Northeast Bradford erased a late six-point deficit and forced overtime Saturday at Montoursville, but Muncy did not flinch. A team which basically had no preseason, and which has dealt with numerous injuries and a constant bullseye fought back again, dominated the extra session and defeated NEB, 55-49. Stiles Eyer hit a clutch overtime 3-pointer, both he and Dominic Guardini scored 18 points, and the two-time defending champions reached both their fourth straight district final and state tournament.

It certainly has not been an easy road back to the final, but the hard has made it especially rewarding.

“It’s crazy but for this senior class it’s their fourth straight time playing for a district championship. That’s insane,” Muncy coach Jason Gresh said. “This one they gutted it out, there’s no doubt about it.”

Muncy (20-5) also secured a third straight 20-win season and will play league rival Northwest for the championship. NEB took the Indians to the limit but, as Muncy did against Neumann in a 55-49 quarterfinal win, it dug deep, executed well in big moments and found a way to survive and advance.

RALPH WILSON/Sun-Gazette Correspondent Muncy's Stiles Eyer (10) looks for a shot during a PIAA District 4, Class AA semifinal game at Montoursville on Saturday, Feb. 22, 2025.

“A big part of these games is you have to just try and muscle it out,” Guardini said after producing two critical overtime blocked shots. “We didn’t really come out ahead very much in these games, so we really had to work for them and that was big for us.”

NEB (15-10), which plays Sayre for the district’s final state tournament berth, also emptied its collective tank chasing victory. That included outscoring Muncy over the final 3 minutes, 13 seconds and forcing overtime. The Indians had two good looks at game-winning shots in the closing seven seconds, but both were just off the mark, and it appeared NEB had momentum entering overtime.

Again, though, Muncy collected itself and thrived under pressure. Nate Rogers (9 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists) scored off a putback on the first overtime possession before Kohen Meyer blocked a shot on the other end as Muncy re-asserted itself.

That set the stage for the game’s defining shot. Eyer, a senior captain, hit big baskets throughout the game and let a 3-pointer fly with 2:27 remaining. The shot banked off the backboard and through the net, giving Muncy both a 54-49 advantage and strategic control which it perfectly utilized as it skillfully ran clock from there.

“We’ve been working really hard, and I guess it was either a gift, a miracle or hard work paying off,” Eyer said. “I don’t know but thank God it went in because we needed it.”

RALPH WILSON/Sun-Gazette Correspondent Muncy's Kenneth Hampe (54) looks for a shot between a pair of Northeast Bradford defenders during a PIAA District 4, Class AA semifinal game at Montoursville on Saturday, Feb. 22, 2025.

Eyer gave Muncy a little bit of everything it needed, producing a double-double on his birthday, grabbing 10 rebounds and dealing four assists. After NEB took a five-point third quarter lead, Eyer really heated up and scored nine points over the quarter’s final five minutes as Muncy surged ahead, 39-36.

“They looked to him tonight for sure for leadership and he provided it,” Gresh said. “He was a calming force. It was like, ‘Let’s chill for a minute and let’s see what’s going on.'”

Guardini broke out of the cold and also heated up quick in the second half, scoring 15 of his points. As he did in football when he helped Muncy reach the state semifinals, Guardini played one of his best games at a great time and made six straight shots between the third and fourth quarters. He also made a free throw with 27.2 seconds left, putting Muncy up, 55-49.

Guardini was part of a defense which never allowed NEB a clean look at the basket in overtime. He blocked shots on consecutive possessions and each block enabled Muncy to methodically continue running its offense and pull closer to the final.

“It’s great. It’s just like in football when I made my first playoff starts. It’s just amazing to be a part of it,” Guardini said. “We were pretty confident going into overtime. We didn’t play great in the first half, but we executed well in overtime.”

RALPH WILSON/Sun-Gazette Correspondent Muncy's Nathan Rogers (2) looks for a shot around a Northeast Bradford defender during a PIAA District 4, Class AA semifinal game at Montoursville on Saturday, Feb. 22, 2025.

Guardini is one of 11 Muncy basketball players who also played football last fall. It’s a different sport but big games are big games, and that experience seemed to pay big dividends in overtime. Instead of moping about losing a late six-point lead, Muncy focused on the next play and kept making it.

The Indians forced tough shots on NEB’s last two possessions and Kyran Lisembee secured the thrilling, hard-fought win when he grabbed a rebound in the closing seconds. The student section rose to applaud and Muncy took its spot in program history, becoming the first to reach four consecutive district championships.

“What was going through my mind going into overtime was we have a tie game and if we play smothering defense and suffocate them and execute on offense and are patient, that will make us hard to beat,” Eyer said. “If we settled down and got things that are open rather than forcing things we’d come out on top.”

Muncy and NEB took turns doing all those things throughout the first four quarters and swapped leads 13 times. The Panthers led by one after a quarter, Muncy 19-18 at halftime and 39-36 after three. Whenever one team seemed to be heating up and threatening to pull away, the other came thundering back. That included Muncy wiping out a six-point deficit in the third quarter and NEB erasing a five-point deficit.

As has been the case all season, Muncy had no shortage of players helping it prevent the opponent from taking over. Jaxton Frantz hit a go-ahead 3-pointer before halftime and another which put Muncy ahead, 46-40 while excelling off the bench with Lisembee in foul trouble. Meyer grabbed 10 rebounds, Ken Hampe five and Carter Feigles and Gavin Barrows entered in overtime to let Gresh play matchups, each embracing his role.

RALPH WILSON/Sun-Gazette Correspondent Muncy's Stiles Eyer (10) shoots over the heads of a pair of Northeast Bradford defenders during a PIAA District 4, Class AA semifinal game at Montoursville on Saturday, Feb. 22, 2025.

It has not been about one or two players pulling the rope, but every player doing so. Now they have pulled it back into the district final.

“It was cleansing knowing there are other guys who are confident enough to take and make those shots. Jax is a sophomore, Dom is in his first year starting, and a lot of guys in those situations wouldn’t have the confidence to shoot those shots that those guys did tonight but I’ve been telling them all season if you have an open look, take it,” Eyer said. “If it doesn’t go in, crash the boards and get a rebound or get back on defense. That’s been our mentality all season, and it’s obviously shown in the playoffs.”

NEB (49)

Cooper Brown 4 2-2 11, Tanner Herb 8 0-0 18, Dan Barrett 1 0-0 2, Eli Stanton 7 2-5 16, Clay Wilks 1 0-0 2. Totals 21 4-7 49.

MUNCY (55)

RALPH WILSON/Sun-Gazette Correspondent Muncy's Kyran Lisembee (5) signals to his teammates during a PIAA District 4, Class AA semifinal game at Montoursville on Saturday, Feb. 22, 2025.

Gavin Barrows 0 0-0 0, Nate Rogers 3 3-4 9, Carter Feigles 0 0-0 0, Kyran Lisembee 0 0-0 0, Stiles Eyer 8 0-0 18, Jaxton Frantz 2 0-0 6, Dominic Guardini 7 1-2 18, Kohen Meyer 1 0-0 2, Ken Hampe 1 0-0 2. Totals 22 4-6 55.

NEB 11 7 18 13 0–49

Muncy 10 9 20 10 6–55

3-pointers: NEB 3 (Herb 2, Brown); Muncy 7 (Guardini 3, Eyer 2, Frantz 2).

Records: Muncy 20-5. NEB 15-10.

RALPH WILSON/Sun-Gazette Correspondent Muncy's Nathan Rogers (2) looks for a shot during a PIAA District 4, Class AA semifinal game at Montoursville on Saturday, Feb. 22, 2025.