CURWENSVILLE — Juniors Kody Trude, Brandon Zwick and Austin Krise combined for 60 points, including seven of West Branch’s nine three-pointers, as the undefeated Warriors solidified their Moshannon Valley League lead by handing Curwensville an 81-61 setback in boys basketball action at Patton Hall Tuesday night.
The 6-4 Trude flashed his ability to score from everywhere with a trio of bonus shots as well drives and putbacks that ballooned his output to 25 points.
Zwick spotted up in the corners for his three treys and also was on the payoff ends of fast breaks en route to 20 points, while Krise did most of his damage by going hard to the basket to add in 15 points.
The Warriors made almost half of their field goal attempts, 32-for-68, in their fourth win, their second in the MVL to move one full game ahead of Moshannon Valley.
Curwensville coach Shane Pentz was fully aware of West Branch’s ability to change the scoreboard in a hurry with quickness and excellent ball handling.
“I told our guys it might be the best offensive team we play all year,” he said. “They’ve got shooters all over he floor. They can dribble penetrate. And they’ve added size with the (Trenton) Ferguson kid to go along with Trude. They’ve got the whole package.”
The Golden Tide discovered early on that the Warriors not only shoot very well, they also share the ball with crisp passing, especially to cutters and teammates who are open in the low post.
“They play together all year around, so they know where the other guy’s gonna go,” Pentz noted. “It’s definitely beneficial and helps their cohesion.”
Trey Rauckhorst battled inside for 18 points and seven rebounds to pace the Golden Tide, and guard Quamone Newkirk came off the bench to reach double figures for the first time with 13 points on strong moves to the hoop.
R.J. Olson chipped in with nine points for the second game in as many nights as the reserves contributed 22 points.
“In all honesty, our bench for the second straight night gave us a boost,” Pentz said. “Quamone, R.J. and Zach Marshall gave us good minutes.
“Quamone is really good at getting to the basket. He’s gonna get better and better at finishing. R.J.’s given us a presence down low. It’s good to see him play two strong games.”
Going against an undefeated team for the third time in five days, the Golden Tide led 6-5 after three minutes on two free throws by Noah Strickland and two baskets by Rauckhorst on a Jake Terry feed and a drive down the lane.
Then, the Warriors shifted into high gear with their defensive pressure leading to several easy scores.
They racked up 11 points in just 76 seconds with Zwick’s three-pointer putting them in front to stay and triggering the run that had two steals for baskets followed by two fast breaks.
West Branch also closed the quarter on an 11-2 run for a 27-10 cushion.
“That really set the tone for the game,” Pentz said. “There was a stretch where we didn’t handle the ball real well, didn’t play defense real well and gave up a lot of offensive rebounds. You can’t do that against a team like them.”
The Golden Tide played the Warriors on even terms through the second period before the visitors went on a 25-point rampage in the third quarter.
Curwensville, which made it a little more respectable and set a season high in points by carrying the final period 18-10 with both coaches clearing their benchs, fell to 1-2 in the MVL and 2-4 overall with its third loss in a row.
“We knew that these three teams that we just played back-to-back-to-back were all very, very good,” Pentz said. “We told them Ridgway’s one of the best single A teams in the district, Clearfield’s the best triple A team in the district and that’s one of the best double A teams in District 6.
“That’s a very tough schedule to go against, and we just have to be ready to play Kane Friday night.”
The Golden Tide will host the Wolves to wrap up their December schedule.
Curwensville’s junior varsity erased an 11-point deficit in the fourth quarter, but West Branch answered late for a 52-49 victory. Olson was high for the Golden Tide with 13 points, while Zach Marshall tallied 12 and Foster Cannon added 10.
Moshannon Valley League standings – West Branch 2-0, Moshannon Valley 1-1, Curwensville 1-2, Glendale 0-0, Harmony 0-1.
WEST BRANCH — 81
Skyler Krise 1 0-0 2, Austin Krise 6 2-4 15, Brandon Zwick 8 1-2 20, Kody Trude 11 0-1 25, Trenton Ferguson 3 0-0 6, Jesse Martin 0 3-6 3, Justin Rothrock 2 0-0 4, Cam Eboch 2 0-0 6, Cyrus Lanager 0 0-0 0, Noah Williams 0 0-0 0, Tyler McDonald 0 0-0 0, Barak Watro 0 0-0 0. TOTALS: 33 6-12 81.
CURWENSVILLE — 61
Noah Strickland 1 4-4 6, Jake Terry 1 1-2 3, Trey Rauckhorst 9 0-0 18, Johnathan Miller 1 0-0 2, Alex Hill 2 0-3 4, Quamone Newkirk 4 5-6 13, R.J. Olson 3 3-6 9, Zach Marshall 2 0-0 4, Curtis Linsenbigler 0 0-0 0, Foster Cannon 1 0-0 2, Dillon Davis 0 0-0 0. TOTALS: 24 13-21 61.
Three-Point Field Goals – West Branch 9 (A. Krise 1, Zwick 3, Trude 3, Eboch 2).
Score by Quarters
West Branch 27 19 25 10 – 81
Curwensville 10 17 16 18 – 61
Officials – Bill Zupich and Chris Sherkel.
Golden Tide Scoreboard:
| Date | Opponent | Score | Record |
| 12/05 | @ Mo Valley | 41 – 51 | 0 – 1 |
| 12/08 | @ Brockway | 53 – 51 | 1 – 1 |
| 12/10 | HARMONY | 52 – 43 | 2 – 1 |
| 12/12 | RIDGWAY | 33 – 38 | 2 – 2 |
| 12/15 | CLEARFIELD | 40 – 71 | 2 – 3 |
| 12/16 | WEST BRANCH | 61 – 81 | 2 – 4 |
| 12/19 | KANE | ||
| 01/02 | @ DuBois Central Catholic | ||
| 01/06 | JOHNSONBURG | ||
| 01/09 | MO VALLEY | ||
| 01/14 | ELK COUNTY CATHOLIC | ||
| 01/16 | GLENDALE | ||
| 01/19 | @ West Branch | ||
| 01/20 | @ Ridgway | ||
| 01/23 | BROCKWAY | ||
| 01/26 | DUBOIS CENTRAL CATH | ||
| 01/28 | @ Harmony | ||
| 01/30 | @ Johnsonburg | ||
| 02/02 | @ Glendale | ||
| 02/03 | SHEFFIELD | ||
| 02/06 | @ Kane | ||
| 02/09 | @ Clearfield |