POTTSVILLE — The Minersville boys basketball team can be overwhelming at times.

It has speed, quickness and an ability to recognize things from a basketball perspective.

On Saturday at Martz Hall, the Miners roared over, under and past Weatherly 76-42 in a Schuylkill League boys quarterfinal contest.

With the win, Minersville sent a message to the remaining teams contending for a league title — it’s in it to win it.

Mahanoy Area — the defending champs — and Nativity both gained byes into the semifinals, while Pottsville also advanced Saturday with a win over Tri-Valley. The four teams remaining will be in action Wednesday with a trip to the finals on the line.

The Miners, despite only being a wild card team, run out a table of point producers, and also have a resilient bunch coming off the bench. Coach Dave Mulaney’s squad also possesses a pair of go-to guys who can knock down shots.

Bradley Kostishak is a 6-3 leaper who is tough inside, while Shazier Bethea, a 6-2 junior, is the team’s leading scorer.

Bethea finished with a game-high 25 points, and Kostishak was a force with his double-double as he tallied 19 points and pulled down 10 rebounds.

Both coaches agree the duo are lethal.

“They have depth and experience, strength wise and size wise. They’ve got a lot of experience,” said Weatherly head coach Luke Medico.

“Bradley (Kostishak) is a different type of player, he has great energy,” said Mulaney. “He is really (smart), when teams (switch) and go zone, he can find (the open) guys. He recognizes things in a hurry.”

He also has the ability to collect missed shots, putting himself in the right place at the right time.

Kostishak had two buckets in the paint in the first quarter, and scored eight more in the second for the Miners, who led by 18 points at halftime.

Weatherly just didn’t have enough answers against Mulaney’s club, while the Minersville defense smothered the Wreckers’ trio of backcourt players.

“Their guards are very talented, and we had concerns about them,” said Mulaney about Ian McKeegan, Cordin Wagner and Dominick Kokinda. “They’re really effective, and we had to challenge our guys — not that we wanted to get help (double team).”

Minersville used a late first-quarter surge to break free of the pesky Wreckers.

Leading 8-6, Kostishak hit for five points, and Jordan Bowers added a deuce, to give the Division 1 squad a 15-8 advantage.

Bethea then exploded for 12 points in the second frame to doom the hustling Weatherly team, as the Miners upped the lead to 41-23.

“They have that depth and size, and they create things,” said Medico. “(We) played with a lot of heart, and we (went up) against one of the better teams in the area.”

Every time the Wreckers dug in and tried to chip away at the deficit, Minersville performed even better.

Kokinda nailed a quick triple, and McKeegan drove inside for a basket to start the third quarter, but the Miners’ Alex Halford popped in a triple to fuel a rally that extended the margin to 66-38 by the end of the period.

After watching the Miners pull away for the win, Medico was so impressed that he dubbed them the favorite to win their first league title in the new millennium.

“They are probably going to walk away, well maybe not walk away, but end up winning it all,” the Weatherly coach said. “They’re very sound.”

SPEED KILLS … Minersville has quickness, not to mention athletes that grace the floor from its starters to its bench. Dante Carr, a Division I football player and only a junior, scored eight points, but his presence demands a lot of attention.

THEY CAN PLAY … Mulaney had high regards for Weatherly’s guards. And Mulaney has seen his share of quality players, first while coaching at Pottsville and now at Minersville.

WRECKERS ALIVE … The season doesn’t end for the Wreckers; they have qualified for a sub-regional berth in the Class 1A tournament. In all probability, they will meet Notre Dame-ES in a quarterfinal game.

HOT AND COLD … Minersville lit it up from the floor, shooting 26-of-45. The Wreckers were 11-of-44.

UP NEXT … The boys tournament resumes at the Mecca Wednesday evening. The Nativity-Minersville matchup is at 6 p.m., while Pottsville-Mahanoy Area starts at 7:30 p.m.

WEATHERLY

Adler 1 0-0 2, Kokinda 1 4-4 7, Connors 0 0-0 0, McKeegan 3 5-7 12, Mayernick 0 0-0 0, Stauffer 0 2-3 2, Cuddeford 1 0-0 3, Rivera Williams 0 0-0 0, Hinkle 0 0-0 0, Saldukas 1 0-1 2, Davis 0 0-0 0, Wagner 5 0-0 12, Lare 0 0-0 0. TOTALS: 11 11-15 42.

MINERSVILLE

Hutsko 3 1-1 7, Lofton 0 0-0 0, Zimerofsky 1 0-0 2, Manning 1 0-0 2, Bethea 7 6-8 25, Adams 1 0-0 2, Kostishak 8 3-4 19, Fessler 0 0-0 0, Halford 1 2-2 5, Rogers 0 0-0 0, Winstead-Taylor 0 0-0 0, Carr 3 2-3 8, Bowers 1 2-2 4, Mealey 0 2-2 2. TOTALS: 26 18-22 76.

Weatherly 8 15 15 4 - 42

Minersville 15 26 25 10 - 76

Three-pointers: Weatherly - Wagner 2, Cuddeford 1; Minersville - Bethea 5, Halford 1.

Records: Weatherly (12-10); Minersville (20-3).