POTTSVILLE – The Weatherly boys’ basketball team had the big squeeze put on it Friday evening in a Schuylkill League Division 3 showdown against Nativity.

Weatherly entered the game riding an eight-game winning streak. The red hot Wreckers were also getting a chance for redemption against a Nativity team that had handed them their only loss of the season.

But the rematch was a mismatch.

The Hilltoppers used their speed, their height advantage, and a terrific 2-3 matchup zone defense to roll to a 61-33 victory. The win keeps Nativity (8-2, 4-0) at the top of the division, while Weatherly (8-2, 4-2) slips behind the Hilltoppers and Marian and into third place.

Unable to handle the constant pressure from the Nativity guards and the inside power of small-school all-state candidate Marquis Ratcliff - a 6-6 junior ­- the Wreckers committed nine turnovers on their first 10 possession.

The pressure kept Weatherly from finding its splendid guard Scotty Zoscin - the team’s leading scorer.

“The way we put pressure on them from all of our players ... we were very good on the defensive side of the ball,” said Nativity coach Mike Walborn. “Our offense feeds off our defense. It allowed us to get up and down the floor and create fastbreak points.”

Besides the rangy Ratcliff, the Wreckers also had to deal with 6-6 senior Kegan Hertz - the other half of the Hilltoppers’ “Twin Towers.” Ratcliff hung 21 points on the visitors and yanked down 11 rebounds, while Hertz added nine points and six rebounds. Nativity also got double figure scoring from scrappy guards Jacob Hoffman (14 points) and Cody Miller (10 points)

“You can’t come out and play the way we did,” said Weatherly coach Corey Gerhardt. “We had nine turnovers and got just one shot on our early possessions. That’s tough to bounce back from.”

The Wreckers tried to rally in the middle of the second quarter, but the best they could do was cut their deficit from 26-9, to 28-18. Trevor Lowman did the majority of the damage for Weatherly during the run, and was a clear standout throughout the contest, knocking down a team-high 13 points and seven rebounds.

While Weatherly struggled early on, Nativity got an emphatic two-hand slam by Ratcliff that energized the home crowd and propelled the Hilltoppers to their first half advantage.

“Obviously, we’re at a disadvantage playing before their loud crowd,” Gerhardt said. “We panicked some, couldn’t get Scotty free … they did an outstanding job on defending him.”

Zoscin, who brought a 23.4 ppg. average into this contest, failed to score a single point. In addition, Antonio Colecio, who came in averaging over 16 points a game, managed just eight points - all in the first half.

LOWMAN THE HIGH MAN … With Zoscin and Colecio being held under wraps, Lowman did his best to keep Weatherly competitive. He was fantastic in a losing effort, shooting 5-for-10 from the floor and draining three triples. Jacob Solonoski had a solid outing as did Ben Ramirez.

TOWERING INFERNOS … The size of Ratcliff and Hertz is tough to defend. The Hilltoppers also bring 6-6 junior Justin Sickle off the bench. Nativity had a 31-18 edge off the glass.

ROADBLOCK … Weatherly won the JV game 50-37. Frank Willis poured in 12 points and teammate Ian McLain added nine for the Wreckers.

WEATHERLY

Lowman 5-0-0-13, Colecio 3-0-0-8, Solonoski 3-1-1-7, Ramirez 2-0-0-4, Broskoskie 0-1-2-1, Zoscin 0-0-0-0, McLaurin 0-0-0-0, Willis 0-0-0-0. TOTALS: 13-2-3-33.

NATIVITY

Ratcliff 7-6-10-21, Hoffman 7-0-0-14, Miller 3-2-2-10, Hertz 2-5-8-9, Kuperavage 2-0-0-4, Brennan 1-0-0-3, Sickle 0-0-0-0, Sipes 0-0-0-0, Walborn 0-0-0-0, Chiplonia 0-0-0-0. TOTALS: 22-13-22-61.

Weatherly 9 12 7 5 - 33

Nativity 16 16 20 9 - 61

Three-pointers: Weatherly - Lowman 3, Colecio 2. Nativity - Miller 2, Brennan 1, Ratcliff 1.