CURWENSVILLE – It was sweet revenge for the Curwensville Area High School boys basketball team Friday night as they topped visiting Kane 53-48 on the Golden Tide home floor.
The Senior Night win for the Tide gives them a double digit win season at 10-7. Kane dropped to 7-14 with the Allegheny Mountain League cross over defeat.
Kane defeated the Golden Tide on December 20, at Kane, 52-47, in overtime.
Tide Head Coach Shane Pentz said after the thrilling win, “Kane has a very deceiving record because I feel they are a very solid team. The seniors on both squads have been going at it for four years now and all the (eight) games have been this way. Very physical and always down to the wire.”
This battle saw the lead change hands 14 times, and five of those in the final quarter.
The Wolves would end the first eight minutes up 17-15 thanks to a three-pointer at the buzzer by Jeff Kojancic.
Curwensville started the second frame going on an 8-0 run on baskets by Tanner Elensky, Brett Gardner and Trey Rauckhorst. The run also included two Elensky free throws that enabled the Tide to go back in the lead, 23-17.
Kane would outscore the Tide 9-2 over the remaining six minutes of the first half to take a 26-25 lead at the break.
Rauckhorst hit a quick bucket to start the second half giving the Golden Tide a brief 27-26 edge before Kane went on an 8-0 run to go back on top 34-27.
The Wolves would have the game’s biggest lead moments later, 37-29, before Curwensville began to peck away at the deficit.
A Gardner three-pointer with 17 seconds left in the third eight minutes drew the Tide to within two, 41-39, heading into the fourth quarter.
The Tide took the lead at the start of the fourth, 44-41, with a 5-0 run on a free throw by Rauckhorst and buckets by Elensky and Kyle Johns.
With 3:10 left in the battle, Kane had a one point lead, 45-44, thanks to a bucket by Jack Kojancic.
Johns’ two free throws pushed the Tide in front 46-45, but Kevin Cleer drilled one of his four treys on the night to once again give the Wolves the lead, 48-46, with just 1:25 left.
The Tide defense would not allow another point from their northern visitors and when Gardner sunk a trey of his own with just 59 seconds left on the clock it put Curwensville out in front 49-48. A lead they would not relinquish.
Two free throws each by Gardner and Johns set the final score at 53-48, in favor of the Golden Tide.
Curwensville had a great balanced scoring night as four players scored double figures.
Elensky lead the Tide with 15 points, followed by Gardner with 13, Johns with 12 and Rauckhorst adding 11.
Kane was paced on offense with 17 from Cleer and 16 from Jeff Kojancic.
The junior varsity game was won by Curwensville also, by a score of 49-35. High scorer for Curwensville was R. J. Olson with 21 points.
Curwensville plays a make-up game Saturday afternoon at home against Moshannon Valley, in Moshannon Valley League action. The JV game tips off at noon with the varsity to immediately follow.
Pentz talked about the quick turn-around game facing his squad, commenting, “Moshannon Valley will come in here (Patton Hall) and definitely be ready to play. So we need to be ready also.”
The Tide won the first game against the Black Knights, 61-44, on January 8, at Moshannon Valley.
Listen to the Curwensville – Moshannon Valley game on WOKW-FM, 102.9, starting with the pre-game show at 1:15 pm.
KANE – 48
Kevin Cleer 6 1-2 17, Jack Kojancic 3 0-0 7, Jeff Kojancic 4 6-6 16, Andrew Pierson 2 0-0 6, Zach Scholl 0 0-0 0, Tyler Rolick 0 0-0 0, Tyler Weidenhoff 0 0-0 0, Andy Bundy 0 0-0 0, Drake Mericle 0 2-2 2, TOTALS – 15 9-10 48.
CURWENSVILLE – 53
Brett Gardner 4 2-4 13, Kyle Johns 4 4-4 12, Tanner Elensky 5 4-6 15, Austin Jacobson 1 0-1 2, Trey Rauckhorst 4 3-4 11, Alex Olson 0 0-0 0, Jake Terry 0 0-0 0, Bryce McClure 0 0-0 0, Nate Kurtz 0 0-0 0, TOTALS – 18 13-19 53.
THREE-POINTERS: Gardner 3, Elensky, Cleer 4, Jeff Kojancic 2, Pierson 2, Jack Kojancic
SCORE BY QUARTERS:
KANE 17 9 15 7 48
CURWENSVILLE 15 10 14 14 53
OFFICIALS: Bill Overly, Byron Quinton
Golden Tide Scoreboard:
| Date | Opponent | Score | Record |
| 12/06 | MO VALLEY | ppd. | 0 – 0 |
| 12/09 | @ Clearfield | 56 – 38 | 1 – 0 |
| 12/10 | BROCKWAY | 54 – 51 | 2 – 0 |
| 12/13 | @ Ridgway | 25 – 46 | 2 – 1 |
| 12/16 | WEST BRANCH | 63 – 52 | 3 – 1 |
| 12/19 | @ Harmony | 68 – 31 | 4 – 1 |
| 12/20 | @ Kane | 47 – 54 ot | 4 – 2 |
| 01/03 | DUBOIS CENTRAL | 63 – 55 | 5 – 2 |
| 01/08 | @ Mo Valley | 61 – 44 | 6 – 2 |
| 01/14 | @ Elk County | 38 – 67 | 6 – 3 |
| 01/16 | @ Glendale | 55 – 56 ot | 6 – 4 |
| 01/21 | RIDGWAY | 41 – 56 | 6 – 5 |
| 01/24 | @ Brockway | 51 – 41 | 7 – 5 |
| 01/27 | @ DuBois Central | 55 – 64 | 7 – 6 |
| 01/29 | GLENDALE | 64 – 53 | 8 – 6 |
| 01/31 | JOHNSONBURG | 31 – 81 | 8 – 7 |
| 02/04 | @ Sheffield | 59 – 41 | 9 – 7 |
| 02/05 | ST. JOE’S ACADEMY | ppd. | 9 – 7 |
| 02/07 | KANE | 53 – 48 | 10 – 7 |
| 02/08 | MO VALLEY | ||
| 02/10 | HARMONY | ||
| 02/11 | ST. JOE’S ACADEMY | ||
| 02/12 | @ West Branch | ||
| 02/14 | CLEARFIELD |
