Pottsville and Blue Mountain set the tone Saturday at Martz Hall, turning in dominant performances to advance through the Schuylkill League quarterfinals.
The Crimson Tide (17-6, 12-2) now move on to face Division II top-seed Tri-Valley (20-2, 14-0) in Wednesday’s 6 p.m. semifinal. Blue Mountain (16-7, 10-4) will follow in the nightcap at 7:30 p.m. against Minersville (21-1, 13-1). Both games are at Martz Hall.
For Pottsville coach Tyler Heffner, the focus shifts immediately to the challenge of the Bulldogs.
“Tri-Valley is a whole separate challenge now,” Heffner said after the win over Nativity. “They push the ball, they’re really skilled and they have a lot of guys who can play. Starting tomorrow we’re going to get the game plan, get the kids focused and get ready to go.”
The top three teams in Division I remain in contention for league championship while Tri-Valley remains the only team from the Division II left in the postseason.
“It doesn’t matter who we play,” Blue Mountain coach Dustin Werdt said. “When we get to the league playoffs, you’ll play anyone. It’s just an exciting environment and I’m glad our kids got to experience it.”
Tri-Valley vs. Pottsville – Wednesday, 6 p.m.
Pottsville seeks its second consecutive Schuylkill League championship after defeating Minersville 50-43 for the title last season.
Tri-Valley received a first-round bye in the Schuylkill League playoffs after winning 14 of its final 15 regular season games dating back to a Dec. 22 win over Pine Grove.
“We’re getting to the end of the season and we’ve proven that we’re a good team,” Tri-Valley coach Mike Masser said. “We could’ve folded a few times, but we did what we had to do.”
The Bulldogs received their best challenge last week before the postseason kicked off when they suffered a 70-68 loss to Minersville when a last-second shot failed to fall.
“Our goal is always to get to the basket and push in transition and it gets us better looks,” Tri-Valley senior Braeden Doyle said. “Everyone has the extra-pass mentality so shout out to my teammates for always finding the open guy.”
Doyle aims to follow up from a 27-point performance against Minersville while Kingsley Johnson scored 12 and Trey Porter added 11 in Tri-Valley’s offensive surge.
Tri-Valley has outscored opponents, 75-57, and has posted 80 or more points seven times.
“I always challenge Braeden (Doyle) to put the team on his shoulders and the momentum changed when he does,” Masser said.
The two teams last matched up Feb. 8, 2025 when Pottsville earned a 63-55 win. Christian Alvarez led the way in that win with 17 points while Juleon Bainbridge contributed 14.
Pottsville knocked out Nativity 64-21 in the quarterfinal matchup and were led by Alvarez’s 22 points, Davey Kunstek’s 15 and Ryder Bowers’ 11.
“We have our own really good shooters and these guys work really hard on and off the ball. They’re wonderful kids on and off the court,” Heffner said. “(Bowers is) a kid that’s been here before and he’s made big shots in the past.”
The Crimson Tide currently rides a four-game winning streak into league semifinals and has won nine of 12 games dating back to a Jan. 5 win against Mahanoy Area.
Alvarez leads Pottsville with 17.7 points per game. Bowers averages 11 points and Kunstek 10 this season. Pottsville has outscored its opponents, 58-45.
“When we can amp up the physicality just a little bit more we can take opponents out of things,” Heffner said after the win over Nativity. “We really played well to start the second half.”
Minersville vs. Blue Mountain – Wednesday, 7:30 p.m.
Blue Mountain moved one step closer to a title Saturday, surviving a physical battle with Schuylkill Haven to claim a 64-54 quarterfinal victory.
The win sets up a semifinal clash with Minersville, the Division I champions who are rested and coming off a first-round bye.
The Battlin’ Miners enter the matchup on a blistering 18-game winning streak. For Minersville, this postseason is about redemption after falling to Pottsville in last year’s league final. To get back to the championship, they must first get past an Eagles team they have already beaten twice this season — a 54-44 win in December and a narrow 55-49 victory in mid-January.
“We don’t go 21-1 without all five seniors being great character kids,” Minersville coach Chris George said. “I tell them all the time: the team that deserves to win is the one that does things the right way in big moments.”
Those seniors — Brandon Adams, Shane Fessler, Shazier Bethea, Jacob Mealey, and Nolan Plesnarski — are locked in.
“We have confidence going into the playoffs,” Bethea said. “We’re going to keep winning and try for that league title.”
Blue Mountain (16-7) isn’t the same team Minersville saw in December, however. The Eagles have found their stride, winning 12 of their last 14 games. Tyeirre Meade fueled the quarterfinal win with a 29-point performance that included a pair of dunks to seal the momentum.
“Schuylkill Haven’s defense was physical, and we had to fight through that,” Meade said. “It gets us ready for Minersville. We have to keep that same energy and keep going.”
Eagles coach Dustin Werdt believes his team is built for the pressure of Martz Hall.
“We’ve been preparing all year to be in these situations,” Werdt said. “In the playoffs, every game is tight, and we have to play hard from start to finish.”
While Minersville has the regular-season sweep, Coach George isn’t letting his team get comfortable.
“We can’t relax when we get ahead,” George said. “We don’t want to be in spots where we’re vulnerable by not keeping our foot on the gas.”