FOUNTAIN SPRINGS — Friday was the debut of Ty Wartman as the North Schuylkill boys’ basketball coach.
It turned out to be an excellent start to the season for Jonathan Smith and the rest of the Spartans, too.
Smith, making his first varsity start, scored a team-high 19 points to pace three players in double figures in North Schuylkill’s 73-68 non-league victory over Shenandoah Valley at Cesari-Hope Gymnasium.
Smith is one of three new starters for the Spartans (1-0) this season, along with Connor Wood and Bobby Grigas. In his first start, Smith tied the amount of points he scored all of last season after he tallied 19 in 12 games.
Smith didn’t just score Friday. He also had eight rebounds and seven assists.
“What is wierd about Jon is that he is just an all-around athlete,” Wartman said. “This has been coming for a long time now. Jon has a motor that doesn’t stop and he plays hard all the time. I couldn’t be happier for him because he put in a lot of work to get to this point.”
Tevin Murray and Major Jordan added 13 points apiece for North Schuylkill. Murray had five rebounds, while Grigas, who didn’t play last year, had nine points and five assists.
The win made it a successful debut for Wartman, who took over the program after Curt Ziegmont left to direct the Pottsville girls’ program.
“It feels good,” Wartman said about his first win at North Schuylkill. “I knew Shenandoah Valley is a great basketball team. I knew
going into the game that their guards are that good. For us to win a game like that against a really good opponent makes it good for me.”
After a somewhat sloppy first half, the Spartans took over early in the third quarter.
The Blue Devils led 33-32 at halftime and were up 38-37 early in the third before North Schuylkill went on a 21-6 run to take a 58-44 lead with 6:25 left in the game.
The Spartans did most of their damage in and around the basket in the second half, hitting 6-of-10 from the floor in the third quarter and 12-of-22 (55 percent) over the final 16 minutes of the game.
“We were just lackadaisical in the first half defensively, which was disappointing,” Wartman said. “We just kind of snapped back into it in the third quarter, which is good.”
The game was tied at 41 with 4:16 left in the third, but North Schuylkill finished quarter with 11 unanswered points to go up 52-41. Smith scored on a layup and 7-foot hook on the baseline, then spotted Jordan open for a layup to beat the Blue Devils’ press. Doug Weist knocked down a 3-pointer, while Wood finished off the quarter by scoring a drive.
Ian McCole hit six 3-pointers and had a game-high 22 points for the Blue Devils, while Joel Santana, who missed most of the second quarter with foul trouble, added 21 and Josh White netted 10.
Shenandoah Valley relies on its 3-point shooting, but went cold during critical stages Friday. The Blue Devils were hot in the first and four quarters, but struggled in second and third. Shenandoah Valley finished the night hitting 21-of-48 (44 percent) from the field, including 11-for-26 (42 percent) from beyond the arc.
“We just didn’t hit shots,” Shenandoah Valley coach Robbie Miller said. “I know that is a cliché to say, but North Schuylkill made plays and we didn’t.”
Game Summary
SHENANDOAH VALLEY (68) — Santana 6 7-8 21, I. McCole 8 0-0 22, Alvarez 0 2-2 2, Chagolla 0 0-0 0, McNeil 3 2-2 10, Allegretta 0 0-0 0, Ryan 0 0-0 0, Cabrera 0 0-0 0, Raisner 1 0-0 3, White 4 2-4 10. Totals 22 13-16 68.
NORTH SCHUYLKILL (73) — Bolinsky 0 0-0 0, Weist 4 0-0 9, Murray 4 5-5 13, Mazur 1 0-0 2, Wood 3 1-2 8, Smith 9 1-2 19, Grigas 3 2-2 9, Jordan 5 2-2 13. Totals 29 11-13 73.
SV (0-1) 21 12 8 27 — 68 NS (1-0) 14 18 20 21 — 73
3-point FGs: Santana 2, McCole 6, McNeil 2, Raisner, Weist, Wood, Grigas, Jordan
JV score: Shenandoah Valley 42-38