COAL TOWNSHIP - It was, for all practical purposes, a meaningless game on a regular-season-ending Sunday afternoon.
Former Schuylkill League Division I rivals, both Blue Mountain and Shamokin Area had already locked up playoff spots.
The Eagles (19-4) will be a high seed in the District 11 Class AAA postseason and the wild card in the Schuylkill party at Martz Hall, thanks to a nine-point loss to Pottsville on Saturday night in a special playoff for the Schuylkill League Division I crown.
The Indians (20-2) will be the top seed in the District 4 playoffs and the Division I champion in the Heartland playoffs for Friday night's semifinal round at Montoursville.
So this could have been one of those non-league games in which both teams go through the motions and rest regulars to avoid injury with an eye toward the bigger prizes on the horizon.
But it wasn't.
They went at it hard, the same way they did for many years when they were league rivals.
In the end, it was a game-breaking, overtime performance by Indians sophomore point guard Jake Weaver that made the difference. Taking matters into his own hands, Weaver scored all 11 Shamokin points in the extra period, leading his team to a 68-63 victory.
Weaver slashed through the lane for a pair of layups, knocked down a jumper and 5-of-6 from the free-throw line in taking over for the final four minutes. He gave the Indians a chance to win in regulation when he picked off a Blue Mountain pass and went the distance for a layup and a 57-55 lead with 35 seconds left. Kyle Slane's layup basket a few seconds later allowed the Eagles to send the game into the extra session.
"It was intense," Shamokin coach Chris Zimmerman said. "Blue Mountain is tough.
"They lost a game last night that was probably a more important game than this one, and to come in here and battle like they did says a lot about them. They do a great job down there."
Weaver finished as the game's leading scorer with 20 points, scoring all but three of those in the second half and overtime period.
Zimmerman, a former point guard himself, admitted he's sometimes a little harder on Weaver because of that.
"I wasn't really happy with the way Jake played in the first half," Zimmerman said. "And we talked about stepping it up and making plays in the second half.
"And he did. It wasn't only his scoring, but he was getting the ball to the right people."
Blue Mountain, with Will Bornstein scoring 13 of his team-high 19 points in the first half, owned a 38-31 advantage at the break, then maintained that same margin - leading 47-41 after three quarters.
With four minutes remaining in the game, the Eagles were up 52-45 when Shamokin caught fire. A pair of 3-pointers by Zach Moyer, a layup and jumper by Weaver and a Ryan Sebasovich layup led Shamokin on a 12-5 run over those final final four minutes of regulation. Isaiah Reiprich's short jumper with two second left bounced off the rim for Shamokin, setting up Weaver's overtime heroics.
"We were playing a 19-3 Blue Mountain team, with two of those losses to a really good Pottsville team," Zimmerman said. "This was a great game to get us ready."
SHAMOKIN (68) - Donahue 1 0-0 3, Sebasovich 4 2-2 11, Weaver 7 5-6 20, Delbaugh 0 2-2 2, Pappas 4 2-4 10, Reiprich 4 1-2 9, Taylor 2 1-2 5, Moyer 3 0-0 8. Totals 25 13-18 68.
Marian 53 Lehighton 19
LEHIGHTON - Vanessa Whitecavage tallied a game-high 10 points in the Fillies' balanced win over Lehighton Saturday.
Abbey Whildin scored nine points for Marian, Gabby Green added eight and Savanna Krusinsky added seven.
District 3 basketball pairings announced
Pairing for the District 3 basketball playoffs were released Sunday.
In Class AA boys, Upper Dauphin received the eighth seed and will play No. 9 Halifax in the first round at 7:30 p.m., Feb. 19 in Elizabethville.
The Lady Trojans received the seventh seed in the girls' Class A bracket, drawing No. 10 Veritas Academy at 6 p.m., Feb. 19.
The Hamburg girls are No. 15 in the Class AAA tournament, meeting No. 18 Trinity at 7 p.m., Feb. 14 at Hamburg.
H.S. Wrestling Thorpe's Gentile 2nd at Salisbury
ALLENTOWN - Posting a 3-1 record, Jim Thorpe 106-pounder Kevan Gentile (29-4) placed second Saturday at the Falcon Invitational at Salisbury High School.
Ali Capobianco (132), Antonio Madera (145) and Robbie Geisinger (160) finished fourth for the Olympians.