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.

ATHENS — Canton turned three close bouts into falls, and won five in a row by pin early en route to a 51-21 win over Athens here Tuesday night in NTL wrestling action.

“There’s no other way to put it, we got out-hearted today,” said Athens coach Shawn Bradley. “There were four matches we could have won, and (Canton) won them all.

“Hats off to Canton, their kids wanted it more than ours,” added Bradley. “We have to learn how to gut some things out, that’s part of the process.”

The match started quickly with Canton’s Hayden Ward scoring an 18-second fall at 152 pounds, and Athens senior Karter Rude answering with a 59-second pin of Levi Pepper at 160 pounds to tie the match at 6-6.

The 172-pound bout was a pivotal match in the early-going.

Canton’s Brenen Taylor scored the first takedown of the bout, but senior Cameron Whitmarsh escaped, and countered with a double-leg takedown for a 3-2 lead.

After Taylor scored an escape late in the first period to tie the bout at 3-3, Whitmarsh cut him loose to start the second period. The duo remained on their feet the entire two minutes, and Taylor led 4-3 heading into the final two minutes.

Taylor rode top to start the second period, but was penalized about 30 seconds in for a stiff forearm to the back of Whitmarsh’s head to tie the score at 4-4. Moments later, Whitmarsh escaped for a 5-4 lead, but just 20 seconds later, Taylor scored a takedown, and ran a quick arm bar for the fall at 5:28 to give the Warriors a 12-6 lead.

At 189 pounds, Canton’s Riley Parker built a 7-0 lead before turning senior Collin Rosh for the fall at 3:16 to make it 18-6.

The 215-pound match-up proved to be another tough loss for the Wildcats.

Canton’s Connor Davis scored an early takedown and had freshman Caleb Nason on his back for more than 30 seconds, but Nason reversed Davis and had him on his back at the first-period buzzer to trim the deficit to 5-4.

Davis was on top to start the second period, and quickly locked in an arm bar for a fall at 2:22 to give the Warriors a 24-6 lead.

The Warriors turned another 1-point lead into a fall at 285 pounds.

After a scoreless first period, Mason Nelson scored an escape in the second period for a 1-0 lead, and the heavyweights spent the remainder of the period on their feet.

Nelson rode top for more than a minute before locking in an arm bar and turning Nittinger for the fall at 5:22 to up the Warrior lead to 30-6.

At 106, Lyle Vermilya built a 9-0 lead before finishing off freshman Keaton Sinsabaugh at 3:26 to give the Warriors a 36-6 lead.

Canton’s Cohen Landis received a forfeit at 113 pounds to extend Canton’s lead to an insurmountable 42-6 lead.

Sophomore Mason Vanderpool put the Wildcats back on the board again at 120 pounds. He led 5-0 after the first period, then scored a reversal early in the second period, into a headlock for a fall at 2:25.

Senior Gavin Bradley, wrestling up two weight classes, scored an impressive 19-3 technical fall over freshman Holden Ward at 126 pounds.

Bradley scored an early takedown, then racked up two sets of near-fall points to take an 8-0 lead after the first period.

Bradley scored three takedowns to build a 14-3 lead midway through the second period, then closed out the match with a takedown directly to Ward’s back for the 19-3 win.

In what may have been the “match of the night,” Canton’s Brayden Wesneski scored a 10-7 decision over senior Gavin McGrath.

McGrath scored a first-period takedown for a 2-0 lead. Wesneski started on top in the second period, and with 40 seconds remaining sat out in arm bar for three near-fall points and a 3-2 lead entering the final two minutes.

The duo started neutral, and McGrath came out on top in a scramble for a takedown, and three near-fall points to take a 7-3 lead early in the third period.

McGrath tried to turn his advantage into a cradle, but Wesneski was able to reverse and put McGrath on his back briefly to tie the bout at 7-7 with 40 seconds remaining.

About 30 seconds later, Wesneski scored three near-fall points on a tilt for the 10-7 win.

At 138 pounds, Athens senior Kaden Setzer took down Hudson Ward on a throw and picked up a pair of near-fall points in the process for a 4-0 lead, which he carried into the second period.

Ward escaped early in the second period, and Setzer recorded another takedown to take a 6-2 lead into he final two minutes.

After Ward registered another escape, a Setzer throw resulted in five points and an 11-3 lead. Ward escaped again, but Setzer closed out the 13- 4 major decision with another takedown in the closing seconds.

Canton’s Bailey Ferguson closed out the match with a fall late in the second period at 145 pounds.

Athens, now 3-2, returns to action Thursday at North Penn-Liberty.

——————

CANTON 51, ATHENS 21
152: Hayden Ward (C) by fall over Keegan Congdon (A), 0:18;
160: Karter Rude (A) by fall over Levi Pepper (C), 0:59;
172: Brenen Taylor (C) by fall over Cameron Whitmarsh (A), 5:28;
189: Riley Parker (C) by fall over Colin Rosh (A), 3:16;
215: Conner Davis (C) by fall over Caleb Nason (A), 2:22;
285: Mason Nelson (C) by fall over Joshua Nittinger (A), 5:23;
106: Lyle Vermilya (C) by fall over Keaton Sinsabaugh (A), 3:26;
113: Cohen Landis (C) by forfeit;
120: Mason Vanderpool (A) by fall over Cayden Miller (C), 2:25;
126: Gavin Bradley (A) tech. fall Holden Ward (C), 19-3;
132: Brayden Wesneski (C) dec. Gavin McGrath (A), 10-7;
138: Kaden Setzer (A) major dec. Hudson Ward (C), 13-4;
145: Bailey Ferguson (C) by fall over Lucas Forbes (A), 3:48.

WYALUSING — The Athens defense limited Wyalusing to just two first-half field goals, and built a 19-point halftime lead on its way to a 42-20 win here Monday night in NTL girls basketball action.

“We scored well off our pressure,” said Athens coach Brian Miller. “Our defense created some nice fast breaks.

“We played well,” added Miller.

Senior Caydence Macik led the Lady Wildcats with a double-double, scoring 16 points and pulling down 10 rebounds.

Junior Karlee Bartlow had 11 points, five rebounds, three steals, and one blocked shot in the win, while senior Olivia Bartlow had six points, six boards, and two blocked shots, junior Emma Bronson aded five points and two assists, and freshman Addy Wheeler chipped in with four points, four rebounds, four assists, and six steals.

Macik scored seven points in the opening stanza, including a 3-pointer late in the first eight minutes, to help Athens to an 11-2 lead.

Karlee Barlow scored seven points in the second quarter to fuel a 13-3 burt that gave the Lady Wildcats a 24-5 lead at the break.

Athens added a point to its lead in the third quarter, taking a 32-12 advantage into the final eight minutes,  then made 4 of 7 free throws down the stretch to seal the victory.

Laci Norton led Wyalusing with six points, and Layla Botts and Olivia Spencer added four points apiece.

Athens, now 6-2, travels to Troy Thursday.

WYALUSING — Athens used a big second quarter to take control in a 30-16 win over Wyalusing here Monday night in NTL junior varsity girls basketball action.

The junior Wildcats were held without a field goal in the first quarter, but Mya Thompson was 4-for-4 from the free-throw line. Athens trailed 5-4 after the opening stanza.

Sara Bronson took over for Athens in the second quarter, pumping in 11 points to fuel a 16-2 blitz that gave the Wildcats a 20-7 lead at the break.

Athens out scored Wyalusing, 10-9, in the second half, with Thomason scoring six points, and Bronson adding four.

Bronson led Athens with 15 points, seven rebounds, and 10 steals, and Thompson had 11 points, seven rebounds, three assists, and nine steals.

Raven Glisson had four rebounds and one blocked shot in the win, while Izzy Davis had four boards, and Savannah Persun grabbed three boards.

INDIANA, Pa. — Senior Gavin Bradley continues to wrestle like a man on a mission, winning the 113-pound title here at the Mid-Winter Mayhem Tournament in convincing fashion.

Senior Kaden Setzer finished fifth for the Wildcats at 132 pounds, and junior Jake Courtney was seventh at 138 pounds.

Bradley, who opened the tournament with a technical fall and a pin on Friday, opened Saturday with a 22-6 technical fall win over fourth-seeded Jared Popson of Brookville in the semifinals.

Bradley scored a quick takedown to start the match for a 2-0 lead. Thirty seconds later, Popson escaped to close the gap to 2-1,, but Bradley hit a five-point move to take a 7-1 lead after the opening two minutes.

Leading 8-2, Bradley scored four takedowns, the last coming with 3 seconds remaining, to increase his lead to 16-5 heading into the final two minutes.

After Popson was banged for stalling early in the third period, Bradley hit another five-point move to close out the match at 4:38.

In the finals, Bradley took control early and forged a 9-4 win over second-seed Weston Pisarchick of Brockway.

Bradley scored a takedown 21 seconds into the bout. After Pisarchick escaped with 49 seconds left, Bradley registered another takedown about 20 seconds later to take a 4-1 lead.

After spending the majority of the second period on their feet, Bradley scored a takedown and three near-fall points in the final 20 seconds to take a 9-1 lead.

Bradley cut Pisarchick loose to start the third period, and Pisarchick closed out the scoring with a takedown with 20 seconds remaining.

Bradley is now 13-0 on the season.

At 132 pounds, top-seeded Owen Reinsel of Brookville, who went on to win the title, scored a 7-1 win over Setzer, who was the fourth seed..

Reinsel took control early with a five-point move in the first 20 seconds of the bout. He added a reversal in the third period.

In his first wrestleback match, Setzer dropped a 4-0 decision to Commodore Perry’s Wyatt Lazzar, the 10th seed,

In the fifth-place match, Setzer scored a pair of third-period takedowns to rally for a 6-5 win over fifth-seeded Todd McGann of Quakertown.

Setzer beat McGann, 7-5, Friday in the quarterfinals.

At 138 pounds, Courtney, who was 4-1 on Friday, dropped a 7-4 decision to Marion Canter’s Liam Cornetto in the consolation bracket round-of-4.

In the seventh-place match, Courtney scored a takedown early in the third period to pull out a 2-0 decision over Benton’s Caden Temple.

Athens hosts Canton Tuesday, and travels to North Penn-Liberty Thursday.

INDIANA, Pa. — Athens seniors Gavin Bradley and Kaden Setzer both advanced to the semifinals of the Mid-Winter Mayhem tournament here Friday, and junior Jake Courtney is alive in wrestlebacks.

Bradley, the top seed at 113 pounds, opened with a 21-3 technical fall over General McLane’s Ethan Snyder in 3:05.

Bradley scored a quick takedown and two sets of near-fall points for an 8-0 lead after the first period.

He scored a quick takedown to start the second period for a 10-0 lead. After cutting Snyder loose, Bradley recorded another takedown and a tilt for a 14-1 lead.

Bradley cut Snyder loose again, then added another takedown to make it 16-2. After cutting Snyder loose for a third time, Bradley registered a quick five-point move to close out the bout.

In the quarterfinals, Bradley decked eighth-seeded Leyton Zechary of Commodore Perry in just 22 seconds.

Bradley will face fourth-seeded Jared Popson of Brookville in the semifinals Saturday morning.

Setzer, the fourth seed at 132 pounds, was 3-0 on the day to advance to the semifinals.

He opened the day with 57-second fall over T.J. Carroll of Forest Hills in the round-of-32.

Setzer followed it up with a 16-1 technical fall over Mikey Hollar of Pocono Mountain East. He scored a takedown and three near-fall points for a 5-0 lead after the first period.

Setzer scored a five-point move early int he second period for a 10-1 lead. After an escape by Hollar, Setzer scored a takedown and a two-point tilt for a 14-1 lead heading into the final two minutes.

Setzer clinched the win with a takedown at 4:18.

In the quarterfinals, Setzer forged a 7-5 decision over Todd McGann of Quakertown.

Setzer scored a five-point move midway through the first period for a 5-0 lead, but McGann escaped at the buzzer to close the gap to 5-1after the first two minutes.

McGann opened the second period with a reversal to close the gap to 5-3, but Setzer escaped to make it 6-3.

McGann scored a takedown with 22 seconds remaining in the second period to pull within one point, at 6-5.

McGann cut Setzer loose to start the third period for a 7-5 lead, and the two spent the entire two minutes on their feet.

Setzer will face top-seeded Owen Reinsel of Brookville, who registered three first-period pins Friday, in the semifinals.

At 138 pounds, junior Jake Courtney trailed Daniel Boone’s Brett Marciano 7-4 midway through the third period in the round-of-32, but scored a takedown and fall with 34 seconds remaining.

In the round-of-16, Courtney, the ninth seed, trailed 5-0 to eighth-seeded Dave Wenner of Cranberry, but rallied to close the gap to 6-4, but Wenner scored a reversal in the closing seconds to win an 8-4 decision.

In the consolation bracket, Courtney went 3-0 to advance to the consolation round-of-4.

Courtney was awarded a stalling point with 9 seconds remaining in the second overtime period for a 1-0 win over Clearfield’s Ty Aveni in his first wrestleback match, and followed that up with a 3-2 win over Curwensville’s Nik Fegert.

In his final bout of the day, Courtney scored a pair of third-period takedowns to really from a 4-2 deficit for a 6-5 win over sixth-seeded Caden Finck of Montgomery.

At 215 pounds, freshman Caleb Nason, the fifth seed, scored an escape and a takedown early in the second period to take a 5-3 lead over General McLane’s Brady Haskins. He rode Haskins the final 76 seconds of the period, then the two grapplers spent the entire third period on their feet, with Nason preserving the 5-3 win.

In the round-of-16, Nason fell behind early, but scored a reversal and three near-fall points late in the first period to take a 5-2 lead on Richland’s Ryan Audi. He added an escape and a takedown in the second period for an 8-2 lead, on his way to an 11-6 win.

In the quarterfinals, Nason dropped a 7-1 decision to fourth-seed Bradley Leon of Montgomery.

Nason was eliminated in his first wrestleback match, a 9-3 loss to Penn Cambria’s Brandon Oravec.

At 152 pounds, senior Karter Rude, the fifth seed, opened with a pin of Pocono Mountains East’s Camryn Sopko in 1:45.

In the round-of-16, Rude scored a pair of takedowns to take a 4-1 lead early in the first period, but Dubois Area’s Carter Wilson countered with a takedown with 12 seconds remaining to tie the bout, and then secured the pin at 1:55.

In the consolation bracket, Rude received a forfeit from Clearfield’s Karson Kline to advance to the consolation round-of-8, then built a 6-1 lead before registering a fall in 4:05 over Benton’s Evan Brokenshire.

Rude’s tournament came to an end in the second round-of-8 via a second-period fall against second-seeded Travis Stipetich of North Allegheny.

At 285 pounds, sophomore Josh Nittinger, the seventh seed, lost via fall to Canton’s Mason Nelson in 3:37 in the opening round, but bounced back with two wins in the consolation bracket.

In his first wrestleback match, Nittinger scored a takedown 19 seconds into overtime for a 2-0 win over Penn Cambria’s Brandon Yeoman. In his next bout, NIttinger turned a reversal into a fall at 2:15 against Marion Center’s Luke Winters.

In the second round-of-8, NIttinger was eliminated by St. Joe’s Prep’s Maxwell Roy via fall in 4:49.

At 120 pounds, sophomore Mason Vanderpool, the eight seed, led Pennfield’s Ryan Parton, 5-3, in the third period, but Parton turned Vanderpool for a fall at 4:51.

In the consolation bracket, Vanderpool flattened Hollidaysburg’ Noah Horne in 24 seconds, but was eliminated in his next bout — a 7-2 loss to Commodore Perry’s Hunter Gable.

At 189 pounds, senior Collin Rosh scored a fall over Daniel Boone’s Jake
 in 3:43. Pogash led 1-0 after an escape early in the second period, but Rosh answered with a takedown and turn for the fall.

In the round-of-16, Rosh lost via first-period fall to second-seeded Colby Springman of Montoursville.

Rosh also lost via fall in his first wrestleback match to Cranberry’s Branden McFetridge.

Freshman Keaton Sinsabaugh went 0-2 at 106, and senior Lucas Forbes went 0-2 at 145 pounds.

Day 2’s action begins Saturday at 10 a.m.

ATHENS — Junior Karlee Bartlow scored 21 points for the second straight game, pacing Athens in a 40-30 win over Wellsboro here Friday night in NTL Large School girls basketball action.

Bartlow knocked down a 3-pointer, and scored five points in the first quarter, and senior Caydence Macik, returning after a two-game absence, added four points to help the Lady Wildcats to a 10-8 lead after the first eight minutes.

Bartlow canned a pair of 3-pointers, and scored eight points in the second quarter, and Macik added four points in a 14-6 run that extended the Athens lead to 24-14 at the half.

Athens added two points to its lead in the third quarter, taking a 32-20 lead into the final eight minutes.

The Lady Wildcats made just 2 of 7 free throws in the fourth quarter, but held on for the win.

Bartlow led Athens with 21 points, seven rebounds, four steals, three assists, and two blocked shots, while Macik had 12 points, seven boards, four steals and three blocked shots. freshman Addy Wheeler added four boards, six steals, and one blocked shot, and senior Olivia Bartlow blocked two shots.

Paige Logsdon led Wellsboro with 12 points.

Athens, now 5-2, travels to Wyalusing Monday.

ATHENS — Athens jumped out to an early lead, but was held scoreless for more than two quarters as Wellsboro rallied to win an epic defensive struggle, 14-11, here Friday evening in NTL Large School junior varsity girls basketball action.

Sara Bronson scored four points in the first quarter, and Mya Thompson added a bucket to help the junior Wildcats to a 7-2 lead after the opening stanza.

Wellsboro, which ran big chunks of time off the clock using a patient half-court offense, outscored Athens, 6-0, in the second quarter, and the third quarter to take a 14-7 lead into the fourth quarter.

The Athens defense held Wellsboro scoreless, but could only muster two buckets — by Bronson and Thompson. The Wildcats were also 0-for-4 from the free-throw line in the final seven minutes, and 1-for-6 in the game.

Bronson led Athens with six points and six steals, and Thompson added four points, five rebounds, four steals, and one blocked shot,

Athens travels to Wyalusing Monday.

ATHENS — Athens shook off a rough first half, and a poor shooting night at the free-throw line to post a 70-60 win over Towanda here Thursday night in NTL Large School Division boys basketball action.

“Offensively, we were not as crisp as I would have liked in the first half and we missed a ton of foul shots tonight,” said Athens coach Jim Lister. “I will never be happy about that.

“We made some halftime adjustments and came out and played a much better second half and got the win,” he added.

Lister also heaped praise on first-year Towanda coach Landon Henry.

“First, I want to give a ton of credit to Coach Landon Henry,” said Lister. “He is young and has ton of energy and his kids are buying in.

“They are going to beat some teams this season on just effort and hard work,” added Lister.

Athens senior guard Tucker Brown scored the first seven points of the game, but Towanda used an 18-4 blitz to take an 18-11 with 1:45 remaining in the first quarter.

Senior J.J. Babcock scored five straight points, and senior Nalen Carling made a free throw in the final seconds of the opening stanza to draw within 18-17 at the end of the opening stanza.

ATHENS — Williamsport scored the first 17 points of the game, and held Athens off the scoreboard for the first five minutes of the game in a 55-23 win here Monday night in non-league boys basketball action.

Junior Chris Mitchell’s free throws with 2:55 remaining in the first quarter sparked an 8-0 spurt that also included buckets by senior J.J. Babcock, junior Mason Lister, and senior Troy Pritchard that closed the gap to 17-8.

The teams traded buckets until midway through the second quarter, but the Millionaires closed out the first half with a 9-1 spurt tot are a 33-15 lead at the half.

Williamsport used 14-0 run that bridged the third and fourth quarters to extend their lead to 53-19 in the opening minute of the final stanza.

The Wildcats shot 19.5 percent (8 of 41) from the field, and committed 29 turnovers in the loss.

Lister led Athens with eight points and four rebounds, while senior Tucker Brown had four points and one blocked shot, senior Nalen Carling had four points and four rebounds, Mitchell hauled down six boards, and Pritchard added three bounds and two steals.

Athens, now 6-2, hosts Towanda Thursday.