PHILADELPHIA — Spencer Tobin’s task Saturday came with very straight-forward instructions.
“Coach just said, ‘Go up strong. Don’t go weak. Just keep going up strong and get fouled,’ ” the Minersville senior said.
As the Battlin’ Miners pounded the ball inside, Tobin kept going up strong. On most occasions, the ball either went in the bucket or Tobin went to the line to sink some free throws.
That strategy, along with a 1-3-1 zone defense, helped Minersville advance to the second round of the PIAA Class AA boys’ basketball state playoffs with a 64-52 win over Freire Charter at Archbishop Ryan High School.
Tobin torched the Dragons for a game- and season-high 22 points — with 14 coming in the first half and 12 coming at the charity stripe — to help Minersville (20-5) advance to Wednesday’s second round. The Miners will face District 4 champion Loyalsock, a 61-45 winner over Holy Cross.
Offensively, Minersville coach Cliff Woodford and his staff created a game plan
that spread the floor and directed the ball into the post to Tobin. When Tobin wasn’t there for a look, the Miners found open looks from beyond the arc.
“When we started pounding the ball into Spencer, either he was scoring or they were fouling him,” Woodford said. “That really set the tone. We went to a four-spread instead of a five-spread to try to isolate him on the post. That pulled one of their guys to help out, which opened other things up for penetration.”
Added Tobin: “We wanted to look for a good shot. We didn’t want to rush things. We didn’t want them to get the rebound and transition real quick. We just wanted to look for a good shot.”
Four Minersville players reached double figures as Chris Leshko tallied 14, including three first-half 3-pointers, while Jon McBreen finished with 14 points and Collin Hashin contributed 10 in the second half.
“With this group, they share the ball,” Woodford said. “About 80 percent of our field goals come from assists, if not more. We really do share the ball well. It’s a very unselfish team. They do a great job.”
Besides its post play, Minersville pounded the glass, finishing with a 40-22 advantage on the boards, and prevented the Dragons (13-14) from penetrating with a 1-3-1 zone.
“Coming in, we were all man-to-man. Looking at film and talking to coaches, we knew we had to throw a little zone in,” Woodford said. “(The) 1-3-1 was the zone we worked on most during the season, but we also threw at them the 1-2-2 toward the end, which we hadn’t worked on all year. This is a senior team. It’s a very experienced team. They make adjustments on the fly. They really do.”
After playing to a 14-14 tie after a quarter, Minersville seized the lead for good when Leshko knocked down a 3-pointer from the corner with 4:14 left in the first half for a 21-18 lead. The Battlin’ Miners never trailed again.
Friere Charter (13-14) trailed 34-29 on Joel Grant’s 3-pointer at the 4:31 mark of the third quarter, but Minersville went on a 13-7 run to end the period and take control at 47-36 going to the fourth quarter.
From there, Minersville converted plenty of opportunities from the foul line (10-of-20) in the fourth quarter to finish it off.
“The free throws were big,” Tobin said. “Everybody hit big ones down the stretch. It was big for our team to win.”
The road continues to get more challenging moving forward as Minersville advances for the first time since 2001 when Woodford was an assistant coach.
“Moving on … this group as a whole played from the end of last year, the whole summer (and) into the fall,” Woodford said. “I keep telling these guys, they’re reaping the benefits of just putting a little extra time in and putting in the hard work.”
Game Summary
PIAA Class AA Boys’ First Round
At Archbishop Ryan H.S., Philadelphia
MINERSVILLE (64) — McBreen 5 2-8 14, Stephen 0 0-0 0, Hashin 2 5-10 10, Leshko 4 3-4 14, Stoppie 0 0-0 0, Graham 2 0-0 4, Brennan 0 0-0 0, Tobin 5 12-15 22. Totals 18 22-37 64.
FREIRE CHARTER (52) — Moultrie 3 4-6 10, Joel Grant 3 0-0 7, Smith 3 0-0 7, Wilson 2 0-2 4, Freeman 0 0-0 0, Elam 4 1-4 10, Josh Grant 2 0-0 4, Edwards 4 1-2 9, Miller 0 0-0 0, Mandy 0 0-0 0, Battle 0 1-2 1, Johnson 0 0-0 0. Totals 21 7-16 52.
Minersville (20-5) 14 13 20 17 — 64 Freire Charter (13-14) 14 8 14 16 — 52
3-point FGs: McBreen 2, Hashin, Leshko 3, Joel Grant, Smith, Elam