BOALSBURG — Fresh off of a strong start to the 2023-2024 campaign, the Curwensville Golden Tide round-ballers were itching to get back to work and continue the early season success. Head coach Josh Tkacik was ready for the next challenge alongside his group, as they loaded the bus for a trip to Boalsburg on Friday night for a matchup against the Wolfpack of Saint Joseph’s Catholic Academy.
That road trip felt good going down, and coming home, as the Tide would start fast, and stay strong, heading to a 69-45 victory that finished under a running clock.
Early in the contest both schools would keep things tight, trading the lead and baskets as the competitive nature made it a tight game. Curwensville did hold a two-possession lead after one, but the Wolfpack would not go away quietly. Bit by bit they chipped away, but Curwensville held serve heading into the locker room with a 29-22 advantage.
It was the third quarter when the Golden Tide broke things open.
Despite being down one man in the rotation, the Tide would put six players on the stat sheet for scores, with Parker Wood getting hot and fueling the team to get out front for good. He would lead all scorers with a game-high 23 points on the night. The team would put up 23 in the quarter, while limiting Saint Joseph’s to only nine to head into the fourth quarter with all the momentum.
That carried over quickly as the Tide would begin pouring on the scores, ultimately hitting the 30-point mark to put the running clock into effect. The gap would increase to 34 points before Tkacik called a timeout to give his starters a curtain call and let his underclassmen finish out the contest. The Wolfpack would close the gap, but were still outscored in the final quarter, 17-14, to set the final.
Alongside Wood, Louie Tkacik added in double figures with 15 points, while Davis Flemming put up 10. For the Wolfpack, Haden Lingle and Jayden Stamm each accounted for 10 points. Stamm would be the only player in the game to foul out as he earned a technical during the contest that put him on the bench.
Curwensville (2-0) is feeling strong after two gutsy performances on the road, and is eager to carry this success into their home opener on Monday night as the Tide play host to Williamsburg. Junior varsity will tip off at 6 p.m. with the varsity action to follow at approximately 7:30 p.m.
SCORE BY QUARTER
Curwensville 15 14 23 17 – 69
Saint Joseph’s 10 12 9 14 – 45
Curwensville – 69
Tristan Wills 0 0-0 0, Evan McCartney 0 0-0 0, Grant Swanson 2 1-2 7, Davis Fleming 5 0-0 10, Chandler English 1 1-2 3, Braden Holland 2 4-4 8, Dante Lezzer 0 0-0 0, Hunter Tkacik 1 0-0 2, Louie Tkacik 4 5-7 15, Parker Wood 11 1-1 24, Ethan Siegel 0 0-0 0. TOTALS 26 12-16 69.
Saint Joseph’s – 45
Haden Lingle 4 2-2 10, Jayden Stamm 4 2-2 10, Kyle Yangula 0 0-0 0, Sam Krasowitz 3 0-0 6, Matt James 0 0-0 0, Tim Ramos 0 0-0 0, Luke Duckworth 6 1-4 14, Artie Welsh 0 2-4 2, Cameron Guss 0 0-0 0, Caleb Foytack 1 1-3 3. TOTALS 18 8-15 45.