This one was always “the game” during the cold, long winter months.

Marian vs. Mahanoy Area ... a heated rivalry, great theater, and almost always something on the line.

The Colts and Bears have played a lot of tight, important Schuylkill League boys basketball games over the years.

But Friday night wasn’t one of them.

Honing in on next week’s huge matchup with Nativity, Marian was firing on all cylinders as it cruised past Mahanoy Area, 78-53.

The win improves the Colts record to 7-1 in Division 3 play, and keeps them a game back of Nativity (12-2; 8-0).

Without question, the Colts are riding the stellar play of senior sensation Dante Agosti. For the second straight night, he found the three-point line to his liking. Against one of its keenest rivals, Agosti was as smooth as fine silk from behind the arc, pouring in seven triples.

“I’m in a good rhythm right now,” Agosti said. “Coach (John Patton) tells us shooting is all about rhythm and right now I’m feeling it. Hopefully it continues to carry over to more games.”

Good rhythm is an understatement. Just one night after drilling nine three-pointers against Minersville, Agosti went 7-for-10 from the field against the Bears to account for 21 points.

“He’s in such a good groove. He’s seeing the floor and taking the open shots when he gets them,” Patton said of Agosti. “And it’s rubbing off on all of our players. Everyone is getting involved and that’s what we need here as we’ve got a number of big games coming up.”

Marian took control from the opening tap, bolting out to a 13-2 lead before settling for a 21-11 advantage after one quarter.

While Agosti was netting three treys, Frankie Valente - who moved over to the point - hammered home four of his 17 points in the period.

“Frank’s doing a really good job of running the point and with Logan (Fritz) out he really stepped in and did some nice things,” Patton said. “Valente is seeing the floor a lot better and is really making some great decisions.”

The Colts were taking no prisoners and continued to roll to open the second quarter, scoring 27 points to open a 48-22 intermission lead.

Valente had 10 points in the quarter, while Branden Lonergan scored six.

“I really think we’re doing a good job inside, with Brendan, Dewin (Concepcion), Julian (Cerullo) and John Malarkey. It’s giving us a nice rotation,” Patton said. “We can go deep with those kids.”

SCORING LEADERS ... Agosti led four Marian players in double figures with his 21 points. Concepcion added 18, Valente had 17 and Lonergan scored 11.

FIRING SQUAD … Marian shot a torrid 28-for-51 (55 percent) and knocked down 13 three-pointers.

SPLIT CITY … Mahanoy Area claimed the JV contest 44-43. Chris Chambers (11 points) and Carsyn Chambers (10) led the Colts.

MAHANOY AREA

Manley 4-3-3-12, McGroarty 3-4-6-11, Styka 5-0-0-10, Frye 3-0-0- 7, Ramos 2-0-0-6, Rivera 2-0-0-5, Cuff 1-0-0-2, Noraka 0-0-0-0, Zilker 0-0-0-0. Totals 20-7-9-53.

MARIAN

Agosti 7-0-0-21, Concepcion 7-2-2-18, Valente 6-1-2-17, Lonergan 4-3-4-11, Malarkey 2-2-2-6, Cerullo 2-1-2-5, Ch. Chambers 0-0-0-0, C. Chambers 0-0-0-0, Nyre 0-0-0-0, Currie 0-0-0-0, Bobish 0-0-0-0. Totals 28-9-12-78.

Mahanoy Area 11 11 11 20 – 53

Marian 21 27 18 22 – 78

Three-pointers: MA - Ramos 2, Manley 1, McGroarty 1, Frye 1, Rivera 1. M - Agosti 7, Valente 4, Concepcion 2.