FOUNTAIN SPRINGS - The lights were literally shining bright in Fountain Springs on Tuesday night, as North Schuylkill had all new lights installed in its gymnasium for this season.

And the bright lights were also figuratively shining on the matchup between Schuylkill League powers Jim Thorpe and North Schuylkill, as the two undefeated teams in Division 1 play squared off to see which squad could gain some midseason momentum.

The Olympians certainly didn’t mind playing under the beaming lights of the evening, as they shot lights out against the Spartans patented 2-3 zone to come away with an impressive and dominant 67-47 Schuylkill League Division 1 victory.

Four triples in the first quarter, along with a 10-1 run to end the frame helped Thorpe (12-0, 7-0) gain an important 20-14 edge going into the second. A three-pointer by Skyler Searfoss started the surge, and a trifecta with just a few seconds remaining in the quarter by Hailey Smelas gave the Olympians momentum.

“It started with our composure against their full-court pressure. I thought if we could withstand the first quarter, we would be in good shape,” said Jim Thorpe head coach Nadia Gauronsky. “Also, for us to come out and shoot the ball the way we did, that was a big difference. We haven’t really shot the ball all that great in our last two games, so us shooting like that, it’s definitely a good sign for us.”

Thorpe shot an outstanding 68% from the field in the first half, and in the second quarter pulled away from the Spartans (10-2). The Olympians’ six-point lead quickly became a 10-point lead around the five minute mark after a Searfoss pullup jumper around the elbow area.

The senior point guard came to play in this one, as she scored 14 of her team’s first 28 points.

Thorpe then finished the quarter on a 16-4 run to lead 42-20 at the half. The Olympians zone offense moved the ball well throughout the game, utilizing both the high post and the short corner, paired with Searfoss’ hot shooting start to open up the floor in the half court.

“We had a game plan; we’ve watched a ton of tape on them, but the way they shot the ball tonight, it just took us out of our game plan,” said North Schuylkill head coach Rich Wetzel. “I mean, they’re a really good basketball team, and they were the better team tonight. They got us extended a little bit, got up on us and then forced us to go man. But again, they made shots. But we have a great group here. A group that plays hard, and we’ll get back to work, and we’ll see them a bunch more this season and see what happens.”

North Schuylkill did come out with some pressure in the third quarter, which helped it cut the lead to 16 (46-30) midway through the third, but throughout the game, the Olympians shut the door on any of the Spartans attempts to get back into the game.

Thorpe would then extend its lead to its biggest of the night – 25 points – and that’s how the quarter would end, with the Olympians leading 59-34.

Thorpe’s end-of-the-third-quarter-run after North Schuylkill showed some life was the final hurdle of the evening as it showcased that the Olympians were not going to let the Spartans back in it.

“We just did a great job of dictating the tempo tonight, and not feeding into the chaos that North Schuylkill likes to create with the way that they play,” said Gauronsky. “It was great to get a win up here. The program hasn’t won up here in three years. So, I’m happy for the girls, and proud of the way they played.”

LEADERS

... Searfoss led the way with 22 points for Jim Thorpe. Leah Snisky added 18 and Leila Hurley chipped in with 12. Kamryn Mengel led the way for the Spartans with 17 points.

BEYOND THE ARC

... The Olympians shot an impressive 7-for-12 from the three-point line.

JIM THORPE

L. Snisky 8-0-0-18, Hurley 4-0-3-12, Searfoss 9-2-2-22, O. Smelas 3-2-4-8, Yuhas 1-2-2-4, H. Smelas 1-0-0-3. TOTALS: 27-6-11-67.

NORTH SCHUYLKILL

Himes 4-1-2-10, Mengel 6-5-7-17, Wetzel 4-6-6-14, Gawrylik 1-1-4-3, Hall 0-0-0-0, Burke 1-0-0-3. TOTALS: 16-13-19-47.

Jim Thorpe 20 22 17 8 - 67

N. Schuylkill 14 6 14 13 - 47

Three-pointers: Jim Thorpe - L. Snisky 2, Hurley 2, Searfoss 2 H. Smelas 1; North Schuylkill - Himes 1, Burke 1.