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FOUNTAIN SPRINGS — North Schuylkill’s fast offense made the difference in the second half against Schuylkill Haven in a tightly contested Schuylkill League girls’ basketball showdown on Tuesday.
The Spartans (7-3; 6-0) picked up the pace offensively in the second half and outscored the Hurricanes (9-3; 5-0) by 12 points after leading by just six at halftime for a 58-41 home win.
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“We weren’t worried when we were down at the end of the first quarter and these kids could run for 32 more minutes if they had to,” said North Schuylkill head coach Richard Wetzel.
A pair of layups from North Schuylkill’s Mya Conti and Monica Selgrade sealed the deal for the 56-31 lead with just over a minute left in the game after a hot shooting second half.
“Offensively we just try to push the ball and keep pressing teams and make them tired,” said Selgrade. “When we press that works best.”
Conti led North Schuylkill’s offense with 23 points and Gianna Capone bucketed 14 points. Schuylkill Haven’s offense was led by McKenna Runkle’s 13 points and Audrey Hutchinson’s 12 points,
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Selgrade had five steals for North Schuylkill’s defense as well as six rebounds. Jadelin Stitzer and Capone each had seven rebounds for the Spartans. Runkle had 13 rebounds for Schuylkill Haven.
Schuylkill Haven was led early by McKenna Runkle’s defensive play. Runkle had a steal and passed it off to Hutchinson for an early layup.
Capone hit a three to bring North Schuylkill’s deficit within 8-6 with three minutes left in the first.
“When we speed them up, they take quick shots and the ball ends up around the rim and we’re getting the ball back,” said Wetzel. “If we speed them up, they take bad shots and we run the floor.”
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Braelynn Strenkoski, and Runkle each added layups for Schuylkill Haven’s 11-6 lead at the end of the first quarter.
The Spartans went on a 20-10 scoring run in the second quarter and were led by Conti’s eight points.
Selgrade forced a pair of turnovers and dumped the second one off to Addisyn Balicki who hit a three for the 19-16 lead.
“Coach just reminded us that we wanted it to win the game and to keep pressing them and making them work,” said Selgrade.
Ella Digris also knocked down a three for the Spartans 26-21 halftime lead.
“We knew personnel wise one of our kids was going to be open and it was just a matter of that kid having enough confidence to take the shot,” said Wetzel. “That’s perseverance and you have to play for 32 minutes.”
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Another Selgrade steal and full court layup put North Schuylkill ahead 37-27 with three minutes left in the third quarter. Digris then hit another three for the 40-31 lead.
“She’s (Selgrade) a fantastic athlete and these kids work hard,” said Wetzel. “It’s never a matter of effort and it comes down to execution and focus.”
Conti banked in a pair of layups and scored five points in the third quarter to give North Schuylkill a 43-31 lead heading to the fourth.
Capone hit a three not long into the fourth quarter for the Spartans 48-35 lead. Conti and Selgrade each rolled in layups for the Spartans 58-41 win.
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North Schuylkill travels to Tamaqua Friday at 7 p.m. and Schuylkill Haven hosts Pine Grove Friday at 7 p.m.
SCHUYLKILL HAVEN (41) — Hutchinson 7 0-1 14, Runkle 4 4-4 13, Siket 3 0-0 7, Terefencko 0 3-8 3, Strenkoski 1 0-0 2, Bayer 0 0-0 0, Wade 1 0-0 2. Totals 16 7-12-41.
NORTH SCHUYLKILL (58) — Selgrade 2 2-5 6, Conti 9 5-7 23, Capone 3 6-8 14, Balicki 3 2-3 9, Ja. Stitzer 0 0-0 0, Digris 2 0-0 6. Totals 19 15-23 58.
Sch. Haven (8-4, 5-1) 11 10 10 10 — 41
No. Sch. (7-3, 6-0) 6 20 17 15 — 58
3-FG: Siket, runkle 2, Capone 2, Digris 2, Balicki.
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