The Jim Thorpe girls may not have the firepower it had in the past, but when this season’s Olympian squad figures a way to complement each other, it could be an interesting winter.

The defending Schuylkill League champions had a rollicking time Tuesday, blazing past host Tamaqua 68-27 in a Division 1 matchup.

Thorpe shot the ball from three-point range effectively, caused turnovers in bunches, and were never in serious trouble.

The Olympians rode the hot hand of Gabrielle Cinicola, as she fired up triples the way most players hit layups.

Cinicola connected for a game-high 27 points, hitting seven of her team’s 10 threes. Thorpe ended the contest shooting 10-of-18 from long range.

“What a great shooting night she had,” said Olympian head coach Nadia Gauronsky. “You can’t say enough good things about her.”

Cinicola led the charge early as Thorpe (4-2; 2-1) broke free from a 10-8 score to go up 16-8 after eight minutes.

Tamaqua battled early, turning to the Plasha sisters - Sam and Lorelei. However, after keeping the game close for most of the first quarter, Cinicola tallied the final six points of the frame to give Thorpe some breathing room.

The key, according to Gauronsky, was her team’s defense.

“We talk about that (aspect) all the time in practice,” Gauronsky said. “We were able to propel ourselves from defense.”

That was most evident in the first two quarters. Tamaqua just wasn’t able to figure out the Jim Thorpe pressure, as the Raiders ended the first half with 22 turnovers - 11 in each period.

Cinicola and Mackenzie Yuhas both drained baskets to open the second quarter, only to be interrupted when Tamaqua’s Makayla Bartenope scored on a put back. The Olympians then received field goals from Cinicola, Amara Robinson and Yuhas - in that order - to jump out to a 29-12 advantage.

By halftime, the margin had swelled to 42-14 as Thorpe closed the second with a furious rush. After Haley Smelas stroked the nets with a trey, Cinicola was back at it. She rang up seven straight points to lift her team to a comfortable lead at the break.

“We talked about refocusing after the Lehighton loss,” Gauronsky said. “All the girls bought into that concept. Hopefully, we can continue to focus and do the right things.”

After Cinciola, Yuhas knocked down 16 points while Sarah Hartman finished with nine. Tamaqua (2-6; 0-4) received a team-high eight points from Bartenope.

For now, Jim Thorpe is hitting on all cylinders. And that’s the good news for the Olympians.

DOUBLE DIP … Jim Thorpe posted an impressive 42-17 win in the JV game. Kelsey Patton led the way with 22 points.

SHOOTING IT UP … The Olympians were torrid from the field, going 28-of-48. Included among that was an 11-of-14 effort in the second quarter.

JIM THORPE

Cinicola 10-0-0-27, Hartman 4-0-0-9, Snisky 0-0-0-0, Ginopolas 1-0-0-2, Smelas 2-0-0-6, Balliet 0-0-0-0, Ruff 0-0-0-0, L. Patton 0-0-0-0, Robinson 2-0-0-4, K. Patton 2-0-0-4, Yuhas 7-2-2-16. TOTALS: 28-2-2-68.

TAMAQUA

Gormley 0-0-0-0, Scott 0-0-0-0, S. Plasha 3-1-4-7, Fannock 0-0-0-0, Hope 0-0-4-0, L. Plasha 6-0-0-12, Miller 0-0-2-0, Bartenope 4-0-0-8. TOTALS: 13-1-10-27.

Jim Thorpe 16 26 18 8 - 68

Tamaqua 8 6 2 11 - 27

Three-pointers: Jim Thorpe - Cinicola 7, Smelas 2, Hartman 1; Tamaqua - None.