There were many questions about the 2014 version of the Lehighton Indians boys' basketball team coming into the season.

The team certainly looks conditioned, and one thing known for sure, is that the team can flat out score the basketball.The Indians have scored at least 50 points in each of its games this year and had eclipsed the 70-point mark twice heading into Thursday evening.Lehighton continued to roll in its Schuylkill League match against Jim Thorpe, earning a road victory, 72-51."We came into the game thinking we would run, run, and run," explained Lehighton head coach Rich Oertner. "They're (Jim Thorpe) much bigger than us so we had to try and push the ball as much as we could. Even though we had some early turnovers, it still forced them to get back on defense. When you're tired you start fouling a little bit and that's what we tried to make them do."A contest that was once tied at 11 apiece in the first quarter, shifted in favor of the Indians when they scored seven points in the final 1:30 of the initial period.After a scoreless first quarter for Lehighton's Jordan Knappenberger, and just six points on the night for Tyler Crum, other Indians answered the call when needed.Lehighton point guard Tom Ruizicka scored a dozen points (including two three-pointers), and big-man Nick Chambers might have had his best game in an Indian uniform, posting a double-double during the win.Oertner said, "We have a ton of guys that can shoot the ball. Even our four-man (Tyler) Wiliams can shoot the ball. We're playing with four guards, and our big men have range. It's just a matter of us getting up and down the court and finishing fast breaks."One of Chamber's challenges during the win was to try and contain Olympian star Shane Snisky. Although the Jim Thorpe center scored a team-high 11 points, it wasn't enough firepower. Brendon Carroll also chipped in eight points in the losing effort. Jim Thorpe moved the ball well on some possessions, but the Indians' defensive pressure was hard to handle."I just had to keep my head up and try and rebound," said Chambers who pulled down 11 boards. "This was one of my better games this year. I think we're capable of making it to districts, which is one of our main goals. We need to keep each other motivated, we always pick each other up no matter what."The Indians took control during their late first quarter surge, as they put on their pressure trap defense which led to some easy buckets over the duration of the contest."We practice pretty hard. I truly think we're in better shape than a lot of teams," said Oertner. "We generally try a few defenses until I figure out what will work the best. Since we don't play a whole lot of guys, everyone knows exactly where they're supposed to be. Our guys usually aren't out of position because of that."Despite a scoreless first quarter, Knappenberger seemed to get into a rhythm when the rest of his squad didscoring a game-high 24 points in the final three periods.LEHIGHTONRuzicka 4-2-2-12, Crum 3-0-0-6, Zwetolitz 1-0-0-3, Williams 6-0-0-13, Buchinsky 1-0-0-2, Chambers 4-4-8-12, Knappenberger 8-6-7-24, Ortiz 0-0-0-0, Skrimcosky 0-0-0-0, McDowell 0-0-0-0, Cordera 0-0-0-0, Troxell 0-0-0-0, Mele 0-0-0-0, Manogue 0-0-0-0, Budinger 0-0-0-0, Cokelja 0-0-0-0, Green 0-0-0-0. TOTALS: 27-12-19-72JIM THORPECarroll 2-2-2-8, Veney 2-3-7-7, Elmore 0-2-3-2, Micciche 1-0-2-2, Green 4-1-3-9, O.Snisky 1-1-2-3, Lauer 0-0-0-0, Twardzick 0-0-0-0, Luciana 1-0-0-3, McElmoyle 1-0-0-2, Jefferson 0-3-4-3, S.Snisky 5-1-2-11. TOTALS: 17-14-25-51Lehighton 20 18 22 12 - 72Jim Thorpe 12 12 12 15 - 51Three-pointers: Lehighton - Ruzicka 2, Zwetolitz 1, Williams 1, Knappenberger 2; Jim Thorpe - Carrolls 2, Luciana 1