Williams Valley needed a win to tie Marian in Division 2 of the Schuylkill League on Thursday night.

The Vikings trailed the Fillies by just one game in the division coming into the matchup, and utilized their length in their 2-3 zone defense to hold the Marian offense in check as they were able to come away with a 41-34 league victory.

Williams Valley is at its best when it’s able to play its pace, a style that features a slower tempo on the offensive end. The Vikings were able to work the ball on offense, and when they got their opportunities at open looks, knocked them down.

“There were a few times where we caught them going from their zone press back to their man-to-man, and we got some open looks early on,” said Williams Valley head coach Shane Zellers. “I also thought we came out and we played physical. They know us and we know them. It was one of those old fashioned Schuylkill League games.

“I thought we also did a good job of staying within ourselves and playing our game. And then in the second half, we were able to hit some key shots down the stretch.”

The Fillies’ struggles against the 2-3 defense were evident early on, as Williams Valley forced Marian into tough looks from beyond the arc, which helped the Vikings carry a 25-19 lead into the half.

Marian shot just 2-of-9 from three in the first half, and had a stretch during the second frame where it missed seven straight attempts. On the other side, Williams Valley hit five triples, shooting an impressive 5-for-10 from long distance. Mallory Miller was hot for the Vikings in the first half, hitting three shots from deep.

Arguably, the biggest shot of the night came at the second quarter buzzer with the Vikings’ Ireland Kasper hitting a desperation three. Kasper’s clutch shot killed Marian’s momentum after it cut the deficit to three with a triple from Carly Hasara just seconds before Kasper’s make.

“They extend their zone with their length. And it’s something we prepared for,” said Marian head coach Damian Fritz. “I thought we could have gotten the ball to the middle a few more times tonight, and we did some good things when we did. But we just weren’t able to execute our game plan, and that’s on me. I have to do a better job of putting us in a position to be successful.

“Also, credit to Williams Valley. They came in here tonight with a great mentality. And they had to beat us and they did that ... We also really missed Olivia Serfass tonight. She will be out for a few weeks with an injury, but you can see we missed her.”

Trailing 29-21 in the third, back-to-back triples from Addy Marek and Deanna Pugh got the Fillies back in the game, cutting the Vikings’ advantage to just two. But yet again, the Williams Valley 2-3 shut down Marian as the Fillies were held scoreless for the rest of the quarter. An inside bucket from Sage Smeltz, and a three from Quinn Smeltz once again extended the lead to seven going into the fourth.

The Vikings kept Marian at arm’s length throughout the fourth as the Fillies shooting woes from beyond the arc continued. The closest Marian got was six points (36-30) with 4:21 left to play. A dagger triple from the left corner by Kasper upped the lead to nine, and the Fillies weren’t able to mount a comeback.

“We talk about it all the time. Contesting and closing out on the catch and making them put the ball on the floor,” said Zellers. “We worked hard on the defensive end. Mallory Miller also came up big for us tonight. She didn’t score a point the last time we played Marian. She had 25 the night before and six threes, and she hit some big ones for us tonight. Her and Kasper made some big ones, and they’re the girls that can stretch the floor for us.”

SCORING LEADERS … Sage Smeltz led all players with 15 points. For Marian, Addy Marek scored a team-high 11, while Pugh added nine.

SHOOTING STRUGGLES … It was an off night for the Fillies from deep as they went just 4-for-19 from beyond the arc.

DIVISION 2 … The Fillies and Vikings are now tied in Division 2 of the Schuylkill League. If the teams finish tied, the district power ratings will decide the division title.

WILLIAMS VALLEY

Kobularik 2-0-0-4, Kasper 2-0-0-6, Miller 4-0-0-11, Hand 0-0-0-0, Q. Smeltz 1-2-2-5, S. Smeltz 5-4-4-15. TOTALS: 14-6-6-41.

MARIAN

Fritz 4-0-2-8, Pugh 4-0-1-9, Hasara 1-0-0-3, Marek 3-3-4-11, Thomas 1-1-2-3, Carone 0-0-0-0, Hannis-Miskar 0-0-0-0, Serfass 0-0-0-0. TOTALS: 13-4-9-34.

Williams Vy. 10 15 9 7 - 41

Marian 10 9 8 7 - 34

Three-pointers: Williams Valley - Miller 3, Kasper 2, Q. Smeltz 1, S. Smeltz 1; Marian - Marek 2, Pugh 1, Hasara 1.

Records: Williams Valley (18-2; 11-1 SL); Marian (19-2; 12-1).