POTTSVILLE - It was a tale of two totally different halves for Jim Thorpe in its Schuylkill League semifinal matchup with Division 3 champion Shenandoah Valley on Wednesday.

The Olympians (16-7) scored just 14 points in the first half, but exploded for 40 in the second to defeat the Blue Devils, 54-40, advancing to the Schuylkill League championship game for the first time since 1986.

Foul trouble hurt Thorpe early in the game, with its leading scorer - Kaiden Herron - having to sit most of the second quarter after picking up his second foul late in the first.

Overall, both teams looked out of sync on the offensive end in the first half as they scored a combined 32 points, with Shenandoah carrying a slim 18-14 lead into intermission.

The Olympians shot just 5-for-18 from the field in the first half, while the Blue Devils shot 6-for-22, including 2-of-13 from beyond the arc.

But, business certainly picked up in the third quarter, as both teams would go shot-for-shot and battle each other the entire frame.

Herron, who played sparingly in the second period, was unleashed in the third, scoring 14 points, which was a part of his tremendous second-half performance that saw him pour in 25 of his game- and season-high 29 points.

The first tie of the quarter would come at 24-24 at the 4:09 mark after a Thorpe three-pointer from David Richards. There would be five more lead changes in the frame, and the quarter would end in a tie at 36-36.

“They ended the quarter in a 1-2-2, so I thought I could come out in the third quarter and go off a little bit. The middle was open, so that’s where I was attacking,” said Herron.

“I worked really hard this summer on being able to isolate and attack, and it was good to see that pay off, and I felt they didn’t have a guy out there that could guard me as much as I thought they would, so we just took advantage of that matchup.”

The Blue Devils opened the fourth with a one-point advantage after Owen Kosar hit 1-of-2 from the foul line, but that’s when the Jim Thorpe defense put the clamps on.

Shenandoah’s last bucket would come around the 5:20 mark on a Kosar triple that knotted the game at 40-40. From then on, it was all Olympians as they ended with a 14-0 run.

Herron got that run started with a deuce and went on to score nine points in the fourth as he shot a clutch 5-for-6 from the charity stripe down the stretch.

Thorpe’s Derryl Fisher was also big from the free-throw line in the fourth, shooting 6-for-6.

“I think we got caught up in the moment a little bit in the first half, as we didn’t play the way we wanted to defensively or offensively. But in the second half, I think you saw who we are,” said Jim Thorpe head coach Jason McElmoyle. “We just played great in that second half, and I can’t say enough about all these kids.

“We have been a defensive team all season long, and when we picked that up, you saw our energy level rise and that transitioned over to our offense. Again, I’m just so proud of these guys; they believe in one another, and they’re playing together and doing great things.”

NEXT UP ... Division 1 champion Pottsville defeated Division 2 champion Tri-Valley in the nightcap, so the Olympians will face off with the Tide at 7:30 p.m. on Friday at Martz Hall. It’s an all JT final with the girls facing off with North Schuylkill at 6 p.m. in the opener.

PEAKING ... The Olympians have been one of the hottest teams in all of District 11, winning nine of their last 10 games.

LEADING SCORERS ... Fisher helped out Herron with 13 points for Thorpe. Kosar led the Blue Devils with 20.

JIM THORPE

Herron 11 7-10 29, Richards 1 0-0 3, C. McHugh 0 0-0 0, Fisher 2 9-10 13, Heydt 3 1-4 7, Rosahac 0 0-0 0, Warner 1 0-0 2, DiSanto 0 0-0 0. TOTALS: 18 17-24 54.

SHENANDOAH VALLEY

K. Maksimik 1 0-0 2, Alvarez 3 0-0 6, Kosar 8 2-3 20, Mikita 1 1-2 4, Rivera 2 0-0 5, Bo. Boris 1 0-0 3. TOTALS: 16 3-5 40.

Jim Thorpe 10 4 22 18 - 54

Shenandoah Vy. 11 7 18 4 - 40

Three-pointers: Jim Thorpe - Richards 1; Shenandoah Valley - Kosar 2, Mikita 1, Rivera 1, Bo. Boris 1.