MAHANOY CITY
Mahanoy Area is coming off a nearly flawless performance in its 62-42 rout of Pius X in the District 11 Class A title game last Friday. That followed the Golden Bears' 45-44 victory over Pottsville in the Schuylkill League championship game Feb. 14.
For the Bears, it's two titles down, one to go.
"We got the league and we got this one," senior Dylan Mahmod said. "We know that there is one more left."
That, of course, is a PIAA championship. The Golden Bears believe they have what it takes to get to the title game March 21 at the Giant Center.
And win it, too.
"(You have to have) confidence enough that you know you can make it there," Mahanoy Area senior forward Andy Kuzma said before practice Wednesday.
The Golden Bears' journey begins tonight when they host Galeton (20-5), the third-place finisher out of District
4, in the first round of the PIAA playoffs at 7:30 p.m. at Martz Hall.
Two other Schuylkill League teams look to continue their campaigns tonight in the PIAA Class AAA Tournament.
District 11 runner-up Pottsville (23-5) faces District 1 runner-up Lower Moreland (16-9) at 7 p.m. at Blue Mountain High School, while District 11 third-place finisher Blue Mountain (21-6) travels to Archbishop Carroll High School outside of Philadelphia to face District 12 runner-up Philadelphia Electric Charter (16-11) at 7:30 p.m.
Mahanoy Area is in the PIAA Tournament for the fourth consecutive year. After first-round losses to Mansfield (49-41) in 2011, and St. John Neumann (46-44) in 2012, the Golden Bears broke through last year, beating Muncy (58-44) in the first round at Martz Hall before losing to School at Church Farm (42-36) in the second round.
Seniors Tyler Cavenas and Kuzma have been playing varsity since they were freshman and have experienced the ups and downs of Mahanoy Area's previous state tournament appearances.
For those two, just getting to state tournament isn't enough. With a veteran lineup that also includes seniors Larry McNeil and Mahmod and junior Jason Richmond, the sense of urgency for an extended run is even greater.
"This is it, this is our time," Kuzma said.
Added Cavenas: "There are no more chances after this one, so it is definitely that this is the last one, it kind of hits you that it is one and done. That is what it all comes down to."
This year's team is just the third in school history to win both a league and district title in the same season. It also happened in 1991 and 1999.
The best run the Golden Bears had at states under coach Mickey Holland, who is in his 33rd season, came in Class A during the 1990-91 campaign. That squad, led by current Virginia Commonwealth assistant men's coach Mike Rhoades, set a school record for wins (29-3) and reached the Eastern final before losing 83-79 to Scotland School. Scotland went on to lose to Clairton 85-76 in the championship game.
Holland sees several similarities between that team and the current Golden Bears.
"I think toughness is one thing, definitely," he said. "Senior leadership, I think we have great senior leaders, they had great senior leaders. It was one of those things, in a lot of ways, they refuse to lose."
Both teams also suffered late-season defeats that made them better. In 1991, Mahanoy Area fell to Weatherly late in the year but came back to beat them in triple overtime in the district semifinals.
This season, the Golden Bears suffered their first loss to Pius X 39-35 on Feb. 24. Mahanoy Area then gave up a season-high in points during a 62-61 loss to North Schuylkill on Jan. 31.
Both teams were able to put the regular-season defeats behind them.
The flip side to that success came in 1999.
After beating Shamokin 80-62 in the league title game, avenging two earlier-season losses to the Indians, and routing Salisbury 64-38 in the Class AA title game, the Golden Bears drew Mount Carmel in the first round of states. Mahanoy Area beat the Red Tornadoes handily twice during the regular season but lost the third, and most important meeting, 58-55.
"The worse loss of my career, there was no question about it," Holland said. "I felt bad for those kids. It was just the fact that we were looking past them."
Tonight is a potential trap game against the Tigers, who are in the state playoffs for the first time since 2003. Galeton features a 1,100-career pointer scorer in senior guard Dakota Shadle (17.5 points per game), and a solid big man in 6-foot-4 center Bob Williams (11.6).
Defensively, the Tigers play an extended 2-3 zone, will use full-court pressure and prefer an up-tempo game.
"You just have to take it game-by-game pretty much," Kuzma said. "We got to win one to advance, you lose you are done. You have to go all out in the game you are in."
A win tonight could set up a potential rematch with District 1 champ Church Farm (23-4), which takes on Lebanon Catholic (17-8), the third-place team out of District 3, in a first-round game tonight.
This year's Golden Bears' team has already joined an elite group of past teams by winning Schuylkill League and District 11 titles in the same season. But this group wants more: To better the 1991 team.
"I definitely feel like we have something to prove," Cavenas said. "It is kind of like you are replaying in your mind that we won the district, we won the league, and now we have to prove it in states. We want to get to the Eastern final and then beat the previous team so we will be remembered."PIAA boys' pairings
PIAA Boys' Basketball Tournament
Tonight's local first-round games
CLASS A
At Martz Hall
Mahanoy Area (11-1) vs. Galeton (4-3), 7:30 p.m.
CLASS AAA
At Blue Mountain H.S.
Pottsville (11-2) vs. Lower Moreland (1-2), 7 p.m.
At Archbishop Carroll H.S.
Blue Mountain (11-3) vs. Philadelphia Electric (12-2), 7:30 p.m.