A hot shooting performance fueled an impressive effort for Jim Thorpe against Schuylkill League Division 1 champion Pottsville on Tuesday night.

The Olympians needed a “W” to stay in the race for the Schuylkill League wildcard spot, and with the pressure on, Thorpe delivered.

Jason McElmoyle’s team took the lead midway through the first quarter and never relinquished it, defeating the Crimson Tide 62-46.

Pottsville came into the game missing its top scorer - Jazce Carabello-Snowell - due to injury. Carabello-Snowell was averaging 17 points and 11 rebounds per game.

But, the way JT filled it up on the offensive end, it might not have mattered.

Derryl Fisher was the offensive catalyst for the Olympians in the first quarter, going 4-for-4 from the field, and scoring their first 10 points as JT took a 17-12 lead. However, after his blistering start, Fisher picked up his third foul early and had to sit the majority of the second quarter.

Even so, Thorpe was able to do what it wanted to throughout the night - keep the Tide at an arm’s length.

The Olympians’ defense held Pottsville to 10 points in the second frame, and Kaiden Herron stepped up on the offensive end, scoring six points to help Thorpe carry a 31-22 lead into the half. The winners entered the break with a ton of momentum thanks to a step back, high-arching jumper from Fisher off one foot at the buzzer.

The Olympians finished the half shooting an exceptional 13-for-21 from the field.

“We didn’t shoot the ball well in our game on Saturday, so to come back and shoot the ball like that was huge,” said McElmoyle, whose team improved to 14-7 overall and 9-4 in the league. “When shots are going in like that, everything else picks up. It energizes you.

“It just gets the energy going, it gets the guys excited and we definitely fed off that in the game. But also I think our intensity on the defensive end was big, as well as our rebounding. We played well in all phases.”

While shots were going down for Thorpe, the Tide couldn’t buy a bucket. In fact, Pottsville shot just 3-for-24 from three-point range, which led to much of its struggles.

In the third, Herron and Fisher once again led the offensive effort, combining for 13 of the Olympians’ 17 points. Pottsville (14-6, 12-1) just didn’t have an answer for the duo, as JT once again finished the quarter with a momentum-building shot - again from Fisher - who heaved a three-quarter court attempt in desperation and drilled it to give the Olympians a 49-31 advantage and send their gym into a frenzy.

“It’s no secret that Herron and Fisher are our playmakers, and when they’re going offensively, our team feeds off that,” said McElmoyle. “But we’ve been getting contributions from everyone.

“We’ve really developed nice depth, and we’re finally at full strength now, and I think it’s making an impact. But everyone we’re putting out there is doing good things for us.”

Early in the fourth, Pottsville didn’t go away, getting the lead down to 11 after forcing four quick turnovers off its full-court pressure. But shooting woes later, and a strong answer by Thorpe, shut the door on the Tide.

JT answered the Pottsville run with its own 6-0 spurt to get the lead back to 17 and put the game out of reach.

STANDINGS ... North Schuylkill edged Lehighton on Tuesday to stay neck-and-neck with Jim Thorpe for the league’s wildcard spot. If the Spartans are able to defeat Pine Grove tonight, it will set up a win-and-get-in scenario between the Cards and Olympians on Friday.

LEADING SCORERS ... Herron scored a game-high 22 points and Fisher added 19 for the Olympians. Fisher shot an impressive 8-for-9 from the field. Raeff Dicello led the Tide with 19.

POTTSVILLE

Matlock 2-3-3-7, Yost 1-2-3-4, DiCello 6-7-12-19, Allen 0-1-2-1, Bainbridge 0-1-2-1, Fenstermacher 0-0-0-0, Sukeena 3-3-4-11, Chivinski 1-0-0-3, Montone 0-0-0-0. TOTALS: 13-17-26-46.

JIM THORPE

Herron 8-6-8-22, Richards 1-0-0-2, Warner 2-0-0-5, C. McHugh 1-2-2-4, Fisher 8-0-0-19, DiSanto 1-1-1-3, Rosahac 2-1-4-5, Heydt 0-2-4-2. TOTALS: 23-12-19-62.

Pottsville 12 10 9 15 - 46

Jim Thorpe 17 14 18 13 - 62

Three-pointers: Pottsville - Sukeena 2, Chivinski 1; Jim Thorpe - Fisher 3, Warner 1.