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Selinsgrove Fends Off Bangor Area Late 4th Quarter Surge, Prevails To 49-45 Victory

Selinsgrove Fends Off Bangor Area Late 4th Quarter Surge, Prevails To 49-45 Victory

By: Benjamin Snyder | SportzWire | February 21, 2026 | Photo courtesy Steve Varias

Selinsgrove, PA -

On February 20th, 2026, The Selinsgrove Seals defeated The Bangor Slaters 49-45 in the PIAA Class 5A Subregional (D4, D11) Quarterfinal. Read a short quarter-by-quarter recap below!

Q1 -

Selinsgrove was held scoreless through the first three minutes of the game. Lincoln Rehrig and Gino Merio each hit three-pointers from different sides of the arc to help Bangor establish a 6-0 start. Selinsgrove scored its first points from a Griffin Parker corner three. Jack Piecuch then cut the Slaters lead to one with a right-handed layup. The Seals closed the quarter on a 6-1 run, where Xaivier Jackson and Mac DeFazio both connected-on threes.

Both teams prioritized intense play, settling into the rhythm of the crowd. The Seals were forced to work without Xaivier Jackson during pieces of the first quarter due to the number of early fouls he committed.

Q2 -

The second quarter was hard-fought, and gritty. Jack Piecuch and Noah Walter played great defense, collaboratively holding the Slaters to just six points during the quarter. "Gritty is the key word", was referenced by coach Justin Keiser after the game. Piecuch and Walter accounted for four of the Seals nine points during the quarter. In opposition, Jason Marcantonis handled all of the Slaters scoring during the quarter. The Seals entered the break leading 20-13.

Julian Torres connected on a three-pointer from the middle of the arc with just seconds left during the first half, helping the Seals control the momentum as halftime occurred.

Q3 -

The Seals opened the second half with a tone-setting Noah Walter and-1 layup. He knocked down his foul shot, and the Seals continued building on their lead with a Xaivier Jackson three-pointer. The Seals kept a 7–13-point lead (range) during all of the third quarter, until the final moments where Landon Childs reached the basket from three (The Seals led 31-25 at the end of the quarter).

Q4 -

Selinsgrove created an 11-point lead during the fourth quarter, led by a Noah Walter and-1 basket, followed by a physical put-back layup from Xaivier Jackson. As the fourth quarter carried along, both teams added seven to their total, setting up a 41-32 Selinsgrove lead. Jason Marcantonis continued his steady scoring to keep the Slaters in the game. Near the end of the game, Selinsgrove led by five, but Noah Walter made a foul shot to make the lead six. Gino Merio knocked down a right-wing three-pointer, but a Xaivier Jackson free-throw sealed the game as there was not enough time left for the Slaters to make a comeback.

Final - Seals 49, Slaters 45

Postgame -

I met with Selinsgrove's head coach, Justin Keiser, after the conclusion of the game. Highlights of our conversation are italicized below.

Coach Keiser stated, "We put our bodies on the line. Energy was really high". He later mentioned that he was super proud of his team's effort.

I then asked Coach Keiser about what he saw from junior Jack Piecuch defensively, and Coach Keiser stated, "He does a great job of anchoring the defense." He was pleased with Piecuch's performance tonight and the team's effort as a whole.

Final Statline -

Selinsgrove

Xaivier Jackson - 16 Points, 2 Assists, 4 Rebounds, 3 Blocks, 4/5 FT

Noah Walter - 7 Points, 1 Assist, 9 Rebounds, 3/4 FT

Mac DeFazio - 6 Points, 2 Assists, 2 Rebounds, 0/2 FT

Griffin Parker - 7 Points, 1 Assist, 1/2 FT

Chase Carter - 2 Points, 2 Assists, 2 Rebounds, 0/3 FT

Jack Piecuch - 6 Points, 1 Rebound

Julian Torres - 3 Points, 2 Assists, 1 Rebound

Bangor Area - (Not Exact)

Jason Mancantonis - 23 Points, 8 Rebounds, 3/6 FT

Gino Merlo - 8 Points