Resilience and determination were both key factors in Marian’s 43-30 victory over Mahanoy Area Thursday in a battle for first place in Division 3 of the Schuylkill League.

With the score tied 20-20 at the half, the determined Fillies locked down their man-to-man defense and held the Bears scoreless until 31 ticks of the clock remained in the third period.

Yet, when Mahanoy’s Allyson Babunsky delivered a late three-pointer, Marian’s lead was only seven points heading into the final eight minutes.

That’s when the home team’s resilience never allowed the Bears to come back to win the game.

With a minute gone by in the fourth, junior Kerrigan Digris hit a baseline jumper. A minute-and-a-half later, sophomore guard Frankie Martnelli scored on a driving layup to extend the Fillies’ advantage to 11.

The Bears didn’t give up, though, as Carley Hasara’s trifecta reduced the margin to 34-28 with half a period still remaining, but a 9-2 run in the remaining four minutes put the game on ice for Marian.

After the game, Mahanoy head coach Eric Moucheron said Marian’s scoring spurts are what prevented his team from a comeback win.

“We’re just too inexperienced, and not enough battle-tested, to have the poise to overtake them in a big game like this,” Moucheron said. “We played against their zone in the first game against them, and we expected them to defend with a man-to-man this time, but we couldn’t attack the basket or kick the ball out for some good looks.

“Give credit to Marian. Coach (Damian) Fritz does a great job preparing his team, and that certainly showed tonight.”

In the Bears’ 33-32 win over Marian a month ago, Martinelli didn’t play. She contributed eight important points in this one to help her team even the season series.

Fritz agreed with Moucheron that the change from the first game in how his team defended was a significant reason why it was able to secure its 15th win of the season.

“We played a match-up zone in the first game against them, but our tight man-to-man was very effective tonight in giving us the outcome we wanted,” said Fritz.

Despite poor shooting by both teams in the first half, the score remained close until Martinelli’s jumper gave Marian a 14-7 lead.

The Bears battled back in the second period. Haley Moss scored on a driving layup to put the score at 14-10, and her baseline three tied the game at 15 with 5:45 left before intermission.

The two teams traded threes: one from Marian’s Carly Minchhoff, before Babinsky tied the game at 18. Digris’ jump shot for Marian was matched by the Bears’ Caitlee Kessock, who scored on a layup off a pass from Babinsky to knot the score at 20 before the Fillies (15-3; 9-1) took control of the game in the third.

“The girls really wanted this win,” said Fritz. “It’s the first time we beat Mahanoy since the 2016-17 season. Eric does a great job coaching there, and this win means a lot to our program.”

The physical play was evident from the opening tip, and Fritz was pleased his team stood strong to the style of play.

“When you play them, it’s always physical,” he said. “I’m proud that we were able to match the intensity they brought into the game from the start.”

Fatikha Tikhtova led a balanced Marian attack with 12 points. Kessock paced the Bears (11-7; 9-2) with nine.

FULL CONTACT HOOPS ... The game featured several collisions, and three times the action was stopped to tend to fallen players on the court. All players needed brief medical attention before checking back into the game.

NOTHING BUT AIR ... Neither team could get into a scoring rhythm. In fact, the amount of airballs numbered into double digits before the final horn sounded.

CONTROLLING DESTINY ... The win gives Marian a leg up on the rest of the teams in the race for the D3 title. With three division games remaining, the Fillies sit comfortably in control of their own destiny.

MAHANOY AREA

Kessock 3-2-5-9, Babinsky 2-1-4-7, Moss 2-2-2-7, Hasara 3-0-0-7, Cavenas 0-0-0-0, Kane 0-0-0-0. TOTALS:10-5-11-30.

MARIAN

Tikhtova 4-4-6-12, Digris 3-3-4-10, Minchhoff 3-0-0-8, Martinelli 3-2-2-8, Pleban 1-0-0-3, Lombardo 1-0-0-2, Corrado 0-0-0-0. TOTALS: 15-9-13-43.

Mahanoy Area 8 12 3 7 - 30

Marian 14 6 10 13 - 43

Three- pointers: Mahanoy Area - Babinsky 2, Kessock 1, Moss 1, Hasara 1; Marian - Minchhoff 2, Pleban 1, Digris 1.