North Schuylkill celebrated one title Friday night at Martz Hall.
In two weeks, the Spartans hope to be celebrating another.
With its convincing, 71-32 win over Pottsville, North Schuylkill clinched the Schuylkill League Division I title and a place in the Schuylkill League girls' basketball playoffs.
"We were fortunate this year the way the away game laid out for us against Pottsville," Spartans coach John Rizzo said. "The juniors and seniors that have been with me for three years, we talk about this every single day - in the offseason, in the preseason, during the season.
"The goal is to win these types of games, win the division and win the league."
North Schuylkill (17-2, 10-0 D-I) will make its first appearance in the Schuylkill League playoffs since 2007, when the league still used a four-division system.
"I don't think there's anything in our minds other than winning the league right now," Rizzo said. "Our kids are hungry. They're a scary group right now."
It's a scary group that handed Pottsville (12-6, 7-3) its second straight loss - the first time the Tide have lost back-to-back games this season.
Friday's game also served as a study session for the Spartans, who, like most teams, don't see the spacious Martz Hall often.
"We realize it's a big floor," North Schuylkill senior guard Lauren Damiter said. "You need to push it and take advantage of that.
"When you can run on other teams, it's a great thing to be able to do - get the ball up and look for the open person."
The Spartans did a lot of that Friday.
Damiter finished with 11 points, including three 3-pointers. Sophomore guard Tiffany Lapotsky tallied a game-high 14 points. Justine Paul added 11, while Nina Marone netted 10.
"We worked the ball really well as a team," Damiter said. "Everyone participates. Whoever is on fire that night, that's who gets the ball. It's not a one-person team. All five of us play together."
It wasn't just about the offense. The North Schuylkill defense held Pottsville sophomore guard Sadie Cresswell to six points, her lowest total all season and only the second time she's been held to single-digits - the first was in Wednesday's loss to Blue Mountain.
"We wanted to come out and defend their guards," Rizzo said. "We knew they have the capability of shooting the ball. Cresswell can put the ball in the bucket. They have some nice young kids off the bench that can put the ball in the bucket.
"The goal is to limit them on the perimeter, keep them to one-and-done and run. We're very successful when we can run the ball up and down the court."
That quickness was on display after the intermission, when the Spartans used a 16-1 run in the third quarter to turn a 31-18 halftime lead into a 47-19 advantage.
After a Pottsville timeout, Cresswell hit a 3-point field goal and Tide freshman Madison Sherakas, who finished with a team-high nine points, converted 2-of-2 from the free-throw line to stop the run.
But it did little to slow the Spartans for the remainder of the half. North Schuylkill closed the fourth quarter with a 17-4 scoring edge.
The Spartans' remaining league games are against two teams still hoping for a shot at the league wild-card playoff spot - Pine Grove (Feb. 4) and Blue Mountain (Feb. 7).
"Pine Grove and Blue Mountain are big rivalry games for us. We expect great efforts out of those teams coming in," Rizzo said. "Teams still want to come in and knock us off, but our kids are focused on finishing on the right foot and getting ready for the Schuylkill League playoffs."
Despite the loss, Pottsville still controls its own destiny in the Tide's quest to reach the league playoffs for the first time since 2004.
Pottsville has two league games remaining - Panther Valley on Feb. 4 and Jim Thorpe on Feb. 7 - and would clinch the Division I wild-card spot with wins in both games.
"We need those two wins," Pottsville coach Rick Wojciechowsky said. "We need to do our part, we have to do our job. The girls have worked very hard to position themselves to be there and have that opportunity and we don't want to let it slip away."
To join North Schuylkill, Division II champ Minersville and Division III winner Marian at Martz Hall in two weeks, the Tide will have to shake off the memories of their last two games.
"We have to execute," Wojciechowsky said. "We have to do the little things very well - the things you do over and over in a game. It's more about the mental side with this group. They're very young. They understand the task at hand, that it's obtainable." Game Summary