Will Bornstein didn't have much to say to the media following his team's 70-63 victory over Bethlehem Catholic in Friday night's District 11 Class AAA consolation game at Martz Hall.
Even when the senior found himself on his back in pain during the early stages of the fourth quarter after a hard foul, he didn't jaw with the opponent when he eventually made his way back on the floor.
From start-to-finish, Bornstein simply let's his play do the talking.
Sacrificing his body, Bornstein wasn't bashful with his relentless attack on the basket. He scored a game-high 30 points and was the catalyst behind the Eagles' first trip back to the state playoffs since 2007.
"He was phenomenal tonight," Blue Mountain coach Dustin Werdt said.
"We have been preaching to him to go to the rim and I think during the game that he realized that they really weren't contesting the rim that much. Against Pottsville and Mahanoy Area when you get past that first line of defense there is always someone else, but Becahi wasn't rotating to defend that."
Blue Mountain (21-6) will take on District 12 runner-up Philadelphia Electric in next Friday's first round of the PIAA Class AAA tournament at site and time to be determined. The Eagles failed to make it past the quarterfinal round of districts the last two years, with Friday's win avenging a season-ending loss to Bethlehem Catholic (11-13) last season.
"I couldn't be more proud of the seniors and just everybody in general. It was great to see their faces when the horn went off," Werdt said. "I think there was a bit of a revenge factor going up against Becahi after what happened last year."
If anyone carried that motivation to avenge last year's playoff misfortune it was Bornstein, who brings the same physicality he displays on the gridiron as a football standout to the hardwood.
Bursting through the Hawks defense, Bornstein powered to the rim throughout the game.
His biggest quarter was the second where he scored 12 points, including 10 straight for the Eagles.
It was a surge Blue Mountain desperately needed as it watched a 25-15 lead with six minutes left in the first half evaporate quickly.
Bethlehem Catholic unleashed a furious attack on the basket led by Jamal Aziz and Freddie Simmons Jr., the Hawks leading scorer with 18 points. The duo combined for 10 of the Hawks second-quarter points as they used their quickness to close the gap.
"This was probably the first team we played that was quicker than us," said Werdt, whose team thrives on a transition style game.
In the blink of an eye the Hawks were behind by just one point at halftime and the Eagles were feeling a dose of their own medicine.
It spilled over to the second half as Aziz scored five of his team's first eight points of the third to give the Hawks a 41-36 lead and force Werdt to burn an early second-half timeout.
"They are so athletic, you knew whatever the score was going to be that they were going to make a run," Werdt said. "They just have too quick of kids. It's a good basketball team that these kids just went out and beat."
When it wasn't Bornstein on the attack, it was Skyler Panchari dominating the paint.
It seemed as if Panchari scored every time he touched the basketball, also grabbing important rebounds to prevent the Hawks from having second-chance opportunities.
The Eagles' 6-foot-4 big man was unstoppable as his 25 points nearly mirrored the performance of Bornstein and accounted for more production from two players than Werdt can recall in a long time.
"When you have 30 points and 25 points from two guys, you have to go back quite a while to Billy Huntzinger and Pat Killian to see that kind of point total from two guys," Werdt said.
"It's never been that lopsided for us this season, and we probably only average 60 points per game."
A see-saw battle ensued throughout the rest of the second half, but tense moments struck the Eagles with 6:25 left in the fourth quarter.
Bornstein was knocked off his feet and sent hard to floor where he landed on his back. He laid there in pain for about a minute until he walked to the bench on his own power.
The Eagles stalwart returned to the game seconds later and picked up where he left off.
A bucket by Panchari followed by shot in the paint from Bornstein helped the Eagles pull back ahead by two possessions. A margin that only widened in the final stages of the game.
"I figured if any kid was going to get back up and continue to play, he is one of them," Werdt said. "The football mentality, tough kid ... he really expressed this about states the last week so I knew if he had any bit of will power he was going to use and get up and play. We are lucky that it wasn't a serious injury."
For Bornstein, it was all about finishing the job.
"I was fine it was my back," Bornstein explained. "It feels amazing because we worked so hard for this and it was one of our goals. All I was worried about all night was attacking the basket and playing defense."