Lehighton rallies to beat Thorpe

Finishing strong has been key this season for the Lehighton girls basketball team.

The Indians have won six straight to start the season, and a big contributor to their undefeated streak has been their ability to make game-changing plays late in games.

That trend continued against Schuylkill League Division 1 rival Jim Thorpe on Thursday night.

The Tribe amped up their full-court pressure late in fourth quarter, to help them rally for a 54-48 victory.

For the first 28 minutes, it was the Olympians who were mostly in control.

Thorpe was able to get going offensively in the second quarter. After leading by just one at the end of the opening period, the Olympians got a boost from Kayley Kovac, who scored 11 of her game-high 26 points in the second. The Thorpe surge extended its lead to 10 with about a minute remaining in the period.

The Olympians (4-2, 1-1) defense was the difference in the first half, as the Indians could never get into any rhythm. Lehighton leading scorers, Aubrey Blasiak and Skylynn Faust, were held to a combined three field goals in the first 16 minutes.

“Defensively, I think we played well enough to walk out of here with a win,” said Jim Thorpe head coach Rob Kovac. “Jackie Condly did a great job on Skylynn (Faust), and as a team defensively, we played physical and strong,

“We just needed to do a better job of finishing tonight. All the fouls and turnovers in the fourth quarter hurt us. But, I’m proud of our effort. I think people, after some of Lehighton’s impressive wins, wondered if we could come in here and compete, and I believe we answered that question.”

The Tribe (6-0, 2-0) made a run at the end of the second quarter to close within four at the half. But, the Olympians kept them at bay in third, leading by five heading into the final quarter.

Halfway through the fourth, it actually looked like the Olympians were about to pull away as they led by eight. The Thorpe lead forced Tribe coach Joe Berezwick to dial up the defensive pressure, and it turned out to be a game-changing move.

Back-to-back turnovers led to Faust buckets, cutting the lead to five. A Blasiak triple inched the Indians within two. Just seconds later, another JT miscue and two Faust free throws tied the game.

With 1:59 remaining, two more free throws from Blasiak would give the Indians the lead, and they never looked back.

The Olympians turned the ball over eight times in the fourth, which led to a Lehighton 14-1 run.

“I honestly didn’t know if we were a full-court pressure kind of team, and the girls answered that question tonight. So proud of their effort at the end. They just kept battling,” said Berezwick. “In a game like this, there are so many emotions you have to control, and the girls stayed poised and made huge plays down the stretch to get a good win against a good basketball team in Jim Thorpe.”

FAUST FOUL LINE ... After last night, the Lehighton administration might name the foul line on the Indian basketball court the “Skylynn Faust Foul Line.” That’s because the senior scored 15 of her team high 25 points from the charity stripe, going 11-of-19 in the fourth quarter alone.

BLAZIN’ BLASIAK ... Aubrey Blasiak saved her best for the second half, scoring 13 of her 18 points over the final two periods. Blasiak was also 8-for-8 from the foul line in the second half.

JIM THORPE

Richards 4-0-1-8, P. Kovac 0-3-4-3, Condly 1-0-2-2, Scott 0-0-0-0, Montemuro 1-0-0-2, K. Kovac 8-10-12 -26, Lignore 3-1-3-7, Gabel 0-0-0-0. Totals 17-14-21-48.

LEHIGHTON

Frey 1-1-2-3, Long 0-0-0-0, Hibbler 2-0-2-4, Blasiak 3-11-15 -18, Miller 2-0-0-4, Faust 5-15-25-25, Buchinsky 0-0-0-0. Totals 13-27-44-54.

Jim Thorpe 10 15 9 14 - 48

Lehighton 9 12 8 25 - 54

Three-pointers: L: Blasiak 1.