A Red Swarm is a common sight at Jim Thorpe.

The moniker for the Olympians’ defense on the gridiron has been a staple of the program for years.

It might suit the girls’ basketball team too.

Jim Thorpe overwhelmed Wilson with a relentless defense and balanced offense en route to a 71-38 victory in Friday’s District 11 Class 4A quarterfinal.

The fourth-seeded Olympians will face top-seed Northwestern on Monday.

“We talked about it and said this is a new season now,” said Thorpe head coach Nadia Gauronsky. “We were disappointed, obviously, with the Schuylkill League playoffs, but this is a fresh start and a chance to come in with a renewed focus, and they came ready to play. I was really happy with the effort.”

The Olympians came out strong, forcing seven turnovers in the first quarter and cashing in with efficient scoring in transition. Thorpe shot 15-of-18 from the floor in the opening period.

Leila Hurley, Skyler Searfoss and Olivia Smelas had eight points apiece in the opening quarter, while Leah Snisky tallied six.

“That was something we stressed all week, buying into a team defense, and it really worked out in our favor,” said Gauronsky. “And we’ve been preaching all year about buying into a team concept of basketball, because at this point, it’s all about getting to the next game, so everybody can contribute. Maybe you don’t score points, but maybe you’re the kid that has the bulk of the assists, and that matters.

“We were pretty pleased with the effort all around, because everybody had opportunities tonight, and it was great.”

Hurley led four players in double figures with 20 points. Snisky added 17 points, while Searfoss finished with 14 and Smelas added 12.

“It’s great to be able to have everyone who can score, night-in and night-out,” said Snisky. “One night, it could be Skyler (Searfoss), or Olivia (Smelas), or Leila (Hurley) or me and Mackenzie (Yuhas) and Haley (Smelas).

“It’s great to have that balance on a team, because if one person is off, we know we can always count on each other to pick each other up.”

After a basket by Brielle Reidinger cut Thorpe’s lead to 16-8 past the midway point of the first quarter, Snisky kicked off a 14-0 run to make it 30-8 at the end of the period.

The Olympians kept their foot on the gas, building a 53-23 advantage at the intermission and holding a 65-30 lead after three.

Reidinger and Makayla Days had 12 points apiece for the fifth-seeded Warriors.

After falling to North Schuylkill in last Friday’s Schuylkill League final, Thorpe appears ready to make another deep postseason run with a group that has all the ingredients to succeed.

“We’re really excited for districts, because this is a new chapter for us,” said Snisky. “Leagues didn’t come out the way we wanted it, but we have goals we still want to complete and we have great momentum right now.

“We’re ready to play in the semifinal on Monday, and we want to be in the PP&L Center on Thursday.”

TAKE YOUR TURN

... Snisky, Olivia Smelas, Hurley and Searfoss combined to make the Thorpe’s first four shots of the game.

HOW THEY GOT HERE

... Northwestern, posted a 47-30 win over Pen Argyl on Friday night.

WILSON

Davene 0-0-0-0, Caiati 1-1-1-3, Days 5-1-2-12, Heinemann 0-0-0-0, Grant 3-0-0-9, Fitzpatrick 0-0-0-0, Reidinger 5-2-2-12, Hankerson 1-0-0-2. TOTALS: 15-4-5-38.

JIM THORPE

Cinicola 0-0-0-0, Hartman 0-0-0-0, Snisky 7-3-4-17, Yuhas 2-2-2-6, Wainwright 0-2-2-2, Hurley 10-0-0-20, Searfoss 6-1-2-14, O. Smelas 6-0-0-12, H. Smelas 0-0-0-0. TOTALS: 31-8-10-71.

Wilson 8 15 7 8 - 38

Jim Thorpe 30 23 12 6 - 71

Three-pointers: Wilson - Grant 3, Days 1. Jim Thorpe - Searfoss 1.