Coming off a disappointing loss in the Schuylkill League finals, Jim Thorpe played with grit and determination in a 47-28 win over Pine Grove on Saturday in the District 11 Class 4A quarterfinals.

Still struggling to find a rhythm to their offense through much of the game, the Olympians finished with a 16-1 run after Pine Grove had closed to 31-27 with 7:38 to play.

“We couldn’t get into first half rhythm,” said Jim Thorpe coach. Rob Kovac. “With Yuhas and Smelas in early foul trouble, they pulled us into the gutters and the tempo wasn’t ours.”

Thorpe’s trademark defense forced five turnovers and stifled the Cardinals’ offense in the first eight minutes, holding them to a single field goal. Meanwhile, five players from Thorpe (22-3) put points on the scoreboard. Skyler Searfoss sank four free throws after she was fouled twice driving the lane. Leah Snisky hit two buckets, the last one at the buzzer, to lift the Olympians to a 13-3 lead after one.

Pine Grove regrouped in the second period. Mikaili Donmoyer scored five from the floor and Abbie Brown and Kira Shollenberger chipped in with baskets. Defensively, the Cardinals held Thorpe to two field goals on eight shots for the entire session.

“We knew that they are very good in transition,” said Pine Grove coach, Kyler Burke, “Our focus was to get back quickly on defense, pack it in, and make them shoot from the perimeter.”

The strategy worked as the Cardinals (11-12) were within 19-12 at the break.

Despite building a 13 point lead on a Smelas’ basket and a Searfoss steal and breakaway layup, the Olympians couldn’t put way the feisty redbirds in the third period. With 15 seconds to go, Donmoyer’s three cut the deficit to seven at 31-24 heading into the final quarter.

“Give Pine Grove credit,” said Kovac. “They executed their mid-range game better and hit a few threes. But I thought we were getting off better shots, too.”

The Jim Thorpe fans started to squirm in their seats when Pine Grove’s Alli Butler drilled a long triple to bring the score to 31-27 with just 30 seconds gone by in the fourth. But the Olympians took control the rest of the game. Mackenzie Yuhas scored off the glass. Leah Hurley sank two free throws and was good on a side court three to rebuild the Olympian lead to 11 with five minutes to go.

Pine Grove fouls put Thorpe into the bonus and nine of their final 16 points came from the charity stripe. Meanwhile, the Olympians’ defense locked down the Cardinals from getting off percentage shots. Seven turnovers were forced ending any chance for a Pine Grove comeback.

Kovac, who used his timeouts strategically to stop any sustained Pine Grove momentum, was pleased with his team’s patience to run the clock down and to finish the game with a double-digit lead.

“We executed much better, especially in our high-low offensive sets,” Kovac said about his team’s fourth play.

NUMBERS ... Searfoss paced JT’s scoring with 17 points, while Smelas added 10. Butler led Pine Grove with 10 points

BOARD WORK …A significant factor in Jim Thorpe’s win was their rebounding dominance. Snisky and Smelas used their height and reach advantage to grab 10 boards apiece.

FINE ON THE LINE … Searfoss had just two field goals, but the Olympian sophomore made 13 of 16 from the charity stripe.

NEXT UP … Thorpe will meet Tamaqua in the district semifinals on Wednesday at Martz Hall. Tip off is 7:30.

PINE GROVE

Wolff 0-0-0-0, Koons 0-0-0-0, Donmoyer 3-0-1-8, Betz 0-0-0-0, Felty 0-2-6-2, Butler 4-0-0-10, Shollenberger 0-2-2-2, Olt 0-0-0-0, M.Sarge 0-0-0-0, Brown 2-1-2-5, Dorson 0-1-2-1. TOTALS: 9-6-13-28.

JIM THORPE

Cinicola 0-0-0-0, Scott 0-1-3-1, Snisky 2-0-0-4, Berger 0-0-0-0, Yuhas 3-0-1-6, Leight 0-0-0-0, Hurley 1-4-4-7, Searfoss 2-13-16-17, O.Smelas 4-2-5-10, H. Smelas 0-0-0-0, Craigie 1-0-0-2. TOTALS: 13-20-29-47.

Pine Grove 3 9 12 4 - 28

Jim Thorpe 13 6 12 16 - 47

Three- pointers: Pine Grove - Donmoyer 2, Butler 2; Jim Thorpe - Hurley 1.