Marian's Bryan Ferreira (10) shoots during a PIAA Class AA First Round game against Linville Hill Saturday at Marian High School. The Warriors defeated the Colts 77-44 (Photo by James Gelatko).

HOMETOWN — Linville Hill Christian has a knack for playing old-school basketball.

If anything, the Warriors took the Marian boys to school Saturday afternoon in a PIAA Class AA boys’ basketball first-round game Saturday at the Jack Malarkey Gymnasium, winning 77-42 and ending a season of ups and downs for the Colts.

The way the District 3 runners-up (20-6) played the game, you could call it Basketball 101. They pass, they cut, they find the open man and they seldom rely on the over-rated three-point shot.

Oh, and they rebound deftly.

“I told our kids that if we are going to lose, we are not going to lose to a team that will outhustle us,” Linville Hill head coach Mike Schatzmann said. “That’s our philosophy. We have five guys on the floor, looking for each other. I personally don’t care who shoots the basketball as long as it’s a good shot.”

No throwing up ringtail howitzers — just basic A, B, C.

Linville Hill Christian is a well-balanced team. They lost only six games all season, including one in the District 3 Class AA championship round to an always-tough York Catholic.

Just look at Saturday’s boxscore and you get the picture. All five Warrior starters finished in double figures, led by Derian Petersheim’s 22 points and nine rebounds. Following him, Giovanni Sejuste scored 17 points and grabbed an uncanny 15 rebounds — 11 of them on the offensive end. Stephen Smucker added 14 points, while Drew Tibbins scored 12 and Jerome Stoltzfus contributed 11. Just as impressive, the Warriors outrebounded Marian 44-17.

Marian (13-12), the District 11 Class AA champions, struggled all afternoon to find a semblance of offense. The Warriors’ quickness was a huge problem for Marian, whose top scorer was Jacob De La Cruz with 18 points. Linville effectively shut down freshman Greg Tirpak and limited the inside power of Rocco Griguoli, who managed 11 points.

“We scouted them and knew they couldn’t handle pressure, so we wanted to shut down their three-point shooting,” Schatzmann explained about the Warriors’ game plan. “Their coach does a nice job with the young team they have, no doubt about that. They’re a three-point shooting team, and it looked like they didn’t want to drive.”

Game, set, match.

The Warriors executed their game plan to perfection. They attempted only nine three-point shots while focusing on cutting into the lane and scoring inside. This approach floored Marian as Linville roared to a 12-2 lead to open the game and finished the first quarter up 21-10.

Sejuste was precise and strong, demonstrating his ability to elevate early and often. The senior poured in eight first-quarter points, while Petersheim, whom his coach called the team’s three-point shooter, nailed a pair of triples in the opening run.

The only thing that concerned Schatzmann was the Colts’ late rally to end the first half.

“I was a little upset at halftime because we gave them four or five threes that they shouldn’t have had,” Schatzmann said, clearly aiming for perfection from a team that is nearly perfect in playing the game without the bombs-away shooting.

Linville continued to run perfect sets up and down the floor, extending its lead to 34-16 with 3:53 left in the first half. The scoring was balanced, with Sejuste and Smucker each adding six points, Petersheim contributing five and Tibbins chipping in four.

“Linville is extremely well-coached. They’re a veteran group and put it on full display,” said Marian coach Scott Murphy, praising the Warriors.

Marian gamely searched for answers, but to no avail.

Linville never missed a beat in the final two quarters, maintaining its momentum until the running clock kicked in with a little over five minutes remaining.

“Our hard work on the floor, passing the ball, took us a long way,” Schatzmann said.

Pure poetry in motion. It’s a lost art for basketball purists!

Game Summary

PIAA Boys’ Basketball

Class AA First Round
At Jack Malarkey Gymnasium

LINVILLE HILL CHRISTIAN (77) — Petersheim 7 2-2 22, Sejuste 7 3-3 17, Smucker 7 0-0 14, Tibbins 6 0-2 12, Je. Stoltzfus 5 1-2 11, Jo. Stoltzfus 0 1-2 1, King 0 0-0 0, Ty. Stoltzfus 0 0-0 0, Westfall 0 0-0 0. Totals 32 7-11 77.

MARIAN (42) — Ja. De La Cruz 7 0-0 18, Griguoli 4 3-5 11, Nunez 2 0-0 5, Tirpak 1 0-0 3, Ju. De La Cruz 1 0-1 3, Ferreira 1 0-0 2, Knock 0 0-0 0, Acosta 0 0-0 0, Rodino 0 0-0 0. Totals 16 3-6 42.

Linville (20-6).      21 … 24 … 18 … 14 – 77

Marian (13-12).     10 … 14 … 12 … 6 – 42

3-Poiint FGs: Petersheim 6, Tirpak, Ja. De La Cruz 4, Ju. De La Cruz, Nunez