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Mount Carmel Clinches State Tournament Berth, Slips Past Shamokin 68-67

Mount Carmel Clinches State Tournament Berth, Slips Past Shamokin 68-67

By: Benjamin Snyder | SportzWire | February 28, 2026 | Photo courtesy Brett Crossley

Sunbury, PA -

Jude Lazicki's 26-point outing proved to be just enough as Mount Carmel Area defeated their rival, Shamokin, to advance to the PIAA 4A State Tournament.

Quick Recap -

Shamokin jumped out to a 6-0 start, inevitably not being able hold that lead as the Indians finished the quarter with just a three-point lead.

The student sections were locked into the game, and the rest of the crowd followed. Between both sides, seven three-pointers fell during the first quarter, four of them arising from the Shamokin Indians.

Cru Schroyer set the pace for the Indians with four first quarter points and Jude Lazicki netted eight for his Tornadoes.

16 - 13 Shamokin

Both sides went blow for blow in the second quarter. The Tornadoes were led by Jaylen Delaney with 10 points, followed by a four-point period for Daniel Snyder. In opposition, Cru Schroyer cashed in for seven points for the Indians.

Halftime - 35 - 33 Shamokin

Mount Carmel came out of halftime ready to play, outscoring the Indians by eight. Postgame, MCA guard, Jaylen Delaney stated, "We played great defense all night, and we scored efficiently when we had to". His statement was evidently true in the third quarter as Mount Carmel held Shamokin to just eleven points.

Down three, Mount Carmel went on a 9-0 scoring run to take a six-point lead, which later consulted as the turning point of the contest.

As Mount Carmel began to pull away, Colin Steinhart knocked down a three-point buzzer-beating bank shot to cut the Tornadoes lead to six.

Q3 - 52-46 Mount Carmel

As stated earlier, the fans laid major impact on the game all night long, and Jaylen Delaney stated the same after the game, "The support is amazing, and in this kind of game, it's great".

The fans made their presence felt during the final quarter as well, and it all began with a layup from Xaiver Paul of Shamokin. Paul scored 21 points on the night, ironically not putting the Indians on the winning side of the contest.

With major efforts from Colin Steinhart, the Indians were able to tie the game at 61 a piece. Both teams traded shots back-and-forth, but Jude Lazicki netted a major three from the right corner to put the Tornadoes 66-63.

Clock ticking, moments left, Daniel Snyder knocks down two foul shots to put the Tornadoes up 68-65. Shamokin Indian Xavier Paul then mistakenly converted a layup with under three seconds to go. The Indians trailed by one and went without a timeout, allowing the Tornadoes to come out on top with a one-point victory.

Jude Lazicki

Interview with Jaylen Delaney

The Mount Carmel Area Tornadoes will participate in the PIAA 4A State Tournament next week.

That's all from SportzWire at Shikellamy High School!