ATHENS — Chris Mitchell and Carson Smith led a balanced Athens scoring attack in a 53-23 win over Williamson here Friday night in NTL junior varsity boys basketball action.

Mitchell scored six points in the first quarter, and Smith added four to help Athens to a 12-4 lead after the first eight minutes.

Seven different Wildcats scored in a 19-8 second-quarter run that pushed the lead to 31-12 at the half.

Smith scored nine points in the second half, and Mitchell added seven as the Wildcats added to their lead.

Mitchell led Athens with 15 points, and Smith added 13 points as all nine Wildcats put their name in the scoring column.

Connor Mosher and Ryan Thompson scored five points apiece in the win, while Lucas Kraft and Davin Spencer had four points apiece, Matt Aquilio added three points, and Korey Miller and Nicholas Jacob chipped in with two points each.

Kaufman led Williamson with 11 points.

Athens returns to action tonight at North Penn-Liberty.

ATHENS — Athens turned a close game into a rout with a second-quarter blitz on its way to a 73-27 win over Williamson here Friday night in NTL Large School Division boys basketball action.

Seven different Athens players put their names in the scorebook in the first quarter, led by five points from junior Nalen Carling, four points by senior Griffin Stein, and old-fashioned three-point play by junior J.J. Babcock, as the Wildcats built an 18-12 lead.

Babcock scored 10 points, including a 3-pointer and a conventional three-point play, in the second quarter, while junior Tucker Brown added seven points, including a trey, and juniors Shayne Reid and Troy Pritchard chipped in with four points apiece in a 28-4 run that extended the Wildcat lead to 46-16 at the intermission.

Athens added three points to its advantage in the third quarter, and sophomore Carson Smith buried a pair of 3-pointers in the fourth quarter to fuel a 15-2 game-closing run.

The Wildcats, now 8-3, opened the season with an 88-33 win over Williamson.

Babcock led a balanced Athens attack, which had 10 players score at least four points, with 13 points, five steals, three rebounds, and three assists, Brown had nine points, three rebounds, three assists, and three steals, and junior Mason Lister had eight points, eight rebounds, seven assists, and one blocked shot.

Stein had eight points and three rebounds in the win, while Carling had seven points and four rebounds, Pritchard scored seven points, Reid had six points and three assists, Smith scored six points, senior James Benninger-Jones added five points, and sophomore Chris Mitchell chipped in with four points and one blocked shot.

Tristan Parker led Williamson with 11 points, and Jacob Schmitt added 10 points.

Athens returns to action Saturday night at unbeaten North Penn-Liberty.

WYALUSING — Mya Thompson registered a double-double, and led three scorers in double-figures in Athens’ 45-21 win over Wyalusing here Thursday in NTL junior varsity girls basketball action.

Karlee Bartlow scored seven points in the first quarter, and Emma Bronson added five points, including a 3-pointer, to fuel the junior Wildcats’ 13-0 first-quarter run.

Abby Champion scored five points, including a 3-pointer, and Thomson added four points as Athens stretched its lead to 16 points, at 25-9, heading into the halftime locker room.

Thompson scored eight points in the second half, while Bronson had six points, and Bartlow added four to help Athens extend its lead in both quarters.

Thompson had 13 points, 13 rebounds, six steals, two assists, and two blocked shots to lead Athens, while  Bartlow had 13 points, four steals, and three assists, and Bronson added 12 points, five steals, and two assists.

Champion chipped in with five points, three boards, and one blocked shot in the win, and Izzy Davis grabbed four rebounds.

Athens, now 7-4, returns to action Saturday at Towanda.

ATHENS —  Athens picked up a forfeit-filled 57-9 victory over North Penn-Liberty here Thursday night in NTL wrestling action, then used a flurry of falls to pin down a 45-30 win over Williamson.

Athens 57, North Penn-Liberty 9
The Wildcats rode nine forfeits to a 57-9 win over North Penn-Liberty in their first match of the night.

Rude gave the Wildcats a 3-0 lead with an 8-1 decision over Gavin Sexauer at 160 pounds, but NP-L’s Kohen Lehman topped Stafursky, 7-2, at 172 pounds to tie the match at 3-3.

Rosh received a forfeit at 189 to give Athens a 9-3 lead, and after neither team sent a wrestler to the mat at 215, Wildcat freshman Josh Nittinger had his hand received for six free points to make it 15-3.

NP-L received a forfeit at 106, but the Wildcats took forfeits in the final seven weight classes — Bradley (113), Kyler Setzer (120), Courtney (126), Gavin McGrath (132), Kaden Setzer (138), Fornes (145), and Bathgate (152) — to provide the final margin.

Athens 45, Williamson 30
Athens won six bouts in a row, including five by fall, to take a commanding lead early en route to a 45-30 win over Williamson for its second win of the night.

After the Warriors notched a fall at 132 pounds, Athens junior Kaden Setzer started a Wildcat pin parade with a 17-second fall of Aidric Passerallo to tie the match at 6-6.

Junior Lucas Forbes and sophomore Chris Bathgate followed it up with back-to-back pins in 55 seconds, at 145 and 152 pounds, respectively, to give Athens an 18-6 lead.

After a forfeit to junior Karter Rude, senior Zach Stafursky registered a fall over Jacob Puffer in 50 seconds at 172 pounds, and junior Colin Rosh decked Ian Bump in 1:25 at 189 pounds to make it 36-6.

The Warriors won the next three weight classes, with a pair of forfeits sandwiched around 285-pound standout Kade Sottolano’s first-period fall, to trim the Athens lead to 36-24.

Junior Gavin Bradley, now 20-0, sealed the Athens win with a 14-second pin of Chelsea Hungerford at 113 pounds to make it 42-24.

After a Williamson pin at 120 pounds, sophomore Jake Courtney closed out the match with a 12-6 decision of Ayden Sprague at 126 pounds.

Athens, now 12-6, returns to action Saturday at the Line Mountain Duals.

LUSING — It just didn’t seem like it was going to be Athens’ night in Wyalusing.

The Wildcats missed three practices this week, their bus was late getting them there, and much of the game was looking like deja vu from a year ago when the Rams upset them to send the NTL title to Towanda.

And it ended up a lot like last year’s game as Wyalusing won 31-28 in NTL Division-I girls’ basketball action Thursday.

Both teams were sloppy, and struggled with shots they normally see go in the hoop. Athens’ also turned the ball over 16 times as Wyalusing focused on stopping Kayleigh Miller and Caydence Macik.

“A lot of things hurt us tonight,” said Athens coach Brian Miller. “We looked lethargic at times after three days off … the bus got us here late and refs wouldn’t give us additional time to warm up — that’s unacceptable in my book. It’s about the players, not the refs.”

For much of the game, Wyalusing was content to milk the clock when they had the ball, making each possession count that much more, and making each turnover or missed basket hurt much worse.

“We made some bad passes and missed some basketball we normally make,” said Miller. “The nature of play favored Wyalusing. When we shoot four foul shots on the night, and they only commit two fouls in the first half …”

Macik and Miller both finished with 12 points. Miller added four boards, two steals and three assists, and Macik chipped in with five boards.

Miller shot the ball well, as she was 3 of 4 on 2-pointers and 2-for-4 from deep, but Wyalusing’s Hailey Jayne stuck to her most of the night, making it difficult to get her shot off.

And whenever Macik got the ball in the post, the Rams doubled her, forcing her into six turnovers.

Karlee Bartlow and Megan Collins had two points apiece. Collins also grabbed four rebounds, while Hannah Blackman had eight boards and two steals, and Rachel Stephens nabbed eight rebounds.

Madison Putnam had 11 points to lead Wyalusing, and Callie Bennett finished with eight. Catherine Brown scored six, Layla Botts netted four, and Jayne finished with two points.

The two teams opened the game by trading buckets. A Miller 3-ball gave Athens a 5-2 lead, an advantage they held until the 4:18 mark of the first quarter when Putnam scored on a driving lay-up. She missed the and-1, but it put Wyalusing 6-5.

A Brown bucket two minutes later saw the Rams lead increase to 8-5. A Collins jumper cut it to 8-7 but Wyalusing went on a 4-0 run in the last minute as Botts hit a lay-up, followed by Putnam draining two free throws with 1.9 seconds left in the quarter, extending Wyalusing’s lead to 12-7.

That lead evaporated quickly, as a Miller 3-ball and Bartlow jumper tied things up at 12-12 less than three minutes into the second quarter.

The Rams answered with back-to-back lay-ups from Putnam and Bennett, giving them a 16-12 lead.

Miller followed with a jumper, but a Putnam 3-point play — this time she hit the free throw after making the lay-up — saw the Rams keep Athens at arm’s length, taking a 19-14 lead.

Then, in the final three minutes, Athens went on a 5-0 run. Miller found Macik for a lay-up, then Macik got her own lay-up and foul combination to make it 19-all at the half.

Only six points total were scored in the third as the defenses settled in. Wyalusing continued to keep Macik and Miller from having clean looks, while on the other end, the Rams were patient, but struggled to penetrate Athens’ defense.

A Brown jumper at the 6:30 mark put the Rams up 21-19, but a Macik jumper with 4:35 left tied things back up again.

Then, with under a minute to go, Jayne hit a long jump shot to once again break the tie, giving the Rams a 23-21 lead going into the final stanza.

After a scoreless first two minutes, Miller tied things up with a runner for Athens. That was followed by Macik going 1 of 2 from the free throw line, giving the Wildcats their first lead since early in the first quarter.

It was short-lived as Bennett came alive for the Rams, scoring back-to-back lay-ups, the second with 1:30 left in the game, to put Wyalusing up 27-24.

On Athens’ ensuing possession, Macik hit a lay-up and was fouled, but missed the freebie, allowing the Rams to stay up 27-26.

The two teams traded turnovers as game went under a minute before Brown was fouled on a lay-up attempt. She hit both free throws to make it 29-26.

The two teams traded turnovers again before Miller hit another runner to cut it to 29-28 with 22 seconds left on the clock.

Taking the ball out on the side after an Athens foul, Jayne hit a streaking Bennett, who got behind the defense, for a lay-up, plus a foul. Bennett missed the free throw, giving Athens hope of a tying 3-pointer with 17.4 seconds to play.

On Athens’ final possession they tried to get Miller an open shot, but the Rams hounded her, at one point triple-teaming her. She finally got a shot off, but it was blocked. The Rams recovered the ball and watched time tick off the clock.

Miller was incensed at the officiating on their final possession.

“Three fouls on our last possession and nothing was called,” he said.

The loss drops Athens (7-1) behind Towanda (7-0) in the NTL Division-I standings with the two teams slated to meet in the first of two contests on Saturday with a 1:30 p.m. sta

MONTGOMERY — Athens dropped its first three matches here Saturday at the “Matness at the MAAC Duals,” but bounced back to win its final two.

The Wildcats opened the day with a 43-24 loss to Class AAA Selinsgrove, then were thumped 66-6 by Montgomery, and 53-24 by Muncy. They closed the day with wins of 65-6 over Wellsboro, and 39-30 over Sullivan County.

Junior Gavin Bradley, who is now 19-0 on the season, was 5-0, and logged just 18 seconds on the mats. He received four forfeits, then registered an 18-second fall in Athens’ win over Sullivan County.

Senior Kyler Setzer, in his first action of the season, junior Karter Rude, and sophomore Chris Bathgate were each 3-2, and senior Zach Stafursky, junior Lucas Forbes, and freshmen Josh Courtney, Josh Nittinger, and Emiliano Mallare were all 2-3.

Selinsgrove 43, Athens 24
Selinsgrove won five of the final six bouts to break open a tie match en route to a 43-24 win over Athens.

After the teams exchanged forfeits to open the match, Kyler Setzer decked Anna Kalcich in 36 seconds at 120 pounds to give the Wildcats a 12-6 lead.

After the Seals scored falls at 126 and 132 to take an 18-12 lead, junior Kaden Setzer registered a third-period fall at 138 pounds to tie the match.

Rude’s second-period fall over Derek Holtzapple at 160 pounds was the only other win the Wildcats would muster.

Montgomery 66, Athens 6
Montgomery, now 18-1, won all nine contested weight classes, and picked up three forfeits in a 66-6 win over Athens.

All seven of the Red Raiders’ falls were recorded in the first period.

In the only matches to go a full six minutes, Rude dropped a 5-1 decision to Montgomery standout Kaide Drick at 160 pounds, and Stafursky dropped a 6-1 decision to Colby Springman at 172 pounds.

Bradley received a forfeit at 113 pounds for Athens’ only points.

Muncy 53, Athens 24
Muncy raced out to a 23-0 lead after the first four weight classes, and cruised to a 53-24 win over Athens.

Forbes received a forfeit at 145 pounds to put the Wildcats on the board, and Bathgate followed with a pin of Kobe Fowler in 34 seconds at 152 pounds to cut the deficit to 23-12, but that was as close as it would get as the Indians won the next four bouts, including three by fall, to take an insurmountable 47-12 lead.

Nittinger broke the Muncy win streak with a pin of Braydon Bergey in 34 seconds at 285 pounds to make it 47-18.

The teams traded forfeits to end the match.

Athens 65, Wellsboro 6
Athens won all seven contested weight classes — six by fall, and one by technical fall — in a 65-6 win over Wellsboro.

After forfeits to Kyler Setzer (126) and Gavin McGrath (132) gave the Wildcats a 12-0 lead, Mallare registered his first varsity win with a pin of Jordan Costley in 1:28 at 138 pounds to make it 18-0.

The Wildcats would add three more consecutive pins to make it 42-0.

Forbes pinned Tylar Wright in 5:06 at 145 pounds, then Bathgate decked Nicholas Smith in 1:13 at 152, and Rude flattened Dillon Boye in 62 seconds at 160.

Stafursky kept it rolling with a 16-1 technical fall of Coleman Brown at 172 pounds, and junior Collin Rosh followed with a pin of Anthony Romania in 76 seconds at 189 pounds.

Wellsboro’s Joe Smith received a forfeit at 215 to put the Green Hornets on the board.

Nittinger logged the final win on the mat for the Wildcats, pinning Wyatt Gastric in 1:32 at 285 pounds.

Courtney and Bradley received forfeits at 113 and 120, respectively, to close out the match.

Athens 39, Sullivan County 30
Athens won the final three matches, picking up forfeits in the final two, to rally for a 39-30 win over Sullivan County in the final match of the day.

The teams traded pins in the fourth four weight classes.

Mallare decked Bryan Hope in 14 seconds at 138 pounds to tie the match at 6-6. Bathgate tied the match at 12-12 with a 64-second fall over Alex Doran at 152 pounds.

Rude broke the pattern, following Bathgate’s win with a 19-second pin of Mason Pankhurst at 160 pounds to give the Wildcats an 18-12 lead.

At 172 pounds, Stafursky forged a hard-fought, 6-3, decision over Colton Pretti to make 21-12.

However, the Griffins picked up pins at 189 and 285, and received a forfeit at 106 to take a 30-21 lead.

Bradley earned a win in the final contested bout of the match, pinning Cruz McCusker in 38 seconds at 113 pounds to trim the deficit to 30-27.

Courtney and Kyler Setzer received forfeits at 120 and 126 pounds, respectively, to seal the victory.

Athens is 9-6 on the season.

——————

Selinsgrove 43, Athens 24
106: Kassidy Ressler (S) won by forfeit;
113: Gavin Bradley (A) won by forfeit;
120: Kyler Setzer (A) by fall over Anna Kalcich (S), 0:36;
126: Trent Turner (S) by fall over Gavin McGrath (A), 2:35;
132: Aiden Gaugler (S) by fall over Emiliano Mallare (A), 1:03;
138: Kaden Setzer (A) by fall over Sylvan Martin (S), 4:19;
145: Garrett  Paradis (S) by fall over Lucas Forbes (A), 1:32;
152: Tucker Teats (S) dec. Christopher Bathgate (A), 9-8;
160: Karter Rude (A) by fall over Derek Holtzapple (S), 2:38;
172: Coy Bastian (S) by fall over Zachary Stafursky (A), 3:46;
189: Steven Miller (S) tech. fall Colin Rosh (A), 18-1. 4:51;
215: No match;
285: Nate Son (S) tech. fall Joshua Nittinger (A), 16-0 1:51;

Montgomery 66, Athens 6
113: Blake Snyder (M) by fall over Joshua Courtney (A), 1:21;
120: Gavin Bradley (A) won by forfeit;
126: Caden Finck (M) by fall over Gavin McGrath (A), 0:51;
132: Nevin Beachel (M) by fall over Emiliano Mallare (A), 0:51;
138: Hunter Leet (M) won by forfeit;
145: Conner Harer (M) by fall over Lucas Forbes (A), 0:37;
152: Devon Deem (M) by fall over Christopher Bathgate (A), 0:31;
160: Kaide Drick (M) dec. Karter Rude (A), 5-1;
172: Colby Springman (M) dec. Zachary Stafursky (A), 6-1;
189: Ben Marino (M) by fall over Colin Rosh (A), 0:58;
215: Weston Pick (M) won by forfeit;
285: Bradley Leon (M) by fall over Joshua Nittinger (A), 1:29;
106: Breannan Emery (M) won by forfeit.

Muncy 53, Athens 24
120: Phil McCormick (Mu) tech. fall Joshua Courtney (A), 16-0 4:00;
126: Alex Maiorana (Mu) by fall over Kyler Setzer (A), 5:35;
132: Scott Johnson (Mu) by fall over Gavin McGrath (A), 0:34;
138: Bryce Vollman (Mu) by fall over Emiliano Mallare (A), 0:26;
145: Lucas Forbes (A) won by forfeit;
152: Christopher Bathgate (A) by fall over Kobe Fowler (Mu), 0:34;
160: Ty Nixon (Mu) by fall over Karter Rude (A), 1:46;
172: Ethan Gush (Mu) won by forfeit;
189: Tristen Ditzler (Mu) by fall over Zachary Stafursky (A), 5:11;
215: Jason Shuda (Mu) by fall over Colin Rosh (A), 0:51;
285: Joshua Nittinger (A) by fall over Braydon Bergey (Mu), 0:34;
106: Joshua Hill (Mu) won by forfeit;
113: Gavin Bradley (A) won by forfeit.

Athens 65, Wellsboro 6
126: Kyler Setzer (A) won by forfeit;
132: Gavin McGrath (A) won by forfeit;
138: Emiliano Mallare (A) by fall over Jordan Costley (W), 1:28;
145: Lucas Forbes (A) by fall over Tylar Wright (W), 5:06;
152: Christopher Bathgate (A) by fall over Nicholas Smith (W), 1:13;
160: Karter Rude (A) by fall over Dillon Boyce (W), 1:02;
172: Zachary Stafursky (A) tech. fall Coleman Brown (W), 16-1 3:00;
189: Colin Rosh (A) by fall over Anthony Romania (W), 1:16;
215: Joseph Brown (W) won by forfeit;
285: Joshua Nittinger (A) by fall over Wyatt Gastrock (W), 1:32;
106: No match;
113: Joshua Courtney (A) won by forfeit;
120: Gavin Bradley (A) won by forfeit.

Athens 39, Sullivan 30
132: Evan  Cummings (SC) by fall over Gavin McGrath (A), 1:00;
138: Emiliano Mallare (A) by fall over Bryan Hope (SC), 0:14;
145: Nathan Higley (SC) by fall over Lucas Forbes (A), 1:05;
152: Christopher Bathgate (A) by fall over Alexander Doran (SC), 1:04;
160: Karter Rude (A) by fall over Mason Parkhurst (SC), 0:19;
172: Zachary Stafursky (A) dec. Colton Pretti (SC), 6-3;
189: Tre Powell (SC) by fall over Colin Rosh (A), 1:10;
215: No match;
285: Joseph Malkemes (SC) over Joshua Nittinger (A), 2:28;
106: Rocky Finnegan (SC) won by forfeit;
113: Gavin Bradley (A) over Kruz McCusker (SC), 0:38;
120: Joshua Courtney (A) won by forfeit;
126: Kyler Setzer (A) won by forfeit.

DALLAS — Dallas knocked down six first-half 3-pointers on its way to a 22-point halftime lead, and cruised to a 71-34 win over a turnover-plagued Athens here Saturday night in non-league boys basketball action.

“I am disappointed in our effort tonight,” said Athens coach Jim Lister. “We turned the ball over 29 times, with 20 of those turnovers in the first half.

“You just cannot do that period,” noted Lister. “Especially against a good, fundamentally-sound team like Dallas.

“On top of that they hit 12 threes,” added Lister. “That’s just not a good combination.

Junior Austin Finarelli knocked down a pair of 3-pointers and scored 11 points in the first quarter, and junior Nick Nocito also hit a pair of treys and scored eight points as the Mountaineers jumped out to a 24-11 lead after the first eight minutes.

It was much the same in the second quarter as Finarelli and Nocito combined for 13 points in a 22-13 spurt that gave Dallas a 46-24 lead at the half.

It got worse in the second half as the Mountaineers outscored the Wildcats 25-10, holding Athens without a field goal in the fourth quarter.

Junior Troy Pritchard led Athens with 12 points and eight rebounds, while junior J.J. Babcock scored eight points and grabbed four boards, sophomore Mason Lister added seven points and three assists, and senior Griffen Stein chipped in with five points and four rebounds.

Finarelli led all scorers with 25 points, including four 3-pointers, and Nocito added 16 points.

“Hopefully we learned something tonight,” said Lister. “We need to re-group, watch the film and get ready for a very good North Penn-Liberty team on Tuesday night.”

TOWANDA — Sophomores Chris DeForest and Ethan Denlinger helped the Athens boys to a 49-44 win over Lewisburg here Saturday in non-league swimming action, while the Lady Dragons won all 11 swimming events in an 80-34 win over the Lady Wildcats.

BOYS
Athens 49, Lewisburg 44
DeForest and Denlinger both had two wins and a second-place finish as the Wildcats improved to 3-0 with their first win over the Green Dragons since 2010..

DeForest won the 50-yard freestyle in a district-qualifying time of 24.25 seconds, and senior Asher Ellis was third in 29.63 seconds

Denlinger won the 500-yard freestyle in a district-qualifying time of 6:07.42, and sophomore Joe Blood was second in 6:48.79

DeForest and Denlinger teamed with seniors Mason Henderson and Joe Toscano to win the 200-yard freestyle relay in a time of 1:44.51.

Senior Zac Gowin won the 200-yard freestyle in a time of 2:19.85, and senior Lucas Aquilio was third in 2:52.07

DeForest also finished second in the 100-yard freestyle in a district-qualifying time of 54.2 seconds, and senior Joey Toscano was third in a district-qualifying time of 59.05 seconds.

Denlinger was second in the 200-yard IM in a time of 2:36.78.

Henderson finished second in the 100-yard butterfly in a district-qualifying time of 1:07.42, and Gowin was third in 1:17.01.

Ellis finished second in the 100-yard breaststroke in a time of 1:28.88, and Aquilio was third in 1:31.63.

Blood finished second in the 100-yard backstroke in a time of 1:26.19.

GIRLS
Lewisburg 80, Athens 34
Senior diver Emma Roe notched Athens’ only win in the loss to Lewisburg

Roe won the 1-meter diving competition with 177 points, and junior Rave McCarthy-Gardner was third with 104.25 points

Sophomore Alli Thoman finished second in the 50-yard freestyle in a time of 31.44 seconds. She also finished seconds in the 100-yard breaststroke in a time of 1:24.74, and McCarthy-Gardner was third in 1:27.0

Sophomore Taylar Fisher finished second in the 100-yard backstroke in a district-qualifying time of 1:12.92. Fisher also finished third in the 200-yard IM in a district-qualifying time of 2:36.86

Freshman Emily Marshall finished third in the 200-yard freestyle in a time of 37.93 seconds. She was also third in the 100-yard butterfly in a time of 1:24.41

Sophomore Taegan Williams finished third in the 500-yard freestyle in a district-qualifying time of 6:00.43.

Freshman Rebeca Gifeisman finished third in the 100-yard freestyle in a time of 1:25.08.

Athens returns to action Wednesday at Towanda.

ATHENS — It was quite a day for Kayleigh Miller. In a two-hour span, the Athens senior signed her National Letter-of-Intent to play at Penn College, then scored her 1,000th career point in the Lady Wildcats’ 56-13 win over Cowanesque Valley here Friday.

Miller, who scored 13 points in the win, is currently second all-time in school history in 3-pointers made. Appropriately enough, a 3-pointer early in the fourth quarter pit her over the 1,000-point plateau, and that fact wasn’t lost on her coach-father Brian Miller.

“The 3-pointer has been her forte since she was a little freshman, out there playing for coach (Kelly) Burkhart and making 3s, supporting Emily Lunger and Kara Chapman. She would always step up and hit the big 3 to help the team.

“Four years later, she’s become a complete player,” said Miller. “Her forte is being a shooter, and knocking down 3-pointers; it was nice for her to get her 1,000th point with a 3-pointer.”

Kayleigh Miller became the seventh girls in school history to eclipse 1,000 points, following in the footsteps of Jennifer Nichols (1,528 points), Maryellen Onofre (1.512), Emily Lunger (1,270), Taylor Clark (1,256), Michelle Shaffer (1,143), and Kelly McCarty (1,022).

Brian Miller was pleased with the Lady Wildcats’ team play.

“I thought we shared the ball very well,” he said. “(CV) played man-to-man defense, and we ran our sets.

“They were playing physical, and we found some nice offensive flow, and had some nice passes, especially to Caydence (Macik) finishing around the basket,” added Miller.

Of course, defense was once again the cornerstone in the win as Athens allowed just one field goal in the first half.

“I thought we played great defensively,” said Miller. “We contested every shot … we didn’t give them many good looks at all.

“I thought we played 32 good minutes of defense. That’s what we were focusing on … we wanted to look good to get ready for Tuesday night’s game,” added Miller in reference to his Lady Wildcats’ showdown with unbeaten Towanda.

Miller scored five points in the opening stanza, and junior Caydence Macik and senior Megan Collins added four points apiece as Athens raced out to a 15-2 lead.

Macik pumped in 11 points in the second quarter, and sophomore Karlee Bartlow added four points to fuel a 19-0 blitz that pushed the Lady Wildcat advantage to 34-2 at the half.

Macik, who was 9 of 11 from the field, led Athens with 24 points and one blocked shot, while Bartlow added seven points, two assists, and one blocked shot, and Collins chipped in with six points and three assists.

Miller also had five assists, two steals, and a blocked shot in the win, while seniors Rachel Stephens and Hannah Blackman each had three rebounds and two assists.

Renee Abbott led CV with six points.

Athens, now 9-1, travels to face Towanda (7-0) Tuesday.

ATHENS — The Athens defense shut down Cowanesque Valley, and Karlee Bartlow provided more than enough offense in a 28-5 win here Friday night in NTL junior varsity girls basketball action.

Bartlow scored four points in the first quarter to help the junior Wildcats to an 8-0 lead. She pumped in 10 points in the second quarter, including a 3-pointer and an old-fashioned three-point play, to fuel a 10-3 run that pushed the lead to 18-3 at the half.

Bartlow scored five more points in the third quarter as Athens extended its lead to 25-5 entering the final eight minutes.

Bartlow had 19 points and three steals to lead Athens, while Abby Champion added four points and four rebounds, Mya Thompson had five rebounds, three steals, and one blocked shot, and Emma Bronson registered three steals and two assists.

Athens, now 6-4, returns to action Tuesday at Towanda.

ATHENS — Athens senior Kayleigh Miller had plenty of options on where to play her four years of college basketball, but Pennsylvania College of Technology “felt like the right fit.”

Miller, with friends and family watching, signed her National Letter-of-Intent to attend Penn College Friday afternoon in a brief ceremony at the Athens Area High School.

Also in Miller’s top three were Susquehanna University and Welles College, but Penn College ultimately won out.

“I visited a lot of colleges that were interested in me, but Penn Tech just felt right,” said Kayleigh Miller. “I just loved coach Brittany (Mohney) and coach Travis (Heap).

“I was there a little before Thanksgiving, and I was able to watch a practice. The players all seemed connected, and were there for each other,” she noted.

“They all loved the coaches, and I thought I could be a good fit there, too,” added Miller. “It really felt like a family.”

Miller said the Covid-19 pandemic impacted the recruiting process.

“It was difficult. Normally, I would have been able to go for an overnight visit, watch a game, and stay with the team, but their season was canceled, so I wasn’t able to see experience that.

“And, I really couldn’t get a feel for campus life. I walked around the campus, but there weren’t very many students there,” she said. “Yeah, I think Covid had an impact on the process, but Penn Tech still felt right.”

Another factor for Miller was Penn College’s proximity. Being located in Williamsport, it’s less than 90 minutes from the Valley.

“Being closer to home had a huge impact on my decision,” said Miller. “I want my friends and family to be able to come and watch me play at Penn Tech.”

Miller said she could see some playing time as a freshman for the Lady Wildcats.

“They didn’t guarantee anything, but said as long as I work hard and have a good attitude that anybody can get on the floor.”

Kayleigh Miller, a four-year starter for the Athens Lady Wildcats, played the final three years of her varsity career for her father — Brian Miller.

Coach Miller fought back some emotions during the ceremony.

“It’s bittersweet,” he said. “Seeing her grow up with the game … coming in as a fourth-grader, going to the Pink ‘Cats, the Waverly Basketball camps, then playing junior high, and AAUs, and playing for coach (Kelly) Burkhart, and then for me, and soon on to college.

“And seeing how hard she worked,” noted Brian Miller. “Nothing was given to her … she really had to work to be a good basketball player. She’s not the type of athlete that it comes naturally to … she’s worked at it, and watched and learned from other girls.

“She’s come a long way from a little twerp in fourth grade.

“I’m proud of her as a Dad, and as a coach, it’s the same thing,” he continued. “You see a player come in, and they want to live their dream and play college basketball at any level, that’s great.

“It takes a special person to make the type of commitment you need to play in college,” added Brian Miller.

Coach Miller believes Kayleigh will be successful at the next level.

“She’s a great shooter, and she really shares the ball well,” he said. “She’s a systems-type girl, so hopefully, Penn College has a system.

“She’ll fit in there, shooting the jump shot, sharing the ball with her teammates, and working hard every day in practice — you’re only as good as how hard you work in practice,” noted Miller. “Kayleigh loves the game of basketball, and she loves to come to practice, and work hard every day in practice.

“(Penn Tech) is getting a player that wants to make her self better, and the team better,” he added. “She’s going to be an asset to the program.”

Coach Miller admits she still has work to do to be ready for next level.

“She probably needs to work on her speed and quickness,” he said. “When you get to the next level, everybody is fast, quick, and stronger. This summer, she’s going to hit the weight room and try to make herself bigger, stronger, and faster.

“And, she’ll need to fine-tune all her skills — ball-handling, driving to the basket, increasing her range as a jump shooter,” he added.

Kayleigh Miller also knows she has things to work on.

“I definitely need to work on driving to the basket, and drawing contact so I can get to the foul line,” she said. “Also, I’ll keep working on my outside shot because they need outside shooters. I need to make sure I can knock down the 3-point shot when I’m open.”

Kayleigh Miller said she’s like to stay involved in sports in the future.

“Right now, I’m planning on majoring in Marketing, with video editing skills for digital marketing,” she said. “I’d really like to work with sports, and edit highlight reels.”

ATHENS — Athens used a 35-3 blitz over the middle two quarters to forge a 62-16 rout of North Penn-Liberty here Wednesday night in NTL girls basketball action.

Senior Kayleigh Miller got off to a hot start, canning four 3-pointers in the first half en route to 16 points before the intermission.

“We moved the ball around great tonight setting up each other for a good offensive night,” said Athens coach Brian Miller. “And, Kayleigh shot the ball great tonight from the perimeter.”

Miller scored eight points in the first quarter to help the Lady Wildcats to an 11-8 lead.

She added two more 3-pointers, and eight more points in the second quarter, and senior Megan Collins buried a 3-pointer and scored five points to fuel a 19-1 Athens outburst that upped the lead to 30-9 at the halftime break.

Junior Caydence Macik took over in the third quarter, scoring eight points in a 16-2 run that pushed the Lady Wildcat lead to 46-11 entering the final eight minutes.

Sophomore Karlee Bartlow scored five points in the fourth quarter, and senior Rachel Stephens added four points in a 16-5 game-ending run for the Lady Wildcats.

Miller led Athens with 23 points, including five 3-pointers, five assists, and four rebounds. She made 9 of 17 shots from the field, including 5 of 9 from behind the 3-point arc.

Macik had 13 points, four rebounds, four steals, and four blocked shots in the win, while Collins added eight points, including a pair of treys on just two shots from behind the arc, three steals, and three assists, and Stephens added four points and four rebounds.

Sophomore Natalee Watson chipped in with four points and three rebounds, while freshman Mya Thompson and senior Hannah Blackman collected four and three rebounds, respectively.

Kiersten Mistifer and Jaclyn Nelson led NP-L with five points apiece.

Athens, now 8-1, hosts Cowanesque Valley Friday.

TOWANDA — Athens won 10 of 13 matches to defeat Towanda 54-18 in NTL wrestling action Wednesday.

The Wildcats received five forfeits and three falls, but also picked up two close wins as junior Lucas Forbes (145) used a third-period cradle to beat Garrett Chapman, 8-4, and junior Colin Rosh (189) won 3-2 over Spencer Jennings.

Athens coach Shawn Bradley was pleased with how his kids performed in the rivalry match Wednesday.

“Some of the kids are just starting to come around,” said Bradley.  “We reversed the one decision from Saturday at 189. Colin (Rosh) wrestled a good match. Lucas wrestled that boy on Saturday and Garrett actually wrestled better today than he did there, so hat’s off to him, but Lucas found a way to win.”

Overall, the Wildcats won five of the six matches wrestled on the mat.

“A good team effort,” said Bradley. “I wish everybody else had a chance to wrestle, but we’re just happy to get a chance to wrestle.”

Athens jumped out to a 24-0 lead on four forfeits: Joshua Courtney (113), Gavin Bradley (120), Mason Vanderpool (126) and Landon McGrath (132).

At 138 pounds, Athens junior Kaden Setzer got a second-period fall over Dillon Gallagher. Setzer used two takedowns and three sets of back points to build a 12-1 lead in the first period.

In the second, they started neutral with Setzer quickly getting his third takedown and using it to get the pin in 2:28.

The 145-pound match was closer, with Chapman being the aggressor, getting in on two single-leg shots in the first period. Forbes got out-of-bounds on the first and time ran out on the second, keeping it a 0-0 score.

In the second period, it was Forbes getting the first takedown to go up 2-0, but a Chapman reversal tied things up at 2-all. Forbes scored an escape, but Chapman finally got the takedown he was looking for late in the period to take a 4-3 lead into the third.

In the final period, Forbes scored a reversal, then turned Chapman for three back-points to get the decision.

Sophomore Chris Bathgate (152) and junior Karter Rude (160) got quick falls for Athens; Bathgate pinned Zayne McPeak in 1:04, while Rude pinned Brandon Lantz in 29 seconds.

Senior Zach Stafursky scored a forfeit at 172 to make it a 51-0 lead.

Rosh’s match against Spencer Jennings was close at 189 pounds. The two tied up for much of the first period. In the second, Jennings got the takedown to go up 2-0 ,with Rosh scoring an escape point.

Rosh started down in the third period, and tied things up with an escape. Then, late in the third period, Spencer was called for a penalty as he grabbed Rosh’s headgear, giving the Wildcat the 3-2 win.

Clay Watkins got Towanda on the scoreboard with a forfeit at 215.

Then at 285, Towanda’s Alex Perez scored two first period takedowns to go up 4-1. Both were on the edge of the mat.

In the second Athens freshman Josh Nittinger rolled out for an escape to make it 4-2 after four minutes.

Perez took down in the third and was able to get Nittinger’s leg. He stood up, lifted Nittinger’s leg up and then took him straight to his back for the fall in 4:24.

Towanda’s John Parker (106) scored a forfeit in the final bout.

Athens, now 7-3, returns to action Saturday at the Montgomery Duals.

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ATHENS — Athens jumped out to an early lead, and pulled away for a 43-19 win over North Penn-Liberty here Wednesday night in NTL junior varsity girls basketball action.

Emma Bronson knocked down a 3-pointer and scored five points in the first quarter, and Karlee Bartlow added four points to help Athens to an 11-4 lead after the first eight minutes.

Bartlow scored four more points in a defensive-minded second quarter that saw the junior Lady Wildcats outscore NP-L, 6-3, to up their advantage to 17-7 at the half.

Bartlow scored six points and Mya Thompson added four points in a 14-6 run that stretched the Athens lead to 31-13 entering the final eight minutes.

Bartlow led Athens with 14 points and four rebounds, while Thompson had eight points, 16 rebounds, six steals, three blocked shots, and two assists, and Bronson added seven points, six steals, and two blocked shots

Aislynn Thomas chipped in with four points in the win, while Izzy Davis grabbed four rebounds, and Amber Galvin had two assists.

Darby Stetter and Mackenzie Broughton led NP-L with four points apiece.

Athens, now 5-4, hosts Cowanesque Valley Friday.

ATHENS — Athens let a 14-point third-quarter slip away, and twice needed points in the final seconds to force extra play on its way to a double-overtime, 60-58, win over Sullivan County here Monday night in non-league girls basketball action.

“We had our backs against the wall at the end of the first quarter, and we had our backs against the wall at the end of the first overtime, and we made plays on offense and defense to tie the game,” said Athens coach Brian Miller.

“Then, we made plays early in the second overtime to get the lead, and we were able to hold on to the lead,” he noted.

“It showed some guts and determination,” added Miller. “It’s good to play a game like that … to have to execute down the stretch to win those close games.”

The Wildcats also beat Northeast Bradford in double-overtime to open the season.

“And, we’re undefeated in double-overtime games, so that’s good,” laughed Miller.

Athens built a 14-point lead midway through the third quarter, but foul trouble took its toll.

“We turned the ball over a lot in the full-court, and in the half,” said Miller. “They were pressuring our guards all over the place, so we couldn’t enter the ball into the post, or run our offense, and we had some silly turnovers.

“The most disappointing part was we built the lead to 14 points in the third quarter, then we had a couple girls get in foul trouble,” he noted. “We made some really silly mistakes, and the next thing you know it’s a ball game in the fourth quarter.

“We had some really uncharacteristic turnovers in the half-court set, and in the full-court,” added Miller.

Sullivan County closed the third quarter with a 9-0 run to trim the deficit to 40-33 entering the final eight minutes.

The Lady Griffins eventually took the lead, and were up two in the closing seconds when junior Caydence Macik — who scored 18 of Athens’ 21 second-half points, including all eight in the fourth quarter, rebounded an Athens missed and scored on the putback with 2 seconds remaining to tie the game at 48-48 and send the game into overtime.

Sullivan County took the lead early in the extra session with four straight points, but Athens tied the game on a pair of free throws by senior Kayleigh Miller with 15 seconds remaining.

The Lady Wildcat defense then held Sullivan County without a shot in the closing seconds.

In the second overtime period, Macik drained a pair of free throws to give Athens a 58-56, then added a bucket with 40 seconds remaining to up the lead to 60-56.

“This is a good win for us,” said Miller. “The girls played hard, and overcame some adversity. This will help us in the long run.”

Miller, who was limited to just four free throws after the intermission in part due to foul trouble, knocked down a 3-pointer and scored seven points in the opening stanza to help the Lady Wildcats to a 9-7 lead.

Macik scored eight points in the second quarter, while Miller added five, including her second 3-pointer, and senior Megan Collins buried a trey in the Lady ‘Cats’ 18-13 run that pushed the lead to 27-20 at the break.

Macik scored 10 points, and Collins was 3-for-3 from the line after being fouled on a shot from behind the arc as Athens stretched its lead to 40-26 with 2 1/2 remaining in the third quarter.

Macik, who made 15 of 22 shots from the field, led Athens with a career-high 34 points, to go along with 11 rebounds, four assists,  two steals, and one blocked shot, while Miller had 16 points, eight rebounds, and five assists,

Collins had six points and four boards in the win, while sophomore Karlee Bartlow chipped in with four points, five assists, and two steals, and senior Hannah Blackman grabbed four rebounds.

Sophia Springman led Sullivan County with 22 points, and Bethany Beinlich and Kassidy Beinlich added 12 points apiece.

Athens was 11 of 13 from the free-throw line in the contest, while Sullivan County was 13 of 29.

Athens, now 7-1, hosts North Penn-Liberty Wednesday.