Every time the Tamaqua boys basketball team climbed the mountain against a youthful, scrappy Mahanoy Area squad, it seemed to lose its footing.

Credit the feisty Golden Bears. They stayed poised, made plays down the stretch and held on for a 57-54 win Thursday.

Led by four underclassmen — one freshman and three sophomores — along with senior Ryan Zilker, Mahanoy Area jumped out to a 21-10 lead late in the first quarter. The Bears then caught fire in the third quarter, shooting 8 of 10 from the floor to take a 49-38 lead into the fourth.

Mahanoy Area appeared in control early in the final period. But Tamaqua stormed back, pulling within one, 55-54, with 11 seconds remaining. Freshman Cameron Smith sealed the win by sinking two free throws with six seconds left.

For a freshman, Smith was uncanny, scoring a game-high 20 points, including five 3-pointers. Zilker added 14 points and grabbed 17 rebounds. Sophomore Nico DiCasimirro scored 12 points, while fellow sophomore Connor Bowman chipped in eight.

The difference came from beyond the arc, where Mahanoy Area connected on nine 3-pointers.

“We can shoot the ball,” Mahanoy Area coach Teddy Styka laughed when told about his team’s penchant for shooting from long range.

Styka said the Bears’ youth showed late, but viewed Tamaqua’s comeback as a learning experience.

“They’re young, and that happens,” Styka mused. “They’re learning and they’re growing and getting better.”

Tamaqua coach Jimmy Barron has seen similar struggles throughout the season.

This wasn’t the first time the Blue Raiders rallied from behind, only to come up short.

“Yeah, we got physical,” Barron said when told Styka credited Tamaqua’s physical play for the comeback.

Trailing 51-40, Tamaqua leaned on Gavin Edmonds and Donovan Broadway to spark a rally. Edmonds led all scorers with 22 points, scoring nine in the final eight minutes, including two 3-pointers.

Tamaqua went on an 11-2 run, and Ace Schickram scored with 24 seconds left to cut the deficit to 53-51. DiCasimirro answered with two free throws four seconds later to make it 55-51.

Edmonds was then fouled on a 3-point attempt and calmly sank all three free throws with 11 seconds remaining. Even after Smith’s two free throws, Tamaqua had one last chance, but a potential tying shot clanged off the rim.

“We didn’t execute the game plan,” Barron said. “We wanted to take 12 and 2 (Smith and Bowman) off the (3-point) line. Twelve is such a (good) shooter.”

Mahanoy Area set the tone early, building a 21-10 lead with 1:41 left in the first quarter. Zilker provided a lift inside, grabbing six rebounds in the first half. Smith scored nine points in the opening quarter, all from 3-point range.

Tamaqua closed the first quarter strong and trailed 21-14, then surged to start the second. The Raiders went on a 9-0 run behind Edmonds, who scored seven points during the spurt, and a rebound basket by Jakin Tamagini to take a 23-21 lead.

Mahanoy Area regained control and led 31-29 at halftime.

“We made that great run to end the half, and I thought we had a lot going,” Barron said.

The Bears opened the third quarter on fire, missing just two shots and building a 44-32 lead with under three minutes remaining.

Tamaqua responded with a free throw from Schickram, a rebound basket by Edmonds and a jumper, but Mahanoy Area closed the quarter with back-to-back 3-pointers from both DiCasimirro and Smith to take a comfortable 49-38 lead.

BY THE NUMBERS ... Mahanoy Area shot 20 of 49 from the field and grabbed 32 rebounds, one more than Tamaqua. The Blue Raiders shot 18 of 49, and committed 19 turnovers. Mahanoy Area had 16 turnovers, 11 in the first half.

LAST HURRAH ... Tamaqua athletic director Mike Hromyak worked his final home basketball game. He will retire June 30 at the end of the school year. More on him to come.

MAHANOY AREA

Smith 6-3-4-20, Zilker 6-2-10-14, DiCasimirro 4-3-4-12, Bowman 3-0-0-8, Contreras 1-0-0-3. Byrne 0-0-0-0, Kowalchick 0-0-0-0, Perez 0-0-0-0. TOTALS: 20-8-18-57.

TAMAQUA

Edmonds 6-6-7-22, Tamagini 6-0-0-16, McCabe 2-1-3-6, McDowell 2-0-0-5, Schickram 1-1-2-3, Broadway 1-0-2-2. Shannon 0-0-0-0, Chalk 0-0-0-0, Frohnheiser 0-0-0-0. TOTALS: 18-8-14-54.

Mahanoy Area 21 10 18 8 - 57

Tamaqua 14 15 9 16 - 54

Three-pointers: Mahanoy Area - Smith 5, Bowman 2, DiCasimirro 1, Contreros 1; Tamaqua - Edmonds 4, Tamagini 4, McCabe 1, McDowell 1.

Records: Mahanoy Area (8-13; 5-9); Tamaqua (3-19; 3-11).