POTTSVILLE – For many, the game seemed like a formality.

Most people thought Weatherly wouldn’t be able to contend with Nativity in Tuesday’s District 11 Class 1A semifinal game.

That’s because in their two prior matchups this season, the Golden Girls won both by a combined 55 points.

But never underestimate the will to compete. And boy, did the Wreckers compete.

Brian Billig’s club gave Nativity all it could handle before the kids from Lawton’s Hill took charge over the final 10 minutes to gain a tougher-than-expected 48-36 victory along with a berth in the finals.

“They beat Marian for the first time (in 37 years), and they beat a good Lincoln Leadership team, so we knew they were getting better,” said Golden Girls head coach Scott Forney, whose team used a strong second-half performance to stave off Weatherly.

The Wreckers seemed to gain some momentum after last Friday’s quarterfinal victory. And it carried over into Tuesday’s matchup by staying neck-and-neck with the Golden Girls.

While the home team did get out to an early 10-3 start, Weatherly was about to surge thanks to the play of center Grace Miller. The senior kept Nativity at bay with her rebounding. Miller would eventually foul out of the contest, but she yanked down 10 of her team-leading 14 boards in the first half.

Miller was the anchor that Weatherly needed to counter Nativity’s pivot player Samantha Heenan. Miller neutralized Heenan throughout the opening half, which enabled the Wreckers to stay within five at halftime, trailing just 22-17.

“Grace is definitely a game-changer under the boards,” said Billig. “She takes up a lot of space. She’s been having some monster boards … she had 15 against Marian, and I think 16 against Lincoln.”

The Wreckers hung tough through the first two-plus quarters, spreading their offense around between leading scorer Ashley James, who finished with 10 points, and fast-rising freshman Bethany Houser, who ended with eight.

Early in the second quarter, Houser drilled a pair of buckets, while sophomore Emma Kane dropped in a foul shot, as did James, to pull Weatherly within 16-15.

But Heenan scored six straight points, and then James hit before halftime to make it 22-17.

“They’re a tough team; James can play and the way Miller played (makes them hard to stop),” said Forney. “We got the shots we wanted, but we weren’t hitting. Fifty-four (Miller) was a beast in there … we were attacking her and were able to get her in foul trouble.”

The foul trouble ended up being the Wreckers’ demise.

Miller wasn’t allowing Nativity to get more than one shot with her rebounding in the opening half. But she incurred three fouls by the half, and when she picked up her fourth with more than five minutes to play in the third period, Weatherly’s chances took a severe hit.

The Golden Girls took advantage, and used a 16-7 third quarter to stretch their lead to 14 entering the final frame. The Wreckers slowly began running out of steam, as Heenan took charge underneath with Miller in limbo because of the foul situation.

“I’m so proud of Emma (Kane), Ashley (James) and Grace Miller,” said Billig. “They believed in one another, and we really caught fire the last couple weeks. And that’s a sign of leadership, and maturing.”

SHE’S A GAMER … Heenan is quite an athlete. She led her team in volleyball, and is the floor general in basketball, even though she’s listed as a forward. Heenan scored 25 points and collected 16 rebounds.

ALL FOULED UP … Miller was the difference in Weatherly’s ability to stay with the Golden Girls. Feisty Golden Girl Kami Abdo, who scored 10 points, forced a lot of the fouls that were called on Miller.

BIDING ADIEU … Weatherly had two seniors, James and Miller, play their final games in Orange and Black.

NICE JOB … Billig’s team kept grinding, especially late in the season when they started to win and gain confidence. Houser emerged late in her frosh season, and will undoubtedly be a leader in the years to come.

WEATHELRY

James 4-2-5-10, Houser 3-1-2-8, Kane 2-4-5-8, Pugh 2-0-0-6, Davidovich 2-0-0-4, Miller 0-0-0-0, Paisley 0-0-0-0, Gaydoscik. TOTALS: 13-7-12-36.

NATIVITY

Heenan 9-7-9-25, Abdo 4-1-6-10, Zemantauski 1-2-2-5, Kramer 1-2-3-4, Quick 1-0-0-2, Brennan 1-0-0-2, Bernitsky 0-0-0-0, Sinko 0-0-0-0, Zwari 0-0-0-0, Bennett 0-0-0-0, Toniollo 0-0-0-0, Pinkey 0-0-0-0, Zimerofsky 0-0-0-0. TOTALS: 17-12-20-48.

Weatherly 9 8 7 11 - 36

Nativity 14 8 16 10 - 48

Three-pointers: Weatherly - Pugh 2, Houser 1; Nativity - Abdo 1, Zemantauski 1.