HOMETOWN - For decades, Marian-Nativity girls basketball games always seemed to have a championship feel to them.

It was a game circled on both calendars. It was a game that almost always had a huge bearing on which team was going to have the inside track on a Schuylkill League Division III title.Those were the days few thought would end. Marian and Nativity playing before a packed house in a mini Holy Wars battle.As of late, however, the Fillies have dominated the rivalry.That continued Sunday as Marian carved out a 47-31 win - the Fillies' eighth-straight victory against Nativity."It was an ugly game," said Marian coach Paul Brutto. "Just one of those games. It was sloppy (and) the refs kind of let it go."It was tough coming off the loss to Minersville, then our kids were at the school's open house all day. Those things factor in as much as you don't want them to."The lost energy was glaring, especially after the Fillies (13-5, 7-2 D-III) opened a quick 13-3 lead. Frosh guard Emily Shaud was outstanding in the Marian getaway, draining a deuce and a triple as it grabbed the early edge.The Fillies stutter-stepped late in the first quarter and throughout the second quarter as the Golden Girls (7-10, 4-5 D-III) closed to within 21-16 at halftime.Marian was able to maintain its lead thanks to a Reese Erbe threeball from the corner and leading scorer Brenna Karnish's strong drive to the basket.Marian began to expand the lead once again in the third quarter thanks to Karnish, who poured in eight of the Fillies' 10 points."Sometimes Brenna disappears offensively and I have to get on her about the responsibility of being the best player on the team," said Brutto. "She has the ability to take over a game, and that's what she did in the third quarter."The Fillies clicked a whole lot better to open the final quarter, turning to feisty guard Gianna Agosti, who created a lot of flow and energy to vault her team to a commanding 41-28 lead."She's a hard-nosed kid that is all over the place," said Brutto about the junior guard. "She's not a consistent scorer, but she rebounds well and she's had some nice games for us."The victory kept the Fillies within a game of preseason favorite Mahanoy Area."We have to win out if we want any chance of winning our division," said Brutto. "We can't afford a stumble if next Monday's game at Mahanoy Area is going to be a meaningful game."BOARD WORK ... Marian had a 30-22 edge in rebounding, getting a top effort from Elizabeth Schwabe with eight and from Karnish with seven.SCORING ... Karnish was the only double-digit scorer for the Fillies with 16. Shaud added eight.NATIVITYA. Clarke 3-1-1-7, M. Clarke 2-1-4-6, Malcusky 1-4-6-6, Sanders 2-0-0-4, Ulsh 0-3-7-3, Klembara 0-2-4-2, Matlock 1-0-1-2, Mclure 0-1-2-1, Carpentino 0-0-0-0, Rushanon 0-0-0-0, Honyara 0-0-0-0, Stravinsky 0-0-0-0. Totals: 9-12-25-31.MARIANKarnish 7-1-2-16, Shaud 3-1-2-8, Agosit 1-4-4-6, Correale 2-0-0-5, Raabe 2-1-2-5, Erbe 1-0-0-3, Schwabe 1-0-0-2, Alansky 0-2-2-2, McClafferty 0-0-0-0. Totals: 17-9-12-47.Nativity 9 7 5 10 - 31Marian 15 6 10 16 - 47Three-pointers: N-M. Clarke. M-Karnish, Shaud, Correale, Erbe.