MAHANOY CITY - With 40 seconds left in the game, the "Mickey Holland" chants started from the Mahanoy Area student section.
Soon after, a banner was unveiled by the students that said, "600. Hoop Hoop Hooray."
It was a special night for the Golden Bears and their special coach.
Larry McNeil's 19 points paced three Mahanoy Area players in double figures as the Golden Bears overwhelmed Lourdes 68-29 in a Schuylkill League Division II-III crossover contest Friday, giving Holland the 600th win of his coaching career.
"He's a great coach," said senior Andy Kuzma, a three-year starter. "He's known everywhere. It's a pleasure to be coached by him."
Tyler Cavenas added 15 points and Dylan Mahmod compiled 14 points and four steals for Mahanoy Area (11-0, 5-0 D-III). Jason Richmond had 11 assists and four steals for the Golden Bears, while Brian Miller and Cavenas grabbed seven rebounds apiece.
Michael Gilger had nine points to lead Lourdes (7-5, 2-4 D-II), which was playing its third game in three days and started three freshmen and a sophomore Friday.
The Red Raiders were no match for the experienced Golden Bears, who used a 26-2 run that started midway into the first quarter and lasted through early in the second to go up 31-6.
The Golden Bears clinched a spot in the District 11 Class A playoffs with the victory, but that was overshadowed by the celebration for Holland, who is in his 33rd season at Mahanoy Area, and holds a 600-248 career record.
Actually, the Holland chants began during pregame warm-ups, and Holland gave the students a thumb's-up as time was winding down.
When the game was over, Holland gave a speech and was presented with a golden-ball trophy that he wants to be put in the trophy case at the school.
"This is not a me thing," Holland said. "It's the work of great assistant coaches.
"We've had some great players, and sometimes not so great players, who paid the price.
"This belongs to all the people of Mahanoy Area."
Holland, and the rest of the Golden Bears, then went over to the student section to celebrate after the speech.
"I have had great kids through the years," Holland said after the game. "The one thing my brother-in-law (the late state senator) Jim Rhoades, his big thing was, and this is how Mike (Rhoades) got the job at Randolph-Macon (as an assistant in 1996), the coach asked him 'Why should I hire you?' And he said, 'If you hire me, I will work harder than anybody else you hire.' We've kind of made that our motto. We put the time in."
Holland has found success at a small school where athletes must play two and three sports to keep the programs going. Holland has had 14 seasons of 20 wins or more in his career, winning four overall Schuylkill League championships and five District 11 titles (four in Class A and one in Class AA).
The most recent district title was last season in Class A, and this year's team is geared for district title No. 6.
The only boys' coach in the league who comes close to matching Holland's longevity is Williams Valley's Denny Kasper, who is in his 19th season. Kasper, who picked up his 300th career victory during the 2011-12 season, is 326-157 after the Vikings' 59-49 win over Weatherly on Friday.
"For a coach to have 600 wins is just incredible," Cavenas said. "It is not just us getting the 600 wins, it is all the teams before us, because he makes those kids buy into what this program is. And he makes them put in that hard work. That's why he had those 600 wins."
Cavenas, a three-year starter, was somewhat influenced by Holland to play basketball. Cavenas, who's headed to Lehigh University for football, was the first in his family to play basketball. He wrestled in seventh grade before Holland invited him to some summer workouts and Cavenas got hooked.
"Ironically, it turned out to me playing basketball the rest of my career," he said.
The outcome of Friday's game was never in doubt.
Mahanoy Area's defense hounded Lourdes, while the Golden Bears found gaping holes in the Red Raiders' 2-3 zone for easy layups. Mahanoy Area also hit eight 3-pointers and finished the night 27-for-58 (47 percent) from the floor.
Lourdes was 12-for-40 (30 percent) from the field and committed 23 turnovers.