The cat’s out of the bag.

If anyone thinks the Weatherly boys basketball team is just a run-of-the-mill easy win on its schedule, they better think again.

In Thursday’s Schuylkill League Division 2 opener, Marian definitely had its hands full. The Colts needed a late rally in the fourth quarter to overtake the Wreckers and get out of Dodge with a 70-66 victory.

The contest was a battle from end-to-end. Weatherly drove Marian daffy the entire night, but the Colts turned to a trio of youngsters over the final 73 seconds of play to pull out the win.

Bryan Ferreira knocked down two foul shots to draw the Colts even at 66-66. After an untimely turnover by Weatherly, Marian junior Jacob De La Cruz stepped up. The slick guard flung in a three-pointer with 36 seconds remaining to give his team a lead, which thrust the pressure on the Wreckers — who just couldn’t answer.

With 4.4 seconds remaining, Marian’s Jake Tom — a Weatherly native — delivered the dagger by sinking the back-end of a two-shot foul to clinch the victory.

“We just (had) to push through,” Ferreira said. “We don’t get mad at our teammates, we work on (these) things in practice.”

Ferreria was alluding to the tough homestretch run, and didn’t fret about Marian’s two turnovers late in the game with the outcome still in the balance.

“It was intense Friday night at PV, it was intense here at the end,” said Colt head coach Scott Murphy. “We kind of get used to that; not everybody loves us.”

Murphy knows his kids are the hunted every night out. He also knows how good the Wreckers can be moving forward.

“This is ... a very good Weatherly team,” Murphy said, pausing for a second in praising the effort of the Wreckers.

That was in plain site from the onset, as Weatherly’s quick, elusive and feisty group came out hunting.

Junior swing player Niko Saldukas set the roof on fire for the home club, as he buried six of his team’s 18 first-quarter points and was one of four players in double digits, finishing with 17.

Top honors for the team went to Corbin Wagner, another junior, who scored 18, followed by Ian McKeegan with 12 and 11 from Chance Stauffer.

Yaniel Nunez was a surprise in the Marian corner, earning game honors with 21 points. Ferreira dumped in 10, and Jacob De La Cruz chipped in eight.

The start was grand for the kids in Orange and Black, jumping out to an 18-11 lead, as they excelled both inside and outside the paint. They maintained the seven-point advantage in the second quarter, maneuvering through the Marian defense to hold a 33-26 lead. Saldukas nailed a triple and a bucket in the rally, while McKeegan went to the well for a pair of baskets.

Marian, however, caught a second wind when Dylan Rodino collected two baskets and Justin De La Cruz raced to the iron to gain momentum in the closing seconds of the first half to close within 35-30.

The Colts figured some things out, got their footing on the floor and outgunned Weatherly 25-17 in the third to go in front 55-52 heading into the final eight minutes.

Weatherly regained its groove and surged to a 64-59 lead with 4:07 left on the clock. If it wasn’t Wagner dealing, Saldukas was jumping off the glass to get key buckets. Or it was McKeegan and John Donish — along with Stauffer — being thorns in the Colts’ side.

With the Wreckers up 66-64 with 1:37 to play, Marian came up empty on its next trip and the Colts seemed to be in trouble. But a huge steal by Jacob De La Cruz flipped the script over the final 1:13. Marian stayed the course, and found a way to pull out the win over the Wreckers.

“We’re proud of the effort the kids put forth, for sure,” said Weatherly mentor Luke Medico.

BROOM OUT … Marian also won the opener, 52-41. Gregory Tirpak led the way for the winners with 15 points, while Adam Acosta added eight. Weatherly’s Dominik Kokinda had 10 and Brandon Davis tallied nine.

FAR FROM OVER … If Weatherly finds a way to cut down on turnovers, it will make noise in Division 2. It has quickness and the ability to shoot. It is undersized, but finds ways to make things happen off the glass with aggressive plays.

LEARNING … Marian gained a few valuable lessons in its first two games. It found poise, and toughness. It must find a way to convert off the glass. The Colts can get firepower from any number of players.

QUOTABLE … “They’re really quick, really good … they’ve got great attitudes, just (still) making rookie mistakes,” said Medico on the strength of the team at guard.

QUOTABLE II … “I think my (guards) are quick, they’re just a handful and they deserve a lot of credit for that,” said Murphy on his take about Weatherly’s guards.

MARIAN

Nunez 7-3-6-21, Ferreira 3-2-2-10, Rodino 4-0-2-8, Ja. De La Cruz 3-0-0-8, Ju. De La Cruz 3-0-2-7, Catrone 3-0-1-6, Tom 2-1-2-5, Tirpak 1-0-0-2, Matos 1-0-0-2 Grjguoli 0-1-2-1. TOTALS: 27-7-17-70.

WEATHERLY

Wagner 7-3-5-18, Saldukas 7-0-1-17, McKeegan 6-0-0-12, Stauffer 5-1-2-11, Domish 4-0-0-8, Kokinda 0-0-0-0. TOTALS: 30-4-8-66.

Marian 11 19 25 15 - 70

Weatherly 18 17 17 14 - 66

Three-pointers: Marian - Nunez 4, Ja. De La Cruz 2, Ferreira 2, Ju. De La Cruz 1; Weatherly - Saldukas 3, Wagner 1.