MAHANOY CITY - So how good can this edition of Marian girls’ basketball team be?

When the Fillies are playing their best, they have to be consider right smack in the middle of the race for a top-seeded in the Schuylkill Girls’ Basketball League.

Marian is galloping along - maybe not quite at full gait yet - but certainly moving fast enough for others to take notice, especially in Division 3 play where it is starting to create space between itself and the rest of the pack.

The Fillies roared past Mahanoy Area - one of their chief division rivals - on Friday evening, breezing to the finish line in a 52-18 mercy-rule victory.

Marian (8-1, 4-0, SIAL) was never challenged, but it’s looking like that might be the case in most division games this season.

“I just like what were doing right now as team,” said second-year Marian head coach Damian Fritz. “I thought we played our best four minutes of basketball at the start of the game tonight.”

Fritz knew coming in this was an important game for his seniors. Mainly, because they never won a game at Mahanoy in their careers - until last night.

“This was so important for our seniors – Ashley (Pleban) and Kerrigan (Digris) – they haven’t won here in four years … I can’t remember the last time a Marian team has won here. For us, this was a pretty serious game.”

That was evident from the opening tap.

Behind their vaunted trapping defense, the Fillies exploded out of the gate. Using their with their length and quickness and with their intensity at fever pitch, they forced a youthful Mahanoy team into 13 first-quarter turnovers, while seemingly scoring at will on the offensive end.

The Fillies rattled off 15 uncontested points to start the game as Pleban and Digris were dynamic paving the way early. They would both score six in the getaway. Frankie Martinelli added a triple during the fast start

Oliva Kennedy’s bucket finally put the Bears on the board, but Marian cranked up a 10-0 run after that to close the first quarter with a 25-2 lead. The closing run featured Pleban’s second trey of the period, and a three-pointer from freshman standout Addison “The Juice” Fritz, who led Marian with 14 points.

“We wanted to take care of business right from the start,” said coach Fritz. “We used three different presses - full court, three-quarters court and half-court. We want to see what works for us with our athleticism, and I thought that really hurt them.”

What makes Marian’s pressure so lethal is its length.

“It depends on our combination,” Fritz said. “When Addie (Fritz) comes in the game or Aliya (Tikhtova) comes in the game that adds additional length and we can do some other things.”

With an entire month of regular season basketball still to be played, Marian looks the part of a title contender.

“We didn’t want to leave here with a loss,” Fritz said.

The Fillies made sure that was never a possibility.

YOUTH SERVED … Mahanoy has but one senior on its roster. It had a quality outing from freshman Felicia Bro who bagged a dozen points, She missed only one foul try in her 10 attempts.

CAUSING HEADACHES … The Fillies pressing game is scary at times. It’s going to cause some Excedrin headaches for just about every team that has to face them.

BIGS ARE GOOD … Marian’s big girls are very active, very athletic and play smart. Carly Minchoff, the Tikhtova sisters - senior Fatikha and junior Aliya - and Fritz, can all play inside or outside.

SHOOTING IT UP … Pleban and Digris, who finished with 10 points apiece, are both smooth and heady. They’ve grown into a pair of superb players as has junior Martinelli.

MARIAN

Pleban 4-0-0-10, Dirgis 5-0-0-10, Martinelli 3-0-0-7, Minchhoff 1-0-0-2, F. Tikhtova 2-1-2-5, A. Tikhtova 0-0-0-0, Fritz 6-0-0-14, Lombardo 1-0-0-2, Corrado 0-0-0-0, Thomas 0-2-2-2, Zimmerman 0-0-0-0, Perez 0-0-0-0, Cryder 0-0-0-0, Katner 0-0-0-0. TOTALS: 22-3-5-52.

MAHANOY AREA

Wiekrykas 0-0-0-0, Kane 0-0-0-0, Kennedy 2-0-0-4, Bro 1-9-10-12, McGowan 1-0-0-2, Gonzalez 0-0-0-0, Mroczka 0-0-0-0. TOTALS: 4-9-10-18.

Marian 25 9 12 6 - 52

Mahanoy Area 2 4 2 10 - 18

Three-pointers: Marian - Pleban 2, Fritz 2, Martinelli 1. Mahanoy Area - Bro 1.