Marian too much for Minersville in battle of last year’s state playoff teams – Pottsville Republican Herald

TAMAQUA – In a battle of two Schuylkill County teams that made it to the PIAA 2A state playoffs a season ago, the Marian Catholic Fillies made it clear who was the stronger team with a 70-32 victory Tuesday at their home stadium , which returned this season.

“I thought our energy level was extremely high tonight and it was the best I’ve seen in a long time,” said Marian head coach Damian Fritz. “This team is really focused on fighting defensively, which can easily spill over into offense.”

Minersville reached the semifinals of the state playoffs last year, losing to Marion Center, the same team Marian lost to in the quarterfinals.

That energy was evident early on as the Fillies held the Minersville offense to just 11 points in the first half and spread the ball to six scorers in the half.

“It’s good because we know the talent and competition we’re going to face in the playoffs and this is a good team,” junior Addie Fritz said. “They were very close to us last year and that just shows how both of our teams have progressed since the playoffs last year.”

Addie Fritz and Addy Marek finished the game with 20 points each, leading the Fillies’ offensive attack. The Fillies benefited most from the Minersville offense’s turnovers in the first half, especially at the end of the second quarter, which led to easy layups. Olivia Serfass led the Fillies in steals.

“This team has something special defensively this year, they are really motivated,” said Fritz. “We got it there and changed our defense a lot in the first half to figure out which defense was the best.”

Marek started the game on a high note, scoring ten points in the first quarter, including four two-point baskets. Jenna Cullen was the only Miner to score in the opening quarter after making four free throws and a two-pointer. Marian took an early lead and took a 20-6 lead at the end of the first quarter.

Next it was Fritz’s turn to go to net for Marian, who scored eight points in the second quarter, most of them on turnovers. Olivia Serfass was also able to contribute to the scoring early on with eight points before halftime.

“Energy played a big role in it,” Addie Fritz said. “Olivia (Serfass) and Addy (Marek) came straight into our team as new players, they fit in perfectly and made us what we are.”

The Fillies continued their attack in the third quarter as Fritz scored 10 points and Marek scored seven.

“In our first home game, I thought we shot the ball really well and the energy was outstanding tonight,” Fritz said.

Serfass finished the game with 13 points and Deanna Pugh contributed nine points. Serfass and Marek led the Fillies with four rebounds each. Cullen led Minersville offensively with 11 points, while Rilynn Brennan contributed four points.

Marian travels to Lake Lehman on Thursday for a 7:30 p.m. tipoff, and Minersville hits the road to face Pine Grove on Friday at 7 p.m

Minersville (32) — Troutman 1 0-0 3, Rizzardi 1 0-0 2, Brennan 2 0-0 4, Horoschak 0 0-0 0, Cullen 3 6-6 12, Castle 1 0-0 3, Boom 1 0-0 3, Cruz 0 0-0 0, Miklesavage 1 0-0 3, McGrath 0 0-0 0, Isley 1 0-0 2

Marian (70) — Serfass 6 0-0 13, Carone 1 0-0 2, Fritz 9 1-1 20, S. Serfass 1 2-2 4, Pugh 3 2-2 9, Hasara 0 0-0 0, Miskar-Hannis 0 0 -0 0, Gelatko 1 0-0 2, Thomas 0 0-0 0, Stoutelakis 0 0-0 0, Osenbach 0 0-0 0, Marek 8 2-2 ​​​​20

MIN (0-1);6;5;14;7;—32

MARCH (2-0);20;21;24;5;—70

Originally published: December 3, 2024 at 10:47 pm EST