Powered by Skittles, State College boys basketball defeats Williamsport
State College boys basketball has gotten off to a hot start this season.
Thursday night was no different, as the Little Lions outpaced Williamsport 17-6 in the first quarter en route to a 64-33 victory. It was an all-hands-on-deck performance by State College, with four players scoring in double figures — Braeden Shrewsberry (16), Ryan Perks (12), Issac Dye (10) and Jack Morris (10).
The team has already moved onto Friday night’s game against Mid Penn rival Chambersburg.
“It was big,” Perks said. “We were looking forward to this one against a pretty tough team. So, it was good to get the win, but we’re back at it tomorrow for a home game.”
The rest of the team has continued to feed off the energy they’ve built together this year, with cuts to the basket and heady defensive play. Dye exemplified that Thursday, staying steady for much of the game, playing strong, physical defense and finding his spots in the half-court game.
He sees massive improvements in the way the team has played over last season, when they went 9-15 and fell out of the playoffs fairly quickly. Now, the Little Lions are a starkly different 10-1 squad.
“I think that it just helps that we’ve known each other longer now,” Dye said. “I mean last year it was just a bunch of guys thrown on the court together and it was our first time playing together.
“We played a lot together this summer and that helped a lot with our chemistry. Then, our coach (Brian Scholly) pushes us to be accountable, communicate and be tough. That just really helped us gel as a team and just focusing on the defensive end and not letting anyone score on us.”
Although Shrewsberry got off to a slower start than usual in the first quarter, the senior kicked his game into high gear in the third by scoring 12 points on four made 3-pointers. He had four points in the second quarter.
He got a special jolt from one of his friends on the staff to get his game back.
“I feel like I wasn’t locked in at the start of the game,” Shrewsberry said. “My man Neil, the manager, I’ve got to give a big shout out to him because he got me some Skittles at halftime and it got my energy up and I played well in the second half to help my team out.”
Perks got off to a hot start for the Little Lions, scoring seven points in the first quarter. Dye knocked down a 3-point field goal and Morris had two layups for four points. At the end of the period, Lake Black was knocked down by Williamsport defender Jakiha Kline while shooting a 3-pointer. Black went to the line and drained three free throws for a 17-6 State College lead at the end of the first.
The second quarter was Dye’s time to shine. He scored five points and went 3-for-4 from the free throw line. Shrewsberry added his first four points in the second to give State College a 28-15 advantage at the half.
Once Shrewsberry got going, he couldn’t be denied. He made four consecutive 3-point field goals for 12 points in the third quarter as his team pulled away to 52-27.
State College continued to add scores, with five different players hitting field goals in the fourth quarter for the 64-33 win.
State College 64, Williamsport 33
SC (10-1): Shrewsberry 16, Perks 12, Dye 10, Morris 10, Black 9, McKenna 4, Price 3
W (6-3): Whaley 9, Harden 7, Fausnaught 7, Lake 3, Bradshaw 2, Johnson 2, Kline 2, Holt 1
This story was originally published January 5, 2023 at 11:23 PM.
