HAZLE TWP. — A glance at the boxscore shows the McAdoo-Kelayres and Valley junior high girls’ basketball teams played to a 17-all stalemate over the final three quarters of their Anthracite League championship game on Thursday.

Sticking out, though, is the unbeaten Lady Eagles’ 9-0 start and later their 7-0 third-quarter run. Both keyed their eventual 26-17 victory and their third straight league title.

“It was very important to get a good jump in this game,” Deanna Shimko, Valley’s first-year head coach, said afterward. “McAdoo plays an intense game. (Its) girls are quick, they’re smart and they were a tough matchup for us. I told our girls that our defense was going to win the game for us today.”

While the Lady Mustangs didn’t find the basket in 11 shot attempts and turned the ball over seven times in the first quarter, Valley was getting four points apiece from Olivia Rodgers and Piper Brutosky and a Hailey Spaide free throw to account for its early nine-point spurt. That proved to be the difference in the end.

“We didn’t score as much as we wanted… so we had to focus on playing solid defense and committing no fouls,” Shimko said.

The Lady Eagles’ lead eventually swelled to 11-0 following Kendall Maylath’s short jumper, before Ysabela Marchetti’s driving layup finally put McAdoo-Kelayres on the scoreboard at the 3:18 mark of the second quarter. Amberly Jaramillo’s old-fashioned three-point play continued the Lady Mustangs’ momentum and they managed to stay within 13-8 by halftime.

“We couldn’t shoot it in the ocean in the first quarter …We’re not used to not scoring any points in a quarter at all,” McAdoo-Kelayres head coach Amy Roslevege said. “You’ve got to give it up to Valley for coming out and being ready early, but I’m also very proud of our girls for not ever giving up. They played well and hard to the last second.”

Valley yo-yoed its lead back up to 20-8 by the end of the third quarter. Rodgers added four more of her game-high 12 points, including two free throw; Maylath connected from in close and Brutosky made 1-of-2 free throws.

Defensively, the determined Lady Eagles often had enough hands in the paths of McAdoo-Kelayres shooters, who were either off the mark or had shots roll in and out to wind up 0-for-15 from the floor in the quarter. Five Lady Mustangs turnovers also didn’t help their cause.

“Keeping our girls humble was something we struggled with over the course of the season,” Shimko said. “I kept reminding our girls that McAdoo wanted (the championship) as much as we did. Keeping a structure and working on things in practice really kept us humbled and focused.”

After two more Maylath baskets gave the Lady Eagles their biggest lead (24-8) early in the fourth quarter, McAdoo-Kelayres still showed its pluck with nine of the game’s final 11 points. Marchetti knocked down a jump shot and then swished a 3-pointer from the corner, Scarlett Riccio recycled a teammate’s miss into a deuce and reserve Jeniece Burgos scored on a layup to account for their team’s late surge.

“I’m so proud of our girls even making to the championship game,” Roslevege said. “it’s a once-in-a-lifetime experience for them because you don’t see this kind of crowd, even in high school games unless you get to the district finals or into the state playoffs. I’m just so proud of them for the way they played and they kept fighting all year, even tonight after they got into an early hole.”

Maylath followed Rodgers on the Valley side of the scorebook with eight points. Brutosky pitched in five. But it took a total team effort for the Lady Eagles to repat as league champions.

“We kept reminding our girls that there’s always room for improvement,” Shimko said. “Even though we were having an undefeated season, we kept telling them that, of course, there was always room for us to grow.”

For the Lady Mustangs, Marchetti showed the way with nine point. Jaramillo chipped in four, all coming in the second quarter.

Only one team, though, got to cut down the nets — the same team that did it the past two seasons. But with a new coach in charge.

“I’m still shaking. ..It’s amazing,” Shimko said. “I hope they made as much a difference in their lives as they made in mine.”

Game summary

Anthracite Junior High Basketball League

Girls’ championship

At Hazleton Area High School

McADOO-KELAYRES (17)

J. Burgos 1 0-0 2, Sanchez 0 0-2 0, M. Riccio 0 0-4 0, S. Riccio 1 0-0 2, Marchetti 3 2-4 9, R. Burgos 0 0-0 0, Jaramillo 1 2-3 4. Totals 6 4-13 17.

VALLEY (26)

Spaide 0 1-4 1, Rodgers 5 2-3 12, Maylath 4 0-2 8, Shults 0 0-0 0, Brutosky 2 1-2 5, Demko 0 0-0 0, DeLeon 0 0-0 0. Totals11 4-11 26.

M-K……0 8 0 9 — 17

Valley ..9 4 7 6 — 26

3-FG: Marchetti.