POTTSVILLE - Minersville freshmen Emily Mealey and Abby Schoffstall could give opposing coaches nightmares for years to come.

But for right now, helping the Miners enjoy a championship dream is all that matters.Thanks to incredible big game performances from Mealey and Schoffstall, Minersville defeated Marian, 61-46, in the Schuylkill League girls basketball title game on Friday night.The championship was the first in school history for the Miners and it came in large part because of a pair of freshmen who played like veterans.The 5-11 Mealey, was "Miss Inside" as she scored 17 points and hauled down 13 rebounds. Schoffstall was "Miss Outside" as she not only scored 12 points, but her slick ballhandling skills limited the damage that Marian's highly touted defense caused."At some point during the season, you would have thought they would experience some freshman jitters, but it never happened," said Minersville coach Jared Homa. "We wouldn't be here without them."I'm surprised that they've never lost their composure the entire season. Even tonight, on a huge stage like this, they played like veterans."Mealey and Schoffstall were especially impressive in the third quarter when the Miners (23-1) broke the game open.After Marian's Gabby Green opened the third quarter with a driving layup to pull her team within, 28-22, Minersville took charge. The Miners gradually pulled away, building a commanding 46-29 lead by period's end.Mealey and Schoffstall combined for 17 of Minersville's 19 points in the quarter. Mealey was especially effective as she dominated in the paint and scored 10 points."They have great balance," said Marian coach Paul Brutto. "They have a really nice player inside in Mealey and they do an exceptional job of getting her the ball in position to score."One of the reasons they can do that so well is they have two exceptional perimeter players in (Reighly) Melochick and Schoffstall. That balance puts a lot of pressure on a defense."Marian (21-2), whose only two losses this season have been to Minersville, made a couple of runs in the fourth quarter.The Fillies extended their pressure man-to-man defense the length of the court and in the process forced nine turnovers.Marian pulled to within 52-42 on a three-pointer by Green with 3:07 left and then cut the deficit to 53-44 on a Green layup with 2:25 to play.But Minersville hit 11 of 14 free throws in the quarter to keep the Fillies from getting any closer."We made a nice run in the fourth quarter," said Brutto. "But when you are as far behind as we were, everything has to go perfect and they made enough plays to keep us from getting any closer."Brutto pinpointed two reasons why the Fillies fell so far behind."I thought the story of the game was their offensive rebounding (Minersville held a 40-23 edge on the boards, including 16 on the offensive end) and our inability to finish," he explained. "We got the ball to the basket, but missed a lot of layups."Despite the loss, Brutto is optimistic about what the future can still hold for the Fillies."We're going to take a couple of days off and let this sting a little," he said. "Then, we are going to get back to work. There are still some big goals out there for us to accomplish."It's not about what's behind us, it's about what is still in front of us."Brutto even had a little history lesson for his team after the game."I reminded our girls that Tri-Valley lost in this game last year and went on to win a state a championship. So anything is still possible."Starting Monday, we're going to get back on the court and get ready for Districts. There is still the potential for a lot of basketball out there."MARIANGreen 8-0-0-17, Whildin 1-2-2-4, A. Fannick 2-0-0-5, Whitecavage 0-2-2-2, Sofranko 1-0-0-2, Nemeth 2-2-6-8, Baranko 0-0-0-0, Krusinsky 3-2-5-8, Holman 0-0-0-0. TOTALS: 17-8-15-46.MINERSVILLEMelochick 3-4-4-12, Sterner 0-0-0-0, Rinaldo 0-0-0-0, Polinsky 0-0-0-0, Schoffstall 5-2-6-12, Ryan 3-3-5-10, Kroznuskie 1-0-1-2, Leshko 2-4-5-8, Schwalm 0-0-0-0, Mealey 7-3-4-17. TOTALS: 21-16-25-61.Marian 6 14 9 17 - 46Minersville 9 19 18 15 - 61Three-pointers: Marian - Nemeth 2, Green 1, A. Fannick 1. Minersville - Melochick 2, Ryan 1.