POTTSVILLE - The rivalry will always be there. The feel? Well that is something that is uncontrollable.

Toss up the basketball to open a game of hoops between Marian and Nativity girls and in the past it was all out war. Monday night, the battle was only a minor skirmish.The Golden Girls tried forcing the issue in the first half, but to no avail as Marian cruised to a 43-27 Schuylkill League Division 3 victory.Marian had too much punch inside and out, even though it looked sluggish at times.Fillies' coach Paul Brutto attributed it to tired legs, a wheeze and a cough here and there, and a few bruises as well."We're tired, partly from playing just seven girls," Brutto said indicating the depth issues that could plague his team throughout the season. "Besides we have a few kids that are sick, but they'll get a (much) needed rest until our next game Dec. 29."The 8-0 start to the season by the Fillies makes for good talk down the road when the real war gets played in a crossover game with Division 2 Minersville that is just a couple weeks away.But Brutto isn't thinking about Minersville, and he's wise enough not to let his players get snake-bitten before the meeting on Jan. 7.The Fillies were bumped around some by Nativity, especially in the paint, and at times it looked like a bumper-car ride at the old defunct Lakewood Amusement Park during a slow first half, one in which Marian sauntered to a 23-10 advantage."Sometimes we didn't respond," Brutto said. "We did look sluggish, and we didn't shoot well the past few games. They were sagging (inside). We took too many jump shots (in the first half) and we talked about that at the half."There was never a clear-cut race to the basket from the Fillies until a dominating third quarter, when they burned off some rubber putting space between the opposition with a 9-0 run. By quarter's end, Marian had bolted to a commanding 34-14 lead.Marian pounded it in to its best post player, Savanna Krusinsky, and she would knock down 11 points. But the biggest contribution came from Vanessa Whitecavage who delivered a game-high 14 points, including three triples, and her share of assists."She did a great job for us, making some great passes, that got us going in the second half," Brutto said of Whitecavage. "It's a good division win, but there is a long way to go."HAPPY TOGETHER… Brutto said if you told him that his team would be 8-0 to start he would be hard-pressed to think it would happen. It has.FOOLS GOLD… Brutto said shooting the three can lead to thinking it's a good thing, but wants the ball in the paint, and his team delivered.GOOD EFFORT… Nativity's Mallory Sanders fired in 11 and her teammate Jordyn Simmons had eight.SHOOTING FROM THE HIP… Marian went 18-for-42 from the floor; Nativity wasn't bashful with a 9-for-46 effort.PRELIM ... In the JV contest, Marian held on for a 20-17 verdict. Julia Correal sank seven and Izzy Schwab poured in five for the winners.MARIANWhitecavage 4-4-6-14, Krusinsky 5-1-8-11, Agosti 3-0-0-6, Raab 2-0-0-4, Karnish 2-0-0-4, stoyer 2-0-0-4, Correal 0-0-0-0, Erbe 0-0-0-0. Totals 18-5-14-43.NATIVITYSanders 4-0-0-11, Simons 2-4-6-8, Strausser 1-1-2-3, Clark 1-0-0-2, Malcusky 1-0-1-2, Ulsh 0-1-2-1, Klembara 0-0-0-0. Totals 9-6-13-27.Marian 13 10 11 9 - 43Nativity 4 6 4 13 - 27Three-pointers: M - Whitecavage 3. N - Sanders 3.