The Jim Thorpe basketball team has shown improvement in every facet of the game this season.

The Olympians have qualified for the postseason for the first time since 2010 and have been challenging more established programs throughout the season.Despite a defeat to Blue Mountain on Monday night, Jim Thorpe once again showed it can play with the top tier teams in the Schuylkill LeagueIn what was a physical battle, the Eagles' big second half lifted them to a 47-44 Schuylkill League Division 1 victory over the Olympians.Jim Thorpe (12-7) carried all of the momentum in the first half. It jumped out to a quick 8-1 lead at the 3:26 mark in the first. The Olympians' strong defensive effort and big man Rayan Green's eight-points in the quarter gave Thorpe a 13-point lead heading into the the second."We were able to make shots and we limited their top guys from getting looks," said Jim Thorpe coach Jason McElmoyle. "We also were rebounding well and not giving up any second chance opportunities. I thought our defense was pretty good all night too, but we especially gave them trouble in the first half."Blue Mountain (16-4) was able to get going offensively a bit in the second quarter, but the Olympians were able to hold them at bay, still carrying a 13-point advantage into intermission.In the third quarter, the 16-win Eagles team showed up, especially on the defensive side of the ball. Blue Mountain held Jim Thorpe to just four points in the third, going on a 12-4 run to close within five points heading into the final frame."You have to first give credit to Jim Thorpe because they came out and made us really uncomfortable, and Green dominated in the paint," said Blue Mountain coach Dustin Wert. "I wasn't pleased with the way we played defense in the first half, but once we started to play defense better and get some stops ,then that helped us on the offensive side of the floor."The fourth provided a ton of drama and back-and-forth buckets. With one minute remaining, Blue Mountain guard Brayden Lewis made a tough fall away jumper in the lane to put the Eagles up one.An Eagles free throw and a breakdown defensively by the Olympians in their full court press gave Blue Mountain an uncontested layup that extended their lead to five points with 20 seconds remaining.The Olympians wouldn't go away, however, as a quick Chris Micciche bucket gave Thorpe life with just under eight seconds left. Two missed Mark Chelius free throws gave Micciche a look from half court for the tie, but the shot was no good and Blue Mountain got a big win on the road."We know we didn't play our basketball in the first half so we're happy to get out of here with a win," said Wert. "This is a good Jim Thorpe team, and this is a tough place to play. I'm just proud of my kids for the way they battled back. That's an attribute you definitely need with the postseason approaching."GUARD TANDEM ... The Eagles' Mark Chelius (15 points) and Brayden Lewis (14) led their team offensively. Lewis was huge in the fourth, scoring eight points.BIG FIRST HALF ... Thorpe's Green scored 15 of his game-high 18 points in the first half. He was a big reason for the Olympians 13-point lead at intermission.BLUE MOUNTAINPuzzi 3-0-0-6, Lewis 3-8-11-14, Albertini 0-2-2-2, Chelius 6-0-2-15, Zerbe 1-1-2-3, Hoynoski 1-0-0-2, Biever 2-1-2-5, Welsh 0-0-0-0. TOTALS: 16-12-19-47.JIM THORPEElmore 4-2-2-10, Micciche 4-1-2-9, Green 8-2-4-18, Lauer 2-0-0-4, McElmoyle 1-0-0-3, Jefferson 0-0-0-0, Joyce 0-0-0-0. TOTALS: 19 5-8 44.Blue Mtn. 3 12 12 20 - 47Jim Thorpe 16 12 4 12 - 44Three-pointers: BM - Chelius 3; JT - McElmoyle 1.