CURWENSVILLE — It is no secret that every team experiences first game jitters when a new season begins. Miscues happen, strategies begin and end, change and get noted, but it is a constant of any team. After some teams had already gotten on the hardwood, it was finally time for the Curwensville Lady Tide to take to the court on Wednesday night, and did so with the home crowd on their side within Patton Hall. Across the court, the Harmony Lady Owls were ready to battle, and early on that is what they did – battle.
The visitors rocketed out to a strong lead on offense, and also made it difficult for the Tide to rally as they shut town the hosts heading into halftime. But, the will to get back in the game stayed strong for Curwensville, as they pulled to within a possession late in the game. It was within grasp, but a pair of late baskets put the game away and Harmony handed Curwensville a 58-53 season-opening loss.
“At one point we were down 22, and the girls took it upon themselves to battle back. Whether they were playing in the game or sitting on the bench, everyone was getting in the game and cheering for each other,” Lady Tide head coach Dawna Wheeler said afterwards. “Our juniors took care of the ball, and just kept fighting.”
Early on, it was clear that Curwensville was a bit rusty, as competing in a game instead of a scrimmage, was certainly evident. Defensively, they struggled to contain Harmony senior Jaylee Beck, who put up 10 of the team’s 21 points in the first quarter, adding in a pair of rebounds and assists. Beck would lead all scorers in the game with 24 points.
The three-possession lead would hold and extend in the second quarter, as the Tide struggled to keep control of the ball, and it led to 18 turnovers and opportunities on the opposite end of the court. It also was a struggle getting the ball in the net through the first half, as Curwensville only went 8-for-31 from the floor. Heading into halftime, Harmony was feeling invincible with a 35-18 lead, and Wheeler could see that the nerves of being on the game got to the Lady Tide.
“First game jitters, for sure, in that first half,” she said. “I think we settled into the second half a little bit better, but there are some things we still need to clean up for the next couple games. The road doesn’t get any easier.”
What Curwensville lacked in the first half, especially in the second quarter, they made up for immensely coming out of the locker room. What changed was the team getting aggressive on the boards, and also taking advantage of miscues from the Owls. The biggest opportunities came from Karleigh Freyer, as she would be the dominant figure on the floor, and at the foul line. Although she only made one shot from the floor in the third quarter, her missed shots led to fouls by Harmony. This led to 13 foul shot chances at the charity stripe.
Curwensville actually went to the foul line 17 times in the third quarter as the Lady Owls committed 10 fouls in that time. The PIAA had a rule change for this year where in each quarter, once a team reaches five team fouls, the opposing team would be granted two foul shots on each subsequent foul.
Freyer took advantage, only missing three, as she put up 11 of her team-high 17 points in the third. She would finish the night with a double-double, adding in 14 rebounds. The Tie cut into the lead as they entered the final quarter down 50-39.
“We told them at halftime that we need to box out. They kept getting pushed under the basket, and we just had to box out, get the ball. It was all about possessions, and that got us going,” Wheeler said.
The fourth quarter is when the Tide began to chip away bit by bit, as they would keep Beck from getting to the basket, and limited when she was at the foul line. Harmony began to see the Curwensville press force untimely miscues, as Addison Butler began using her quick feet to get in position, and her hands to grab the loose ball. Her teammates began feeding her passes and although some did not go in, the rebounds by Freyer and Briah Peoples kept the possessions alive. Peoples would gain seven of her 12 rebounds in the second half, and added a key assist to Butler when she nailed a critical three-pointer on the right wing to pull the Tide within three with just under a minute remaining.
But, late in the going, a pair of foul shots by Beck, plus a critical basket by Mariah Brothers, put the game out of reach for Curwensville.
Along with Beck, Brothers and Jayden Fry would hit double-figures, finishing with 11 and 15 points, respectively.
“You have to take advantage of their mistakes, and we did that, as they got into critical foul trouble. Fortunately for us, they only have eight girls, and we have 11,” Wheeler said. “We had a little bit more to work with tonight, but they played smart with three starters in foul trouble.”
Wednesday’s home game is the only one for Curwensville (0-1) for the entire month of December, as they begin a seven-game road trip starting next week, including the annual holiday tournament during Christmas break. The first road trip comes Tuesday, December 12, as the Lady Tide travel to take on Williamsburg. Tip-off is set for 7:15 p.m.
SCORE BY QUARTER
Harmony 21 14 15 8 – 58
Curwensville 14 4 21 14 – 53
Harmony – 58
Jaylee Beck 10 4-9 24, Mariah Brothers 5 1-2 11, Becca Adams 0 2-4 2, Jayden Fry 5 2-2 15, Shelby Oldakes 3 0-2 6, Cheyanna Pustari 0 0-0 0, Hollie Oldakes 0 0-0 0. Jaylin 0 0-0 0. TOTALS 23 9-19 58.
Curwensville – 53
Addison Butler 6 1-4 14, Karleigh Freyer 4 9-13 17, Brooklynn Price 3 1-2 7, Mady Sheredy 0 0-0 0, Natalie Wischuck 3 0-2 6, Jovee Elensky 0 0-0 0, Ava Hainsey 0 0-0 0, Addison Warren 2 1-3 5, Jayda Gaul 0 0-0 0, Briah Peoples 1 0-2 2, Sylvia Witherite 1 0-0 2. TOTALS 20 12-26 53.
GAME STATISTICS
Harmony/Curwensville
- Shooting: 23-65/20-78
- Rebounds: 32/45
- Fouls: 17/18
- Turnovers: 35/30
- Three-Point Shots: Fry-3/Butler
Lady Tide Scoreboard:
Date Opponent Score Record
12/06 HARMONY 53 – 58 0 – 1
12/12 @ Williamsburg
12/15 @ Juniata Valley
12/18 @ Brockway
12/19 @ Claysburg-Kimmel
12/22 @ Glendale
12/29 & 30 @ Philipsburg-Osceola Tourney
01/05 BROCKWAY
01/09 @ West Branch
01/12 MO VALLEY
01/15 WILLIAMSBURG
01/18 MT. UNION
01/22 JUNIATA VALLEY
01/23 @ Clarion
01/25 GLENDALE
01/29 BUCKTAIL
02/01 WEST BRANCH
02/05 @ Mo Valley
02/07 PURCHASE LINE
02/09 @ Harmony
02/14 CLEARFIELD