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By DAVE KONOPKI davek@leader.net
Friday, March 14, 2003     Page: 3C

KINGSTON – Like having a seat on a wild rollercoaster, the Bishop O’Reilly
boys basketball team has had a great ride. And the Queensmen don’t want it to
end.
   
The ride continues tonight when the District 2 champions (21-8) play
District 4 champion Muncy (26-3) in a PIAA Class A state quarterfinal at 7:30
p.m. at Martz Hall in Pottsville. The winner plays District 3 champion
Scotland (22-7) or District 11 champion Williams Valley (22-7) on Tuesday.
    “A couple of weeks ago, we talked about the state playoffs potentially
being an opportunity for us,” said Bishop O’Reilly head coach Mark Belenski.
“Now, it’s a reality and we hope to take advantage of the opportunity.”
   
Bishop O’Reilly is coming off an impressive effort against Pottsville
Nativity BVM in a second-round game Tuesday night. The Queensmen used a
balanced attack to post a 66-54 victory against the state’s sixth-ranked Class
A team.
   
“Playing like that gives you more confidence,” said senior Chris Lynn.
“Every time you win in the state playoffs, you feel like you can win it all.
But we know Muncy is a very good team and we’re going to have to play a great
game to beat them.”
   
The Queensmen have won their last three games – a district championship
game and two state playoff contests – by an average of almost 17 points a
game.
   
“We’re playing very well,” said Belenski. “Playing like that against a
ranked team is a great confidence builder. The kids start believing in
themselves.”
   
O’Reilly might need a similar effort against eighth-ranked Muncy. The
Mid-Penn Conference champions have won 19 consecutive games and 25 of their
last 26. The Indians, who are making their deepest run in the state playoffs
since 1961, average approximately 60 points a game, while allowing an average
of 45.
   
“We’re expecting a battle,” said Belenski. “Muncy is a very well-coached
team. They’ve won 25 in a row and they know how to win. I’m looking forward to
us playing at Martz Hall and the kids are looking forward to it. It’s a great
basketball atmosphere.”
   
The Indians are led by 6-foot-3 forward Adam Leonard. The junior was three
rebounds short of a double-double in a second-round win against Galeton,
finishing with 10 points, 10 blocked shots and seven rebounds. Leonard
averaged 14.4 points a game during the regular season.
   
Senior forward Lew Gaydon (7.8 ppg), the hottest Muncy player in the
postseason, scored 12 points in the win against Galeton. Sophomore guard Adam
Fry (9.1) nailed five three-pointers and finished with 17 points.
   
Other Muncy starters include point guard Trevor Egli (13.5) and center
Travis Hill (6.9). Sixth-man Nate Messmer came off the bench to score 16
points against Galeton, including a pair of three-pointers.
   
O’Reilly senior Mike Dal Santo says he knew his team could make a big run
in the state playoffs when four other Wyoming Valley Conference Division III
teams earned berths in the state playoffs.
   
“When we saw the success the other teams in our division were having, we
thought we had a good chance,” he said. “Now, we believe we can do anything.
The sky’s the limit. This season has been a lot of fun. We don’t want to see
it end.”