 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
By BRETT R. CROSSLEY
For the Loyalsock Lancers
MIFFLINBURG—Loyalsock entered its game against Mifflinburg missing three key pieces of their team.
In the absence of the one starter and two key members of the bench, Loyalsock had players step up to fill the void to fight off a strong fourth quarter push by the Wildcats to win 73-64. It was the second consecutive loss for Mifflinburg, which falls to 2-3 on the season.
A slow start put the Wildcats on the heels early as Loyalsock overcame an early six-point deficit to take the opening quarter 20-12. The Wildcats continued to adjust, limiting Loyalsock’s fast break points, but finally giving way to Loyalsock’s speed at the end.
“The fourth was a little different from the first, because we stressed coming into the game that we had to eliminate or as least limit their fast break points,” Mifflinburg coach Andre Roupp said. “We gave a lot of fast break and transition points to them and we did not take care of the ball.”
Bam Brima finished with four points, but found his place with the defense as Hunter Webb was one of Loyalsock’s missing players. Brima added 10 rebounds to his totals. He also played an outstanding game defensively, changing shot directions and collecting missed attempts.
“With Webb going out I wanted to be a little better than I was the last game,” Brima said. “I tried extra hard in practice and worked on the little things.”
It was Brima’s big chance for the Lancers. He’s entered as a sub throughout the early portions of the season, but had a chance to give significant minutes to the Lancers against Mifflinburg.
“I feel blessed,” Brima said of the chance. “I just wanted to do my best for the team.”
Mifflinburg ended the game with 13 turnovers, but did manage to have a strong showing in the fourth to pull within five points of tying the game.
A string of technical fouls opened the fourth quarter. It also opened the door for Mifflinburg. Tanner Stoltzfus took all four of the free throws awarded from Loyalsock’s technicals. He made each free throw to cut into Loyalsock’s advantage. The Wildcats were awarded nine free throws in the final quarter. They converted seven over the stretch after hitting just two in the previous three quarters.
Stoltzfus was outstanding for the Wildcats. He played a tough game inside the paint. He was outsized underneath against Loyalsock’s Connor Watkins and Brima, who combined to pull down 23 rebounds for the Lancers.
Despite the size disadvantage for Stoltzfus, he showed little fear going into the paint, helping the Wildcats offensively with 17 points.
Jordan Tyson led all Wildcats scorers with 20 points and much like Stoltzfus, he showed little to no fear driving into the paint to create contact or easy layups. Tyson drained three free throws and added seven points from the floor as the Wildcats attempted to make their comeback in the fourth quarter.
A big reason for the Wildcats success down the stretch was their ability to stop Loyalsock’s Gerald Ross.
“He’s a guy who can knock them down from the outside or beat you with dribble penetration,” Roupp said. “We wanted to step up and try to eliminate both of those options for him.”
Ross, after leading the Lancers to a big win over Milton, scored just five points over the final two quarters.
“He will have big nights for us,” Loyalsock coach Ron Insinger said. “Tonight, was not one of those nights, but we had other people step up. It was nice to see.”
Watkins finished with 22 points to lead all scorers. Ross finished with 11 and Anthony Pastore chipped in another 14 for Loyalsock.
Loyalsock 73, Mifflinburg 64
SOCK 20 16 18 19—73
MIFF 12 16 14 23—64
Loyalsock (73)
Gerald Ross 4 3-3 11; Collin Graver 0 0-0 0; Anthony Pastore 6 0-0 14; Connor Watkins 9 4-9 22; Mitchell Klingerman 5 1-1 13; Bam Brima 2 0-0 4; Aidan Gair 2 5-6 9. Totals 28 13-19 73.
Mifflinburg (64)
Jordan Tyson 8 3-4 20; Logan Mensch 1 0-0 3; Levi Yoder 5 0-0 11; Adam Mcardle-Coe 3 0-2 6; Seth Kline 0 0-1 1; Tanner Stoltzfus 6 5-9 17; Austin Raymer 3 0-0 6. Totals 26 9-16 64.
3—Point Goals: Loyalsock 4 (Pastore 2, Klingerman 2). Mifflinburg 3 (Tyson, Mensch, Yoder)
Records: Loyalsock 5-0 (2-0). Mifflinburg 2-3 (0-2)
Next: Loyalsock at Southern Columbia, today, 7:30 p.m. Selinsgrove at Mifflinburg, Jan. 3, 7:30 p.m.
JV Score: 88-48, Mifflinburg.
High Scorers: Loyalsock: Rees Watkins, 15. Mifflinburg: Isaiah Valentine, 18.