WILLIAMSBURG — The first time the Williamsburg Blue Pirates and the Curwensville Golden Tide faced one another in early January, both squads battled to the final whistle. That night, in Patton Hall, the Blue Pirates handed Curwensville its fourth-straight loss. Since that time, the Golden Tide have become a cohesive unit, putting on a charge in the late part of the season. Fast forward to Friday night, the two met up once again.
This game was closer than the prior contest, coming down to who can perform under pressure, and make foul shots. In the end, the Blue Pirates did just that, as Curwensville fell for the second time to Williamsburg, 65-56.
Both squads had solid first halves, with Williamsburg having the better of the two in each quarter.
What became the biggest difference in the night, at least for the second half, was success in free opportunities. Curwensville would get production on offense, as Davis Fleming and Parker Wood each would find the basket in big ways. The two would each account for a game-high 22 points, and pulled the Tide to within a single possession after three quarters at 41-38.
But, not capitalizing on opportunities at the free throw line would be the deciding factor.
Curwensville would only go to the line eight times in the second half, and only made three of those shots. On the night, the Tide only shot 8-for-18 at the line, and down the stretch had to foul just to potentially have an opportunity at a rebound.
Knowing this, the Blue Pirates took their chances at the line, and ensured the game was out of reach. Williamsburg only made six of their 22 baskets in the second half. What won the game for the home squad was going 17-for-25 from the charity stripe, including 14-for-17 in the fourth quarter. Rowan Gorsuch finished the game as the high-scorer for the Blue Pirates, bucketing 18 points. Zach Kagarise and Jesse Brumbaugh also made it into double figures, finishing with 17 and 15 points, respectively.
Now at 8-9, a three-game slate is awaiting Curwensville in the next week. It will begin with the team’s next-to-last home game on Tuesday night when the West Branch Warriors come to Patton Hall. The Warriors got the better of Curwensville on January 9, 67-46. It will be a tough battle to start the week, with tip-off for junior varsity at 6 p.m. and varsity to follow.
SCORE BY QUARTER
Curwensville 12 12 14 18 – 56
Williamsburg 15 16 10 24 – 65
Curwensville – 56
Andrew Wassil 0 1-2 1, Dan McGarry 0 3-8 3, Grant Swanson 2 0-0 6, Davis Fleming 11 0-0 22, Chandler English 0 1-2 1, Hunter Tkacik 0 0-0 0, Ty Colton 0 0-0 0, Parker Wood 10 2-4 22, Ayden Sutika 0 1-2 1. TOTALS 23 8-18 56.
Williamsburg – 65
Zach Kagarise 6 4-6 17, Logan Brantner 0 3-4 3, Jesse Brumbaugh 6 2-5 15, Joey Zehner 3 2-3 8, Rowan Gorsuch 5 8-10 18, RJ Royer 2 0-2 4, Sam Parks 0 0-0 0. TOTALS 22 19-30 65.
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 40 – 42 5 – 7
01/20 MO VALLEY 63 – 40 6 – 7
01/24 @ Glendale 70 – 34 7 – 7
01/25 JUNIATA VALLEY ppd. 7 – 7
01/27 @ Bellwood-Antis 66 – 58 8 – 7
01/31 @ Juniata Valley 56 – 75 8 – 8
02/03 @ Williamsburg 56 – 65 8 – 9
02/07 WEST BRANCH 02/08 @ Harmony
02/10 @ Mt. Union
02/14 @ Clearfield
02/15 JUNIATA VALLEY