As one team falls from its throne, another rises from its grave.

For the first time in 19 years, the Weatherly boys basketball program has won a district playoff game. The Wreckers pulled out a thrilling 70-66 victory in their quarterfinal matchup over Notre Dame East Stroudsburg, the reigning back-to-back 1A District 11 champions, on Tuesday night in Lehighton.

The two teams wasted no time as baskets came fast and furious from both sides. From a 10-point outburst by Notre Dame’s Preston Protheroe, to an eight-point showcase from Weatherly’s Ian McKeegan, the first quarter saw seven lead changes and eventually ended with a 19-16 Wrecker lead.

The second quarter saw the emergence of Weatherly’s Niko Saldukas, as he totaled 10 points and ended the night with a double-double, putting up an impressive 23 points and 16 rebounds.

“I knew that coming into this game, I was going to get my shots and I did exactly that,” he said. “And I fought down low for those rebounds. Just having my team there pushing me no matter how shots were going felt amazing.”

The fast-paced offense from Weatherly caught Notre Dame off guard, with the Wreckers forcing 10 Spartan turnovers in the first half. Head coach Matt Gallagher saw this as a difference maker.

“In terms of them speeding us up, I think we just had some kids that just went with it,” he said. “We went with what they wanted to do, and it’s one of those things where you just have to get better at the game plan.”

The Spartans managed to stay close with Protheroe and teammate Marc Jackett each adding six and closing out the first half 37-33 in favor of Weatherly.

The Wrecker faithful held their breath as the third quarter progressed. Protheroe was red hot, scoring nine points as part of an 11-0 run to start the quarter, giving Notre Dame a 44-37 lead thatput the Wreckers on their heels. Protheroe finished the night leading all scorers with an outstanding 32 points.

Weatherly head coach Luke Medico has often reminded his team to stay focused when they are faced with adversity, and he did it again Tuesday.

“It’s a constant reminder to the kids that no matter what’s going on the court, if they keep their positive energy, they’re able to turn it around quickly,” he said. “We remind them all the time. Sometimes they don’t listen. Today they listened.”

They sure seemed to listen, as the remainder of the quarter became a high-flying scoring rampage, with both teams fearlessly trading baskets one after another. While the Spartans got another six points from Protheroe and five from Jackett, the Wreckers spread their offense around, which created a more challenging task for the Spartans in defensive coverage. Nevertheless, Notre Dame still had a 58-52 lead with one quarter remaining.

Down by as much as eight at one point in the fourth quarter, Weatherly showed how much fight it had in the final minutes. An 11-3 run, capped off by a three-pointer from Matt Adler, saw the Wreckers come back and tie the game at 65, but the job wasn’t done yet.

After a Notre Dame free throw, Weatherly had under a minute to keep its season going. That’s when Saldukas seized the moment and put up a three-pointer, his fifth of the night, to give the Wreckers the lead. It also ended up as Weatherly’s 13th three-pointer of the night, which shattered its previous season-high of seven.

“It was just straight out of a movie, honestly,” Saldukas said about his game-winning shot. “Coming down the court, the kickout to me, top of the key, just hitting that shot. It genuinely felt like a movie; just like a little kid out there playing in my backyard.”

A defensive stop, a steal, two Spartan fouls, and two final free throws from Sadulkas sealed the deal, putting the bow on a historical moment not only for the boys basketball team, but also for the entire Weatherly community.

“I couldn’t be happier to see the town out here supporting everybody, these kids putting in the work and their hard work coming to fruition,” an emotional Medico said. “They went out and they executed the best I’ve ever seen, so it was awesome.”

While disappointed with his team going home, Gallagher couldn’t help but give Weatherly credit where it was due.

“They hit some shots; those two guards (McKeegan and Saldukas) are really good,” he said. “We just had to be better at knowing where those kids were at all times. You’ve got to tip your hat to them. They came out, they wanted it, and they got it.”

The magic of this season for the Weatherly boys basketball now continues into the district semifinals. In spite of their disadvantages, they remain strong in one important area.

“I just expect us to play with a lot of heart no matter what’s going on,” said Saldukas. “Even though we may be undersized, we play with the most heart in this district.”

NEXT STEP… Weatherly will face Bethlehem Christian in the 1A District 11 semifinals on Friday. Weatherly has now also guaranteed itself two more games this season with the quarterfinal victory.

NOTRE DAME ES

Dilmohamed 1-0-0-2, DelaPaz 2-0-2-5, Barrett 2-0-0-5, Jackett 7-5-6-20, Carter 0-0-2-0, Protheroe 10-10-11-32, Katranis 1-0-0-2. TOTALS: 23-15-21-66.

WEATHERLY

Adler 3-0-0-8, Kokinda 1-0-2-2, McKeegan 5-5-6-16, Stauffer 2-0-0-4, Saldukas 7-4-4-23, Donish 1-0-0-3, Davis 0-0-0-0, Wagner 5-0-1-14. TOTALS: 24-9-13-70.

Notre Dame-ES 16 17 25 8 - 66

Weatherly 19 18 15 18 - 70

Three-Pointers: Notre Dame ES - Protheroe 2, DelaPaz 1, Barrett 1, Jackett 1; Weatherly - Saldukas 5, Wagner, 4, Adler 2, McKeegan 1, Donish 1.

Records: Notre Dame ES (11-12); Weatherly (14-10).