CURWENSVILLE — The students of Curwensville got out early for the holidays, but many of those Tide faithful returned to Patton Hall to see their basketball team face off against the Glendale Vikings.
There was a lot of excitement surrounding the court and what the fans got was a competitive game between two very skilled teams. But the competition on the court was overshadowed by some questionable calls and missed opportunities. The Tide were on the worst end of the calls as they lost 53-52.
Coach Matt Wassil was visibly upset as he left the court, and was in no mood to talk to the media. His expressions spoke for him.
The Tide played hard as both Kyle Barrett and Sam Gardner went into double figures on the scoreboard, each getting 12 points. Barrett got his second double-double of the season as he had a team-high 14 rebounds. Gardner and Alec Starr led the team in assists with four a piece.
Glendale had three players in double digits, led by Tyler Jenny who ended the night with 25 points, 11 of which came in the second quarter. Ethan Cree added 14 before he fouled out and Brad O’Donnell gained 10.
The Vikings held a five point lead, 29-24, heading into halftime, but Curwensville really turned up the heat in the third quarter. Starr and Barrett had key baskets to tie the game, but Glendale battled back and had a three point lead heading into the last quarter of play.
This would be the deciding quarter of the game as the physicality got tougher and the fouls kept coming. Glendale pulled out to a seven point lead with just over four minutes left in the game, but Gardner and Jed Greslick made some big baskets and made some good decisions near the basket to bring the game to within two.
But then came the call that got Wassil very heated and visibly angry. As Starr was going up for a basket, the Glendale defender went up and grabbed the ball, attempting to strip it from Starr\’s hands. The referees called it a jump ball, giving possession to the Vikings. Wassil began screaming that the call was wrong, saying that it should have been a goal-tending violation and an opportunity for foul shots. Even Glendale head coach Rick Stackhouse told Wassil before play resumed that it was a bad call, but it stood and the Vikings kept the ball.
After the ball was in-bounded, Curwensville drew the foul, sending Brad O’Donnell to the foul line. The fans began pounding the bleachers hoping it would effect the outcome. The ball bounced off the back of the rim, and was rebounded by Barrett. The ensuing pass went to Ben Johnson who went for the lay up. The basket went in, and the ensuing foul made it a one-point game.
Curwensville again drew the foul on the next possession, this time sending Damon Braniff to the line. The foul shot didn’t go in, and the ball went out of bounds, giving the Tide one last opportunity to go for the winning basket.
Seven seconds remained on the clock, and it was Alec Starr taking the in-bounds pass down the court. Starr went for a shot just inside the arc, but the shot was contended and appeared to be fouled. However, the refs did not see it that way and the clock struck all zeros.
After the game, Wassil came up from the locker room holding the rule book for PIAA basketball. He showed the clock operator the rule about fouls near the basket. After showing the book, he closed it and threw it into the bleachers.
Walking away he said, “It’s a travesty to these kids.” Wassil then went back into the locker room, slamming the door behind him.
The Tide junior varsity team also lost in the opening game of the evening, 56-30.
Curwensville (2-2) will not be back on the hardwood until next Tuesday, 12/29, as the Tide will participate in the KSAC-AML Challenge. They will face off against A-C Valley, with tip-off set for 7:30 p.m.
GLENDALE 14 15 12 12 53
CURWENSVILLE 15 9 14 14 52
TWO-POINT SHOTS: GL-24/35 CV-22/53
THREE-POINT SHOTS: GL-0/7 CV-0/5
TEAM FOULS: GL-14 CV-15
REBOUNDS: GL-16 CV-28
TURNOVERS: GL-9 CV-13
GLENDALE 53 O’Donnell 4 0-5 10, Jenny 12 1-2 25, Westover 0 0-0 0, Stackhouse 0 0-0 0, Cree 6 2-2 14, Reed 0 0-0 0, Hamilton 0 0-0 0, Wigfield 2 0-1 4, Braniff 0 0-1 0, Sarders 0 0-0 0, Evansky 0 0-0 0, Wilson 0 0-0 0. TOTALS 24 3-11 53
CURWENSVILLE 52 Starr 3 0-0 6, Barrett 6 0-0 12, Makin 0 0-0 0, Greslick 4 1-4 9, Gardner 6 1-2 12, Johnson 1 3-4 7, White 0 0-0 0, S. McGary 1 0-0 2, Vasbinder 0 0-0 0, B. McGary 1 1-2 3, Rauchorst 0 0-0 0, Hoover 0 0-0 0, Ireland 0 0-0 0, Davis 0 0-0 0. TOTALS 22 6-12 52
Foul-Outs: GL-Cree CV-None