Dec 28, 2024
Saoj Jones of Loyalsock puts up a shot over Noah Walter of Selinsgrove at Loyalsock High School. Loyalsock won 46-45. DAVE KENNEDY/Sun-Gazette
When the pressure grew, Isiah Jennings wanted the ball more. When others might have run away from the basketball fire, Jennings ran into it.
And he came out unharmed. Loyalsock came out as champions.
Jennings capped a marvelous all-around performance Saturday at Ron Insinger Gymnasium by hitting the go-ahead free throws with 17.2 seconds remaining before adding the game-clinchers 14 seconds later, helping Loyalsock edge Selinsgrove, 46-45 and capture the inaugural Pedie McDonald Christmas Classic championship. Jennings earned MVP honors, producing a game-high 20 points, eight assists and six rebounds while helping the Lancers (4-5) rally from a seven-point fourth quarter deficit.
“When it comes to the end of the game I trust myself with the ball in my hands and when it comes to getting fouled at the end of the game and shooting free throws I want myself shooting free throws,” Jennings said. “It’s just me and the hoop at that point.”
Montoursville put the ball through the hoop a lot in the night’s first game, defeating Bellefonte, 65-49 and taking third place. All five starters scored at least nine points and Elijah Eck (17 points), Shea Ulmer (16), Brennan Imbro (11) and Jimmy Mussina (10) all reached double figures. Like Loyalsock, Montoursville also fought back, turning a four-point third quarter deficit into a 10-point lead later that quarter while improving to 6-2.
Brayden Cioffi of Loyalsock pulls in a rebound as he’s defended by Jace Diehl (22) of Selinsgrove at Loyalsock High School. Loyalsock won 46-45. DAVE KENNEDY/Sun-Gazette
It was a strong bounce-back performance after the Warriors (6-2) suffered a heartbreaking 71-70 defeat the previous night against Selinsgrove.
“It felt good, especially after losing (Friday) We came back and didn’t quit,” Imbro said. “We just knew we had to sharpen up our defense and that’s what we did and it worked out.”
Loyalsock used similar swarming defense to stay alive against Selinsgrove when its offense struggled for more than three quarters. Jennings and fellow all-tournament selection Jalil Coates then scored 10 straight points before Jennings fed Saoj Jones for a layup which capped a 12-0 run and put Loyalsock ahead, 40-35 with 3 minutes, 36 seconds remaining.
Then it was Selinsgrove’s turn to rally and Gavin Bastian tied it at 42-42, setting the stage for Jennings who was fouled with 17.2 seconds left and confidently walked to the line. A player who hit a dagger 3-pointer late in last year’s second round state tournament win was in his element, swishing the first shot and barely touching the rim on the second.
Jones rebounded Selinsgrove’s miss on the ensuing possession and Jennings iced the game by hitting two more foul shots with 3.7 seconds remaining. That made it a two-possession contest, rendering all-tournament selection Xaivier Jackson’s buzzer-beating 3-pointer moot.
Isiah Jennings of Loyalsock passes around the back of Chase Carter (12) of Selinsgrove at Loyalsock High School. Loyalsock won 46-45. DAVE KENNEDY/Sun-Gazette
“Isiah deserved the MVP because he really took the bull by the horns going down the stretch. That was huge for us,” Insinger said. “The boys look up to him.”
Jennings is the lone varsity contributor back from last year’s District 4 Class AAA champion and has embraced that leadership role while consistently filling up the stat sheet. His 11 points and five assists through three quarters helped keep Loyalsock within striking distance and Jennings then had a hand in 15 of his team’s 18 fourth quarter points. Coates came alive in the fourth quarter, scoring seven of his 13 points and Jones, Cadyn Plank and Brecken Gusick came up big defensively, holding Selinsgrove to 26 fewer points than it produced in its semifinal win. That included containing Jackson and limiting him to 17 points a night after he erupted for a career-high 39.
Jones is an emerging weapon in the paint and finished with nine points, six rebounds and two assists. Plank grabbed eight boards and Gusick five. It was a second straight gutsy performance from a young team which defeated Bellefonte, 65-57 in overtime in the semifinals.
Any win is a good win. How Loyalsock won, however, could be even more important to its development as it enters league play next week.
“The good thing is the kids didn’t quit in either game this weekend. There were opportunities they could have collapsed and they didn’t let that happen,” Insinger said. “They turned it around. That’s what we’re going to hang our hat on, the fact that they didn’t quit and they ran through the wall for us when we needed them to.”
Isiah Jennings of Loyalsock puts a shot over Mac Defazio of Selinsgrove at Loyalsock High School. Loyalsock won 46-45. DAVE KENNEDY/Sun-Gazette
Montoursville played with similar determination in the night’s opener. The Warriors led by nine late in the second quarter before trailing by four in the third but dominated the game’s final 12 minutes, outscoring Bellefonte, 30-10.
The offense has been there throughout this season’s strong start but what really changed the complexion against Bellefonte was Montoursville’s defense. The Warriors rarely gave up open 3-point attempts down the stretch, helped and communicated better and closed the contest on a 13-0 run while not allowing a point over the final six minutes.
And as the defense tightened up, Imbro opened up offensively. The junior forward caught fire in the third quarter, scoring nine quick points and assisting on a Kingston Fisher 3-pointer to have a hand in 12 points during a 14-point surge which put Montoursville ahead to stay.
“It felt really good. I knew I had it in me but it felt good to finally bring it out,” Imbro said. “I knew the team had it in them but when they saw me making shots they probably got excited and they started making shots, too.”
They sure did.
Brecken Gusick of Loyalsock puts up a shot over Jace Diehl of Selinsgrove at Loyalsock High School. Loyalsock won 46-45. DAVE KENNEDY/Sun-Gazette
Montoursville drained five 3-pointers during the 30-10 second half surge and everyone was involved. The Warriors unselfishly and efficiently moved the ball, creating quality shot opportunities as they blitzed Bellefonte inside and outside.
After Imbro lit the spark, Ulmer really fanned the flames, scoring eight straight points in the third quarter on his way to all-tournament honors, as well as seven rebounds and three assists. Fisher (9 points, 11 rebounds) was equally effective inside and Eck continued his strong freshman season adding five rebounds to his 17 points. Point guard Jimmy Mussina made a run at a triple-double, settling for a double-double which featured 11 rebounds and eight assists.
“We have some good guards who can score any time and bigs who can do whatever we need them to do and get rebounds and just help us all-around,” Eck said. “We move the ball around well and feel like we set each other up well.”
As hot as Ulmer was in the third quarter, Eck was in the first, scoring 10 points and helping Montoursville build an 18-9 advantage. Carson Menne and Shaw Simpson played well off the bench and once the defense caught up to the offense, Montoursville was on its way to its sixth victory in seven games a year after graduating five starters.
“I don’t think people expected us to start out this hot,” Eck said “We just have to work and keep getting better and show people that we’re really good.”
Jalil Coates of Loyalsock fights for a rebound with Noah Walter (10) and Gavin Bastian (23) of Selinsgrove at Loyalsock High School. Loyalsock won 46-45. DAVE KENNEDY/Sun-Gazette
Loyalsock 46, Selinsgrove 45
(CHAMPIONSHIP GAME)
SELINSGROVE (45)
Xaivier Jackson 7 2-2 17, Gavin Bastian 6 1-2 13, Noah Walter 3 0-0 7, Jace Diehl 1 1-2 3, Griffin Parker 1 0-0 3, Chase Carter 1 0-0 2. Totals 19 4-6 45.
LOYALSOCK (46)
Isiah Jennings 6 4-6 20, Jalil Coates 5 2-2 13, Brecken Gusick 2 0-0 4, Cadyn Plank 0 0-0 0, Saoj Jones 4 1-1 9, Isaac Blackwell 0 0-0 0, Ryan Lingg 0 0-0 0. Totals 17 7-9 46.
Selinsgrove 7 11 14 13–45
Loyalsock 10 6 12 18–46
3-pointers: Selinsgrove 3 (Jackson, Walter, Parker); Loyalsock 5 (Jennings 4, Coates).
Records: Loyalsock 4-5.
Montoursville 65, Bellefonte 49
(CONSOLATION GAME)
MONTOURSVILLE (65)
Kingston Fisher 4 0-4 9, Shea Ulmer 6 1-2 16, Jimmy Mussina 2 5-6 10, Elijah Eck 7 0-0 17, Brennan Imbro 5 0-0 11, Shaw Simpson 0 0-0 0, Carson Menne 1 0-0 2. Totals 25 6-12 65.
BELLEFONTE (49)
Liam Halterman 4 0-0 8, Ryder Hamilton 1 9-10 12, Quinn Eckley 6 0-0 17, John Servant 3 0-0 7, Carter Shively 2 0-0 5. Totals 16 9-10 49.
Montoursville 21 10 23 11–65
Bellefonte 15 15 16 3–49
3-pointers: Montoursville 9 (Ulmer 3, Eck 3, Fisher, Mussina, Imbro); Bellefonte 8 (Eckley 5, Hamilton, Servant, Shively).
Records: Montoursville 6-2.
Saoj Jones of Loyalsock puts up a shot as Griffin Parker of Selinsgrove tries to block it at Loyalsock High School. Loyalsock won 46-45. DAVE KENNEDY/Sun-Gazette
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