Olympians get another shot at Golden Hawks

Teams don’t always get a second chance.

But that’s exactly what the Jim Thorpe girls basketball squad has earned.

The Olympians lost in the district finals a year ago to Bethlehem Catholic, who eventually went on to win a state title.

On Saturday afternoon at the Easton Middle School complex, Thorpe gets another shot at winning its first-ever district crown. And once again, its opponent will be the Golden Hawks.

While the Olympians (23-3) were strangers to playing in the title game a year ago, things are different this time around.

“I have been saying this to everybody; ‘It’s a wonderful opportunity for us,’” Jim Thorpe head coach Rob Kovac said. “We’re going to represent our community, our student body and our school. How many times do you get a chance to play the defending state champion, who just so happens to be undefeated? But having said that, a year ago we got into that game, and maybe we didn’t know better. Maybe we didn’t understand exactly what we were facing — a team that was going to win a state title a few weeks later.

“We kind of were on a magic carpet ride last year with that undefeated season, and we were everybody’s darling. Now, it’s not the same group of kids this year. We’re much different. We come with scars now. We have experienced some tough losses. We’ve experienced some low points. And, I think that ultimately is going to make us better this weekend because we’ve faced adversity now.”

A year ago, the Olympians were enjoying an undefeated season heading into the D-11 finals. They didn’t lose in the regular season, captured a Schuylkill League title, and won their first two games in the district playoffs.

This year, however, Jim Thorpe has had some blemishes. There were losses to Northampton and North Schuylkill during the regular season, and then it fell short in its bid to repeat as league champs.

Those defeats, have made the team more focused — and perhaps even more prepared — to face a 26-0 Becahi squad. Still, it would be quite an accomplishment, and create quite a memory, if the Olympians could pull out a victory.

“We’ve been talking to our kids even before the Tamaqua game about opportunity,” said Kovac, who lost last year’s final by a 47-38 score. “We told them opportunity doesn’t always come knocking on your door. We understand Saturday what a wonderful opportunity we have. And because Becahi is so good, we understand that if you do the right things, and you do hang around ...

“It would be something epic, and it would be something our kids, and our community, they could look back on this 20-, 30-, or 40-some years from now, and say, ‘I remember being there.’ Becahi’s that good. They may be one of the best teams in the state in any class. They’re just supremely talented, and deep, and big.”

The Hawks boast a formidable lineup, with senior Medina Taliyah leading the way averaging 14.88 points per game. Kourtney Wilson scores 10.35 per contest, with Abigail Brown (7.54) and Lanier (6.92) also contributing.

“We have the absolute utmost respect for Becahi,” Kovac said. “But I don’t think anybody on our team is afraid of Becahi or fears them. We’re not intimated or anything like that. They’re a wonderful basketball team. They’re state champs ... We know how wonderfully talented they are. But we’re not going down there to just roll over. We’re going to take a swing.”

Jim Thorpe will counter with its talented trio of Skyler Searfoss, Leila Hurley and Olivia Smelas. All three are averaging in double figures, and account for more than 70 percent of the team’s scoring.

Speaking of numbers, the two clubs have similar stats when it comes to offense and defense. The Olympians put up 60.69 points per game, while Becahi averages 59.12. Defensively, the Golden Hawks allow just 37.54 per contest, while Thorpe gives up 35.85.

“Our goal is to be there in the fourth quarter,” Kovac said. “And, if we have a chance to be there in the fourth quarter, someone’s going to win the game. So, we’re going to take it one possession at a time. A couple of minutes at a time. A quarter at a time.”

Win or lose, the Olympians have already clinched a state playoff berth. But the focus now is tomorrow afternoon.

“We’re going to have to play even better on Saturday (than we did Wednesday in the semifinals against Tamaqua) if we’re going to have an opportunity to be competitive,” said Kovac. “Becahi is just extremely talented. Multiple kids on that floor can just hurt you from anywhere. They have depth and size.

“From a coaching standpoint, they’re a nightmare trying to put together a game plan for. But we relish the opportunity. If you’re going to win a championship, you should play the best that there is. And, we have that opportunity.”