An oldie but goodie fit the bill Tuesday night as the Marian Colts rocked Weatherly Wreckers, 68-53, in a key Schuylkill League Division 2 matchup.

The win was crucial for both teams as the regular season heads toward the finish line, with a league tournament berth in February at stake. The victory kept Marian alive in the race for a possible third seed. The Colts improved to 4-4 in the division, trailing leaders Tri-Valley (8-0), Nativity (5-3) and Schuylkill Haven (5-3).

Based on the way Marian played, there is renewed hope with another meeting still ahead against each of those teams.

“Oh, they’re a really, really good team,” Marian coach Paul Brutto said of Weatherly. “They’ve got some talent, and this is big — we’re still in the playoff hunt. We’ve got Nativity coming up, we’ve got Tri-Valley coming up.”

Marian flipped the game with a strong second half, capped by a dominant fourth quarter in which it poured in 26 points — arguably its best quarter of the season.

Weatherly trailed just 42-39 midway through the third quarter, and was within striking distance before Marian erupted. In a matter of moments, the Colts went on a decisive 19-5 run and never looked back.

Balance defined Marian’s attack. Three players scored 12 points apiece, while Jacob De La Cruz led the way with 13.

“We had to play better defense in the second half,” De La Cruz said. “We had to get our head back in the game, and communication was important.”

The first half told a different story. Energized by its home crowd, Weatherly jumped to a 28-21 lead midway through the second quarter. Corbin Wagner sparked the run, scoring nine of his game-high 21 points in the period. Ian McKeegan added nine of his 12 points before halftime, while Matt Adler finished with 13 for the Wreckers.

“We just didn’t play to our ability,” De La Cruz said.

The turning point came from sophomore Greg Tirpak. Limited early by foul trouble, Tirpak provided a spark off the bench, knocking down back-to-back 3-pointers that shifted momentum. He finished with four triples.

“Those shots were inside out,” Brutto said. “That’s what we want — it’s like a shooting-drill type of three.”

Marian took control for good in the fourth quarter. Its shooting was sharp, its defense relentless and its ball movement effective.

In addition to Jacob De La Cruz, the Colts spread the scoring load. Nunez, Tirpak and Justin De La Cruz each scored 12 points. Tom, returning to his hometown, added seven points and contributed on both ends of the floor.

Leading 54-44, Marian pushed the margin to 60-44. Nunez scored inside to start the surge, Tom added a free throw, and Nunez followed with four uncontested points in the paint.

“We put together a pretty good first half, but we came out in the second half flat,” Weatherly coach Luke Medico said. “The frustration level of seeing it every day — I tell them every day this is the way the world looks. It’s how you respond, and that’s something we didn’t do.”

Marian’s response, meanwhile, was emphatic.

“This was a nice win, hopefully to right the ship,” Brutto said with a smile.

It marked the second time Marian defeated Weatherly this season, following a 54-30 win in the first meeting.

QUOTABLE I … “Tonight we took good shots, which hasn’t been our calling card this year. It’s a one-game sample, but you’ve got to start somewhere.” — Brutto

QUOTABLE II … “Lessons, lessons. You’re able to see the lesson, but that’s the frustrating point — you see it but don’t make the point.” — Medico

ABOUT FACE … Marian was sharp over the final two quarters, shooting 15 of 27 from the field (9 of 13 in the fourth), and 26 of 51 overall. Weatherly struggled after halftime, shooting 7 of 26 in the second half. Marian committed 11 turnovers, just four after halftime. Weatherly had 10.

UNSUNG … Marian received solid bench play from both James Cannon and Mitchell Knock. Tom’s defense limited McKeegan to three points in the second half. Adler grabbed seven rebounds for Weatherly, while Wagner was effective early before Marian switched to a triangle defense.

SIDELINED … Weatherly standout Niko Saldukas was limited by illness and was not at full strength due to the flu.

MARIAN

Ja De La Cruz 4-2-4-13, Tirpak 4-0-0-12, Ju De La Cruz 4-3-4-12, Nunez 6-0-0-12, Knock 3-2-2-8, Tom 3-1-4-7, Cannon 1-0-2-2, Rodino 1-0-0-2, Shigo 0-0-0-0. TOTALS: 26-8-18-68.

WEATHERLY

Wagner 8-4-7-21, Adler 5-1-2-13, I. McKeegan 4-3-5-12, Davis 1-0-0-3, Saldukas 1-0-2-2, Kokinda 1-0-0-2, J McKeegan 0-0-0-0, Brown 0-0-0-0. TOTALS: 20-8-14-53.

Marian 12 15 15 26 - 68

Weatherly 17 15 7 14 - 53

Three-pointers: Marian - Tirpak 4, Ja. De La Cruz 3, Ju. Da La Cruz; Weatherly - Adler 2, Wagner 1, I. McKeegan 1, Davis 1.

Records: Marian (7-7; 4-4); Weatherly (7-5; 3-5).