The Marian boys basketball team’s bombs-away approach came up just short Thursday evening against a youthful and determined Schuylkill Haven squad.

Too many of the Colts’ shots fell harmlessly to the hardwood.

While Marian’s offense was whimpering most of the evening in this Schuylkill Boys Basketball League Division 2 encounter, the Hurricanes kept finding ways to make things work in their favor before finally clawing their way to a big 65-55 decision.

The final score was close, but the way Haven did things in a precision manner was the difference.

“Even a blind squirrel finds a nut,” said Hurricane head coach Fran Murphy. “We’re very young. We start three sophomores and only one senior, and our first sub off the bench is a freshman.”

The trio of sophomores led the way against Marian.

Alan Evans, brother of one-time Haven star Albie, drove Marian’s defense dizzy in pouring in a game-high 23 points. Fellow 10th graders Justin Watcher and Max Heim also contributed. Watcher drilled in 14 points, including an impressive 6-of-6 foul shooting down the stretch

Heim wasn’t in the backseat by any means. The muscular 6-4 sophomore surfaced with 13 points, and collected 10 boards off the glass.

“We can’t control what the other team does,” Heim said. “We can only control ourselves.”

Evans was stroking it most of the night to near perfection and with a deftness that is often reserved for seasoned players. He broke the backs of the Colts with five treys, scoring 11 first-half points.

“What a kid,” Murphy said. “His motor is always going, and for a sophomore he is something else.”

Evans isn’t bashful, but what gets him noticed is his hustle to work himself free.

Marian’s undoing came in the fourth quarter. It had a 10-point cushion late in the third when Bryan Ferreira flung in a bucket at the 1:30 mark to send his team to a 49-39 lead, outscoring Haven in the quarter 26-17.

The Colts looked in grand shape at that juncture before short-circuiting in the final quarter.

Marian played mostly from beyond the arc, shooting 2-for-14, which included six attempts from three-point range.

“I didn’t know if we could come back after being down by 10,” Murphy said.

The Hurricanes weren’t just chipping. They were off on a high-speed chase with Evans and Heim as the destroyers. After the former opened with a deuce, the latter scorched Marian from within the paint using the high-percentage shot in his favor.

Heim crippled the Marian hopes when he drained a triple from atop the key to put his team in front for good, 57-53.

The Colts struggled from the floor late in the game, while the Hurricanes called on the threesome of Evans, Heim and Watcher to finish off their fourth win in six tries, and sent Marian to 1-3.

OFF THE TIP … Marian had plenty of chances to open a larger lead, but the Hurricanes stayed steady and ran their sets with a lot of poise and execution. The Colts led 12-7 after a quarter, but watched the Hurricanes sneak in front with a late surge to gain a scant 26-24 lead.

BATTLE INSIDE … Heim and Marian’s Rocco Griguoli were two fierce competitors in the paint. Griguoli finished with 11 points and nine rebounds. The Colts’ Yaniel Nunez is a player, and the youngster fired in 16 points to lead his team. He plays with confidence and takes smart shots.

SCHUYLKILL HAVEN

Evans 9-0-2-23, Watcher 4-6-6-14, Heim 6-0-1-13, Kelly 3-2-4-9, Fasnacht 3-0-2-6, Diehl 0-0-0-0. TOTALS: 25-8-15-65.

MARIAN

Nunez 60-0-16, Griguoli 8-1-2-11, Jac. De La Cruz 4-0-0-9, Jus De La Cruz 3-0-0-7, Ferreira 3-0-0-6, Rodino 2-0-0-4, Catrone 1-0-1-2, Tirpak 0-0-0-0, Price 0-0-0-0, Matos 0-0-0-0. TOTALS: 24-1-3-55.

Sch. Haven 7 19 17 22 - 65

Marian 12 12 26 5 - 55

Three-pointers: Schuylkill Haven - Evans 5, Watcher 1, Heim 1; Marian - Nunez 4, Jus. De La Cruz 1, Ja. De La Cruz 1.

Records: Schuylkill Haven (4-2; 1-2); Marian (1-3; 1-2).