SAYRE — For two-and-a-half quarters, Athens was able to hang with
Towanda, but a Black Knight run late in the third quarter, and early in
the fourth, helped them edge the Wildcats, 43-37, for the NTL Showdown
title Saturday.
“That was a nice thing we took that lead, but,
again, Paige (Manchester) had some big threes in the second half, and
then we had some mistakes in our half-court, where we turned it over,
and they got transition baskets,” said Athens coach Brian Miller.
“That’s the two things we were concentrating on — don’t let Paige beat
us from the perimeter, and don’t let them get transition baskets, and
that hurt us a little bit.”
Karlee Bartlow had 15 points to lead
Athens, while Olivia Bartlow added 11 points and nine boards. Caydence
Macik had six points to go with seven boards, and five assists, while
Addy Wheeler added five points and six boards.
Manchester
finished with 15 points for Towanda and Porschia Bennett added 14. Bella
Hurley scored six, Gracie Schoonover netted four, Destiny Brennan
notched three, with Eliza Fowler added one.
“We’ve gotten
better,” Miller said. “They beat us by 30 at their place, they beat us
by 11 at our place, and then we lost by six, and we were ahead in the
third quarter, so I’m using it as motivation that we’re getting better.”
Athens
came out and took a 4-0 lead on buckets from Olivia Bartlow and
Wheeler. Hurley would answer with a 3-ball, then Manchester made a
lay-up to give them their first lead.
Schoonover would make it
7-4 with a jumper, but a Karlee Bartlow lay-up cut it to 7-6. Manchester
then found Bennett for a bucket to take a 9-6 lead at the first horn.
The lead would get as high as 14-7 early in the second on a Bennett 3-point play.
Athens, though, would get a lay-up from Olivia Bartlow, followed by a 3-ball from Wheeler, to cut it to 14-12.
Schoonover would get a lay-up to make it 16-12, but a 3-0 Athens spurt to end the half cut it to 16-15 at the break.
Bennett opened up the quarter with a lay-up, but Karlee Bartlow answered with a 3-ball to make it 18-18.
The two teams would trade baskets, with Athens getting a lead when Karlee Bartlow hit a jumper with 4:12 on the clock.
But
that’s when Towanda made their move, beginning with a Manchester
3-ball. She then found Bennett on the run out, followed by another
3-ball from her to put the Knights up 28-22.
After a Macik free
throw Brennan then hit a 3-pointer with under a minute left in the
quarter to put them up by eight points. A Macik lay-up cut it to 31-25
with one quarter left.
Athens would cut it to a 4-point game on a
Karlee Bartlow 3-ball, but Manchester followed with a 3-pointer of her
own. Karlee Bartlow would get a lay-up, followed by Bennett going 1-of-2
from the line.
After two Athens misses at the charity stripe,
Hurley hit her second 3-ball of the game to Towanda a 39-30 lead with
just over four minutes to play.
Olivia Bartlow would get a putback, but Manchester got to the line at the other end to keep it at nine points.
An old-fashioned 3-point play from Olivia Bartlow cut it to 41-35 with 2:28 left to play, but that’s as close as it got.
Athens
wouldn’t score again until there were 18.8 seconds left to play, and by
that time Towanda had added two freebies to go up 43-35.
Karlee Bartlow’s final lay-up made it a 43-37 final.
The
Wildcats will be hosting a district game next week, possibly Lewisburg,
and they hope they can continue their strong play into the postseason.
“We’re going to use this to get ready for probably Lewisburg on Thursday night,” said Miller.
SAYRE — In a game no fan wanted to end, Athens and Troy needed extra
time to decide who was going to walk out with the NTL Showdown Trophy.
And, in the end, the Wildcats got a Nalen Carling free throw with 49.9
seconds remaining to take a 1-point lead, and made it stick defensively
to beat the Trojans, 68-67, in boys’ basketball action Saturday.
“It feels awesome,” Athens coach Jim Lister remarked. “Honestly, it feels terrific.”
The
stars certainly showed up, as Wildcat JJ Babcock finished with 29
points, eight of them coming in overtime, while Troy’s Ty Barrett lit up
with 33, including seven 3-pointers.
“First, I want to say
congratulations to the Troy Trojans,” Lister said. “Coach Renzi has a
phenomenal program, and Ty Barrett is an unbelievable player. Mason
Imbt, he’s just s man-child in there, and they’re so good, but, you know
what, I think we’re a match-up challenge for them. Our length and our
athleticism makes it a little bit tough for them.”
The Wildcats
made their living in the paint, as they hit 31 2-point field goals, with
no threes, as they worked to get the ball inside. That was in sharp
contrast to Troy, who had as many threes (12) as two point field goals
(12).
“I always say we’re a complete team,” remarked Lister.
“I’ve got five or six guys out there all the time that can score, and
score a lot, and I think that helps.
“And, if I go back in time,
and I look at our AAU season, we battled them in AAU, but we were able
to beat them in AAU. We battled over summer league, and we were able to
beat them in summer league,” he noted. “We beat them at our place the
first time we played them, and tonight was a phenomenal game. They got
us last Saturday in Troy, and, I’m not taking anything away from them
whatsoever, nothing, but we had to play back-to-back games, and I just
didn’t think our legs were 100percent, and it showed a little bit.
“But
tonight, we got rest, and I think our intensity was there in the
beginning of the game, which was good,” added Lister. “And you need to
do that against a team as good as Troy.”
Twice the Wildcats got
out to decent leads, 8-2 in the first quarter, and 50-42 early in the
fourth, but both times the Trojans came back. The two teams would trade
leads down the stretch of the fourth, with Troy missing two game-winning
shots in regulation. The two teams traded leads through the first half
of the fourth quarter, until Athens got back-to-back buckets to go up
three points. A Troy 3-pointer tied, but Carling got to the line, made
the second of two freebies, and that was enough to carry it home.
Babcock had eight boards, seven assists, three blocks, and two steals to go with his 29 points.
“I
keep saying it, he’s a complete player,” said Lister. “We want him to
have the ball. He’s got to touch it, and, if he touches it, usually good
things happen.”
Carling had 15 points, five boards, three assists, and two steals.
Mason
Lister finished with eight points, four boards, five assists, and two
steals, and Tucker Brown added eight points, and two steals.
Troy
Pritchard had four points, two boards, and two steals, with Kolsen
Keathley getting two points and three rebounds, and Christ Mitchell
adding two points.
“When they went zone, we’re good at finding
mismatches,” said Babcock. “When I touch the ball up top, I just see
over everybody, and I see guys like Nails or Troy for easy buckets.”
After
Barrett, Imbt was the second-leading scorer for Troy with 13 points,
while Justice Chimics finished with nine. Lance Heasley and Ethan VanNoy
had six points each.
“What a comeback by the Troy Trojans,”
Lister remarked. “They made it a game, which you knew they would. An
unbelievable shooting night they had.”
The Wildcats jumped out to
an 8-2 lead thanks to three lay-ups and a jumper — Babcock had one of
each — but after a Troy time-out, Barrett hit a three ball to cut it to
8-5.
Carling responded with another lay-up, but Chimics answered
that with a 3-ball to make it 10-8. The two teams would trade buckets,
followed by a VanNoy 3-ball to give Troy their first lead, 13-12, but a
Brown jumper put Athens up 14-13 at the first horn.
The Wildcats
opened the second quarter with lay-ups from Carling and Babcock, but
Troy came back with two Imbt freebies, followed by a Heasley putback.
That’s
when Athens went on a 12-0 run, fueled by six points from Lister. They
showed off their quick passing as they assisted on three of the buckets,
including a Babcock-to-Lister-to-Brown that got their fans going.
A
Barrett lay-up off a Chimics assist stopped the run. Carling answered
with a short jumper, but Troy finished the half on a 4-0 spurt to cut it
to 32-23 at the half.
Babcock opened the third with a put-back, but Barrett got Troy rolling with back to back 3-balls to make it 34-29.
A
4-0 Athens spurt pushed it to 38-29, but Troy rallied again, as Imbt
thad a putback, followed by another Barrett 3-pointer to make it 38-34.
Carling
would score a lay-up at the other end, but the Trojans would cut it to
40-37 behind a 3-for-4 effort from the foul line.
After another
Carling jumper, the two teams traded lay-ups, and Chimics hit another
3-pointer to close the gap to 44-42. Mitchell would get the final bucket
of the quarter to give the Wildcats a 46-42 lead with one quarter
left.
Athens would start the fourth with a 4-0 spurt, but an Imbt putback cut it to 50-44.
Then,
Barrett put on one of the best shooting displays many people will see
in a high school game. He would make three 3-pointers in a row, the
second from nearly 25 feet, and the third off balance in transition, to
put his team up 53-50 with 5:55 left in the game.
Babcock would end the run with a lay-up, but a Heasley bucket off a VanNoy pass helped Troy keep a 3-point lead.
Athens
would chip away, though, as Babcock would hit two free throws and a
lay-up to give them a 56-55 advantage with 3:50 left in the game.
Imbt
would put Troy back up 57-56 off a putback, but Babcock came back with a
runner at the other end with just under three minute to go.
The two teams would trade misses, followed by another Imbt putback to give the Trojans a 59-58 lead with 1:30 left to play.
Babcock would get fouled with just over a minute, making 1 of 2, to tie things up at 59-all.
At
the other end, Troy would run some clock, then shoot with under 30
seconds to go. It missed, but Chimics hauled in the rebound.
Athens
had some fouls to give, so, after a Trojan timeout, they began to foul,
but one was by Mason Lister, which would knock him out of the game.
Troy’s shot at the buzzer was no good, and the game went to overtime.
In
the extra period, Babcock would get in the lane for a runner, but
VanNoy came back with a 3-pointer. Babcock answered with a jump hook,
with Barrett making two freebies at the other end.
Then came the
big play of the extra period, as Babcock drove the lane. Imbt stood in
to take a charge, there was contact, and the call came out a block, with
the Wildcat senior making the lay-up.
He missed the free throw, but put Athens up 65-64 with 2:32 left to play.
Troy would miss at the 2:04 mark, Athens would miss with 1:57 left to play, with Troy then getting another miss after that.
Athens made good on their next possession, as Babcock had a putback with 1:20 left to go up three points.
“We
were short-handed a little bit, but, you know, I just had to put it in
my head that I had to take over the game,” said Babcock.
However, Troy didn’t go away, as Chimics hit his third 3-pointer of the game to knot things up at 67-all with 1:07 to play.
At
the other end, the Athens shot was off, but Carling got the offensive
board and was fouled. He missed the first, but made the second, putting
the Wildcats up 68-67 with 49.9 seconds to play.
The Trojans
would run some clock, then call a timeout with 21 seconds to play to set
something up. Athens would get a near steal with 3.5 seconds to play,
but the ball rolled out-of-bounds.
In the final seconds, Barrett was able to get a decent look, but the shot was just short.
“I’m so thrilled with the kids, and so happy for them,” said Lister. “I’m so happy for our program.”
Athens will now try to bottle this energy as they host a district game next week.
“It makes us feel like we can beat anybody,” said Babcock. “So we’re going to ride this momentum for sure.”
ATHENS — Athens crowned two champs, and will advance six wrestlers to
next weekend’s District 4 Championships after a third-place finish here
Saturday at the North Section Tournament.
Canton won the team
title with 187.5 points, while Towanda was second with 129.5, Athens
tallied 107.5 points, Troy was fourth with 102 points, and Wyalusing
was fifth with 94 points.
Seniors Gavin Bradley and Karter Rude
were North Section champs, while senior Kaden Setzer was forced to
injury default after taking a big lead early in his title bout, and
junior Jake Courtney gave up a takedown with 1 second remaining in
overtime in his championship bout.
“Two champions is good,” said Athens coach Shawn Bradley. “We probably should have had four, but stuff happens.
“The
big goal now is to get through this week, get to next week, and just
keep moving on,” added Bradley. “All four of those guys have
aspirations, plus the other two who fought their way back through.”
Sophomore Josh Nittinger finished third in his weight class, and freshman Caleb Nason was a fourth-place finisher.
Bradley,
the top seed at 113 pounds, decked Sullivan County’s Rocky Finnegan in
66 seconds in the semifinals, then flattened second-seed Cohen Landis of
Canton in 57 seconds in the finals.
Bradley, now 30-0 and ranked
No. 1 in the state, will be tested at Districts, says coach Bradley.
The 113-pound bracket will likely be topped by former state champion
(106 pounds in 2020) Brandon Wentzel, who is 31-2 this season.
“We’ll see next week. (Brandon Wentzel) is a state champ, and has two state medals — Gavin has three,” said Coach Bradley.
“Wentzel
will be the first seed, and Gavin will be the 2-seed … the two highest
point totals in the whole district are in the same weight class.
“Gavin is looking forward to it, and he’s working hard,” added Coach Bradley.
Rude, the second seed at 152 pounds, was dominant on his way to a title.
He
pinned Wellsboro’s Jacob Dean in 13 seconds in the quarterfinals, then
flattened third-seeded Jayden Renzo of Troy in 1:15 in the semifinals.
In the finals, top-seeded Bailey Ferguson of Canton scored the first takedown, but Rude relied to win an 8-3 decision.
Bradley said Rude is at the top of his game right now.
“(Karter) is working hard in practice, and he’s wearing kids out.
“He’s doing i the right way,” said Bradley. “He’s wrestling hard, and staying in great position.
“He’s peaking at the right time, he just needs to keep it going,” added Bradley.
Setzer,
the top seed at 132 pounds, pinned Wyalusing’s Cade McMicken in 1:32 in
the semifinals, then used two sets of near-fall points to build a 9-2
first-period lead on second-seeded Seth Seymour of Troy, when he
“tweaked” his knee during a scramble.
He tried to continue, but Bradley stopped the match after Setzer was unable to defend against Seymour’s takedown attempts.
“He strained (his knee) a little bit,” said Bradley. “Hopefully, tomorrow it feels better.
“He got through this week. Now we work toward next weekend.
“That
weight class is deep, so it may not matter one way or the other,” added
Bradley. “He’s going to have to wrestle hard next weekend.”
Courtney,
the top seed at 138 pounds, scored an 18-3 technical fall over Troy’s
Ben Randall in 3:05 in the quarterfinals, then forged a 10-4 decision
over Williamson’s Ayden Sprague in the semifinals.
In the finals,
third-seeded Riley Vanderpool of Towanda built a 5-0 lead, but a
reversal late in the second period closed the gap to 5-2.
After an escape late in the third period, Courtney scored a takedown with 8 seconds remaining to force overtime.
In
the extra session, Courtney got in deep on a takedown, but was unable
to finish it off, and Vanderpool came out on top in a scramble to secure
a takedown with 1 second remaining in the extra session.
“It was
a good scramble,” said Bradley. “Credit to (Riley Vanderpool), he
fought through it, you can’t take that away from him. Jake just has to
finish off that takedown in overtime.
“We were trying to push it too hard in overtime,” added Bradley. “He just needs to stay with his techniques.”
Nittinger, the third seed at 285 pounds, opened his day with a pin of NEB’s Kamden Ricci in 1:39 in the quarterfinals.
In the semifinals, NIttinger gave up back points late in the third period in a 5-3 loss to second-seeded Mason Nelson of Canton.
In
the wrestlebacks, NIttinger forged a 15-1 major decision over
Wellsboro’s Justice Harlan to advance to the third-place match, where he
pinned Towanda’s Jared Gunther with 7 seconds remaining in the third
period.
“Josh getting through (to Districts) for the first time
is a big deal,” said Bradley. “And, it’s probably the best Josh has
wrestled all year. We just need to keep building on that.”
Bradley lamented Nittinger’s loss in the semifinals.
“Josh
is a knucklehead,” laughed Bradley. “He didn’t know the score. He said
he thought he was losing, and that’s why he went for the big move. All
he had to do was go to overtime.
“He was controlling the pace the
entire match,” noted Bradley. “I thought we could have gotten a couple
more stalling calls, but it is what it is.
“I bet he’ll remember the score of the match now,” added Bradley.
At 215 pounds, Nason’s day started in inauspicious fashion with a loss via second-period fall to Canton’s Connor Davis.
Nason
decked Jamie Roman in 1:57, then won via injury default of NP-L’s
Goerge Valentine to advance to the third-place match, where Davis again
got the better of Nason — this time in a 12-7 decision.
“Caleb getting through as a freshman is a big deal,” said Bradley. “Caleb is as strong as a horse. He’s going to get better.
“He just needs to listen better during matches, and take advantage of opportunities,” added Bradley.
Senior Lucas Forbes, the fifth seed at 145 pounds, went 1-2 on the day.
He
dropped a 5-1 decision to fourth-seeded Skyler Manahan in the
quarterfinals, but bounced back with a pin of NP-L’s Ryan Roupp in 53
seconds. Forbes was eliminated in the consolation semifinals in a 6-4
loss to Towanda’s Sawyer Robinson.
Sophomore Mason Vanderpool was 0-2 on the day at 126 pounds.
ROME — A dominant defensive effort, and a 28-point showing by Caydence
Macik helped lead the Athens Wildcats past Northeast Bradford 37-25 in
the semifinals of the NTL Showdown on Thursday night.
The Wildcats advance to the finals where they will take on Towanda in the final on Saturday.
“Girls
are excited, we played a great defensive game as a team,” Athens coach
Brian Miller said. “And, Caydence scoring 28 points was a stellar
offensive game. She was 11-16 from the floor, exceptional shooting and
scoring.
“Beating NEB at home is a tough thing to do and we are happy and excited to get back in the NTL overall championship game.”
The Athens defense held the Panthers scoreless in the first quarter.
“I
was really happy with our defense,” Athens coach Miller said. “We
played hard, communication was outstanding and we executed our defense
very well like we practice it on a daily basis. So, to hold a team like
that to 25 points makes me proud as a coach.”
Macik got four of the six opening quarter points for the Wildcats as they led 6-0 after one.
Athens led 16-10 at the half after both teams scored 10 in the second quarter.
Macik
and Karlee Bartlow each had five points in the second quarter for
Athens and Alana Beebe had five points for the Panthers in the quarter.
In
the second half it was Macik taking over as she had seven points in the
third quarter and 12 in the fourth to help the Wildcats secure the win.
Both
teams stayed even in the third quarter at nine points each, but in the
fourth quarter Macik scored all of her team’s points to help seal the
win. Beebe had two threes in the fourth for the Panthers to try and keep
them in the game.
Bartlow finished with five points for Athens and Emma Bronson had four points.
Macik had a double-double, finishing with 10 rebounds, and adding three steals. She was 11-for-16 from the floor in the win.
Addy Wheeler had a strong game leading the Wildcats offense, racking up five assists and seven steals in the game.
Bartlow
had two rebounds, two steals and she blocked two shots and Bronson and
Olivia Bartlow each had four rebounds in the game.
The Panthers were without leading-scorer Maisie Neuber, who was out with an ankle sprain.
Beebe led Northeast Bradford with 16 points and Kayleigh Thomas had seven, with three steals.
Kate O’Connor had two points and eight boards for NEB and Julia Brown also had eight rebounds.
The final is at 7 p.m. at Sayre on Saturday. Towanda made the final with a 46-11 win over Canton.
WYALUSING — The Wyalusing Rams came out firing in the NTL Showdown on
Thursday night, but Athens had the answer every time in a 74-69 win.
Wyalusing
hit 11 threes in the game, but the Wildcats had four players in double
figures, and were led by a 29-point, 10 assist effort from J.J. Babcock
in the win.
“First, congratulations to Wyalusing for one of the
best shooting performances I have seen in a long time,” Athens coach Jim
Lister said. “I am very proud of our kids. They stuck to the plan
tonight and got us a big win. Wyalusing is not an easy place to play.”
Wyalusing
hit five first-quarter threes, with Isaiah Way hitting three of them,
on his way to 11 first-quarter points, and Grady Cobb knocking down two
in the quarter.
But, Athens kept the game tied at 19 after one as
Nalen Carling had seven points, including a three, and Babcock had six
points. Tucker Brown finished with four in the quarter and Mason Lister
scored a basket in the quarter.
In the second quarter Babcock
started to take over with eight points, and Lister drained two from
distance as the Wildcats outscored the Rams 20-12 in the quarter to take
an eight-point lead into the half.
“J.J. Babcock was outstanding
tonight, once again,” Lister said. “I keep saying he has become the
complete player and he proved it again tonight.”
Wyalusing went
inside in the third as Blake Morningstar scored 13 points in the quarter
and the Rams outscored the Wildcats 22-18 in the third to cut the
deficit to 57-53 heading into the fourth.
Babcock led the Wildcats in the third quarter with nine points, including a three.
In the fourth the Wildcats sealed the win by going 11-for-15 from the free throw line.
“The
entire team all hit big foul shots at the end of the game to keep us
ahead,” Lister said. “I am very proud of all of them. Freshmen Kolsen
Keathley stepped up again on the defensive end in a big way and Mason
Lister took a big time charge at the end of the game to secure the win.”
Babcock was 11-for-18 from the field in the win and he was 7-for-10 from the free throw line to help seal the win.
Along with his 29 points and 10 assists, Babcock added three steals, a blocked shot and six rebounds.
Carling
finished with 16 points for the Wildcats and Brown had 13 points with
four assists. Brown was 5-for-8 from the field in the game.
Lister had 12 points and four rebounds, with three assists and a steal.
Troy Pritchard and Keathley each finished with two points in the game.
Athens shot 52% from the field in the game and they hit 16-of-23 from the free throw line in the win.
Cobb
led Wyalusing with 22 points and four assists and Morningstar had a
double-double with 20 points, 18 in the second half, and 12 steals,
along with seven rebounds.
Nolan Oswald and Abram Bennett had two points each for the Rams.
Athens
will face Troy for a third time this year in the NTL Showdown Final.
Troy won the other semifinal 78-54. The game is at 4 p.m. Saturday at
Sayre.
“Another terrific team win by the Athens Wildcats,” Lister
said. “We are looking forward to another war with the awesome Troy
Trojans on Saturday afternoon, especially with a days rest this time.”
TIOGA JUNCTION — Athens took command early, and cruised to a 67-42 win
over Williamson here Wednesday night to clinch a berth in the NTL Boys
Basketball Showdown.
The Wildcats, who finish the regular season
at 16-6, travel to Wyalusing for a Showdown semi-final match-up
Thursday, while Troy hosts Canton in the other semi-final game.
The
game was also highlighted by another career milestone for Athens senior
J.J. Babcock. After scoring his 1,000th point last week, Babcock hauled
down his 500th career rebound Wednesday night.
Senior Troy
Pritchard, and junior Mason Lister scored buckets in the opening minutes
to give Athens a 4-0 lead, but the Warriors rallied to tie the game at
6-6.
Babcock knocked down a short jumper to make it 8-6 and the Wildcats never relinquished the lead.
Senior Nalen Carling turned a steal into a lay-up, then fed Babcock for a bucket to make it 12-6.
Babcock
scored in transition to make it 15-8, then Lister drained a 3-pointer
to extend the lead to 18-8 with 2 1/2 remaining in the first quarter.
Williamson
trimmed the deficit to 18-10, but Athens answered with 10 straight
points, including four by Babcock and four by senior Tucker Brown, to
make it 28-10 with 15 seconds remaining in the first quarter.
Williamson
drained a 3-pointer at the buzzer, and outscored Athens, 11-10 , in the
second quarter to close the gap to 38-24 at the half.
Any
thoughts of a Williamson comeback were vanquished quickly as Athens
started the second half with a 9-0 run, capped by a 3-pointer by Lister,
to make it 47-24.
The Wildcats extended their lead to 63-35 in
the closing seconds of the third quarter on a 3-pointer by sophomore
Korey Miller, then took their biggest lead of the game, at 65-35, in the
opening minute of the final stanza on a putback by freshman Kolsen
Keathley.
Williamson closed the game with a 7-2 spurt.
Babcock
led Athens with 19 points and five rebounds, while Brown scored nine
points, and Carling had eight points, eight rebounds, and four steals.
Junior
Chris Mitchell had eight points and seven boards for the Wildcats,
while Lister added seven points, four rebounds, and six assists, Miller
chipped in with six points on a pair of 3-pointers and three rebounds,
Pritchard pulled down five rebounds, senior Ryan Thompson had four
boards and two steals, and Keathley grabbed three boards and recorded
two steals.
TIOGA JUNCTION — Athens displayed offensive firepower in the first
quarter, and shutdown defense in the middle two en route to a
season-ending 52-19 win over Williamson here Wednesday evening in NTL
Large School junior varsity boys basketball action.
Korey Miller
pumped in eight points and Troy Rosenbloom added six points in the first
quarter, while Davin Spencer and Connor Mosher each canned 3-pointers,
and Jase Babcock converted an old-fashioned three-point play to fuel a
27-8 blitz in the opening seven minutes.
Spencer scored six
points in the second quarter, and Noah Hobday and Jase Babcock each
scored five to power a 16-0 second-quarter run that pushed the lead to
43-8 at the half.
The Wildcats held the Warriors scoreless again
in the third quarter, and Matt Aquino’s 3-pointer were the only tally of
the stanza as the lead free to 46-8 entering the final seven minutes.
Spencer
led Athens with nine points, three rebounds, and three steals, while
Miller had eight points, four rebounds, two assists, and four steals,
and Babcock had eight points, three boards, and one blocked shot.
Rosenbloom
added six points and two assists in the win, while Mosher scored five
points and dished out three assists, Hobday scored five points, and
Peter Jones contributed three rebounds and four steals.
All 11 Wildcats that played put their name in the scoring column in the win.
Under coach Cody White, Athens wraps up the season with a 19-3 record.
ATHENS — Freshman Addy Wheeler scored a career-high 18 points to lead
Athens to a regular season-ending, 45-12, win over North Penn-Mansfield
here Monday night in NTL Large School girls basketball action.
With
the win, the Lady Wildcats, now 16-5, clinch the second spot in the
Large School Division, and advance to a semi-final round match-up
Thursday against Northeast Bradford. Towanda will host Canton in the
other semifinal.
Senior Caydence Macik scored four points in the
first quarter, and Wheeler canned a 3-pointer to help Athens to a 9-4
lead after the first eight minutes.
Wheeler buried a pair of
3-pointers, and scored eight points in the second quarter, and junior
Emma Bronson added four points to fuel a 16-0 blitz that upped the
Athens advantage to 25-4 at the half.
Wheeler knocked down her
fourth 3-pointer, and scored seven points in the third quarter, and
Macik added six points in a 15-3 run to extend the Athens lead to 40-7
entering the final eight minutes.
Macik scored 10 points in the
win, while junior Karlee Bartlow had four points, three rebounds, four
assists, and three steals, and senior Olivia Bartlow had four points,
eight rebounds, and two blocked shots.
Emma Bronson had four
points and one blocked shot, while junior Natalie Watson hauled down six
boards, and freshman Sara Bronson added three rebounds.
Shaina Sparrow led NPM with five points.
TOWANDA - Athens’ J,J, Babcock inched closer to his 500th rebound in a
79-45 win over Towanda during NTL Boys’ basketball action Monday.
He
needs just four boards Wednesday against Williamson to reach 500, which
would be his second milestone in less than a week. He scored his
1,000th point in a win over Wellsboro Friday.
“That’s actually
very nice,” Babcock said about getting two milestones his senior year.
“It’s something I’ve been working toward for a long time.”
The
Wildcats led by just five points at the half, but rattled off a 45-16
run in the second half to get the win, playing their fourth game in six
days.
“We knew Towanda was going to bring it,” said Babcock.
“Coach (Landon) Henry is a really good coach. We just had to fight
through the adversity, and come out on top.”
Mason Lister led
Athens with 22 points, 12 rebounds, three assists, five steals, and two
blocked shots, while Nalen Carling had 13 points to go with six boards
and one blocked shot, and Babcock had a double-double with 10 points and
10 assists, to go with six steals and two blocked shots.
Tucker
Brown had nine points and three boards, while Chris Mitchell added seven
points and four rebounds, and Korey Miller, Kolsen Keathley, and Troy
Prtichard had six points each. Pritchard chipped in with four boards,
and three steals
Dante Ottaviani and Teagan Irish had 11 points
each to lead the Knights, while Justin Schoonover added nine, and Mason
Hartmann chipped in with eight.
Towanda led 8-6 early but a 5-0 run from Athens saw them take an 11-8 lead.
Irish would respond with a lay-up, but a Carling jumper, followed by a Keathley putback pushed Athens’ advantage to 15-10.
An Ottaviani 3-ball cut it to 15-13, but another Carling bucket pushed it back to a 4-point lead for the Wildcats.
However,
Towanda ended the quarter on a 6-2 run, thanks to threes from Wheaton
and Irish, to knot things up at 19-19 at the quarter break.
Athens
came out strong in the second, going on a 6-0 run as they turned three
straight steals into three straight lay-ups — two by Babcock.
Towanda
would get a lay-up from Hartmann, followed by a 3-ball from Ottaviani,
to cut it to 25-24, but a Lister 3-pointer made it 28-24, and Babcock
would score off a Carling assist to make it 30-24.
Ottaviani would answer with a 3-pointer to trim the deficit to 30-27.
Carling, though, would go on a 4-2 spurt for Athens, to give them a 34-29 lead at the half.
In the third quarter, the Wildcats blitzed Towanda with a 10-0 burst, led by six points from Lister, to take a 44-29 lead.
Hartmann
would get a lay-up to stop the bleeding, but it started over again, as
Athens went on an 8-2 run, as four different players scored, to make it
52-33.
The Knights would cut it to 53-37, but Athens would extend it to 57-37 on a Lister lay-up, followed by a Babcock dunk.
Towanda ended the quarter on a 3-0 spurt to make it 57-40.
However, Athens pretty much ended it with a 5-1 run to start the fourth, to take a 62-41 lead.
“We definitely amped up the intensity,” said Babcock. “We knew we had to bring it.”
Athens
will need to beat Williamson on Wednesday to advance to the NTL
Showdown, where they would travel to Wyalusing, a match-up they look
forward to, as the Rams beat them earlier this season.
If they
beat Wyalusing, they could likely face Troy again in the NTL Showdown
finale, so they still have plenty play for, including some revenge.
“We can’t wait to play them again,” said Babcock. “Those are the two great games for sure.”
ATHENS — Athens earned three wins in four nights over NTL Large School
Divisional opponents, including a victory over Troy to avenge a loss
earlier this season, to improve to 18-3 on the season.
Athens 41, Towanda 28
At Towanda, Athens gradually pulled away for a 41-28 win over Towanda Monday night.
Kolsen
Keathley scored four points in the first quarter to help the junior
Wildcats to an 11-7 lead after the first seven minutes.
Troy
Rosenbloom scored six points in the second quarter, and Keathley added
an old-fashioned three-point play in an 11-7 run that pushed the Athens
lead to 19-14 at the half.
Jase Babcock and Korey Miller scored
four points apiece in the third quarter as Athens outscored Towanda,
12-8, to take a 31-22 lead into the final seven minutes.
Xavier Watson and Keathley scored four points apiece in the fourth quarter as Athens added to its lead with a 10-6 spurt.
Keathley
led Athens with 11 points and six rebounds, while Rosenbloom had eight
points, two assists, and two steals, and Watson had eight points, five
boards, two steals, and one blocked shot.
Miller had four points,
seven rebounds, four assists, and two steals in the win, while Jack
Cheresnowsky had four points, three rebounds, and one blocked shot, Jase
Babcock chipped in with four points, Davin Spencer had three rebounds
and two steals, and Peter Jones grabbed three boards.
Athens 61, Troy 51
At Troy, Athens rallied from seven points down at the half to pull out a 61-51 win over Troy at the Commons Building Saturday.
Korey
Miller buried a pair of 3-pointers in the first quarter, while Xavier
Watson also had six points, and Troy Rosenbloom added four points to
help Athens to an 18-6 lead after the first seven minutes.
Troy
outscored Athens, 18-9 in the second quarter to take a 34-27 lead into
the half, but the Wildcats answered with a strong third quarter.
Kolsen
Keathley scored nine points to fuel a 13-2 third-quarter blitz that
gave Athens a 40-36 lead heading into the final seven minutes.
Watson
scored eight points in the fourth quarter, and Miller added six points,
including four free throws, as Athens made 7 of 10 free throws down the
stretch to preserve the win in a 21-15 fourth-quarter run.
Watson
scored 17 points and Miller had 16 points, three rebounds, six assists,
and four steals to lead Athens, while Keathley had 13 points, seven
rebounds and four steals.
Rosenbloom had six points and two
assists in the win, while Jase Babcock had four points and two assists,
Jack Cheresnowsky grabbed three rebounds, and Conner Mosher dished out
three assists.
Athens 40, Wellsboro 23
At Athens, the
junior Wildcats used a 12-2 second quarter blitz to build an 11-point
halftime lead on its way to a 40-23 win over Wellsboro Friday.
Matt
Aquilio buried a 3-pointer in the first quarter, and three of his
teammates put their name in the scoring column to help Athens to a 9-8
lead after the first seven minutes.
Korey Miller canned a
3-pointer, and Kolsen Keathley converted an old-fashioned three-point
play as Athens extended its lead to 21-10 at the half.
Keathley
scored six points in the third quarter, and Xavier Watson finished off a
three-point play as Athens used a 15-11 advantage to take a 36-21 lead
into the final seven minutes.
Keathley led Athens with 11 points,
12 rebounds, three assists, three steals, and three blocked shots,
while Watson scored seven points, and Miller had five points, three
rebounds, three assists, seven steals, and one blocked shot.
Aquilio
scored five points for the Wildcats, while Connor Mosher had four
points, four boards, and one blocked shot, Jack Cheresnowsky had four
points and three rebounds, and Troy Rosenbloom added three rebounds.
TROY — Athens came within a rimmed out lay-up of possibly taking hold of
the NTL Large School title chase, but ultimately ran out of gas as it
fell to Troy, 70-64, in boys basketball action here Saturday at the
Commons Building.
The Wildcats, who trailed for most of the game,
rallied from 14 down in the third, to a 2-point deficit with a little
more than a minute to go when that shot rolled out. In the final 67
seconds, the Trojans used the free throw line to out score Athens, 6-1,
to preserve the win, and clinch their second straight division
championship.
“First, I want to say I’m going to give Coach Renzi
and Troy all the credit in the world,” said Athens coach Jim Lister.
“They really played hard tonight, they won the game.
“I’m very
proud of my kids. This was a hell of a gauntlet we had to go through
here, (NP-Mansfield) Wednesday night, Wellsboro last night) and to come
here and play Troy tonight, we were asking a lot of our kids, and they
never quit,” noted Lister. “They came back, and they showed me a lot of
heart tonight, and I’m extremely proud of them.”
The Wildcats
rolled past NP-Mansfield mid-week, but had to hold off Wellsboro on
Friday before facing the league leading Trojans.
“I thought our
legs were a little tired in the first half,” said Lister. “I think
that’s why they got a good lead on us. But, just my kids, man, they got a
ton of heart, they fought back.”
Babcock certainly put it all
out on the court as he had one of the best games of his career with 30
points, eight boards, four assists, four steals, and three blocked
shots. In the first half, he helped carry the load with nine points in
the opening quarter to keep Troy from getting too far out in front, then
scored 13 in the final frame during Athens’ rally.
“I’m thrilled
with JJ, and his effort tonight,” Lister remarked. “I mean, he just
wanted to take over the game, he wanted to win.”
Mason Lister added 15 points, and five boards, as he was money with his mix of baseline jumpers and runners.
Nalen
Carling scrapped for 10 points, and six rebounds, while Tucker Brown
had four points, and four assists, Troy Pritchard finished with three
points, and Kolsen Keathley added two points, four boards, and some
tough defense on Troy’s Ty Barrett.
“I’m going to give a big
shout out to my freshman Kolsen Keathley,” said Lister. “He came in in
that quarter and he busted his tail, and he worked hard, and he got us
back in that game.”
Mason Imbt led Troy with 24 points, while
Barrett finished with 23. Zeb Oldroyd netted eight, Justice Chimics
scored seven, Jackson Taylor and Ethan VanNoy had three points apiece,
while Colin Loveland rounded things out with two.
Barrett came
out of the gates on fire, hitting back-to-back 3-balls in Troy’s first
two possessions to put the Trojans up 6-0. Their lead would get to 8-0
on an Imbt lay-up from a VanNoy pass, but a Lister jumper stopped that
run.
Imbt would make it 10-2 with another lay-up at the 4:17 mark
of the first quarter, but the Wildcats came back with jumpers from
Babcock and Lister.
Imbt’s third bucket of the game made it 12-6,
but after that the Wildcats went on a 9-2 run to take a 15-14 lead.
Babcock scored seven of the night points, while Lister had a lay-up.
However, Barrett’s third 3-pointer of the quarter with 16 seconds on the clock would put the Trojans back up 17-15.
Troy
came out strong in the second, with getting back to back lay-ups from
Barrett and Imbt to take a 21-15 lead in the first minute.
Another Babcock ‘And-1’ cut it to 21-18, followed by the two teams trading bucket to make it 23-20 at the 4:49 mark.
The
back-and-forth continued for the next three minutes, as both teams had
five points apiece, until Lister hit a baseline jumper at the minute
mark to cut it to 28-27.
Oldroyd would answer with a 3-ball,
followed by a Barrett dump off to Imbt down low that put the Trojans
back up 33-27 with 21 seconds left to play.
Pritchard would get a lay-up with a 6.6 seconds for a 33-29 halftime score.
Troy came out of the half like a shot, beginning with buckets from Imbt and Barrett to take a 37-29 lead.
A Carling jumper cut it to 37-31, but Oldroyd answered with a 3-ball to go up 40-31.
Babcock
would get another old fashioned 3-point play, but the Trojans followed
with a 6-0 run — Barrett had a lay-up, Oldroyd finished a put back, and
Chimics scored on a transition lay-up – to build their biggest lead yet,
46-34.
A Babcock steal and lay-up at the 2:52 mark made it a
10-point game, but two more Trojans baskets — one from Chimics, the
other from Imbt, and both off Barrett assists — gave the Trojans a 50-36
advantage with 2:00 left in the third.
Athens answered with a 4-0 spurt as Babcock found Lister for a lay-up, and Brown had a steal and bucket.
Then, with 1:18 left on the clock, Barrett found Imbt for a lay-up, plus the foul, to make it 53-40.
Babcock
would continue to make plays for his team, though, as he found Brown
for a bucket, then had another steal and lay-up, to cut it to 53-44.
The
final basket of the quarter belonged to Barrett, though, as he hit a
runner to make it a 55-44 Trojan lead going into the final frame.
“You
know, when we were up going into the fourth, I said to the guys, this
ain’t over,” said Troy coach Steve Renzi. “Athens was a champion two
years ago, they know. They know what they got to do to comeback, and
they did.”
It began on the defensive end for the Wildcats, as
they held Troy scoreless for nearly four minutes to start the fourth.
That allowed them to chip away, going on an 9-0 run, with seven of them
from Babcock, to cut it to 55-53.
A pair of Imbt free throws extended the lead back to four points, but a Babcock driving lay-up made it a 2-point game again.
Barrett answered with a driving lay-up of his own with 3:57 on the clock for a 59-55 lead.
Athens
would get a turnover on their next possession, with Chimics getting
fouled and going to the line for a 1-and-1. He made the first, but
missed the second, giving the Trojans a little more breathing room at
60-55 with 3:15 left.
The Wildcats would have another turnover, but Troy missed at the other end.
It was Keathley cutting it to 60-57 for the Wildcats with a lay-up at the 2:41 mark.
Troy, though, would get a big 3-ball from VanNoy — nothing but net — off an Imbt assist to push their lead to 63-57.
Lister,
though, was able to erase that with a lay-up plus the foul, making the
freebie for a 63-60 score with just over two minute to play.
Taylor would get fouled at the other end, making both, to once again push the lead to four points.
The
two teams would then trade misses, followed by Babcock getting his
seventh And-1 of the game, making the free throw to cut it to 65-63 with
1:46 left.
After getting the ball back, Athens had a good look at a lay-up, but that’s when it rolled out.
Barrett ended up with the ball, and at the free throw line, making both, to push it to 67-63 with 1:07 left to play.
Babcock would get to the free throw line at the other, making 1-of-2, to cut it to 67-64 with 43.5 left to play.
Those
would be the final points Athens would score, though, as their final
three possessions ended with two turnovers, and a miss.
Troy would go 3 of 6 down the stretch — Imbt himself was 2-for-4 — to secure the win.
“We
were a lay-up away from tying this game up with a minute left,” Lister
said. “It was a fantastic basketball game in front of a packed house.
It’s the way it’s supposed to be. We just came up on the short end of
it.”
The Wildcats have two league games left, beginning with a
trip to Towanda on Monday, and, if they win out, will be in the NTL
Showdown where they could meet Troy for the third time this season.
“We have a lot of basketball left,” Lister remarked. “And we will be back. I promise you that.”
ATHENS — Senior Nalen Carling fueled a strong first half, and his
classmate J.J. Babcock netted his 1,000th career point in Athens’ 48-40
win over Wellsboro here Friday night in NTL Large School Division boys
basketball action.
However, Athens coach Jim Lister said it was his team’s defense, employing 1-3-1 half-court pressure, that was the difference.
“Defensively,
I thought we played awesome in the first half,” he said. “We only gave
up 15 points to a very good Wellsboro team … if we continue to play
defense like that, we should be OK.
“I went back over the last 48
hours and I watched our game (at Wellsboro) three times,” noted Lister.
“I realized (Wellsboro’s) guards are very good shooters, but I thought
we could put some more pressure on them, which we did not do the first
game, and make it a little more difficult for them.
“Our length and athleticism created a lot of problems for them,” added Lister. “I don’t think they saw that coming.”
The
6-3 Carling, matched up against a 5-10 defender, scored 10 points in
the first quarter, including a pair of feee throws that gave Athens the
lead for good at 6-4.
“We didn’t have Nalen (Carling) at Wellsboro, he was very ill and did not make the trip,” said Lister.
“Watching
film and looking at the match-ups … I thought we’d have a size
advantage with Nalen,” added Lister. “I thought Nalen would be the
x-factor, and dominate in the paint, and that’s exactly what he did.”
After
a 3-pointer by Wellsboro’s Connor Adams closed the gap to 8-7, Lister
drained a long 3-pointer from the right wing to trigger a 13-1 run that
put the Wildcats ahead 21-8 with 2 1/2 minutes remaining in the first
half.
Carling and Lister scored buckets to give the Wildcats
their biggest lead of the first half, at 27-13, with 40 seconds
remaining in the half, but Liam Manning scored on a putback at the
buzzer to make it 27-15.
Peyton McClure, who scored a game-high
21 points on seven 3-pointers in the first Athens-Wellsboro game, canned
his second 3-pointer of the game to close the gap to 29-20 with 5:29
remaining in the third quarter. McClure finished the game with two
3-pointers and eight points.
“We had Mason (Lister) on (Peyton
McClure) in the second half, and his job was to make sure he didn’t hurt
us,” said Lister. “We did a good job on him.”
Adams knocked down
a jumper in the lane to make it 29-22 with 5:16 remaining, but senior
Troy Pritchard and Babcock scored in the low blocks to make it 33-22
with 3:08 remaining.
The teams traded buckets, with Liam Manning
scoring in the post with 50 seconds left to close the gap to 35-26
heading into the final eight minutes.
Carling scored on a nice
drive down the lane with 6:25 remaining, but Adams drained a 3-pointer
just 10 seconds later to make it 37-29.
Drew Manning scored on
the offensive boards midway through the final stanza to make it 39-33.
After a defensive stop, the Hornets had a chance to cut deeper into the
Athens lead, but Babcock came up with a steal and coast-to-coast drive
for an old-fashioned three-point play to make it 42-33 with 3:22
remaining.
Babcock made 2 of 5 free-throw attempts over the next two minutes, but the Wildcats kept Wellsboro off the board.
With
Athens up 44-33 with 1:15 remaining in the contest, Adams drained a
pair of 3-pointers in a 17-second span to close the gap to 44-39.
“That
was probably my mistake,” said Lister of Adams’ consecutive 3-pointers.
“I switched us into man-to-man, and I probably should have stayed with
the half-court press a little longer because (Wellsboro) was struggling
to get the ball up the court.
“We stayed in man, and we packed it too deep,” noted Lister. “We let (Adams) get to the top-of-the-key, and he hurt us.”
“We called timeout, and fixed that real fast,” added Lister. “Then, they had no choice, but to foul us.”
The
Wildcats, who made just 8 of 19 free throws in the game, made 3 of 6
free throws, including Babcock knocking down one from the charity stripe
with 20 seconds remaining in the game for his milestone point.
“We
didn’t shoot fouls shots very well tonight,” said Lister. “If there’s
one thing that bothered me tonight, it was our foul shooting. We can’t
do that (Saturday) night at Troy, we have to make those shots.
“We’ll spend some time on the foul line (Saturday) before we go to Troy, I guarantee you that,” Lister added.
Lister also lauded Babcock for his 1,000th point.
“He’s
turned into a complete player … for him, it wasn’t about the 1,000th,
it was about the win,” he said. “To get both tonight, I’m so happy for
him.
“I’ve been coaching J.J. since the third-grade, so I’ve watched him grow and develop over the years.
“Does
it help that he’s 6-foot-6? Yes,” said Lister. “But, it’s the other
parts of the game that make him the player he is … he has an incredible
basketball IQ, and he has the frame to go with it.
“It’s an awesome accomplishment. I’m very happy for him,” he added.
Carling
led Athens with 19 points and four rebounds, while Babcock had 15
points, seven rebounds, three assists, and three blocked shots, and
senior Tucker Brown added five points and six rebounds.
Pritchard
chipped in with four points and six rebounds in the win, and junior
Mason Lister had five points, three boards, three assists, three steals,
and one blocked shot.
Adams led Wellsboro with 14 points and four 3-pointers, and Liam Manning added eight points.
With the win, Athens remains 1 game behind Troy in the Large School standings. The Wildcats travel to Troy Saturday night.
“We’ve
been taking it one game at a time,” said Lister. “If we get through the
Troy game (Saturday), we still have to go to Towanda Monday, and we
still have to go to Williamson Wednesday night.
“We just have to keep our foot on the gas, and keep going.
“Troy
is a big one tomorrow night, I’m sure that’s going to be a packed
house,” added Lister. “We have to bring it, and be ready.”
Lister continues to be impressed with the support his teams has received from the student body.
“A
huge shout-out to the student section, they were awesome again
tonight,” he said. “The school spirit is incredible, and I hope they all
come to Troy (Saturday) night.”
ATHENS — The Athens boys and girls rolled to big wins over Towanda on
Senior Night here Thursday in NTL swimming & diving action.
Senior
Reuven Gifeisman won four events to lead the Athens boys to a 115-41 wi
over the Black Knights, while senior Brooke Kopatz was a triple-winner
to help the Lady Wildcats to a 115-35 win.
BOYS
Athens 115, Towanda 41
Like
Gifeisman, junior Chris DeForest won four events, while junior Ethan
Denlinger and freshman Ethan Hicks was a triple-winner as the Wildcats
close the season with a 6-1 record.
"I am really impressed with
all our first-year swimmers and how all our kids have shown improvement
this season,” said Athens coach Mark Keister.
Gifeisman led a
sweep in the 100-yard freestyle, clocking in at 1:02.65, while junior
Joe Blood was second in 1:08.52, and freshman Aiden Oldroyd was third in
1:14.86.
DeForest won the 200-yard freestyle in a time of 1:56.1, and Blood was third in 2:29.51.
DeForest also won the 50-yard freestyle in a time of 23.61, and freshman Ronel Ankam was second in 25.86 seconds.
Gifeisman and DeForest teamed with Hicks and Blood to win the 400-yard freestyle relay in a time of 4:07.84.
Gifeisman, DeForest and Denlinger teamed with Ankam to win the 200-yard free relay in a time of 1:44.54
Gifeisman and Hicks teamed with freshmen Ryan Gorman, and Josh Leonard to win the 200-yard medley relay in a time of 2:04.38
Denlinger won the 200-yard IM in a time of 2:24.23, and Hicks won the 500-yard freestyle in a time of 5:40.32.
Ankam won the 100-yard backstroke in a time of 1:16.29, and Leonard won the 100-yard butterfly in a time of 1:10.96.
Freshman
Treyvon Simpson won the 1-meter diving competition with 143.25 points,
and freshman Carter Lewis was second with 120 points.
Denlinger was second in the 100-yard breaststroke in a time of 1:19.56, and Gorman was third in 1:28.28.
GIRLS
Athens 115, Towanda 35
Juniors
Taegan Williams and Taylar Fisher won four events, while sophomore
Emily Marshall joined Kopatz as a triple-winner in Athens’ 115-35 win
over Towanda.
“The kids are really hitting their times at the
right time of the season to qualify for the post-season,” said Athens
coach Shauntel Place. “I am so happy with all our swimmers today."
Williams
won the 200-yard freestyle in a time of 2:08.8, and sophomore Grace
Cobb was second in 2:23.42. Williams also won the 500-yard freestyle in a
time of 5:55.95, and Cobb was second in 6:32.85.
Fisher won the
200-yard IM in 2:32.47, edging Kopatz (2:32.9) by less than a
half-second. Fisher also won the 100-yard backstroke in a time of
1:11.73, and Marshall was second in 1:18.15.
Williams and Fisher teamed with Marshall and Kopatz to win the 200-yard freestyle relay in a time of 1:53.35.
Williams and Fisher teamed with Kopatz and Cobb to win the 400-yard free relay in a time of 4:28.51.
Kopatz
led a sweep in the 100-yard breaststroke in a time of 1:13.42, while
junior Alli Thoman was second in 1:24.19, and sophomore Emily Henderson
was third in 1:42.62.
Marshall won the 100-yard butterfly with a time of 1:19.5, edging out Macaria Benjamin, who was second in 1:19.93.
Marshall, Thoman, Benjamin, and freshman Elizabeth Talada teamed to win the 200-yard medley relay in a time of 2:20.13.
Senior Hannah Walker was second in the 100-yard freestyle in a personal-best time of 1:11.71
Thoman finished third in the 50-yard freestyle in 31.37 seconds
“We
are looking to have an all-NTL last chance meet next week to give
swimmers and divers one more time to improve their swims and possibly
qualify for post-season competition,” said Keister.
ATHENS — Athens used balanced scoring to pull away from North
Penn-Mansfield for a 45-24 win here Wednesday night in NTL junior
varsity boys basketball action.
Four different Wildcats put their names in the scoring column in the first quarter, helping them to a 9-8 win.
Six
Wildcats scored in the second quarter, including Nicholas Jacob and
Korey Miller who connected on 3-pointers, in a 15-5 run that extended
the Athens lead to 24-13 at the half.
Peter Jones and Xavier
Watson scored four points apiece in the third quarter in a 13-6 run that
pushed the lead to 37-19 entering the final seven minutes.
Ten different Wildcats scored in the win, led by Watson and Kolsen Keathley, who had nine and eight points, respectively
Jase
Babcock had seven points and three rebounds in the win, while Jack
Cheresnowsky had four points and four rebounds, Miller had four points,
rebounds, four assists, and one blocked shot, Jones had four points and
five rebounds, and Troy Rosenbloom had four rebounds, three steals, and
one blocked shot.
Athens returns to action Friday when it hosts Wellsboro.
ATHENS — Athens dished out a large dose of senior Caydence Macik, and an
even bigger dose of defense in a 45-26 win over Troy here Thursday
night in NTL Large School girls basketball action.
“I really love
to coach defense, and we have a philosophy,” said Athens coach Brian
Miller. “We all believe in it, and the girls really played to that
philosophy tonight.
“We wanted to limit them driving the ball to
the basket, because they are more of a driving, slashing team,” noted
Miller. “We made sure we were outside on their shooters, and we did a
nice job fronting the post because they love to enter the ball into the
post.
“That might have been our best defensive performance of the
year as a team,” added Miller. “To hold that team to 25 points … even
the shots they made were highly-contested.”
The win also avenges a
35-28 loss at Troy earlier this season. In that loss, the Lady Wildcats
played without junior Karlee Bartlow.
“Having Karlee (Bartlow)
was the huge difference,” said Miller. “She’s one of our better guards
and scorers and has experience; that was a huge difference.
“We also executed offensively against their zone, and then against their man-to-man,” he added. “And, we scored in transition.“
Macik scored 15 points in the first quarter to help Athens to a 17-9 lead after the first eight minutes.
“We got the ball Caydence a lot, especially early on, and she finished,” said Miller. “She had a really good offensive night.”
Athens stretched its lead to nine points, at 22-13, on a 3-pointer by Addy Wheeler with 2:10 remaining in the first half.
Karlee
Bartlow scored on a driving lay-up early in the opening minute of the
second half, and Macik scored off a steal under the bucket to give the
Lady Wildcats a 27-15 lead with 6:18 remaining in the third quarter.
A
jumper by Troy’s Katie Lackey with 3:10 remaining in the third quarter
trimmed the deficit to 30-21, but Athens closed the quarter with a 6-2
spurt — on a jumper by Macik, and back-to-back driving lay-ups by Karlee
Bartlow — to take a 36-23 lead into the final eight minutes.
Sophomore
Mya Thompson scored four points, and Macik converted an old-fashioned
three-point play as the Wildcats used a 9-2 spurt to take its biggest
lead of the game, at 45-25, in the final minute of the game.
Macik
led Athens with 28 points, six rebounds and one blocked shot, while
Karlee Bartlow had eight points, seven rebounds, two assists, and one
blocked shot, and Wheeler added five points, seven rebounds, and two
assists.
Thompson chipped in with four points and one blocked
shot in the win, while senior Olivia Bartlow grabbed five rebounds and
blocked four shots, and junior Emma Bronson contributed five rebounds,
three assists, and six steals.
Lackey led Troy with 12 points and six rebounds.
Athens,
now 15-5, moves into a tie with Troy for second place in the Large
School Division, but currently holds the third tie-breaker, which is
power points.
Athens closes out the regular season Monday when it hosts North Penn-Mansfield, while Troy plays at division champion Towanda.