The chase is officially on.

The thought that the Marian boys basketball team would be sitting in the catbird seat of the Schuylkill League Division 3 race this late in the season was wishful thinking - at best - not too long ago.

But the Colts are indeed at the head of the class, gaining a huge 58-56 victory in the closing seconds Tuesday night against a pesky Schuylkill Haven club.

There were bodies spewed on the floor, there were legs getting kicked, and it looked more like a rugby event when junior Julius Currie picked up a loose ball as it laid near his sneakers.

He dribbled to his left, got to the top of the key, and swoosh!

As the ball left his hand, his coach Scott Murphy uttered to himself, ‘What the heck are you doing?’ But when it hit nothing to but net, Murphy just went, ‘Boom!’

So did teammate Frankie Valente.

Currie had the moxie to step up and not worry. He had been struggling for several games, but knew deep down he had to make something happen. And his 3-point shot with 18 seconds to play would be just the right cushion to save his team from a defeat.

Currie would also add a closing foul shot that put his team up 58-54 with seven seconds remaining, and the only answer from the Hurricanes was a layup from Nigel Kuzanga.

“Now that I’m thinking about it, it was a dumb shot, but I’m just happy it went in,” Currie said with a huge smile.

For Joey Walko, it may have been his finest hour this season, finding ways to keep the ball alive, especially near the end of the contest.

“It’s always physical with Schuylkill Haven,” said Walko, who scored 12 crucial points and added a half-dozen rebounds - four off the offensive glass.

The win keeps Marian (10-7, 8-1) two games up in the loss column over Mahanoy Area in Division 3 with four league games to play.

While Currie was firing in 15 points, Valente led the way with 22 while also pulling down nine rebounds. Jessie Rodino had a team-high 10 rebounds to go along with his seven points, helping Marian to a 35-16 edge on the glass.

But for all of those advantages, the Colts had to dig in.

“We’ve done it all year long,” said Murphy. “Haven is a very good team; you don’t just start the season 15-2, they’re very good. But this is a big time win for us and our program.”

Haven had an ability to stay with the Colts, mainly because it shot very well, and forced Marian into 16 turnovers - eight of which came in the second quarter.

The Hurricanes were fueled by four double-digit scorers. Trae Sanders had a sensational night with 19 points, including five triples. The lone senior starter missed only two shots from the floor, going 7-for-9. Junior Travis Richie tallied 14 points, followed by Kuzanga’s 12 while Leyden Hertz added 10.

Just when Marian zipped ahead 22-17 on Valente’s triple, the Hurricanes stormed back to trail just 29-28 at the half.

But when the third quarter rolled around, Valente began to assert his play. The senior scored seven straight points for his team to build a 35-31 lead. However, Haven wasn’t going away, rallying to tie it 38-38 thanks to Sanders and Richie each hitting threeballs.

The pressure started to mount, and with 2:14 to play, the visitors sprung in front 52-49 thanks to Richie’s four unanswered points.

After Currie sank a foul shot, Rodino muscled inside for a bucket, cutting the margin to 52-51 at the 1:41 mark. Kuzanga answered right back for Haven, going uncontested to the basket to make it 54-51 with 82 seconds to play.

Valente then got a superb assist from Jose Ramirez to pull the Colts within 54-53. The Marian defense next forced a huge turnover, and seconds later Valente was fouled. He hit the front-end of a two-shot attempt, but on the ensuing second shot he missed. Rodino and Walko both got a hand on the ball, as it rolled in the direction of Currie, who sank the shot to put his team in the driver’s seat for good.

STRONG SHOOTING

… The Hurricanes shot 21-of-43 from the floor. Sanders was a presence, even when Marian tried every which way to contain him.

WINNING IT ALL

… Marian claimed the JV game, 56-54. James Rodino led the winners with 19 points, while Bruce Hopeck added 12 and Dylan Rodino had 11.

SCHUYLKILL HAVEN

Kuzanga 5-0-0-12, Hertz 4-1-1-10, Jenan 0-1-2-1, Richie 5-2-2-14, Carl 0-0-0-0, Seven 0-0-0-0, Sanders 7-0-1-19. TOTALS: 21-4-6-56.

MARIAN

Ramirez 0-0-0-0, Miller 0-0-0-0, Chambers 1-0-0-2, Je. Rodino 3-1-2-7, Ferrera 0-0-0-0, Walko 6-0-1-12, Currie 5-3-5-15, Valente 9-1-4-22, Ja. Rodino 0-0-0-0. TOTALS: 24-5-12-58.

Sch. Haven 12 11 15 18 - 56

Marian 15 9 14 20 - 58

Three-pointers: Schuylkill Haven - Sanders 5, Richie 2, Kuzanga 2, Hertz 1; Marian - Valente 3, Currie 2.