Basketball is a game of runs.

On Friday night, Jim Thorpe proved that long-standing, unwritten basketball rule to be true.

The Olympians put together monster runs in the first and third quarters to pull away from Lehighton for a 63-45 Schuylkill League Division 1 victory.

Thorpe’s first big run of the night (12-0) came in the opening quarter and it was fueled by hot shooting and pressure defense. The Olympians forced seven Tribe turnovers in the frame and offensively countered Lehighton’s zone defense with four triples. The result was a 19-6 advantage heading into the second.

“I thought we did a good job forcing them into some bad decisions early on, and that once again comes down to our guys just playing extremely hard and not giving up on any play,” said Jim Thorpe head coach Jason McElmoyle. “Then on the offensive end we knocked down some early three-pointers and that always then opens up the floor.”

Lehighton, which battled back at times throughout the game, put together its best quarter in the second. The Tribe went on an 8-0 spurt and outscored the Olympians 13-6 in the frame. Momentum was on the Indians side heading into the half, trailing by just six.

“We came out of our zone and went to man because they hit some outside shots on us, so we made a change,” said Indians mentor Trevor Miller. “Going to man kind of made us wake up a little bit and we were able to get up and down the floor and finish our scoring opportunities.

“But in the end you can’t win a game against a tough team when you turn the ball over like we did. I’m proud of the way we battled, but we have to be better in that department.”

In the third, the Olympians put the game away. Once again, it was their pressure defense that got to the Tribe.

Jim Thorpe forced nine turnovers, and went on an 11-0 run to take a 14-point lead with a little over four minutes remaining in the quarter. Justin Marykwas led Thorpe’s surge with seven of his game-high 17 in the frame.

The Olympians finished the quarter strong, extending their lead to 19 by the end of the third.

“We got a little relaxed in the second and credit to Lehighton because they came back and made it a game and then they even battled back in the fourth too, but our kids always answered the call,” said McElmoyle. “This group just plays so hard and there’s not many times where a team will outwork us. It was just another great effort tonight.”

The Indians did try and give one last ditch comeback effort in the fourth, going on a 10-0 stretch to close within 13 with a little over four minutes remaining, but it was short-lived as Thorpe quickly pulled away again.

BALANCED ... Helping out Marykwas was Nick Rosahac with 10 points, and Nate Rosahac and Isiah Spruill with nine.

TURNOVER TOWN ... Thorpe forced 20 turnovers on the night, which attributed to many transition buckets for the Olympians. Thorpe did a solid job of protecting the ball, turning it over 12 times.

LEHIGHTON

Strauss 0-0-0-0, Heery 0-0-0-0, Troxell 3-3-4-10, Carpenter 3-0-0-6, Hunsicker 0-1-4-1, Bradley-Chambers 5-1-6-11, Heydt 1-0-0-2, Howland 4-1-4-9, Potts 2-0-1-4, Schatz 1-0-0-2. TOTALS: 19-6-19-45.

JIM THORPE

Searfoss 2-1-5-7, Burak 0-0-0-0, L. Burak 0-0-0-0, Spruill 3-3-4-9, Gorman 0-0-0-0, C. Valdez 1-4-8-7, Scott 0-0-0-0, Marykwas 7-0-0-17, Na. Rosahac 4-1-4-9, Ni. Rosahac 3-4-7-10, Boyle 0-0-0-0, Cannariato 2-0-0-4. TOTALS: 22-13-28-63.

Lehighton 6 13 8 18 - 45

Jim Thorpe 19 6 21 17 - 63

Three-pointers: Lehighton - Troxell 1; Jim Thorpe - Marykwas 3, Searfoss 2, C. Valdez 1.