COAL TOWNSHIP - Had Line Mountain lost Friday night's District 4 Class A quarterfinal matchup with Millville at Shamokin Area, the Eagles wouldn't have had to search long and hard for reasons.
Seeded No. 2 in the eight-team field, Line Mountain (19-5) was a prohibitive favorite against the seventh-seeded Quakers (11-12). But a high seed and 50 cents gets you little more than a cup of coffee at the local diner. You still have to play the game on the court.
And even though their 64-49 victory appears comfortable, the Eagles know they'll need to play considerably better if they hope to achieve their goal of a district title and a run deep into the state playoffs.
They didn't shoot the ball particularly well, and the taller Quakers took it to them on the boards with a 35-28 rebounding advantage, including a 25-14 edge in the first half.
"We were making mistakes early on," Line Mountain coach Mike Reed said. "We let them out-physical us, and they really got after us."
But what the Eagles gave up on the boards and with an off shooting
night, they more than made up for with a nasty pressing defense that never relented and forced Millville into 35 turnovers.
"We were out of synch," Reed said, referring to a first half that ended with his team clinging to a 3-point lead. "We weren't where we needed to be on the floor.
"But I pushed a couple buttons at the half, and fortunately I know the right buttons to push to get them fired up. We didn't change much. We just played harder."
That harder play gets them a semifinal matchup with Muncy, a 40-33 victory over Sullivan County in another quarterfinal played Friday night. It also guarantees them a berth in the state tournament, with all four District 4 semifinalist getting in.
The relentless press, and some players stepping up to score at the right times, provided the Eagles with the cushion they eventually built.
Freshman Madison Lagerman came off the bench hit a big 3-pointer late in a first quarter that ended tied at 14. Then, over a 45-second span late in the second, she scored six straight points to put the Eagles up 26-20.
Early in the third quarter, Paige Swineford, who finished with 13 points, and Kasey Long, who ended with 16, hit back-to-back 3-pointers that fueled an 18-2 Line Mountain run that put the Eagles in control.
"In the second half, we had people in the right spots," Reed said. "Our goal was to force at least 20 turnovers. Our defense creates our offense.
"At the beginning, we had some nice open looks, but we didn't make shots.."
Game Summary
MILLVILLE (49) - Snyder 0 0-0 0, Allegar 6 0-2 12, Fuoss 0 0-0 0, Wood 9 0-2 18, Karns 2 0-0 4, Chappell 0 0-0 0, Bower 7 1-1 15. Totals 24 1-5 49.
LINE MOUNTAIN (64) - Long 6 3-4 16, Swineford 4 2-2 13, K. Lagerman 3 0-8 6, Whitcomb 3 2-2 8, Fessler 2 2-4 6, Bethge 2 0-0 4, M. Lagerman 4 0-0 9, London 1 0-0 2. Totals 25 9-20 64.
Millville (11-12) 14 12 8 15 - 49
Line Mtn. (18-5) 14 15 23 12 - 64
3-point FGs: Swineford 3, Long, M. Lagerman.