Raiders creating ‘Madness’

SHILLINGTON – Tamaqua doesn’t need to wait for any bracketology projections or Selection Sunday to find out what’s next.

The Blue Raiders are in the middle of their own March Madness.

Tamaqua punched its ticket to the PIAA Class 4A quarterfinals with a 72-58 win over Susquehanna Township on Tuesday night.

And they’re ready to bust a few more brackets.

“We’re got a big one Friday, and I hope we come out and get it,” said Tamaqua head coach Jim Barron about the matchup with Pope John Paul II. “It’s big time. We’re in the Elite 8 right now, and we’re hoping to get to the Final Four.”

The Blue Raiders (21-8) had the look of a championship-caliber squad in stifling the Indians, the fourth-place team out of District 3.

Tamaqua kept Susquehanna (15-10) out of sync and out of rhythm as the Indians shot just 8-for-24 from the floor in the first half. Three of those field goals came within the first two minutes of the first quarter as Susquehanna took a 7-0 lead.

“They were getting up-and-down, and I didn’t know if we had enough gas to go through the fourth quarter,” said Barron. “But I thought we were phenomenal defensively throughout the whole game.

“We did a good job taking care of the ball for the most part, and we didn’t give them what they wanted — easy buckets.”

The Blue Raiders responded with a 14-0 run to take command, keeping the Indians scoreless for nearly five minutes in the first quarter.

Even when Susquehanna started to find its stroke, Tamaqua always seemed to have an answer.

“We’ve got six guys who are seniors who are playing, and they don’t want it to stop,” said Barron. “This is a great run. They play with high energy, and they give us 100 percent every night. They really stepped up.”

The Indians looked to have momentum heading into the locker room as Keein Ward hit a three to bring what was an 11-point deficit to 29-22 late in the second quarter.

But senior Nicko Bolletino gave it right back to Tamaqua with a deep trey to push the advantage to 32-22 at halftime.

The Raiders kept their foot on the gas in the third, as Nathan Gregoire buried a three and Lucas Gregoire delivered a block on the other end to open the period.

Susquehanna didn’t register a field goal until Makhi Jones hit a three midway through the third quarter.

But, Nate Boyle came back with a three on Tamaqua’s next possession.

“They hit a big three, and then Nate Boyle hits a big three. They hit a big three, and then Brayden Knoblauch hits a big three,” said Barron. “That was huge for us tonight, absolutely huge.

“We didn’t panic, we didn’t let them make the run that they needed to do to get back into the game, and that goes with how good we played defense. They made some tough shots; they made some tough threes. But we contested for the most part, and we did a good job keeping them off the glass.”

Knoblauch scored 14 of his game-high 24 points in the second half for the Raiders, while Lucas Gregoire added 20.

“Even the guys on the bench, they all get into the game, so that gives us a lot of energy on the court,” said Knoblauch. “Just that energy really helps a lot during the game.”

The Indians were 11-of-26 from the floor in the second half, and could never put together a sustained rally. Michael Marable and Makhi Jones scored 11 points apiece for Susquehanna.

“Defensively, we just wanted to keep the ball in front of us, and not let them drive to the basket and close out on shooters whenever they had an open shot,” said Gregoire. “And after every shot, we had to rebound. That was a major part of the game, get every defensive rebound possible, and we accomplished that.”

NEXT UP ... The Blue Raiders will play District 1 champ Pope John Paul II on Friday at a site and time to be announced. PJP II edged Allentown Central Catholic 44-42 Tuesday night.

SHOT CHART … While the Indians struggled to find their stroke from the floor, Tamaqua put together a more efficient shooting night. The Raiders were 10-for-13 in the second half, and went 10-of-21 over the first two quarters.

CLUTCH … The Raiders were just as strong from the free throw line. Tamaqua went 13-for-14 in the fourth quarter, and finished the game 25-of-30.

FAMILIAR FOE … Many of these Tamaqua players were also on the football team, which defeated Pope John Paul II 47-21 in the first round of the Class 3A tournament before ultimately reaching the semifinals. “And this is a great run here,” said Barron. “It’s a great class. This senior class is unheard of. They’ve done stuff that Tamaqua hasn’t done in years. It’s great to see.”

SUSQUEHANNA TWP.

Marable 4-2-3-11, J. Jones 2-2-4-6, Lester 3-1-2-8, Coleman 1-1-2-3, M. Jones 4-2-2-11, Seigle 0-0-0-0, Stewart 0-0-0-0, Parson 2-0-0-4, Ward 0-0-0-0, Martin 2-3-5-9, Prince 2-0-0-6. TOTALS: 20-11-18-58.

TAMAQUA

Knoblauch 4-13-14-24, Bolletino 2-0-0-5, Boyle 2-1-2-6, N Gregoire 2-3-4-8, L Gregoire 8-3-4-20, Stauffenberg 2-5-6-9, Lavine 0-0-0-0. TOTALS: 20-25-30-72.

Susquehanna 11 11 17 19 - 58

Tamaqua 16 16 23 17 - 72

Three-pointers: Susquehanna - Martin 2, Prince 2, Marable 1, Lester 1, M. Jones 1. Tamaqua - Knoblauch 3, Bolletino 1, Boyle 1, N. Gregoire 1, L. Gregoire 1.