The State College Boys Basketball team defeated Mifflin County on Feb. 24 in the District VI Championship game. Senior captain Luke Torbic’s 16 points propelled the Little Lions to a 51-44 win.
The Little Lions came into the game with a 9-12 record and faced the 10-12 Huskies for the championship. This was the first time the Huskies had qualified for the District VI Championship game since the 2013-14 season. It was also the first time the teams had met since 2019.
Junior guard, Reed Melvin, thought the team was well-prepared for the game. “I feel good,” Melvin said, “If we just continue to play our game like we know how we will come up with the win.” State College came into the game riding back-to-back district titles, and completed the three-peat on Saturday.
The first point of the game went to the Huskies off a free throw, and the Mifflin County crowd got loud in a hurry. The first quarter was a very low-scoring and defensive part of the game. After a Huskies turnover, State High was able to start their scoring when Torbic got on the board with a layup. This was followed by a three-pointer from Melvin, who tallied five points in the first frame, to lead the team. Another layup by State High’s Nate Price, allowed the Little Lions to end the quarter with a 9-6 lead.
The second quarter started with State High senior Xion Nichols climbing the ladder to swat a Mifflin County layup. A flurry of scoring from Torbic and the Mifflin County guards got both teams on the board early in the second quarter. The Huskies found their opportunities and made back-to-back threes to take the lead. This did not cut the momentum of the Little Lions though. Senior Aidan Angus added to the scoring with two tough layups then back-to-back threes by Melvin and Torbic gave State College a 26-23 lead going into the half. Torbic led the Little Lions this quarter with eight points.
After halftime, Mifflin County started the scoring once again with a layup. State High got the ball to Torbic who made another three, then a steal by Torbic allowed for a fast break for Ty Salazer for an easy two points. The Huskies found themselves at the free throw line with three foul shots but could not come through going one for three.
A quick turnover by State High allowed for a Mifflin County layup, but just as the Huskies got momentum, Melvin dropped a clutch three from the corner. Aidan Angus followed it up with a three of his own to extend the State High lead.
Angus was a huge part of stopping the Huskies’ momentum. “I’ve played basketball long enough to know that momentum is all a team needs to get the upper hand to win,” Angus said. “So, I knew that my job would be to end the quarter with a few points for State High.” Angus led the team with five points this quarter and at the end of three, State High still was on top with a 39-34 point lead.
At the start of the fourth quarter, the Little Lions had made a costly turnover that allowed the scoring to start once again with a Mifflin County layup. Mifflin County missed layup allowed State High to get the ball back to Torbic, who made a layup in a packed paint. Torbic got back with a steal, but a State High turnover allowed the Huskies to score and cut the lead to 42-38.
Once any momentum was found for the Huskies, the common theme continued with Melvin draining ahead and Mifflin County could not complete the comeback.
The Little Lions Xion Nichols commented on the team’s preformance by saying, “I felt like the team fought really hard and that we did it together. I feel like at the beginning of the season we struggled with chemistry and focused on the individuals ourselves. Today, I felt like we have got past that stage and played the brand that we know we can play.”
State College secured the District VI title and a berth in the PIAA State tournament with this 51-44 victory. Torbic led the team in scoring with 16 points and also anchored the Little Lion defense with three steals and a block. Reed Melvin added 14 points and shot 44% from three-point range.
The Little Lions are back in action on Saturday, March 2, when they face either Erie McDowell or Taylor Allderdice in a seeding game for the state tournament.
