CURWENSVILLE — As the season draws closer and closer to an end, the Curwensville Golden Tide round ballers were set to head onto their own home court to get on the winning track. Coming in for their opposition inside Patton Hall on Tuesday night was the Ridgway Elkers, ready for the AML matchup.
In the end, it was a lopsided affair as Ridgway got out front early, and rolled its way to a 59-19 rout of the Tide, shutting down the home squad in every aspect of the game.
The lone time that Curwensville had the lead came early in the game on a free throw from Trevor Lansberry. Shortly after, the Elkers turned up the pressure, and forced head coach Matt Wassil to call timeout with half a quarter already gone, as Ridgway went on a 13-point run that the Tide could never come back from. After one quarter of play, the visitors were out to an 18-3 lead, and the Tide were left searching for answers.
At certain points, the Tide had flashes of solid play, with key passes and shot opportunities coming early in the second quarter and also following the halftime break.
But Ridgway’s pressure defense caused havoc all night, as Curwensville committed 19 turnovers, and Ridgway capitalized with easy layups and jump shots. Curwensville was held to only eight field goals on the night, shooting under 25 percent from the floor. On the other side, the Elkers finished 26-for-43 from the floor, and only went to the line for a pair of free throws.
All seven of Ridgway’s main rotation got in on the scoring, with three getting into double digits. Matt Dush led all scorers with a double-double, finishing with 14 points and 11 rebounds. He also chipped in six assists plus three steals. Zach Zameraski added in 13 points, while Domenic Allegretto also had 10.
For Curwensville, Adam Miller finished with a team-high six points and five rebounds, while Lansberry added in another five. The game went to the Mercy Rule running clock with just over two minutes left in the game, with Ridgway hitting the 40-point threshold on an Allegretto jump shot.
The Elkers also won the opening junior varsity contest, 37-18.
Curwensville (1-11) has little time to recover, as they head back to their home court on Wednesday as they host a non-league game against the Mounties of Philipsburg-Osceola. Back on December 27, Curwensville dropped the first contest against P-O on the Mounties’ home court, 76-34. Tip off for junior varsity is at 6 p.m. and varsity will follow.
SCORE BY QUARTER
Ridgway 18 14 12 15 – 59
Curwensville 3 8 5 3 – 19
Ridgway – 59
Dush 7 0-0 14, Allegretto 4 0-0 10, Miller 4 0-0 9, Young 1 0-0 2, Bon 2 0-0 5, Zameraski 6 0-0 13, Park 2 2-2 6, Song 0 0-0 0, Gaudino 0 0-0 0, Geitner 0 0-0 0, Panebianco 0 0-0 0, Benninger 0 0-0 0, Goetz 0 0-0 0. TOTALS 26 2-2 59.
Curwensville – 19
Lee 0 0-0 0, McGarry 1 0-0 2, Condon 0 0-0 0, Lansberry 2 1-4 5, Lezzer 1 0-0 3, Rowles 1 0-0 3, Mulaney 0 0-0 0, Colton 0 0-0 0, Miller 3 0-0 6, Swatsworth 0 0-0 0, Spencer 0 0-0 0. TOTALS 8 1-4 19.
GAME STATISTICS
Ridgway/Curwensville
Shooting: 26-43/8-36
Rebounds: 26/13
Fouls: 7/8
Turnovers: 15/19
Three-Point Shots: Allegretto-2, Miller, Bon, Zameraski/Lezzer, Rowles
Golden Tide Scoreboard:
| Date | Opponent | Score | Record |
| 12/06 | CLEARFIELD | 31 – 82 | 0 – 1 |
| 12/11 | MO VALLEY | 53 – 47 | 1 – 1 |
| 12/13 | @ Ridgway | 16 – 66 | 1 – 2 |
| 12/18 | @ West Branch | 29 – 71 | 1 – 3 |
| 12/27 | @ Philipsburg-Osceola | 34 – 76 | 1 – 4 |
| 01/03 | BROCKWAY | 39 – 54 | 1 – 5 |
| 01/07 | DUBOIS CENTRAL | 30 – 45 | 1 – 6 |
| 01/10 | HARMONY | 39 – 55 | 1 – 7 |
| 01/14 | @ Elk County Catholic | 4 – 64 | 1 – 8 |
| 01/15 | @ Glendale | 52 – 66 | 1 – 9 |
| 01/17 | KANE | 39 – 69 | 1 – 10 |
| 01/21 | RIDGWAY | 19 – 59 | 1 – 11 |
| 01/22 | PHILIPSBURG-OSCEOLA | ||
| 01/24 | @ Brockway | ||
| 01/27 | WEST BRANCH | ||
| 01/29 | GLENDALE | ||
| 01/31 | JOHNSONBURG | ||
| 02/04 | @ DuBois Central | ||
| 02/07 | @ Sheffield | ||
| 02/10 | @ Harmony | ||
| 02/12 | @ Mo Valley | ||
| 02/13 | @ Clearfield |