POTTSVILLE - There’s a reason why the term “defense wins championships” is used so prevalently in the game of sports.

Because when a team’s offense isn’t clicking, its defense can make up the difference.

That was exactly the case for the Marian Fillies in their District 11 Class 2A championship match-up with Tri-Valley on Saturday afternoon.

The Fillies (25-2) struggled throughout the game on the offensive end, but their defensive pressure forced 20-plus Bulldog turnovers, and helped them to come away with a 40-19 victory for their second consecutive District 11 title.

After both teams got off to a sluggish start on offense in the first quarter (13 combined points), Marian was finally able to get something going when Carly Minchhoff and Kerrigan Digris hit back-to-back three-pointers at the 1:19 mark of the second frame.

The quick 6-0 run helped give the Fillies a 19-8 lead at the half.

Digris was big for Marian in the first half, scoring 10 points, and was also a key catalyst in helping the Fillies force 11 turnovers - which helped to alleviate their 6-for-23 shooting performance.

Tri-Valley also struggled from the field in the first half as well, going 3-for-22 - including 1-for-11 from beyond the arc.

“We were definitely off tonight offensively, but we didn’t let that get to us, and we didn’t let that get us down. I thought we came together as a team and just battled, especially on the defensive end,” said Digris. “Our pressure has been good all year, and we just kept hustling to try and force turnovers, and it helped us to get the win.”

The shooting woes continued for both teams in the third quarter as Marian didn’t score its first points of the third until the 2:14 mark on a Fatikha Tikhtova bucket.

But a big triple from Frankie Martnelli from the top of the key at the buzzer gave the Fillies a 24-12 advantage heading into the fourth.

“We obviously didn’t shoot the ball well tonight,” said Marian head coach Damian Fritz. “We had good looks, and just most of the time those shots have been going down for us. But there’s a reason why we spend so much time on defense and work so hard on it, and that’s because of days like today.

“Sometimes you need to grind out a victory, and in a championship game to be able to do that says a lot about the girls’ toughness. I’m proud of their effort today. They deserve this title for how hard they have worked.”

A Martinelli deuce to start the fourth quarter extended the Fillies lead to 14, and they were finally then able to get their offense going, scoring 16 points in the fourth. Six different Fillies scored in the final frame, and they shot a clutch 6-for-6 from the free throw line down the stretch to close out the 21-point championship win.

“This was another step for us,” said Fritz. “Last season, we got into the Schuylkill League playoffs, and this season we were able to get to the league championship. We fell a little short in the leagues, but now we have back-to-back district titles, and I couldn’t be more proud of these girls.

“Last season, we were able to win a state playoff game, so the goal is to improve upon that as well. So, we get right back to work now to prepare for states, and to get better as a team.”

LEADERS … Digris scored a game-high 12 points for Marian, and also added four rebounds. Minchhoff chipped in with 14 points. For the Bulldogs, Meghan Canfield and Gianna Poletti each tallied six points apiece.

UNDER PRESSURE … Tri-Valley had a hard time handling the Fillies relentless pressure. Marian forced 25 turnovers.

NEXT UP … Marian will get a home playoff game to start the PIAA 2A state tournament as it will take on the No. 2 seed out of District 12 - MaST II - on Friday at 7 p.m.

TRI-VALLEY

Canfield 2-1-2-6, Colahan 1-0-0-3, Kaczmarczyk 1-0-0-2, Poletti 3-0-0-6, Header 1-0-0-2, Raulston 0-0-0-0, Kroh 0-0-0-0. TOTALS: 8-1-2-19.

MARIAN

Pleban 1-0-0-2, Digris 4-2-2-12, Martinelli 2-0-0-5, Minchhoff 2-6-6-11, F. Tikhtova 1-0-0-2, O. Tikhtova 1-0-0-2, Fritz 1-2-2-4, Lombardo 1-0-0-2, Corrado 0-0-0-0, Thomas 0-0-0-0, Zimmerman 0-0-0-0. TOTALS: 13-10-10-40.

Tri-Valley 5 3 4 7 - 19

Marian 8 11 5 16 - 40

Three-pointers: Tri-Valley - Canfield 1, Colohan 1; Marian - Digris 2, Martinelli 1, Minchhoff 1.