DANVILLE DENIED
COAL TWP. — Having lost eight straight to close out the regular season, Danville was in search of any solution to shake the funk as it entered the District 4 Class 4A girls basketball playoffs.
Unfortunately, for the Ironmen, nerves found them before a remedy did Tuesday night in Shamokin. The Indians took advantage, putting together multiple scoring runs to pull away with a 42-15, concluding the Ironmen's season at 6-17.
The jitters were apparent early and remained on the court for much of the night. The Ironmen often rushed to pass the ball and, when the opportunity presented itself, shot the ball before setting their feet. The hurried shots led to some well-off target attempts and several takeaways.
The Indians, after a slow start themselves, began to execute.
Just over halfway through the first quarter, Delilah Nazih notched the game's first field goal and was rewarded an And-1, which she converted for three quick points for the Indians. They never looked back as both the Indians and Nazih were just getting started.
"They came out and hit some good shots, and got the ball into that Nazih girl which really hurt us early," Danville coach Matt Diltz said. "We had some good looks early but just weren't getting shots to fall for us in the first quarter. Again, we got behind and the story of the season is when we get behind early, we're playing catch up and it got out of hand tonight."
The Indians' first unanswered run lasted nine points, but they carried momentum into the second quarter after Carly Nye scored a buzzer-beating layup.
Nazih's dominance continued in the second quarter, helping the Indians establish a 7-0 run. She outscored the entire Ironmen squad with 19 points. In the first half alone, Nazih accounted for more than half of the Indians' offensive production, scoring 13.
"From the previous game we played them (a 50-24 loss in December), we played a 2-3, we thought we could slow them down with our 3-2 or 1-3-1, and again they got some open shots and knocked them down," Diltz said. "... We got some turnovers, but again we couldn't get the ball in the basket."
And just as the Ironmen's defense began to make things difficult for the Indians' offense, allowing only six points in the third, the offensive struggles remained.
Myleigh Seese, who ended both of Shamokin's scoring runs in the first half with a pair of layups had a chance to finish the third with the last say. Having a breakaway in the final seconds, Seese couldn't get a shot off in time. The Ironmen were held to five or fewer points in all four quarters.
"Three of our players really only have had playoff experience," Diltz said. "... We knew there were going to be some jitters and we got a little flow, but again, shots weren't falling and they got hot and we let it get out of reach."
The Indians put together one last run, 7-0, in the fourth before both teams played subs for the remainder of the game. Gabby Rapp, who finished with 12 points, accounted for four points in that stretch.
As both teams were calling in subs, Diltz gave a hug to senior starters Lucy Pickle and Grace Everett. He says the program's future will see brighter days and gives much credit to the duo's work ethic and passing it on to his younger players.
"It was emotional," Diltz said. "... They did everything that we asked them to do and more. It was a great group of seniors and my first year (here), you couldn't have asked for better girls to work with and push each other and lead as a group."
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