BERWICK — Live by the three and die by the three.

That’s the way the Marian Fillies play the game.

On Tuesday night in its PIAA Class 2A second round matchup with Elk Lake, Marian didn’t shoot the ball well from beyond the arc in the first half. But the Fillies refocused and were able to turn the tide in the second half, hitting six three-pointers, while digging in on the defensive end to come away with a 47-45 victory over the Warriors.

“We live by the three, and we do die by the three,” said Marian head coach Damian Fritz. “But we were able to hit some big shots in the second half. Deanna Pugh kept us in it in the third with her shooting, and Olivia Serfass had two big threes for us in the fourth.

“I thought we got just enough paint touches throughout the game to open up some good looks for us. That’s still a work in progress, and I think we need to get even more touches in there. But just so proud of all of our girls for the way that they played tonight. They dug down deep and they kept fighting.”

It was a struggle on the offensive end for Marian in the first half as it went just 4-for-16 from three-point range, but still the Fillies trailed by just one at the break (23-22).

Trailing 6-1 late in the first quarter due to seven turnovers in the frame, Marian was able to muster an 11-0 run to take a 12-6 lead with 7:02 left in the second. Triples from Carley Hasara, Serfass and Pugh jumpstarted the Fillies’ offense, but they went cold the rest of the first due in large part to the Warriors’ swarming 3-2 zone defense.

Elk Lake’s three-point shooting, on the other hand, was the reason for its advantage at the intermission, as it hit four from deep in the second quarter. Leah Traver led the Warriors with 10 points at the half, with Madisyn Casselbury scoring seven. Marian was led by Serfass’ seven, while Addy Fritz and Hasara both helped out with five in the first half.

“I thought we played our 3-2 zone really well throughout the game,” said Elk Lake head coach Meghan Casselbury. “We did switch it up to a 2-3 there later because I wanted to knock out the inside looks. I have so much trust in our girls up top and their ability, and we tried to extend it a bit as well.

“But their shots started to fall and ours didn’t. It was just one of those things. And then in the fourth quarter, they played great man-to-man defense. So credit has to go to them.”

Before Marian was able to go on a run in the fourth, it was Elk Lake that took control in the third. The Fillies needed four three-pointers in the third — with three of them coming from Pugh — to just stay in the game, as the Warriors held a 41-34 advantage after three.

A hoop plus the harm from Traver, and an inside bucket from Katie McGlynn, got Elk Lake out to a 28-22 lead. Marian would stay close, and even took the lead back 31-30 off one of Pugh’s triples, but the Warriors finished the third on an 11-3 run to carry serious momentum heading into the fourth. Traver scored 12 points in the third to keep the Warriors out front.

“I don’t know, I just really caught fire during that stretch in the third,” said Pugh. “My teammates kept finding me and getting me the ball. And even though we were down, we kept believing. We all had so much confidence in each other and we never gave up.”

An inside bucket from Olivia Thomas, and a three from Serfass to start the fourth, cut the lead to two (41-39), followed by a tough offensive rebound and put back by freshman Addy Marek to knot the game at 41-41.

Serfass then came up with two more big buckets, the first a deuce from the left block on a well-designed set play that gave her a lob pass inside, and then a three where she stepped up and pulled the trigger from the left wing to make it a 46-41 Fillies’ lead, capping off a 12-0 Marian run with 2:52 left to play.

A free throw from Traver, and a clutch make from deep by Kylie Shingler, brought the Warriors within one (46-45) with 55 seconds remaining. That’s when Marian’s man-to-man defense continued to lock in as it held Elk Lake scoreless the rest of the way.

The Fillies’ biggest defensive stop came with 15 seconds remaining leading 47-45. Marian was able to deploy a successful double team on the right sideline just across the half-court line, forcing an Elk Lake turnover and then ran out the clock to advance to the PIAA 2A quarterfinals.

“That was a huge play. We were able to get the double team in a good spot, and we were able to deflect the pass and I came up with the ball,” said Serfass. “This is what we worked so hard for in the summer. I love playing with these girls. We’re all so close and best friends, and we’re excited to keep playing.”

With the win, the Fillies have now advanced to the state’s final eight in back-to-back seasons.

“I’m just really happy for our girls,” said coach Fritz. “To go to back-to-back quarterfinals in states is a sign the program is certainly headed in the right direction. I have to give credit to our girls. They wanted to go man-to-man in the fourth quarter, switching from our zone and they came through.

“It’s also just a testament to the school, our administration, our parents, really everyone involved with the program. This was a big win in a big game against a really good team.”

BOX SCORE … Serfass led the way for Marian with 15 points and Pugh added 12. Traver scored a game-high 23 points for Elk Lake.

REBOUND HOUNDS … Elk Lake was one of the best rebounding teams that Marian faced this season, and the Fillies answered the call sticking right with the Warriors in the rebounding department. Marek had a big night on the boards with eight rebounds. Fritz added seven and Serfass pulled down six.

DOMINANT D … The Fillies feisty man defense held Elk Lake to just four points in the fourth quarter.

UP NEXT ... Marian will now face District 5 champion Berlin-Brothersvalley in the quarterfinals on Friday at a site and time to be determined. The Mountaineers defeated the District 3 champs, York Catholic, 71-52 Tuesday night.

ELK LAKE

Casselbury 3-0-1-7, Horn 2-1-2-5, Shingler 2-0-0-6, Traver 8-4-5-23, McGlynn 2-0-0-4, Greenwood 0-0-0-0, Clark 0-0-0-0. TOTALS: 17-5-9-45.

MARIAN

Serfass 6-0-0-15, Fritz 3-0-0-8, Pugh 4-0-0-12, Hasara 2-0-0-5, Marek 1-3-6-5, Thomas 1-0-0-2, Carone 0-0-0-0. TOTALS: 17-3-6-47.

Elk Lake 6 9 18 4 - 45

Marian 7 15 12 13 - 47

Three-pointers: Marian - Pugh 4, Serfass 3, Fritz 2, Hasara 1; Elk Lake - Traver 3, Shingler 2, Casselbury 1.

Records: Marian (23-4); Elk Lake (23-4).