HS roundup: Penns Valley boys’ basketball on 3-game winning streak

Here’s what happened in Centre County high school sports from Jan. 27 to Feb. 1:

Boys’ basketball

Rams on 3-game win streak

Penns Valley earned two victories this week to build a three-game winning streak and improve to 12-7 on the season.

The team took on Bellefonte in its first game of the week in a tightly-contested matchup. The Rams held a 14-point lead heading into the fourth quarter, but the Red Raiders pulled back into it before the Rams closed the game out, 51-49. Sophomore Zach Braucht led Penns Valley with 22 in the game.

The Rams followed that tight win with a low-scoring victory in a matchup with Clearfield. Senior guard Aaron Tobias led the team with 11 points in the 38-29 victory.

Penns Valley will be back in action Wednesday when it takes on Huntingdon at 7 p.m.

P-O finishes week with 2 wins

Philipsburg-Osceola started the week off hot with two victories, but dropped its final game to go 2-1 and improve to 9-10 on the season.

The Mounties opened the week with a 69-44 road win over Moshannon Valley. Junior Ryan Whitehead scored 25 points to pace the team in the victory.

They followed that victory with another win, this time at home, over Bald Eagle Area, 61-48. Whitehead once again led the team in scoring with 17 points in the victory.

Their final game, and only loss, came against Central. The Mounties entered the fourth quarter down a point, but couldn’t secure the victory in the 57-51 loss. Whitehead and senior Kaleb Richardson led the team with 12 points apiece in the game.

The Mounties will take the court again at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday when they travel to Tyrone.

BEA winless this past week

Bald Eagle boys’ basketball struggled this week in three games, going 0-3 and dropping to 5-14 on the season. Two of the losses came by double digits.

The Eagles opened the week on the road against Cambria Heights in their closest matchup of the three. The Eagles fell to the Highlanders, 52-48. They were led by senior guard Jaden Jones with 14 points.

They stayed on the road for their next game when they took on Philipsburg-Osceola. The Eagles and Mounties were tied 28 at the half, but the home team pulled away in the third quarter, outscoring Bald Eagle, 17-5. That proved too much for the Eagles to handle. They lost, 61-48. Senior center Nick Maynard led Bald Eagle with 16 points.

BEA closed the week at home against the Tyrone Golden Eagles with a 62-40 loss. The Golden Eagles controlled the game from the start and took a 30-16 halftime lead, never looking back. Jones, with 12 points, and Maynard, with 10 points, scored more than half of the Eagles’ points in the loss.

Their next game comes Tuesday when they’ll take on rival Bellefonte on the road. Tip is slated for 7:30 p.m.

Bellefonte goes 0-3 on week

The Red Raiders couldn’t pull out a victory in their three games this week, dropping to 5-12 on the season.

They opened the week against DuBois on the road Monday night. The Red Raiders fell in the game, 68-37.

Bellefonte followed that game with a close home loss against Penns Valley. Ben McCartney led the team with 30 points, but it wasn’t enough. The Raiders fell to the Rams, 51-49.

The Red Raiders’ final game of the week was back on the road when they took on Huntingdon on Friday night. They scored more than 60 points for only the third time this season, but it wasn’t enough. They lost the game, 79-62.

Bellefonte will be back in action Tuesday at home when they take on Bald Eagle at 7:30 p.m.

SJCA falls in close contest vs. United

St. Joseph’s lost its only game of the week, falling to United, 60-56, to drop to 2-16 on the season. The Wolfpack were led by junior guard Brendan Scanlon with 29 points. Junior Noah Straub added 12 of his own points in the loss for St. Joseph’s.

The Wolfpack’s next game is 7:30 p.m. Monday when they’ll take on Southern Huntingdon County at home.

State College wins pair

State College went 2-0 this week to improve to 6-13 on the season. The Little Lions opened the week with a 48-40 victory over Mifflin County at home. They followed it with another home win on Senior Night against Altoona, 45-44.

The Little Lions will play at home Tuesday night against Carlisle.

Girls’ basketball

Lady Eagles win 2, lose 1 on week

Bald Eagle Area had a three-game slate this week and came out with a 2-1 record and improved to 7-11 overall.

The Lady Eagles opened the set of games with a home matchup with Philipsburg-Osceola. The Eagles rode a dominant second quarter to a 36-16 halftime lead on their way to a 67-38 victory. Senior guard Lacee Barnhart and sophomore forward Kierra Serb each finished with 18 points.

The win was the 200th career victory for BEA head coach Darin Hazel.

The Eagles followed the game with another home win over St. Joseph’s Catholic Academy, 47-37. They led 36-21 after three quarters before the Lady Wolfpack cut into the lead in the game’s final eight minutes. Barnhart finished the game with 21 points.

The team’s lone loss of the week came in its final game, a 61-30 loss at the hands of Tyrone. Barnhart once again led the Lady Eagles with seven points.

Bald Eagle Area will be back in action Monday when the team takes on Cambria Heights at home. Tip is set for 7:30 p.m.

Bellefonte pulls out 2 close victories

The Lady Red Raiders went 2-0 this week in two tight games to improve to 8-11 on the season.

They defeated Penns Valley in their first matchup of the week on the road. The 44-38 victory was the program’s first over the Lady Rams since 2011.

Their second win came at home against Huntingdon. The Lady Raiders trailed by 13 at the half but came back to win in overtime, 54-51. The team is now 5-2 in its last seven games.

They’ll be back in action on the road when they take on Bald Eagle Area at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday.

Lady Rams fall to 9-10 on year

Penns Valley had an up-and-down week on the court. It went 1-2 in the last seven days with both losses coming by six points or less to fall to 9-10 on the season.

The Lady Rams opened the week with a close 44-38 loss at home to Bellefonte. They were led in the game by Lydia Collison’s 12 points.

Their lone win of the week came on the road in their next game when they defeated Clearfield, 69-51, on the back of senior Hannah Montminy’s season-high 26 points.

Montminy matched her season high in the next game with 26 more points, but it wasn’t enough as the Lady Rams fell to Mifflinburg in overtime, 54-50.

They’ll be back on the court Monday when they play Hughesville on the road at 7 p.m.

P-O wins 1 of 3 on week

Philipsburg-Osceola went 1-2 this week to bring its record to 4-16 on the season.

They traveled to Wingate to open the week and lost to Bald Eagle Area, 67-38

The team bounced back in its next matchup, a home game against Curwensville. The Lady Mounties were led by senior Lindsey Bordas in the game with 14 points. The senior guard made a go-ahead 3-pointer with 6.9 seconds left to seal the 34-31 victory.

The Lady Mounties’ final game of the week didn’t end nearly as well for P-O. They fell to Central, 71-24, and were led by senior Sam Bainey with 12 points.

Philipsburg-Osceola’s next game will come at home Wednesday when the team will take on Tyrone.

SJCA finishes week going 1-2

St. Joseph’s went 1-2 this week to move its record to 10-7 on the season.

The Lady Wolfpack opened the week with a 49-27 loss on the road to United before returning home and earning a 37-30 victory over West Branch. The Lady Wolfpack closed the week with a 47-37 loss at Bald Eagle Area.

The team will try to get back on track Wednesday at home when it takes on Bishop Carroll at 6:30 p.m.

State College boosts win streak to 4 games

The Lady Little Lions went 3-0 this week to build a four-game winning streak and improve to 11-4 on the season.

State College won the games despite traveling on the road for all three of them. The first victory was a 54-41 victory over Mifflin County, and they followed it up with a 42-40 win over Altoona and a 51-35 win over Berks Catholic.

Their next game will be Friday at home at 7:30 p.m. against Central Dauphin.

Wrestling

State College wins 1st district title since 2013

The Little Lions won their first district team dual title in seven years Saturday by holding on for a 25-24 victory over Mifflin County.

State College opened the final match of the District 6 Class 3A Championships at Tyrone with a 16-0 lead. But Mifflin County rallied and, with a forfeit due in the final bout at 113 pounds, State College needed its 106-pound wrestler not to allow any bonus points to secure the team victory.

And State College’s Hayden Cunningham (106 pounds) did exactly that.

He lost, 3-1, to Nic Allison. That gave Mifflin County a 24-19 lead, but State College then won by forfeit in the final about — the only forfeit of the match — to win 25-24.

“I couldn’t be prouder,” coach Ryan Cummins said Saturday.

Among the Little Lions with wins in the title match included Eric Weaver (120), Carter Weaverling (126), Owen Barr (132), Owen Woolcott (138), Clayton Leidy (145), Ty Price (195) and Bailey Weaverling (113).

To make it to the title match, State College beat Central Mountain 33-27 earlier on Saturday in the semifinals. With the match tied 27-27 heading into the final bout, Cunningham picked up a pin to punctuate the victory.

Other wins against Central Mountain came from Weaver (120), Woolcott (132), Leidy (138), Harrison Hoopes (160), Lance Urbas (182), Price (195) and Tate McLaughlin (220).

Earlier in the week, on Wednesday, State College also thumped Hollidaysburg 66-12 in a regular-season dual. Among those with pins were Ty Price (182), Nick Beebe (220), Bailey Weaverling (120), Carter Weaverling (126), Owen Woolcott (132), Clayton Leidy (138) and Lance Urbas (170).

Bellefonte comes up short in district semis

The Red Raiders fought hard Saturday but didn’t come up with the desired result in the district team dual semifinals, falling 47-21 to Mifflin County.

The loss ended Bellefonte’s run in the District 6 Class 3A Championships, as Mifflin County advanced and lost to State College in the final.

Bellefonte started off hot Saturday. After four bouts, the Raiders led 15-5 — before Mifflin County went on a 30-0 run by winning seven straight bouts, including three consecutive falls.

Among the Bellefonte wrestlers to win Saturday included Lane Aikey (120 pounds), Jude Swisher (126), Alex Coppolo (132), Max Barrier (220) and Aidan O’Shea (106).

The Raiders are next slated to take on Clearfield on Tuesday.

BEA loses in district quarters in odd ending

Bald Eagle Area fell Tuesday in the quarterfinals of the District 6 Class 2A Dual Meet Tournament, losing 38-33 to Westmont Hilltop after a disqualification and point deduction in the final bout.

Westmont Hilltop trailed 36-32 heading into the last bout at 138 pounds, meaning it needed at least a tech fall to win since BEA’s Ron Guenot believed his team had the edge on criteria. The Hilltoppers’ Roy Dunn led 9-2 in the third period when blood time was called, and the BEA opponent was accused of biting Dunn’s fingers.

Officials called a flagrant misconduct on the Eagle, which meant a disqualification and deduction of three team points. That gave BEA the loss.

“I’ve been around wrestling a long time and (to) see a match end like that, that’s a first for me,” Guenot said Tuesday. “I’ve never even heard of anything like that. I think we might have had criteria from what I understand, and that makes it sting all that much more.”

Familiar face ends P-O’s run at districts

Philipsburg-Osceola won in the first round of the District 6 Class 2A Dual Meet Tournament on Tuesday but fell in the next round, in the quarterfinals, against Forest Hills.

Both coaches in the quarters were very familiar with each other, considering P-O’s Brad Pataky and Forest Hills’ Jake Strayer were teammates on Penn State wrestling. But Pataky’s Mounties lost 44-23 after starting at their opponent’s strength, the lightweights.

“You’d rather beat somebody you maybe don’t know,” Strayer said. “He’s a super nice guy. Unfortunately, we had to wrestle.”

Among the Mounties with wins were Chase Chapman (138 pounds), Hunter Weitoish (170), Parker Moore (195), Tyler Anderson (220) and Chase Klinger (285).

In the first round, P-O cruised past Ligonier Valley 55-15 thanks to eight pins. Those with falls were Nick Coudriet (113), Nick Bryan (120), Chapman (145), Austin Foster (152), Weitoish (160), Dominic Shaw (170), Moore (195) and Anderson (220).

On Thursday, Philipsburg-Osceola also lost in a regular-season dual to Clearfield, 35-32.

The Mounties won by forfeit and by fall in the final two bouts, but it wasn’t enough. Those with falls included Chapman (138) and Scott Frantz (120).

Rams thump Southern Huntingdon in dual

Penns Valley lost just two of 14 bouts Tuesday in a 63-9 win over Southern Huntingdon.

Seven wins came by forfeit, and one match was a double forfeit. Penns Valley’s winners (not by forfeit) included Nate Long (126 pounds), Cole Felker (160), Andrew Sharer (182) and Hayden Yearick (120).

Long, Felker and Sharer finished with pins. Sharer’s came in just 17 seconds, while Felker’s came in 59 seconds. Long’s took 61 seconds.

The Rams are next scheduled to take on Philipsburg-Osceola on Tuesday.

5 of 6 SJCA wrestlers pick up wins at dual

St. Joseph’s didn’t come away with a win Wednesday against Juniata Valley but, with a six-man roster, that was expected. Still, despite the 42-30 loss, the Wolfpack shined individually.

Five of SJCA’s wrestlers finished with wins, including Amonn Ohl (132 pounds), Zack Witmer (138), Caleb Dowling (152), Keegan Rothrock (160) and Tyler Stoltzfuz (170).

Witmer, Dowling, Rothrock and Stoltzfus won by fall. And Ohl won by forfeit.

SJCA will next appear in the District 6 Class 2A tournament starting Feb. 14.

Swimming

State College boys earn win over Hershey

Thanks to senior Matt Brownstead and a strong effort from the relay teams, State College beat Hershey on Thursday, 106-80, in a dual meet.

Brownstead earned a pair of individual first-place finishes — in the 50 freestyle (21.61 seconds) and 100 freestyle (47.79) — in addition to two winning times as part of the 200 medley relay and 200 freestyle relay teams.

Foster Heasley also won the 100 breaststroke in 1:00.66.

Among the other members of the relay teams to win were Zachary Lambert (200 medley, 400 freestyle); Heasley (200 medley, 200 freestyle); John Brownstead (200 freestyle, 400 freestyle); Will Ulmer (200 freestyle, 400 freestyle) and Garrick Zheng (200 medley, 400 freestyle).

Lady Little Lions fall to Hershey

Three State College girls earned first-place finishes Thursday, but it wasn’t enough in the Lady Little Lions’ 106-80 loss to Hershey in a dual meet.

Madelyn Koehle helped set the tone in the 200 IM with a time of 2 minutes, 13.14 seconds — beating out the Hershey runner-up by less than a quarter of a second. Freshman Jade Castro followed that up with a winning time of 59.41 in the 100 butterfly, beating out the runner-up by 0.14 seconds. And Colleen Adams earned first place in the 500 freestyle with a 5:19.45, slipping past teammate and runner-up Megan Doucette by 0.95 seconds.

The 500 freestyle was one of the most impressive for the Lady Little Lions, considering their top-two finishers were more than 15 seconds ahead of Hershey’s next-best competitor.