FOXBURG — The Alleghany-Clarion Valley High School played host to day one of the AML-KSAC Boys’ Basketball Christmas Challenge as two teams from each conference did battle on the hardwood to put their squad into victory.
For the Curwensville Golden Tide, it was nearly one week since their heartbreaking, and controversial, loss at home to Glendale. The entire team looked to put that night behind them and went to work facing the home-standing A-C Valley Falcons.
In a game that was filled with 43 team fouls, it was the Falcons soaring high. Despite being down by two heading into halftime, A-C Valley scored 29 and 28 points in the third and fourth quarters of play to up-end the Tide, 88-56.
The game was marred in the first half by fouls as the two squads combined for 29 in just two quarters of play. Many of the big play-makers for both teams got into foul trouble early, forcing each team to make adjustments. Coming out of halftime, the Falcons used an offensive onslaught to shut down the Tide.
Curwensville was held to just 24 total points in the second half. Kyle Barrett led the team in both points, 16, and rebounds, seven, while Sam Gardner had a team-high five assists. The only other Tide player able to make it into double-digit figures was Ben Johnson, who ended the night with 15 points. No other Tide player put more than seven points on the board.
For A-C Valley, their high-powered offense was led by Reed Terwilliger, who finished with a team-high 26 points and eight rebounds. After being held to only eight points in the first half, Terwilliger went for 18 to finish out the game.
Not to be outdone, teammate Allan Eaton had a strong showing in the final two quarters of play as well. Only making one basket in the first half, which was from the foul line, Eaton stormed back in the second half as he scored 18 as well. Josh Austin also got in double figures as he ended the night with 11 points, while also leading the team in assists with six.
The game was a tale of two halves, the first being about the fouls while the second was about the rebounds. The first two quarters were slowed by the called fouls on each side, not giving either team a chance to build momentum. Players like Terwilliger and Blane McGuirk got in foul trouble early for A-C Valley while Barrett, Greslick and Johnson all had at least two fouls in the opening periods.
The second half was all about the rebound ability of both teams. On this night, the Falcons used their height advantage to out-rebound the Tide after every missed bucket on both ends of the court. Early in the third, A-C Valley went on a 15-2 run, which put Curwensville in a hole they couldn’t get out of.
Head coach Matt Wassil was angry and frustrated as his team fell further behind, eventually sitting some of his seniors and letting the younger players get some playing time. The frustration could be seen on Wassil’s face as he went to the locker room, electing not to speak to the media.
Curwensville will look to even their tournament record as they will face off against the Union Knights. That game will be the early tip-off, set for 6 p.m. once again at the A-C Valley High School.
CURWENSVILLE 25 8 9 14 56
A.C. VALLEY 16 15 29 28 88
TWO-POINT SHOTS: CV-16/41 ACV-33/39
THREE-POINT SHOTS: CV-6/13 ACV-3/11
TEAM FOULS: CV-25 ACV-18
REBOUNDS: CV-25 ACV-31
TURNOVERS: CV-10 ACV-7
CURWENSVILLE 56
Starr 2 0-0 4, Barrett 7 3-4 16, Greslick 2 3-5 7, Gardner 2 1-4 6, Johnson 5 3-4 15, Makin 0 0-0 0, White 0 0-0 0, S. McGary 1 0-0 2, Vasbinder 0 0-0 0, B. McGary 1 1-4 4, Rauchorst 0 0-0 0, Hoover 1 1-2 3, Ireland 0 0-0 0, Davis 0 0-0 0. Totals 22 12-23 56
A.C. VALLEY 88
Irwin 0 0-0 0, Gates 0 0-0 0, McGuirk 2 0-0 4, R. Bartley 2 0-1 4, M. Bartley 3 1-4 8, Wetzel 3 0-0 7, Austin 4 3-4 11, Wingard 1 0-0 2, Terwilliger 11 4-8 26, Eaton 7 4-6 19, Wagner 1 0-0 2, Logue 1 1-2 3, Kaufman 1 0-0 2. Totals 36 13-25 88
THREE-POINT BUCKETS: CV-Greslick, Gardner, Johnson (2), B. McGary ACV-M. Bartley, Wetzel, Eaton
FOUL OUTS: CV-Greslick, Barrett ACV-None