WYALUSING — Korey Miller hit a pair of free throws to tie the game, then knocked down the game-winning 3-pointer in the final 90 seconds to lift Athens to a 36-33 win over Wyalusing here Friday night in NTL junior varsity boys basketball action.

Troy Rosenbloom scored Athens’ only four points in the opening stanza, but the Wildcat defense was up to the task and the score was tied at 4-4 after the opening seven minutes.

Noah Hobday knocked down a 3-pointer and scored five points in the second quarter, and Miller connected on a 3-pinter to help Athens to a 14-13 lead at the half.

Wyalusing outscored Athens, 12-10, in the third quarter, despite six points by Xavier Watson, to take a 25-24 lead into the final seven minutes.

Watson scored five points early in the fourth quarter, including a 3-pointer, by Wyalusing led 33-31 with 1:30 left in the game, when Miller knocked down a pair of free throws to tie the game.

With a little less than a minute remaining, Miller drained a 3-pointer to make it 36-33.

Watson led Athens with 11 points and three rebounds, while Miller had 10 points, three rebounds, and two assists, Hobday added five points, Rosenbloom chipped in with four points and two assists, and Connor Mosher had four assists and two steals.

Athens returns to action Monday when it hosts Troy.

SAYRE — Athens needed little time in disposing of Northeast Bradford and Sayre Thursday night, beating both NTL wrestling rivals, 66-0.

Athens 66, NEB 0
In their first match of the night, the Wildcats won all six contested weight classes by first-period falls against Northeast Bradford. They also collected five forfeits from the Panthers.

Sophomore 285-pounder Josh Nittinger scored a quick takedown of Kamden Ricci, then locked him in a quick cradle near the boundary for two near-fall points. Less than a minute later, NIttinger finished off the fall at 1:24 to put the Wildcats up 18-0.

Freshman Keaton Sinsabaugh followed with a 59 second fall at 106 pounds to make it 24-0.

At 120 pounds, sophomore Mason Vanderpool built a 6-0 lead on Brock Fenton with a takedown and two sets of swipes, then finished off the bout with a power-half for a fall at 1:58.

Moments later, senior Gavin Bradley scored a quick takedown in his 126-pound bout against Tyler Russell, then locked in a power half for a 40-second fall.

At 138 pounds, senior Kaden Setzer used the arm bar for a pin of Noah Billings at 33 seconds to make it 42-0.

Senior Cameron Whitmarsh finished off the match with a 69-second fall of Dom Clark at 172 pounds.

Athens 66, Sayre 0
The Wildcats collected nine forfeits from the Redskins, and won both contested weight classes by fall.

At 132 pounds, Setzer locked Cam McCutcheon in a cradle for a takedown and fall in 13 seconds.

At 189 pounds, Athens senior Collin Rosh and Sayre senior Josh Rosh traded takedowns and escapes for the first two periods.

Rosh’s escape off the whistle to start the third tied the bout at 4-4. Moments later, Rosh hooked a leg for a takedown directly into a cradle for a fall at 4:40.

TOWANDA — The Athens girls and boys both turned in strong performances in convincing wins over Towanda here Thursday in NTL swimming & diving action.

The Lady Wildcats won by a lopsided tally of 93-32, while the boys won, 94-46.

GIRLS
ATHENS 93, TOWANDA 32
Four different Lady Wildcats — senior Brooke Kopatz, juniors Taegan Williams and Taylar Fisher, and sophomore Grace Cobb —  were double-winners to lead Athens to a 93-32 win over Towanda.

Kopatz won the 50-yard freestyle in a time of 28.76 seconds, and junior Alli Thoman was third in 31.28 seconds.

Kopatz led a sweep in the 100-yard breaststroke in a time of 1:18.06, while Thoman was second in 1:21.79, and sophomore Emily Henderson was third in 1:42.3.

Williams won 200-yard freestyle in a time of 2:11.06, and Cobb was third in 2:28.75. Williams also won the 100-yard freestyle in a time of 1:03.07

Fisher won the 100-yard butterfly in a district-qualifying time of 1:14.02, and freshman Elizabeth Talada was second in 1:35.94.

Fisher led a sweep in the 100-yard backstroke in a time of 1:13.37, while sophomore Emily Marshall was second in 1:20.81, and freshman Maryrose Bertsch was third in 1:50.03.

Cobb won the 500-yard freestyle in a time of 6:35.98, and Marshall was second in 6:38.55

Cobb, teamed with Bertsch, Talada, and sophomore Rebecca Gifeisman to win the 400-yard freesrtle relay in a time of 5:21.8.

Sophomore Abby Panek won the 1-meter diving competition with 171 points

BOYS
ATHENS 94, TOWANDA 46
Juniors Ethan Denlinger and Chris DeForest were quadruple-winners, and freshmen Ronel Ankam and Ethan Hicks were double-winners in Athens’ 94-46 win over Towanda.

Denlinger won the 200-yard IM in a time of 2:27.5, and Hicks was second in 2:28.16.

Denlinger also won the 100-yard backstroke in a time of 1:12.92, and freshman Pierce Oldroyd was third in 2:11.94.

DeForest won the 100-yard freestyle in a district-qualifying time of 1:03.07.

Deforest, and Denlinger teamed with Hicks and Ankam to win the 200-yard medley relay in a time of 2:04.81. The same foursome won the 200-yard freestyle relay in a time of 1:44.38.

DeForest teamed with Ankam, Hicks, and senior Reuven Gifeisman to  win the 400-yard freestyle relay in a time of 4:01.97.

Freshman Ryan Gorman won the 50-yard freestyle in 27.01 seconds, and Gifeisman was second in 27.57 seconds. Gorman finished second in the 100-yard breaststroke in a time of 1:28.51.

Freshman Carter Lewis won the 1-meter diving competition with 88.25 points

Ankam finished second in the 200-yard freestyle in a time of 2:18.75, and Gifeisman finished second in the 100-yard freestyle in a time of 1:04.45.

Junior Joe Blood finished second in the 500-yard freestyle in a time of 6:47.15.

Athens returns to action Saturday against Lewisburg at Towanda.

ATHENS — Athens took a big lead early, and used balance scoring to pull away from Williamson in a 45-28 win here Thursday night in NTL junior varsity boys basketball action.

Seven different junior Wildcats found the scoring column in a 16-4 blitz in the opening eight minutes.

The second quarter was much the same as six different Athens players scored two points apiece, and stretched their lead to 28-11 at the half.

Conner Mosher led Athens with eight points, while Xavier Watson had seven points, three rebounds, and Kolsen Keathley had six points, three rebounds, and four steals.

Korey Miller scored five points and dished out four assists in the win, while Jase Babcock added four points, four steals, and one blocked shot, Nicholas Jacob and Matt Aquilio chipped in with four points apiece, and Jack Cheresnowsky grabbed a team-high five rebounds.

Athens returns to action Friday at Wyalusing.

ATHENS — Senior Caydence Macik and junior Emma Bronson helped Athens off to a fast start, and the Lady Wildcats rolled to a 58-28 win over Williamson here Thursday night in NTL girls basketball action.

Macik and Bronson scored seven points apiece in the first quarter, and junior Karlee Bartlow added five points to help Athens to a 21-9 lead.

Macik scored seven more points in the second quarter, and five of her teammates also found the scoring column in an 18-5 run that extended the lead to 39-14 at the half.

Bartlow and Emma Bronson combined for nine points in the third quarter as Athens used a 15-7 run to push its lead to 54-21 entering the final eight minutes.

Macik led Athens with 14 points, five rebounds, and six steals, while Bronson scored 13 points, and Karlee Bartlow had 10 points, three rebounds, five assists, and three steals.

Freshman Addy Wheeler had eight points, four rebounds, four assists, five steals, and one blocked shot in the win, while senior Olivia Bartlow had five points and four boards, sophomore Mya Thompson had four points, six rebounds, three steals, and one blocked shot, and junior Natalee Watson chipped in with four points and one blocked shot.

Athens, now 7-3, returns to action Saturday at Benton.

ATHENS — Athens limited Williamson to two first-half field goals on its way to a 30-11 win here Thursday night in NTL junior varsity girls basketball action.

Mya Thompson scored six points in the first quarter to fuel an 11-2 run in the opening stanza.

The junior Wildcats used a 7-2 spurt in the third quarter to stretch their lead to 18-4 at the half.

Ella Coyle and Thompson scored four points apiece in the third quarter to help Athens to a 26-9 lead heading into the fourth quarter.

Thompson led Athens with 12 points, three rebounds, and five steals, while Coyle had 10 points, four rebounds, seven steals, and one blocked shot, Bronson had four points, four assists, seven steals, and three blocked shots, and Izzy Davis hauled down eight rebounds.

Athens returns to action Saturday at Benton.

ATHENS — Seniors Tucker Brown and J.J. Babcock combined for 22 points in the first quarter to help Athens to a 19-point lead en route to a 92-37 win over Williamson here Wednesday night in NTL boys basketball action.

“I’m very pleased with my team’s Intensity tonight.,” said Athens coach Jim Lister. “We played very good defense, moved the ball very well on offense, and got a very nice team win.”

Senior Troy Pritchard scored the first bucket of the game for the Wildcats, then Brown scored eight of Athens’ next 10 to give the Wildcats a 12-1 lead.

After a pair of free throws by Williamson, Babcock scored back-to-back buckets to make it 16-3.

The Warriors trimmed the lead to 18-9, and the teams traded buckets until it was 22-13.

Junior Chris Mitchell scored on an offensive rebound to trigger a 10-0 run to close out the first quarter. Brown scored the final two buckets of the stanza to give the Wildcats a 32-13 lead.

Athens also scored the first seven points of the second quarter, with freshman Kolsen Keathley scoring back-to-back buckets to open the stanza, and Lister capping Athens’ 17-0 run with a 3-pointer to make it 39-13.

Athens stretched its lead to 32 points, at 52-20, with a 7-0 spurt that bridged the second and third quarters.

The Wildcats closed the game with a 32-4 run, including a 24-1 blitz during an 8 1/2-minute span that bridged the third and fourth quarters.

Athens shot 62 percent (42 of 68) from the field in the win,

Babcock, who made 13 of 18 shots from the field, had 28 points, eight rebounds, six assists, three steals, and one blocked shot, and Brown had 20 points, four rebounds, three assists, and four steals to lead the Wildcats.

Lister had nine points, six assists, four rebounds, four steals, and one blocked shot in the win, while Pritchard and Mitchell each had six points and four boards, and Keathley scored six points.

Senior Nalen Carling had five points, five rebounds and four steals for the Wildcats, while Carson Smith and senior Ryan Thompson added five points apiece.

Tristan Parker led Williamson with 18 points, and Evan Dominick added 11.

Athens, now 9-3, travels to Wyalusing Friday night.

NEW OXFORD, Pa. — Seniors Gavin Bradley and Kaden Setzer won their weight classes in dominant fashion, and senior Karter Rude was a runner-up here Saturday at the two-day New Oxford Tournament.

Sophomore Josh Nittinger placed sixth for the Wildcats, and freshman Caleb Nason earned a seventh-place medal.

DIMOCK, Pa. — Juniors Taegan Williams and Taylar Fisher won two events apiece to lead Athens’ efforts here Saturday at the Elk Lake Keep the Beat Swimming Invite.

GIRLS
Williams, Fisher, and senior Brooke Kopatz, who also logged one first-place finish, each had four top-two finishes for the Lady Wildcats.

Williams won the 200-yard freestyle in 2:11.68. and sophomore Grace Cobb was fourth in 2:29.34

Williams also won the 500-yard freestyle in 5:56.56, and Cobb was fourth in 6:47.92

Fisher led a sweep of the top three spots in the 100-yard butterfly, clocking int at 1:13.66. Kopatz was second in 1:19.06, while sophomore Emily Marshall was third in 1:22.22, and Macaria Benjamin was fifth in 1:27.58.

Fisher also won the 200-yard IM in 2:34.92.

Kopatz won the 100-yard breaststroke in a time of 1:15.84, and junior Allison Thoman was third in 1:24.53.

Fisher, Kopatz, and Williams teamed with Thoman to finish second in the 200-yard freestyle in 1:56.24.

Fisher, Kopatz, and Williams teamed with Marshall to finish second in the 400-yard freestyle relay in a time of 4:21.42.

Marshall finished third in the 100-yard backstroke in 1:116.47

Elizabeth Talada was fourth in the 100-yard freestyle in 1:13.06, and sophomore Emily Henderson was sixth in 1:24.97.

BOYS
Ethan Denlinger logged Athens’ only win, and had ta pair of second-place finishes to pace the Wildcats.

Denlinger won the 200-yard freestyle in 2:04.89, and freshman Ethan Hicks was 2:08.35. He was second in the 100-yard freestyle in 57.34 seconds.

Delninger teamed with Hicks, and freshmen Ronel Ankam and freshman Josh Leonard to finish second in the 200-yard freestyle relay in 1:47.74.

Hicks finished second in the 100-yard backstroke in a time of 1:04.7, and freshman Treyvon Simpson was fifth in 2:13.47.

Ankam finished third in the 50-yard freestyle, and Leonard was sixth in 29.16 seconds.

Ankam also finished third in the 100-yard breaststroke in a time of 1:23.91, and junior Travis Webster was fourth in 1:29.28.

Leonard was third in the 100-yard butterfly in 1:12.47, and junior Joe Blood finished third in the 500-yard freestyle in 6:49.79

Athens will travel to Towanda Tuesday for a 4:30 p.m. meet.

NEW OXFORD, Pa. — Athens seniors Gavin Bradley, Kaden Setzer, and Karter Rude advanced to the semifinals of the New Oxford Tournament here Friday, while sophomore Josh Nittinger and freshman Caleb Nason are alive in wrestlebacks.

Athens is in 15th place in the 23-team field with 47 points. Bishop McDevitt leads the pack with 104 points, while Carlisle is second with 93.5, and Canton is third with 91. Troy is in seventh place with 60 points.

Top-seeded Bradley, who received a bye into the 113-pound quarterfinals, needed just 55 seconds to pin Troy’s Caleb Schwenk in his only match of the day.

Bradley will face Bishop McDevitt’s Michael Beutler in the semifinals.

Setzer, the second seed at 132 pounds, advanced to the semifinals with a pair of quick pins.

After receiving a bye in the round-of-16, Setzer pinned Carlisle’s Chase Brenneman in 33 seconds.

In the quarterfinals, Setzer needed just 29 seconds to flatten Greencastle-Antim’s Garrett Keener.

Setzer will face York Suburban’s Bryson Neidigh in the semifinals.

Rude, the fifth seed at 152 pounds, decked Delone Catholic’s Domonic Giraffa in 4:13 in the round-of-16.

In the quarterfinals, Rude used a five-point move midway through the first period to take a 7-1 lead, on his way to a 9-2 win over fourth-seeded Jarrett Wilson of Carlisle.

Rude will face ninth-seeded Tyler Bard of West York in the semifinals. Bard upset top-seeded Gage Bishop of Biglerville, 3-2, in the quarterfinals.

At 285 pounds, junior Josh Nittinger decked Hanover’s Evan Fiorello in 2:34 in the round-of-16.

In the quarterfinals, Nittinger lost via fall to Carlisle’s Layton Schmick.

At 215 pounds, freshman Caleb Nason lost via fall in 3:01 to Canton’s Gage Pepper in the round-of-16, but bounced back with a pin of LaSalle’s Matt Sorge in 2:55 in his only wrestleback match.

Freshman Keaton Sinsabaugh was 1-2 on the day, his win a 52-second fall over Northeaster’s Tyler Wales in his first wrestleback match.

Freshman Keegan Congdon was 1-2 in the 145-pound weight class. He won his first wrestleback match by fall in 2:45 over Greencastle-Antim’s Mason Booze.

Senior Gavin McGrath was 0-2 at 132 pounds, and senior Cameron Whitmarsh went 0-2 at 172 pounds.

WELLSBORO — Peyton McClure knocked seven 3-pointers, including four in the third quarter, to lift Wellsboro to a 62-49 win over Athens here Friday night in a key NTL Large School boys basketball match-up.

The Wildcats jumped out to a quick 5-0 lead on a 3-pointer by senior J.J. Babcock, and led 8-4 midway through the opening stanza on a putback by Babcock.

Wellsboro used a 7-0 spurt, capped by a 3-pointer by Connor Adams, to take an 11-8 lead with 2:38 remaining in the first quarter.

Athens answered with six straight points to take a 14-11 with 55 seconds remaining in the first quarter, but Adams knocked down another trey with 42 seconds left to tie the game at 14-14.

McClure’s first 3-pointer of the game gave the Hornets a 17-14 lead with 13 seconds remaining, but senior Troy Pritchard tied the game with an old-fashioned three-point play with 4 ticks left on the first-quarter clock.

Babcock scored on a putback a little more than two minutes into the second quarter, and Pritchard scored on an in-bounds play with 5:01 remaining in the first half to give the Wildcats a 22-17 lead.

McClure’s second 3-pointer, with 4:07 left in the half, put Wellsboro on the scoreboard for the first time in the second quarter and cut the lead to 22-20.

A 15-foot jumper by Darryn Callahan tied the game with 3:18 remaining in the first half, but Pritchard scored 10 seconds later to put the Wildcats back ahead at 3:08.

After a free throw by Cam Brought, McClure canned another 3-pointer to give the Hornets a 26-24 lead with 2:22 remaining in the half.

A free throw by Chris Mitchell cut the Wellsboro lead in half, then Kolsen Keathley, off a feed from Babcock, scored in transition to give the Wildcats a 27-26 lead with 1:31 left in the half.

The Hornets held the ball for the last shot of the half, but were unable to get a good look.

McClure knocked down a pair of 3-pointers, sandwiched around a bucket by Mitchell, to give the Hornets a 32-29 lead with 5:55 remaining in the third quarter.

A jumper from the free-throw line by Callahan extended the lead to 34-29 with 5:22 remaining in the third quarter, but Babcock connected from 3-point range to close the gap to 34-32

After the teams exchanged buckets, McClure drained his sixth 3-pointer with 2:45 left in the third quarter to make it 39-34.

McClure’s final 3-pointer came with 4 seconds left, and pushed Wellsboro’s lead to seven points, at 44-37.

Liam Manning scored the first bucket of the fourth quarter with 5:04 remaining to give the Hornets a 46-37 lead.

The teams exchanged points until Manning score a fast-break lay-up with 2:12 remaining to give the Hornets a 54-43 lead.

A pair of free throws by Babcock with 1:07 remaining cut the Wellsboro lead to nine, at 58-49, but that’s as close as the Wildcats would get.

Babcock led Athens with 18 points, nine rebounds, five assists, and two blocked shots, while Mitchell scored 10 points, and Pritchard had eight points and two steals.

Junior Mason Lister added five points and three assists for the Wildcats, while senior Tucker Brown and Keathley chipped in with four points apiece.

McClure led all scorers with 21 points, while Adams had 12 points and five assists, and Manning had 12 points and six rebounds.

Callahan added eight points, six boards, and four steals in the win, while Hayes Campbell chipped in with six points, seven rebounds and four assists, and Brought grabbed six rebounds.

Athens, now 8-3, hosts Troy Monday, while Wellsboro, now 8-2, hosts South Williamsport.

WELLSBORO — Athens raced out to a 15-point first-quarter lead, and cruised to a 42-9 victory over Wellsboro Friday night — one of three NTL junior varsity boys basketball wins for the junior Wildcats since the New Year.

Conner Mosher scored seven points in the first quarter, and Xavier Watson added four to fuel a 17-2 Wildcat blitz in the opening eight minutes.

Matt Aquilio and Nicholas Jacob each canned 3-pointers in the second quarter as Athens used a 10-3 run to extend their lead to 27-5 at the half.

Troy Rosenbloom and Korey Miller scored four points apiece in the third quarter in a 10-4 spurt that pushed the lead to 37-9 heading into the final eight minutes.

Mosher led Athens with 11 points, while Miller and Watson scored six points apiece, Aquilio added five points, and Rosenbloom chipped in with four.

Athens hosts Troy Monday night.

Wednesday
Athens 45, NP-Mansfield 22
At Mansfield, Athens used a third-quarter blitz to blow open a close game on its way to a 45-22 win over North Penn-Mansfield Wednesday.

Korey Miller and Xavier Watson scored four points apiece in the first quarter to help Athens to a 12-2 win after the first eight minutes.

NP-M outscored Athens, 11-9, in the second quarter to cut the deficit to 21-13 at the half, but the third quarter was all Wildcats.

Watson scored eight points, Kolsen Keathley added five, and Conner Mosher knocked down a 3-pointer in a 16-0 blitz that gave Athens a 37-13 lead heading into the final eight minutes.

Watson led Athens with 14 points, while Keathley scored nine, Mosher added six points, and Miller chipped in with four.

Jan. 6
Athens 33, Towanda 32
At Athens, Athens led by 11 points after the first quarter, bit Towanda rallied to take a lead into the fourth quarter, only to have Athens answer in a 33-32 win.

Six different junior Wildcats scored in the first eight minutes, and the defense pitched a shutout in an 11-0 run.

Korey Miller knocked down a 3-pointer and scored five points in the second quarter, and Peter Jones added a 3-pointer, but Towanda used a 12-10 advantage to cut the deficit to 21-12 at the half.

The tide turned in the third quarter as Towanda held Athens without a field goal in a 12-2 blitz that gave the Black Knights a 24-23 lead heading into the final eight minutes.

Towanda maintained its lead throughout the fourth quarter, despite a 3-pointer by Troy Rosenbloom, until Xavier Watson scored on a lay-up in the closing seconds for the win.

Miller led Athens with nine points, while Jack Cheresnowsky, Noah Hobday, and Conner Mosher added four points apiece.

BLOSSBURG — Senior Karter Rude moved up two weight classes, and upended state-ranked Kohen Lehman to secure Athens’ 38-36 win over North Penn-Liberty here Thursday night in NTL wrestling action.

There were just six contested weight classes, with both teams winning three.

The Wildcats, wrestling without four starters due to illness, fell behind right off the bat as NP-L’s George Valentine pinned freshman Caleb Nason in 3:42 at 215 pounds.

After a forfeit to Athens sophomore Josh Nittinger at 285 pounds tied the match, NP-L received a forfeit at 106 pounds, and Brayden Pequingot scored a fall at 113 pounds to to give the Mountaineers an 18-6 lead.

At 120 pounds, sophomore Mason Vanderpool built an 8-4 lead in the second period, and eventually won via injury default over Riley Oakes.

Senior Gavin Bradley, also wrestling up two weight classes, put on a takedown clinic in a 20-4 technical fall over Cole Wagner.

Bradley scored three takedowns and three near-fall points to take a 9-2 lead after the first two minutes. He added three takedowns and two near-fall points in the second period to extend the lead to 17-4 entering the final two minutes.

Bradley closed out the bout with an escape and quick takedown to finish off the technical fall at 4:38 to trim the Athens deficit to 18-17.

The next five weight classes were decided by forfeits, with Athens receiving three to take a 35-30 lead.

In the decisive 172-pound weight class, Rude scored an early takedown and led 2-0 after the first period. The duo spent the entire two minutes on their feet in the second period.

Lehman scored an escape in the third period, but Rude was able to fend off takedown attempts to preserve the 2-1 win, giving the Wildcats an insurmountable 38-30 lead.

NP-L’s Gavin Sexauer’s built a 9-3 lead on his way to a fall over Cameron Whitmarsh in 3:46 to prove the final margin.

Athens returns to action Friday and Saturday at the New Oxford Tournament.

——————

ATHENS 38, NP-LIBERTY 36
215: George Valentine (NP) by fall over Caleb Nason (A), 3:42;
285: Joshua Nittinger (A) by forfeit;
106: Sophia Domenech (NP) by forfeit;
113: Brayden Pequignot (NP) by fall over Keaton Sinsabaugh (A), 1:00;
120: Mason Vanderpool (A) injury def. Riley Oakes (NP);
126: Gavin Bradley (A) tech. fall Cale Wagner (NP), 20-4 @ 4:38;
132: Trinity Robinson (NP) by forfeit;
138: Lilly Galasso (A) by forfeit;
145: Lucas Forbes (A) by forfeit;
152: Keegan Congdon (A) by forfeit;
160: Ryan Mayall (NP) by forfeit;
172: Karter Rude (A) dec. Kohen Lehman (NP), 2-1;
189: Gaven Sexauer (NP) by fall over Cameron Whitmarsh (A), 3:39.

TROY — Troy held Athens without a field goal in the fourth quarter, and used a 9-2 run to pull out a 35-28 win Thursday night in NTL Large School girls basketball action here at the Commons Building.

The Lady Wildcats, now 7-3, were playing without one of their leading scorers Karlee Bartlow.

“We missed Karlee Bartlow on offense,” said Athens coach Brian Miller. “We played well at times, but shot the ball poorly from the floor.

“At times, we executed very well, but we didn't finish around the basket.

“And, we had way too many turnovers in a game like that,” added Miller.

Senior Caydence Macik had seven points, including an old-fashioned three-point play, in the first quarter, and freshman Addy Wheeler canned a 3-pointer to help Athens to a 12-5 lead after the first eight minutes.

Rachel Kinsley scored eight points in the second quarter, and Sydney Taylor added four as Troy used a 15-5 run to rally for a 20-17 lead at the halftime intermission.

Wheeler knocked down another 3-pointe and scored five points in the third quarter in a 9-6 spurt that tied the game at 26-26 entering the final eight minutes.

Kinsley scored eight more points in the fourth quarter to fuel the game-closing 9-2 run. The Lady Trojans mad just 1 of 6 free-throw attempts in the final eight minutes, but held Athens to just two free throws.

Macik led Athens with 14 points, three rebounds, and six steals, while Wheeler had eight points and six boards, and junior Emma Bronson added six points, three rebounds, and three assists.

Senior Olivia Bartlow hauled down nine rebounds and blocked three shots for the Lady Wildcats, while sophomore Mya Thompson had six rebounds and three assists, and junior Natalie Watson chipped in with four rebounds.

Kinsley led Troy with 16 points, and Taylor added six.

Athens travels to North Penn-Mansfield Tuesday.

MANSFIELD — Athens built a 20-point second-quarter lead, then used a fourth-quarter run to fend off North Penn-Mansfield’s second-half comeback efforts in a 55-39 win here Wednesday night in NTL Large School boys basketball action.

Senior Nalen Carling hit an early 3-pointer, and scored six points in the first quarter, while senior Tucker Brown hit a 3-pointer late in the opening stanza and scored five points, and junior Mason Lister added four points to help the Wildcats to a 17-6 lead after the first eight minutes.

“I thought we played really good defense tonight,” said Athens coach Jim Lister. “We made it really difficult for them to run their offense, and get good looks at the basket.

“We held them to 14 points in the first half, and when you do that, good things are going to happen.”

Lister acknowledged that NP-M seemed to struggle with his team’s size, especially in the first half.

“That court is a little smaller,” he said. “Honestly, with our length and size, that kind of gives us a little bit of an advantage.

“It just made it really difficult for them to generate any type of offense,” Lister added.

The first quarter ended in dramatic fashion as Lister poked the ball away from NP-M’s Andrew Green from behind. Carling corralled the loose ball and heave up court to Lister, who threw up a runner from behind the 3-point arc at the buzzer.

The shot went in off the glass, but was ruled a 2-pointer to give the Wildcats a 17-6 lead.

The Athens defense limited NP-M to a pair of free throws over the first 5 1/2 minutes of the second quarter.

Meanwhile, Lister drained a 3-pointer to make it 22-7 with 6:42 remaining in the first half, and senior J.J. Babcock scored on a putback a little more than a minute later to make it 24-8.

A pair of free throws by Carling, and a lay-up by senior Troy Pritchard, off a beautiful feed from junior Lucas Kraft, gave the Wildcats their biggest lead of the game, at 28-8, with 3:10 remaining in the first half.

NP-M closed out the first half with a 6-0 spurt, triggered by a short jumper by Karsen Dominick with 2:35 left in the half, to close the gap to 28-14 at the half.

Lister scored off a nice feed from Babcock in the opening moments of the third quarter, then Babcock knocked down a short jumper to make it 32-14 with 6:19 remaining in the third quarter.

Over the next eight-plus minutes, the Tigers reeled off  a 20-6 run, featuring a pair of 3-pointers by Andrew Green, and capped by a Sam Lawrence 3-pointer, to close the gap to 38-34 with 6:15 remaining in the game.

“I think we got a little sloppy, a little lackadaisical in the third quarter, and let them claw their way back into the game,” said Lister.

The Wildcats would answer with a 13-0 blitz to re-gain control.

Babcock ignited the run with a spin move into the lane for a short jumper to make it 40-34. After a pair of free throws by Carling, resulting from a Lister steal, Lister followed his own miss in transition to make it 44-34 with 5:05 remaining.

Babcock kept the momentum going with a big blocked shot on the defensive end, and capped the run by shredding NP-M full-court press for a coast-to-coast lay-up to make it 47-34 with 3:46 remaining.

“I was real pleased with our effort in the fourth quarter,” said Lister.

“We keep talking about handling adversity. When you play four quarters of basketball against good teams, you’re going to have to face adversity,” noted Lister. “It’s going to happen, you have to deal with it, and you have to bounce back from it, and I think we did a really good job of doing that tonight.

“This is a really good win for us on the road,” he added.

Lister led Athens with 14 points, while Babcock scored 13 points, Carling added 10 points, and Pritchard and Brown chipped in with nine points apiece.

Brody Burleigh led NP-M with 10 points, while Eli Shaw had nine, Lawrence added seven, and Green chipped in with six.

Athens, now 7-2, returns to action Friday at Wellsboro.