HS roundup: Bellefonte’s Ben McCartney reaches 1,000-point milestone in boys’ basketball
Here’s what happened in Centre County high school sports from Feb. 2-8:
Boys’ basketball
McCartney reaches 1K scoring plateau
Bellefonte’s Ben McCartney scored the 1,000th point of his career Wednesday, as he helped guide his team to a 2-1 record on the week.
McCartney’s milestone provided the week’s highlight, as he scored 24 points against East Juniata to reach the career mark. The Red Raiders won that game 69-44.
On Tuesday, Bellefonte held on against Bald Eagle Area 48-39 in overtime and, on Friday, fell to Clearfield 59-57.
The Red Raiders are 7-13 on the season and will next take on Huntingdon at home Wednesday.
Eagles drop 2 on week
Bald Eagle Area could’t pull out a win this past week, falling 48-39 in overtime to Bellefonte on Tuesday and then losing 86-62 to Huntingdon on Friday.
Against the Red Raiders, Nathan Hoover paced the scoring for BEA with 12 points. Nick Maynard added 11 points, and Jaden Jones chipped in 10. Against Huntingdon, Hoover had 20 points and Jones 16 points.
The 5-16 Eagles will next take on Tyrone on the road at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday.
Rams top SJCA
Penns Valley cruised past St. Joseph’s on Saturday by a score of 69-44.
No other game details were made available.
The Rams had just one game this past week, while SJCA had three. The Wolfpack went 1-2, with losses to the Rams and Southern Huntingdon County, 75-45.
SJCA picked up its third win of the year Thursday by beating DuBois Central Catholic 55-42.
The Wolfpack are 3-19 on the season. The Rams are now 13-7 and will next take on Huntingdon on Monday.
P-O splits week’s games
Philipsburg-Osceola finished 1-1 on the week, beating Belleville Mennonite and falling to Tyrone.
The Mounties started off the week Tuesday with a lopsided 89-47 loss against 18-win Tyrone but rebounded Saturday with a 62-32 statement win against Belleville Mennonite.
The Mounties are now 10-11 on the season and will next face Penns Valley on Wednesday.
Little Lions lose to Carlisle
State College dropped a heartbreaker Tuesday to Carlisle, losing 68-66 in front of a home crowd.
No game details were made available.
The Little Lions are now 6-15 on the season.
Girls’ basketball
State College splits pair of games
The Lady Little Lions finished 1-1 this past week and now stand at 17-5 on the season.
State College opened the week Tuesday by beating Carlisle 68-44 but fell to a tough Central Dauphin team Friday, 38-26.
No game details were made available.
Bellefonte thumps BEA
Bellefonte’s Mallorie Smith scored 22 points and Sara DeHaas added 17 as a strong second half Wednesday propelled the Lady Red Raiders to a 56-35 victory over Bald Eagle Area.
Bellefonte held a narrow 24-21 lead over BEA at halftime before outscoring the Lady Eagles 32-14 in the second half.
“After a slow start, the team did a great job turning up the defensive pressure,” Bellefonte coach Marcus Toomer said. “Our defense led to a lot of offensive opportunities, which eased the pressure to score in our half-court offense.”
Bellefonte (9-11) will next take on DuBois at home Tuesday.
BEA finishes week with 0-3 record
The Lady Eagles couldn’t come away with a victory this past week as they finished 0-3 with losses to Cambria Heights, Bellefonte and Huntingdon.
Bald Eagle Area opened the week Monday with a 74-38 loss to Cambria Heights, followed up Wednesday with a 56-35 loss to Bellefonte and a 63-31 loss Saturday to Huntingdon.
Lacee Barnhart led the team in scoring each night with 15, 21 and 14 points, respectively. Kierra Serb added 10 points Monday.
The Lady Eagles will next take on Tyrone on Wednesday.
P-O falls to Tyrone
Philipsburg-Osceola lost 65-19 to Tyrone on Wednesday, as no Lady Mountie was able to reach double digits.
Sam Bainey led P-O with six points, while Lindsey Bordas had five.
Tyrone opened the game on a 28-2 run in the first quarter and led 45-8 at halftime.
P-O (4-17) will next play Penns Valley on Tuesday.
Lady Rams lose to Hughesville in tight game
Penns Valley couldn’t hang on Monday against Hughesville, falling 39-37.
Hannah Montminy paced the Lady Rams with 17 points, while Lydia Collison added six.
Penns Valley took an early 12-5 lead in the first quarter, but Hughesville bounced back in the next quarter by outscoring the Lady Rams 13-4 and taking a two-point lead.
The Lady Rams (9-11) will next take on Philipsburg-Osceola on Tuesday.
SJCA drops only game of week
St. Joseph’s fell to Bishop Carroll on Wednesday by a score of 50-31, dropping its overall record to 9-11.
No game details were reported.
Wrestling
State College comes up short in dual championships
The Little Lions were knocked out in the second round of consolations at the PIAA Class 3A dual championships Friday in their first trip to the tournament since 2003.
State College opened the championships with a 34-29 loss against Seneca Valley on Thursday before beating Garnet Valley 38-18 on Saturday. Later Saturday, the Little Lions fell to Cathedral Prep 37-33 to end their run in the dual championships.
With two bouts remaining in its final match, State College led 33-25 but surrendered two falls in the middle weights to lose. Still, coach Ryan Cummins was pleased with the effort.
“It was a great experience for us. It gets our program back to where it needs to be,” Cummins told the Centre Daily Times. “With that in mind, I’m really proud of our guys. It was a tremendous effort. Looking back at the beginning of the season, I don’t know if we would’ve got to the top 16 in the state.”
Three State College wrestlers finished a perfect 3-0 at the tournament, including Harrison Hoopes (152/160 pounds), Lance Urbas (182) and Hayden Cunningham (106/113). Hoopes won on two decisions and a pin; Urbas on a pin, tech fall and forfeit; and Cunningham on two pins and a forfeit.
BEA wins 2 matches
Bald Eagle Area finished 2-0 this past week with wins over Huntingdon and Shikellamy.
Against Huntingdon on Tuesday, BEA came away with a 45-34 win. Among those with falls included David Close (220 pounds), Coen Bainey (106), Gage McClenahan (145) and Drew Koleno (152).
The Eagles followed that up with a 59-12 win over Shikellamy on Saturday. The following BEA wrestlers had pins: Chandler Burns (195), Cooper Gilham (120), Koleno (152) and Matthew Knepp (170).
Bellefonte earns 2 more wins
The Red Raiders picked up two wins this past week, dominating Clearfield and pulling out a win against Philipsburg-Osceola.
On Tuesday, Bellefonte beat Clearfield 46-16 with falls from four wrestlers — Max Barrier (285 pounds), Aidan O’Shea (106), Nathan Smith (126) and Jude Swisher (132). On Thursday, the Red Raiders held on for a 35-30 win over P-O.
Bellefonte jumped out to an early lead and held a 35-15 advantage with three remaining bouts, where the Mounties picked up two falls and a decision. Among those with bonus points and who didn’t win by forfeit for Bellefonte were Lane Aikey (120; tech fall) and Jude Swisher (126; fall).
The Red Raiders will next take on Shikellamy on Tuesday.
Rams earn 2 victories
Penns Valley finished this past week with two dual meet wins, against Philipsburg-Osceola and West Branch.
On Tuesday, Penns Valley rallied to beat P-O 38-28. The Rams trailed 28-16 with four bouts remaining but earned two forfeits, a fall and a major decision to pull out the win.
Among those with bonus-point victories, besides forfeits, were Nate Long (126 pounds; major decision), Malachi DuVall (152; fall) and Cole Felker (160; major decision).
On Thursday, the Rams cruised past West Branch 65-12. Those with pins included Long (126), Malachi Thompson (132), Micah Fetterolf (145), DuVall (152), Felker (160), Dristen Wolfe (170) and Michael Hill (182).
P-O drops 2 matches
Philipsburg-Osceola went 0-2 this past week with a 38-28 loss against Penns Valley and a 35-30 loss against Bellefonte.
On Tuesday, against the Rams, those with bonus-point victories — outside of forfeits — for P-O included Parker Moore (195 pounds; injury default) and Gabriel Dunklenberger (132; major decision). On Thursday, against the Red Raiders, those with pins were Nick Coudriet (113), Chase Chapman (138) and Austin Foster (145).
Softball
State College hires new coach
Shawn Herncane, who boasts nearly two decades of coaching experience, has been tapped to be the Lady Little Lions’ newest head softball coach.
He replaces Jim Schaper.
This story was originally published February 9, 2020 at 2:24 PM.