It was a game of inches — and yards at times.

There were moments when Tamaqua looked yards ahead of North Schuylkill’s boys basketball team.

The Blue Raiders seemed ready to pull away from a young, determined Spartan squad Thursday evening. But every time Tamaqua tried to race to the finish line, North Schuylkill had answers.

The visiting Spartans made a gallant rally in the fourth quarter, but came up shy as the Raiders held on for a 62-60 Schuylkill League victory.

The difference came down to Tamaqua’s offensive balance. It was led by the senior trio of Noah Mateyak, Cooper Ansbach and Lucas Kane, as the three combined for 55 points.

Mateyak was stellar with 27 points — 12 of those coming from the three-point line. Ansbach found ways to drive the North Schuylkill defenders dizzy, darting inside to finish with 21 points. Kane was tough in the paint when it counted, notching nine points and collecting seven key rebounds.

However, North Schuylkill’s superb junior, Zack Marcinowski, juiced the nets for a career-high 27 points. His ability to score from beyond the arc was spectacular at times, including a game-ender as the buzzer went off to set the final score.

“We never make things easy, especially when we are playing at home,” said Tamaqua head coach Jimmy Barron. “That kid (Marcinowski) was terrific. He made a lot of clutch shots for them.”

So, too, did Mateyak and Ansbach.

The latter kept going to the iron despite the presence of 6-6 freshman Xavier McNally, who had his share of blocks and helped keep his team in the game.

“Sometimes we don’t make good decisions,” Barron said. “We need to be more aware of situations. We need to make teams play our game. It can become frustrating.”

Tamaqua got out of the blocks in a hurry as it raced to an early lead as Kane, Mateyak and Brody McCabe did the damage. North Schuylkill found its balance behind Marcinowski to finish strong, but the Raiders still held an 18-14 advantage after eight minutes.

The second quarter provided a similar start for Tamaqua. Mateyak slung in a pair of treys, and Ace Shickram added a deep ball to enable its side to take a 29-19 lead. Undaunted, North Schuylkill regrouped and closed the gap to 31-25 thanks in part to Dylan Cairo and Marcinowski.

Tamaqua recharged its battery at the half, and by the end of the third quarter pushed its lead to 51-39. Mateyak had seven points in the frame, Ansbach added six, and Kane contributed five during the 20-point period.

North Schuylkill, however, still had gas in the tank and opened the final frame with an 8-2 run — five points coming from McNally and the others coming on a trey by Marcinowski.

After Mateyak and Ansbach responded to help Tamaqua regain its double-digit lead (59-49) with 1:44 to play, the Spartans came through with another 8-2 spurt.

The Raiders kept their poise, though, and secured the decision — their fourth win in a row.

“We should have had four more wins, but for some reason we get out of whack,” Barron said. “We can’t turn the ball over and take quick shots. Three things we can’t do: turn the ball over, take quick shots and commit fouls.”

Fortunately for Barron and his team, the early lead and the ability to hold off the Spartans resulted in a win.

SHOOTING IT … Marcinowski has a great touch from three-point range. He was a thorn in Tamaqua’s side.

CLUTCH … Mateyak, Ansbach and Kane were poised throughout the game. The trio found ways to answer North Schuylkill for the better part of the evening.

KEEP AN EYE OUT … North Schuylkill is extremely young, and will get better as time goes forward. Its trio of freshmen — McNally, Cam Kacelowicz and Dylan Cairo — are improving.

SPLIT CITY ... The Spartans won the opener 72-44, led by Logan Damiter’s 14 points. Tamaqua was paced by Jake Tamagini, who scored 11.

NORTH SCHUYLKILL

Marcinowski 10-3-6-27, McNally 4-1-3-9, Maziekas 3-0-0-7, Kacelowicz 2-2-2-6, Gallagher 2-0-0-5, Cairo 0-4-4-4, Wall 1-0-2-2. TOTALS: 22-10-17-60.

TAMAQUA

Mateyak 11-1-3-27, Ansbach 7-6-8-21, Kane 3-3-4-9, Schickram 2-0-0-5, Davis 1-0-0-2, McCabe 0-0-2-0, Vecolitis 0-0-0-0, Tamagini 0-0-0-0. TOTALS: 23-10-17-62.

North Schuylkill 14 11 14 21 - 60

Tamaqua 18 13 20 11 - 62

Three-pointers: North Schuylkill - Marcinowski 4, Maziekas 1, Gallagher 1; Tamaqua - Mateyak 4, Ansbach 1, Schirckram 1.

Records: North Schuylkill (3-11; 0-7); Tamaqua (5-8; 2-5).