Fast start propels Marian past Williams Valley

POTTSVILLE — This isn’t uncharted waters for Marian’s girls’ basketball team.

Its tradition is rich and the rewards have been plentiful especially under the direction of long-time coach Paul Brutto.

Saturday afternoon at Martz Hall, this 2020 Fillies edition captured yet another first-round win in the District 11 Class 2A tournament swamping Williams Valley, 40-27.

A quick start and a strong finish propelled the Fillies, who needed overtime to edge the Vikings during the regular season.

Marian used three triples to bolt to a 9-0 lead, two from the hand of Ashley Pleban at the top of the key and a corner shot by Emily Shaud. By quarter’s end, the Fillies lead was 13-2 as Jacalyn Possessky got into the three-coral with one of her own.

The Fillies kept rolling in the second period. After Emily Kramer sank a deuce for Williams Valley, Marian would go on a 7-0 run starting with two foul conversions from Julia Kreisl. Shaud equaled that with two of her own before Macey Alansky flicked home Marian’s fifth trey of the game.

Williams Valley closed the half with a mini run but Marian still had a double digit lead (23-12) at the break.

“Our tempo looked sluggish at time, and they cut it a little bit,” said Brutto about a third period that had been an albatross of sorts for the Fillies this season. Marian’s third-quarter downfall seemed eminent once more as it watched Williams Valley make a charge, twice cutting the deficit to five points.

Marian mustered just four points in the third quarter while the Vikings’ rangy Madeline Bordner asserted her inside play with five quick points, and when Elyssa Yeagley sent a late triple through the nets, Marian’s lead was just 27-22 heading into the final quarter.

“We don’t have much size and we’ve struggled against zones. I think we were a little impatient and could have got the same shot with five or seven passes,” said Brutto about some hurried shooting in the third quarter.

Shaud seemed to right the ship with a basket to open the fourth, but Yeagley connected for a deuce to keep her team within striking distance.

That’s when Marian once again took charge.

Kreisl recycled a miss and Abby Digris sank a bucket, before Shaud took control of the game. The Fillie senior put on a dribbling clinic to draw Williams Valley fouls, and converted her team’s next six points — all from the charity stripe — to put this game on ice with a 37-27 lead with 1:11 to play.

“She can run a lot of time off,” said Brutto when asked about Shaud’s ball skills. “We’ve had a lot of good players, but she’s one of the few that can do it on her own.”

The victory sends Marian into the semifinals where it will meet familiar foe and longtime rival Mahanoy Area Wednesday at 6 p.m. in the opener of a doubleheader at Martz Hall.

“I’m glad for our seniors,” said Brutto. “They earned a chance to play another game.

KEYS TO THE WIN … Brutto wanted his team to create turnovers early and often and they did. The Vikings coughed it up eight times at the start and had a whopping 16 by halftime. The Fillies aggressive defense was a huge facto as Pleban, Digris, Alansky and Shaud combined for a number of steals.

BY THE NUMBERS … Williams Valley had a 30-20 rebounding advantage. Marian nailed five triples and went 12-for-15 from the charity stripe. The Vikings had just one trey.

SHAUD SHOW … Shaud led the way with 18 points the games only player in twin digits.

MARIAN

Shaud 4-8-8-18, Pleban 2-0-0-6, Kreisl 1-3-4-5, A. Digris 2-0-0-4, Possessky 1-1-1-4, Alansky 1-0-2-3, Reinoehl 0-0-0-0, Nemeth 0-0-0-0. TOTALS: 11-12-15-40.

WILLIAMS VALLEY

Kramer 4-1-1-9, Bordner 3-1-2-7, Yeagley 2-0-0-5, Savage 1-0-0-3, Rebuck 1-1-2-3, Graff 0-0-0-0, Sincyr 0-0-0-0. TOTALS: 11-4-6-27.

Marian 13 10 4 13 - 40

Williams Valley 2 10 10 5 - 27

Three-pointers: Marian - Shaud 2, Pleban 2, Possessky 1, Alansky 1; Williams Valley - Yeagley 1.