26 on Jan. 27. ... Game features three 1,000-career point scorers: Blankenhorn (1,489), Kosciolek (1,430) and Rottet (1,044). Blankenhorn and Kosciolek reached their milestones last season, Rottet did it last week. ... Crimson Tide are ranked No. 7 in Class AAA in most recent PennLive.com rankings. Raiders are a team to watch in Class AAA. ... Crimson Tide would wrap up a No. 1 seed for the District 11 Class AAA playoffs with win. Tamaqua would improve on its No. 4 ranking with a victory.
— Complied by Mike Carnahan
The first was a competitive game.
The second go around was a rout.
So what will the third meeting this season between Pottsville and Tamaqua bring?
For certain, it is the most important match-up of them all. It is title time tonight when the Crimson Tide (23-0) take on the Raiders (19-4) for the Schuylkill League boys’ championship at 7:30 p.m. at Martz Hall.
Pottsville, the Division I champ, is playing in its sixth consecutive league title game and is looking to win its fifth championship in the past six years. The Crimson Tide beat Division III champ Mahanoy Area 59-31 in the semifinals Wednesday, avenging last year’s title-game loss to the Golden Bears.
Tonight is new territory for Tamaqua, the Division I wild card.
The Raiders are playing in their league final since a 59-52 victory over Marian in 1994. Tamaqua reached tonight’s championship with a 59-53 victory over Division II champ Minersville in Wednesday’s semifinals.
“They are really excited,” Tamaqua coach Caszy Kosciolek said about getting another crack at the Crimson Tide. “It is really their first taste of Martz Hall in the postseason. Their confidence level is as high as I’ve seen it. I think we are ready to go.”
Let’s recap the first two meetings:
• Jan. 5 at Tamaqua, Pottsville 57-40: Travis Blankenhorn poured in 30 points as the Crimson Tide took their first lead midway through the first quarter and led the rest of the way. But Tamaqua wouldn’t go quietly and cut the deficit to 39-31 early in the fourth quarter before Pottsville finished the game on an 18-9
run. Ty Painter added 10 points for the Crimson Tide. Brett Kosciolek (14) and Bo Rottet (11) reached double figures for the Raiders.
• Jan. 27 at Martz Hall, Pottsville 53-26: The game was never close as the Crimson Tide led 28-11 at halftime and rolled to the win. The Raiders shot 10-for-38 (26 percent) from the floor and turned the ball over 12 times. Blankenhorn scored all of his game-high 14 points in the first half, while Jordan Melochick (11) and Eli Nabholz (11) also reached double figures. Rottet (12) led the Raiders.
If history is any guide, tonight’s game should be closer than the scores from the regular season.
The last time the Schuylkill League boys’ final featured teams that meet twice during the regular season was in 2011 and 2012 between Pottsville and Pine Grove.
After grabbing 39-27 and 62-34 victories during the regular season, Pottsville edged the Cardinals 51-49 in the 2011 championship game that came down to the wire.
In 2012, Pottsville won 48-36 and 43-33 during the regular season and then pulled away late in the title game for a 38-31 victory.
“It is easier because you see a lot of their plays the whole year and we are used to playing them,” Pottsville senior Connor Hinchliffe said about playing the same team three times on one season. “We know their players just as good as our own players. It is kind of hard because one day they can come out and shoot fire, and the next … When we played them at home, they couldn’t hit anything and we beat them pretty good. You just can’t take anyone lightly.”
For Tamaqua to pull off the upset against the No. 7-ranked Class AAA team in the state, Caszy Kosciolek knows the Raiders need to figure out how to have success against Pottsville’s tough man-to-man defense.
The Crimson Tide’s defense dominated the second meeting between the clubs, as it during Wednesday’s semifinal win over Mahanoy Area. The Golden Bears shot 12-for-41 (29 percent) and turned the ball over 24 times.
“We have to get into the rhythm of our offense,” Coach Kosciolek said. “We can’t allow them to take us out of our rhythm. That is going to be a critical factor.”
Crimson Tide coach Dave Mullaney believes Pottsville needs to defend well, too, especially Brett Kosciolek (17.2 points per game, 1,430 career points) and Rottet (17.3, 1,044). The Crimson Tide also need to attack, and yet be patient, on offense, no matter what defense the Raiders show.
“They have two really, really good players and we are going to have to defend them,” Mullaney said. “We are going to have to make sure we keep (Russell) Blaker off the 3-point line, he’s a very good player. We are going to have to be aggressive going against what ever defense they have. We anticipate some 3-2 zones, 2-3 zone, a little man, whatever they play, we need to be aggressive against them.”