Weatherly’s gleeful train ride took a sudden turn for the worse Friday evening.

Sadly, it also ended a strong run for one of the smallest schools in the region.

Weatherly was unable to unleash its two 1,000-point scorers — Ian McKeegan and Corbin Wagner. The pair of offensive standouts were bottled up and held in check throughout the opening round of the PIAA Class 1A state playoffs.

Plumstead Christian was the culprit, using its size and athleticism to derail the Wreckers, 60-45, and end their season.

The Panthers seemed to have a roadblock at every turn — contesting shots and controlling loose rebounds. Their ball movement also stood out. Plumstead rode the shooting of freshman guard Mason McCuen, son of the head coach, who scored 20 points, including 10 in the fourth quarter.

Teammate Noah Kephart, a junior, led all scorers with 21 points. Sophomore Julian Desiato added 11 points, but the biggest advantage for the tall and rangy Panthers came on the boards.

Luke Medico, Weatherly’s coach, had seen this before with his team.

“One and done, that’s been our story (most) of the season,” he said after leading his team to a 16-9 record, aware that rebounding had been an Achilles’ heel.

The Panthers pulled down 43 rebounds, with Desiato grabbing 19 and Kephart adding 10.

“Based on what I’ve seen (on film) I felt comfortable to leave our big guys at home and let them rebound,” winning coach Justin McCuen said.

He quickly praised Desiato, noting he has had several games with more than 20 rebounds.

“When the kid puts his mind to it, the kid can really rebound the ball.”

That game plan paid off early and played out just as Plumstead intended.

McKeegan and Wagner were each held to season lows with 10 and eight points, respectively. The big surprise for Weatherly was Brandon Davis, who finished his career on a strong note with 11 points, a team high.

Weatherly showed some spark at times.

After trailing 12-4 late in the first quarter, the Wreckers scored six straight points to close the period. Niko Saldukas started the run with a three-point play, McKeegan followed with a three-pointer and junior Dominick Kokinda added a basket on a spin move.

Another surge came in the second quarter.

Kephart scored two straight baskets to give Plumstead a 19-10 lead early in the period, but Weatherly responded with an 11-point run. Kokinda started it with a basket off the glass. McKeegan followed with two free throws, and Kokinda scored again after receiving a screen from Jacob Hinkle.

Momentum continued to build when Matt Alder hit a corner three-pointer. Wagner then pulled up in the lane for a basket, giving Weatherly a 21-20 lead with 2:10 left in the half.

Plumstead responded quickly. A Kephart basket and McCuen’s three-pointer sent the Panthers into halftime with a 25-21 lead.

When Plumstead opened the third quarter with a 10-1 run, Medico could see the game starting to slip away and called timeout.

“We got to start taking better shots, better shot selection,” the Weatherly coach said, pleading with his team at this juncture. He also wanted full-court pressure.

It didn’t work.

The Panthers extended their lead to 41-26 by the end of the third quarter. Rebounding continued to be a major factor, and Weatherly struggled offensively, shooting just 2-for-12 in the period.

Still, the Wreckers had one more push left.

Plumstead appeared to have the game in hand when it built a 52-35 lead with 3:30 remaining. But Weatherly made one last run. Davis hit two straight three-pointers and Wagner added another as the home crowd rallied behind the Wreckers.

Weatherly cut the deficit to 52-44 with 2:32 left.

But the comeback stalled as Plumstead calmly made free throw after free throw to seal the win.

Despite the loss, Medico reflected proudly on the season.

“These seniors made it a lot of fun,” said the coach. “We had two, one-thousand-point scorers, nearly a third (Saldukas). We just ran out of time.”

GAME ON ... Plumstead held a clear size advantage and used it well. The Panthers forced Weatherly to extend its perimeter game and prevented guards McKeegan and Wagner from getting clean looks. They also limited both players’ ability to drive inside.

SHOOTING IT UP ... Weatherly went 15-for-39 from the field and 7-for-26 from 3-point range. Plumstead finished 20-for-48 and 4-for-15 from beyond the arc.

ADIEU ... Weatherly seniors McKeegan, Davis, Wagner and Saldukas played their final game.

PLUMSTEAD CHRISTIAN

McCuen 6-4-4-20, Mandia 1-4-4-6, Desiato 5-1-6-11, Anderson 1-0-2-2, Kephart 7-7-9-21. TOTALS: 20-16-25-60.

WEATHERLY

Adler 2-0-0-5, D. Kokinda 3-1-4-7, I. McKeegan 3-2-2-10, Hinkle 0-0-0-0, Saldukas 1-2-3-4, Davis 3-3-5-11, Wagner 3-0-0-8. TOTALS: 15-8-14-45.

Plumstead Christian 12 13 16 19 - 60

Weatherly 10 11 5 19 - 45

Three-pointers: Plumstead Christian - McCuen 4; Weatherly - I. McKeegan 2, Davis 2, Wagner 2, Adler 1.

Records: Plumstead Christian (11-14); Weatherly (16-9).