RENOVO – A long season for the Curwensville Area High School girls basketball team ended with a long trip and a 52-32 loss to Bucktail Friday Night.
Hannah Walls, one of four Lady Tide seniors, closed her career with a game-high 14 points.
Curwensville trailed 10-6 after one quarter and 20-8 at the half.
The Lady Bucks, led by 6-2 junior Rebecca Grenell\’s 13 points, then lit up the scoreboard for 20 points in the third quarter en route to their school-record 14th victory. They will be making their first appearance in the District 6 Class A Playoffs since 2000.
The Lady Tide was winless in 22 games.
\”We\’re all disappointed with the record we had, but I saw, and the coaches all saw, progress through the year,\” Curwensville coach Vic Gearhart said. \”It just seemed like we could never put four good quarters together.\”
He noted the Lady Tide struggles, more often than not, came in the first or second quarter, and resulted in too much of a deficit to overcome.
Having only four games in December because of no holiday tournament and cancellations due to the weather affected the Lady Tide in the first half of the season.
\”We were facing teams that had played twice the number of games we had played, and I think that put us behind,\” Gearhart said. \”Once we had a steady of diet of games, we were a better team.
\”The last month of the season we were competitive against some strong teams and almost pulled an upset against a team (Kane) with 15 wins late in the year.\”
One big positive Gearhart saw in the 2008-09 squad was the way the Lady Tide kept battling in the face of adversity.
\”I didn\’t see any quit in them,\” he said. \”Last year, some of these girls did give up in certain situations. They showed more fight and determination this season.\”
Gearhart, who is stepping down after three seasons at his alma mater, thanked assistant coaches Dawna Coons and Jerry Bloom and volunteer assistants Bob Eshelman, Chris McGary and Rusty McCracken.
\”All of us as a coaching staff want to wish the seniors well and thank them for all their efforts through the years they\’ve been involved in the program,\” Gearhart said. \”We know they\’ll be successful in their lives.\”
Walls\’ senior classmates are Alesia Bressler and twins Jenessa and Jenae Stiles.
In the junior varsity game, Courtney Bachelier scored 14 points for Curwensville in a 45-32 loss.
CURWENSVILLE — 32
Hannah Walls 4 6-10 14, Tess Bloom 3 0-0 6, Alesia Bressler 0 0-0 0, Jenessa Stiles 0 0-0 0, Taylor Bumbarger 2 0-0 5, Jenae Stiles 1 0-0 3, Sara Sidelinger 1 0-0 2, Shayla Buzard 0 0-0 0, Savannah Strickland 0 0-2 2, Courtney Bachelier 0 0-0 0, Katie Wriglesworth 1 0-1 2. TOTALS: 12 6-13 32.
BUCKTAIL — 52
Tanya Bratton 4 0-0 9, Ashley Kshir 3 0-0 6, Quincy Johnson 3 2-8 8, Rebecca Grenell 5 3-4 13, Claire Kerstetter 3 0-0 6, Michelle Goodling 3 0-0 6, Wadsworth 0 1-2 1, Sandy Crocker 1 1-2 3. TOTALS: 22 7-16 52.
Three-Point Field Goals: Curwensville 2 (Bumbarger 1, Jenae Stiles 1); Bucktail 1 (Bratton).
Score by Quarters:
Curwensville 6 2 8 16 – 32
Bucktail 10 10 20 12 – 52
