CURWENSVILLE — The passion, the fire, and the excitement that filled Patton Hall when the Curwensville Golden Tide pulled off the biggest win of their season the game before left the fans wanting more, and even the players were wanting more. The good news for everyone that was there on Wednesday night was that the feeling they had could return just two days later, because another packed house inside the same gymnasium was ready to go as the Brockway Rovers came in, hoping to split the season series with Curwensville.
In the early minutes, the game was knotted up with a pair of baskets each. Shortly after, the Tide would find their rhythm, and used a strong offensive showing to get their second-straight win in a 56-16 rout, sweeping the series of the Rovers.
“I feel like the guys on this team are starting to gel more and more as the season goes on,” Tide head coach Josh Tkacik said afterwards. “These guys will put in the time and the effort every time.”
The game started in quick fashion, with Chandler English getting the opening bucket, but it was quickly answered by Reese Yahner. Curwensville saw Dan McGarry answer back, but Brockway tied it up quickly to make it an early 4-4 close contest.
That was as close as it would be for the remainder of the game.
Curwensville went on a 10-0 run before Brockway took a time out just past the halfway point of the first quarter, and even then only were able to put up another three points. After eight minutes, Curwensville held a 19-7 lead, and would just add more on as the offense would give themselves many second chances when the ball wouldn’t make it in the hoop.
The Tide finished with 42 rebounds on the night, with over half of those coming on offensive possessions, as both Chandler English and Braden Holland each accounted for a game-high eight boards. All the while, the Tide would play unselfishly, as of the 11 players that were dressed for play, eight of them would get on the board, and for Tkacik that was critical to have.
“That’s by design. We have been preaching all along that we want to be a unit that must be defended, not just one or a couple individuals,” Tkacik said. “The trap to that is when you begin mentioning names, you leave somebody out. Those guys on that stat sheet played their hearts out, because all of them contributed. We saw a lot of good basketball I.Q. tonight.”
That smart basketball continued through the first half and well into the third quarter, as defensively the Tide limited Brockway to just two shots from the floor. For most of the third quarter, the Rovers were not even on the scoreboard, going 0-for-6 in shooting, and missing a pair of free throws. If it was not for the last second look from Brady Hughes, it would have been a scoreless quarter.
But, even with the late basket, the Tide were at the point where the running clock was in effect, having a 44-14 lead at the end of three.
McGarry would lead all scoring on the night, finishing with 14 points plus five boards. Fleming added in 12 points, with seven boards, plus five assists and a quartette of steals. Many of the starters would get a rest in the fourth quarter, allowing the underclassmen and junior varsity squad to get some playing time in.
The jayvee squad started the night with a 40-13 victory.
With the crowd ecstatic for another win, the vibe around the Tide basketball program has slowly taken on a different feeling, and that has not escaped Tkacik’s view despite his focus on coaching the squad he has right now. For two straight games, the gymnasium was packed to the walls, to the point where players were avoiding colliding with those courtside when the ball is heading out of bounds.
“That is a big motivator (having a big crowd). Tonight, we had elementary recognition, so it was cool to see the little guys out there, balling it up, plus their parents,” Tkacik said. “Some people would say ‘that’s the future of our program’, but we see that as our program right now, so we start feeding them that knowledge right now. We feed them by bringing them into a gym where they can be successful. That is by design.
“Tonight, as a coach, was one of those nights where I could step back and scan a little bit, because normally I have tunnel vision. Tonight, I’m looking around and saying, ‘there’s someone I’ve not seen in a long while’ and that is really cool. This community continues to support us, and when you have an environment like that, for the last two games really, you just don’t want the night to end.
“Some of those guys in that locker room are so amped up, they are like that, wishing the game would not end, and I love that.”
Curwensville (5-6) next will host the Moshannon Valley Black Knights on Tuesday January 17, whom they beat back on December 12, 44-35. Junior varsity will tip at 6 p.m. with varsity to follow.
SCORE BY QUARTER
Brockway 7 4 3 2 – 16
Curwensville 19 15 10 12 – 56
Brockway – 16
Caine Brubaker 0 0-0 0, Vinny Covalline 0 0-0 0, Adam Lin 0 0-0 0, Isaac Crawford 0 0-2 0, Jacob Newcamp 0 0-0 0, Bray Demonte 0 1-2 1, Ryan Crawford 0 0-0 0, Brady Hughes 2 0-0 5, Reese Yahner 1 0-1 2, Aiden Grieneisen 1 1-2 3, Aiden Wilcox 2 1-1 5. TOTALS 6 3-8 16.
Curwensville – 56
Dan McGarry 4 6-6 14, Grant Swanson 2 0-0 4, Davis Fleming 4 2-2 12, Chandler English 3 1-2 8, Parker Wood 2 2-2 6, Louis Tkacik 0 0-0 0, Braden Holland 0 2-4 2, Hunter Tkacik 0 0-0 0, Ty Colton 0 0-2 0, Aiden Sutika 1 0-0 2, Andrew Wassil 2 4-5 8. TOTALS 18 17-23 56.
GAME STATISTICS
Brockway/Curwensville
- Shooting: 6-37/18-68
- Rebounds: 23/42
- Fouls: 16/10
- Turnovers: 25/14
- Three-Point Shots: Hughes/Fleming-2, English
Golden Tide Scoreboard:
Date Opponent Score Record
12/02 CLEARFIELD 39 – 56 0 – 1
12/12 @ Mo Valley 44 – 35 1 – 1
12/15 GLENDALE ppd. 1 – 1
12/19 BELLWOOD-ANTIS 62 – 54 2 – 1
12/20 HARMONY 51 – 59 2 – 2
12/23 JUNIATA VALLEY ppd. 2 – 2
12/28 & 29 @ Philipsburg-Osceola Tourney
12/28 vs. Philipsburg-Osceola 44 – 74 2 – 3
12/29 vs. Bald Eagle Area 39 – 53 2 – 4
01/04 WILLIAMSBURG 45 – 61 2 – 5
01/05 @ Brockway 63 – 28 3 – 5
01/09 @ West Branch 46 – 67 3 – 6
01/11 MT. UNION 59 – 58 4 – 6
01/13 BROCKWAY 56 – 16 5 – 6
01/17 GLENDALE
01/20 MO VALLEY
01/24 @ Glendale
01/25 JUNIATA VALLEY
01/27 @ Bellwood-Antis
01/31 @ Juniata Valley
02/03 @ Williamsburg
02/07 WEST BRANCH
02/08 @ Harmony
02/10 @ Mt. Union
02/14 @ Clearfield
