POTTSVILLE - The adage that good teams win games and great teams win championships certainly applies to the Marian boys basketball team.

The Colts were seemingly on the brink of defeat against Schuylkill League rival Shenandoah Valley in the District 11 2A championship at Martz Hall on Friday. But that's when they stepped up and showed their greatness.Trailing by as many as 15 points during the first half, the Colts got more than a pep talk from their taskmaster John Patton during the respite, and quickly took heed of the advice to storm through a second half of nearly perfect basketball.The end result was a district title and a third-straight victory this season over the Blue Devils, 59-51."We have all the respect for Shenandoah (20-4), they're a physical team, they play so hard, they have so many good players," said Marian's 6-6 center Brandon Mohammad.Mohammad was one of three big reasons for a turnaround."Our coaches told us to execute, stay focused and carry out the game plan," said Jarod Paisley. Paisley zipped in 12 points, all in the second half, but it was a three-pointer late in the third quarter that seemed to ignite the fires.Marian (21-4) had wrested away the momentum and when Paisley drained a triple with 1:06 to play in the period, the Colts were within 35-33.Then the loudest boom came from freshman sensation Tyler Fritz, who drained a corner jump shot to put the Colts ahead. Swoosh it went, and the Shenandoah Valley balloon was on the verge of bursting."I wasn't worried, when I got that open look, I took advantage of it," said Fritz. "Sure we were down, but our coaches kept us from getting upset."Marian never looked rattled after that go-ahead jumper by Fritz, who equaled Paisley's 12 points for team honors. Ryan Karchner added 11 for the Colts, while Mohammad tallied 10 points and collected 19 rebounds.However, the glue came from the hand of DJ Mummey. He buried five of his eight points in the first half when the Blue Devils looked bound for a district championship.With his team seemingly cracking after a quarter, Mummey came off the bench hit a bucket and sank a triple that closed the deficit to 13-10. But the Devils then stretched their advantage to 25-10 with a 12-point run. The up-tempo game by Shenandoah Valley seemed wearing on its opposition at intermission."We're not afraid of deficits, I rather not have them but we don't look at it as something we can't overcome," said Patton.Trailing by 13 with four minutes left in the third quarter, the Colts, started to make a run. Mummey drained a trey, Noah Stauffer was fouled shooting a three and sank all his foul shots. Seconds later, Fritz was hacked on a drive to the basket and converted a pair to slice the Devils' lead to 35-30.That's when Paisley and Fritz stepped up and buried their back-to-back triples for Marian's first lead since it was 2-0."They just proved how great they are," said Shenandoah Valley coach Robbie Miller. "This is the second year we got here and lost. All champions find a way to win. I thought we tired some, but you've got to give them credit."Marian continued its rising waters on a Paisley jumper for a 38-35 lead early in the fourth. The Colts trailed once more at 42-41 after a Sydiq Shenoster basket. But then Paisley flipped in a trey, Karchner added a bucket, and Paisley notched another to build a 48-42 lead with 2:42 to play.Finally, Fritz fired in another triple with a minute to play, which left no doubt to Marian's championship.HOW IT TURNED ... The Colts got into a hornets nest in the first half with 12 turnovers and the schoolyard pace Shenandoah Valley wanted was a killer. In the second half, Marian only committed five turnovers and shot 11-for-19 from the floor.ON THE CARD ... Both teams off until next Saturday. Marian will open state playoffs against 3rd place finisher from District 12 (suburban Philadelphia). Shenandoah Valley draws the District 2 champ.MARIANCollevechio 0-0-0-0. Fritz 2-6-6-12, Karchner 3-5-6-11, McLaughlin 0-0-0-0, Mohammed 4-2-5-10, Mummey 3-0-0-8, Paisley 4-2-2-12, Paluck 0-0-0-0, Stauffer 1-3-3-6. TOTALS: 17-18-22-59.SHENANDOAH VALLEYAlvarez 1-0-0-2, McNeil 2-2-2-6, Creasy 0-0-0-0, Santana 5-0-3-14, Raisner 5-1-1-12, Michalik 2-0-0-6, Uholick 2-0-2-5, Shenoster 3-0-0-6. TOTALS: 2-3-8-51.Shenandoah 14 14 8 16 - 51Marian 5 11 20 23 - 59Three-pointers: Shenandoah - Santana 4, Raisner 1, Michalik 2, Uhoick 1; Marian - Fritz 2, Mummey 2, Paisley 2, Stauffer 1.