ASHLAND - Ticket punched.

Facing a win-and-in situation to qualify for the Schuylkill League playoffs Friday night at North Schuylkill, Jim Thorpe put a stamp on its spot in the tournament with 75-49 victory.

The Olympians claimed the wildcard berth with the brand of basketball that has become customary since the last time the teams met, a convincing 59-41 victory for the Spartans on Jan. 18.

Jim Thorpe has gone 8-1 since that setback, and looks like a team that’s hitting its stride heading into the postseason.

“They’re gelling, and they’re playing hard,” said Olympians’ head coach Jason McElmoyle. “In the beginning (of the season) we were playing 28 minutes, 30 minutes; we’re playing a full 32 minutes now. We’re playing aggressive, we’re playing hard and we’re playing for each other. This is what we’ve been preaching. This is what we thought we could do.”

Thorpe (15-7, 10-4) played with intensity on both sides of the ball, cleaning up on the glass and forcing turnovers that led to points in transition.

A 19-15 lead at the end of the first quarter ballooned to a 41-24 advantage at halftime, as the Olympians held North Schuylkill (12-9, 9-5) to four field goals in the second quarter.

“I think our pressure wore on them a little bit,” said McElmoyle. “We went full court for 32 minutes, and I think eventually with our guys being that aggressive, and being smart with the way they’re doing it - not getting in foul trouble - it kind of wore them down a little bit.

“That was one of our plans coming in. Just keep on them. We knew we were going to give up some easy baskets, but we know we’re also going to put a lot of pressure on them. Our guys stepped up tonight.”

In the first meeting, the Spartans led 22-7 after the first quarter,

Zane Zulkowski, who scored 23 points in that game, was held to seven on Friday, where the only lead North Schuylkill saw was an 8-7 advantage with 3:10 left in the first quarter,

Thorpe’s offense was dynamic, with Kaiden Herron scoring a game-high 26 points, Derryl Fisher adding 16 points, and Noah Rosahac scoring 10.

“We’re playing really well right now,” said Herron. “Our bigs are playing well, our guards are playing well. Everybody’s doing what they need to do.”

The contributions are seen throughout the lineup and on both ends of the floor.

“It’s a great feeling. That’s what these seniors set as their goal this year, that was one of our goals,” said McElmoyle about qualifying for the league playoffs. “A couple weeks ago, it wasn’t looking good. But we just had guys step up. Our seniors are leaders, and Kaiden and Derryl are playing phenomenal basketball right now.

“But a lot of the things that are helping us win are the guys that don’t go in the stat book. David (Richards) and Colby (McHugh) setting good screens, Bryson (Heydt) and Noah (Rosahac) filling up the lane. If you’re going in the paint, there’s a 6-5 guy there for you now. And they’re playing smart basketball, they’re not getting fouls. We just have a lot going for us right now.”

The Olympians made the most of their trips to the free throw line, going for 13-for-15 in the first half. In all, Thorpe went to the free throw line 29 times.

“We were 11-for-11,” McElmoyle said of his team’s start. “I can’t say enough about these guys. They did everything that we asked.”

UP NEXT

... Jim Thorpe will play Wednesday at 6 p.m. at Martz Hall in the league semifinals. It will meet the winner of the Shenandoah Valley-Nativity Division 3 tiebreaker game. “We’re just going to practice hard, game plan, and the coaches are going to get us ready,” said Herron. “We’ll see what we can do.”

ROLLING

... The Olympians picked up a 62-46 win over Division 1 champion Pottsville on Tuesday. The Tide handed the Olympians a 55-44 loss on Jan. 13.

SCORERS

... McHugh had nine points for Jim Thorpe, while Richards added eight and Heydt scored six. Jack Keiter’s 14 points led the Spartans.

JIM THORPE

Herron 8-10-17-26, Richards 2-2-3-8, Warner 0-0-0-0, C. McHugh 4-0-0-9, Fisher 6-3-4-16, DiSanto 0-0-0-0, Rosahac 4-2-3-10, Heydt 3-0-2-6. TOTALS: 27-17-29-75.

NORTH SCHUYLKILL

Zulkowski 3-1-1-7, Keiter 6-2-2-14, Scott 2-0-0-4, Fisher 4-0-0-8, Conti 5-0-0-11, Balicki 0-0-0-0, Wallace 0-0-1-0, Dean 0-0-1-0, Miller 1-2-2-5. TOTALS: 20-5-7-49.

Jim Thorpe 19 22 17 17 - 75

No. Schuylkill 15 9 10 15 - 49

Three-pointers: Jim Thorpe - Richards 2, C. McHugh 1, Fisher 1. North Schuylkill - Conti 1.