On Tuesday, December 16, the Elk County Crusaders beat the DuBois Area Beavers 66-56, not by alot and definately not enough to strip the Beavers of their pride.
A big part of the win was Crusader Nate Higgins, who threw down 23 points. On the other side of the ball, Beaver Jordan Labue tossed in another game leading performance with 17. Other Beavers such as sophomore sensation Garret Peterson who turned in 13, and Andy Bush who had 8, evened out the DuBois Beavers offense.
Earlier this season the DuBois Area Beavers (1-4) have lost, and they have lost bad. However on Tuesday night the Beavers showed they are finally becoming a well rounded basketball team for the first time in years. They faced the Elk County Crusaders (3-1), who are known for tough defense and a strong basketball program. This would be the first official home game at the DuBois Area High School, as the first home game against Hollidaysburg was played at the DuBois Middle School, due to scheduling issues with wrestling.
None of the Beavers were talking about losing this game, as they were focused and hungry for a win during the pre game warm-up. The Crusaders were ready as well, as they have yet to be challenged in the regular season in years, with the exception to an always tough Johnsonburg team who pulled out an upset 59-51earlier in the year.
The game was under a strong surveillance of a packed crowd in the Beaver Dam, and as Elk County won the tip-off, DuBois played with them, and they played with them in a big way. The Beavers, led by Senior Jordan Labue and coached by a former Oregon State Assistant Coach Scott Creighton, played with the speed they were born to play with. Both teams played hard, scoring point for point with each other, and as the buzzer rang to end the 1st period, defense ruled and the score was tied 12-12.
After DuBois set the tone and pace for this basketball game, the Crusaders made adjustments, playing tough man coverage against a DuBois offense that is constantly passing the ball. The score was tied 29-29, as the 2nd half was coming to a close and at the very last seconds of the period Elk County’s Matt Bauer shot and drained a 3 pointer just beating the buzzer to go into halftime 32-29.
Halftime came to a close and the teams switched sides to start the second half. The Beavers came out playing strong defense, but after a few turnovers and a few calls the other way, Elk County put DuBois on the ropes as they finished the 3rd period 48-40.
The Beavers moved into the 4th looking for a solid performance from the team’s senior leadership. The Beavers fell behind and at one point in the 4th, DuBois trailed 60-43. The Beavers did not give up as Coach Creighton adjusted to rally the Beavers back, making a few tough 3 pointers, and pressing the Crusaders for some crucial 4th period turnovers. When the game ended and the dust cleared, the Beavers fell to the Crusaders 66-56. But the DuBois Beavers showed the one thing that can never be challenged or taken away -they pulled out their heart and laid it on the court for four periods, to show everybody that they are willing to play till the end no matter what the scoreboard may read.
The DuBois Area Beavers are back in action as they travel to State Collegeon Thursday, December 18 the Elk County Crusaders are also on the road as the travel to Brookville on Friday, December 19.