DANVILLE - Shamokin Area had a good game plan against Shikellamy in the District 4 Class AAA basketball playoffs. Had the Indians executed that game plan a little better, they might still be playing.
But Shikellamy dominated the boards, Shamokin had four or five bad offensive possessions, and the third-seeded Braves (17-6) finally pulled away from the Indians (12-11) in the fourth quarter for a 50-36 win Thursday at Danville High School.
Guard Tyler Pratt and the inside combination of Omar Berry and Taylor Mantz were thorns in the Indians' side all game. Pratt led all scorers with 19 points, and took just five shots from the floor in doing that. He made all five, and added 9 of 11 foul shots and three steals. Berry only scored five points but had 12 rebounds, about half of which were on the offensive end, and Mantz added 11 points and six rebounds.
Shamokin didn't get its first rebound of the game until 5:51 was left in the second quarter.
Still, Shamokin trailed just 31-30 after scoring on its first two possessions of the fourth quarter, but things went downhill after that. Shikellamy went on an 8-0 run, during which time the Indians turned the ball over several times and missed some easy shots.
Shamokin turned the ball over 15 times, and it seemed like most of them came in crucial situations, when a basket here or there would have kept them in the game.
"We needed a little bit more balance in the offense, and we needed to rebound better," said Shamokin head coach Joe Klebon. "We didn't get enough guys into the scoring mix."
One reason the Indians didn't get more people into the mix offensively was because the Braves did a good job of denying the 3-point shot. Craft hit 2-of-3, and the rest of the Indians were 0-for-8. With that weapon reduced, Shamokin just didn't have enough inside presence against the taller, stronger Braves.
Shikellamy made 11-of-16 foul shots in the fourth quarter.
"We had to start fouling and the game kind of got away from us," Klebon said. "It was a tough loss, particularly for the seniors, because we played hard."
Seniors Jake Phillips, Dave Reed and Jon Miller played in their final games for the Indians.
Shikellamy will play second seed Danville in the semifinals.
SHAMOKIN (36) - Shurock 0 0-0 0, Kelley 2 0-0 4, Craft 4 3-3 13, Madara 1 0-0 2, Reed 4 0-2 8, Miller 0 0-0 0, Newborn 1 0-0 2, Phillips 3 1-6 7, Carsto 0 0-0 0. Totals 15 4-11 36.
SHIKELLAMY (50) - Pope 2 1-4 5, Yeomans 1 3-6 5, Pratt 5 9-11 19, Berry 2 1-2 5, Mantz 4 3-3 11, E. Tyler 1 2-3 5, Lytle 0 0-0 0, Eyster 0 0-0 0, Fellin 0 0-0 0. Totals 15 19-29 50.
Shamokin (12-11) 4 14 8 10 - 36
Shikellamy (17-6) 8 10 13 19 - 50
3-point FGs: Shamokin (2) - Craft 2; Shikellamy (1) - E. Tyler.