Big first half propels Spartans over Tams

There wasn't a whole lot that was positive about Tamaqua's first half against North Schuylkill last night.

The Spartans outscored Tamaqua by more than a 2:1 margin. They dominated the boards.

The end result was a relatively easy 64-48 victory in the Schuylkill League opener for both teams.

On paper, Tamaqua should have fared better.

Both teams had 2-2 records coming into the game. Against their one like opponent - Shenandoah - Tamaqua had lost by five while the Spartans fell by 20 points just three short days ago. The two losses by Tamaqua were by only five points each.

In addition, North Schuylkill has just one starting senior (only three on the varsity roster) while the Raiders started four.

But the paper comparison meant nothing.

Instead, North Schuylkill rode into the gym and reflected an aura of dominance as they built up a convincing 32-14 halftime lead.

Tamaqua got things together after intermission, but not enough to stage a viable comeback. The damage was already done. The closest Tamaqua got was within 14 points with only 2:40 left in the game.

Statistics tell why Tamaqua lost.

The only Raider in doubles was 6-2 senior Michael Steisel with 20 points. Of his nine field goals, six came in the last eight minutes.

The top rebounder for Tamaqua was also Steisel, pulling in just five the whole game.

"That was our best half of basketball this season," beamed Spartan's eight-year coach Curt Ziegmont regarding the first half.

He gave the Raiders credit for their spunkiness, stating, "Tamaqua never quit. We took a nice lead in the first half but Tamaqua held its own and made a run in the second half."

Coach Jay Daubert, in his third year at Tamaqua, remarked, "We have to come out and execute better. We're allowing ourselves to turn the ball over and push ourselves out of position."

He praised Streisel for his scoring, but added that the team as a whole "came out and competed in the second half."

In the dismal first quarter, Tamaqua was not only outscored 16-7, but outrebounded 13-5. The Raiders made only three of 13 field goal tries in that opening quarter compared to the Spartans' 4-for-10 floor shooting.

Tamaqua actually did lead once in the game. A right jumper by Streisel gave the Blue-and-White a 2-0 lead at the start.

North Schuylkill made it a sweep, winning the jayvee game 39-35. Billy Stokes led the scorers, giving the Spartans 14 points. The top scorer for Tamaqua was Derek Rotet with 11.

North Schuylkill

Hughes 0-0-2-0, Rakowsky 2-3-4-7, Motsney 0-0-0-0, Meyer 1-4-6-6, Chenewski 3-2-4-10, Cicioni 1-0-0-3, Skinner 7-5-10-20, McCloskey 6-1-4-13, Walsh 2-1-2-5. Totals: 22-16-30-64.

Tamaqua

Krell 0-0-0-0, Bachert 0-0-0-0, Fegley 3-1-2-7, Steisel 9-3-5-21, Bennett 1-0-0-3, Lakitsky 1-2-2-4, Rudy 1-0-0-2, Kurek 1-1-2-3, Ansbach 2-0-0-4, Reinhardt 2-0-0-4. Totals: 20-7-11-46.

N. Schuylkill 16 16 16 6 - 64

Tamaqua 7 7 16 18 - 48

Three-pointers: NS - Chenewski 2, Cicioni 1, Skinner 1. Tamaqua - Bennett 1.