ALEXANDRIA — A game at a high school level that is high scoring is not uncommon, but often it comes when one squad is dominant, and has talent. When both squads end up having an equal amount of talent, it makes for an exciting 32 minutes of action. That is exactly what people got at the Juniata Valley High School as the Curwensville Golden Tide made the trip all the way to Alexandria to face off with the Hornets of Juniata Valley.
Despite all the talent, it was not to be on this night for the visitors, as Curwensville ultimately fell, 95-81, to drop their record to an even 2-2.
The opening quarter saw a tight battle between the two squads, with no real advantage coming from either side. Curwensville trailed by just five after the opening stanza, but then saw themselves in a bit of turmoil beginning in the second quarter. The rule change for the 2023-2024 season where five team fouls means the opposition will get an automatic pair of free throws caught the Tide in a tough way. The Hornets took advantage in the second quarter, going 6-for-8 at the line, and adding in some deep shots courtesy of Ronal Chavez to put Curwensville in a tough spot. Heading into the locker room, Juniata Valley held a 58-34 lead.
Despite being outscored by Curwensville in the second half, 47-38, the advantage gained in the first half kept Curwensville from getting just over the hump. Eventually, foul shooting from Juniata Valley put away the Tide, as they finished 23-for-31 at the line at night’s end.
The Hornets saw their starting five all make it into double figures, with Jett Rand leading all scoring with 27 points. Connor Robinson added in 22, while Charlie Mattas put 17 points up. Chavez added 12, while Chris Deihl capped off the night with 10. In all, the Hornets put 31 shots in the cylinder, including eight from behind the arc.
For Curwensville, Davis Fleming led the scoring with 24 points, while Parker Wood accounted for 23, and Grant Swanson finished with 13.
The Tide will look to get back above the .500 mark on Monday when they play host to Claysburg-Kimmel inside Patton Hall. Tip-off for the junior varsity will come at 6 p.m. and the varsity action will follow.
SCORE BY QUARTER
Curwensville 19 15 30 17 – 81
Juniata Valley 24 34 19 19 – 95
Curwensville – 81
Grant Swanson 4 1-2 13, Davis Fleming 12 0-0 24, Chandler English 3 1-2 8, Braden Holland 3 0-0 6, Hunter Tkacik 0 1-2 1, Louie Tkacik 1 3-4 6, Parker Wood 11 1-1 23. TOTALS 34 7-11 81.
Juniata Valley – 95
Chris Deihl 2 6-8 10, Connor Robinson 7 8-11 22, Ronal Chavez 4 1-2 12, Jett Rand 11 4-6 27, Charlie Mattas 5 4-4 17, Laken Cook 1 0-0 3, Joel LeCrone 0 0-0 0, Kyler Spurlin 1 0-0 3, Trenton Norris 0 0-0 0. TOTALS 31 23-31 95.
GOLDEN TIDE SCOREBOARD:
Date Opponent Score Record
12/06 @ Harmony 79 – 60 1 – 0
12/08 @ St. Joe’s Catholic 69 – 45 2 – 0
12/11 WILLIAMSBURG 53 – 63 2 – 1
12/14 @ Juniata Valley 81 – 95 2 – 2
12/18 CLAYSBURG-KIMMEL
12/21 GLENDALE
12/22 BUCKTAIL
12/28 CLEARFIELD
01/02 HARMONY
01/05 @ Brockway
01/08 WEST BRANCH
01/11 @ Mo Valley
01/16 @ Williamsburg
01/19 @ Mt. Union
01/23 JUNIATA VALLEY
01/26 @ Glendale
02/02 @ West Branch
02/05 KEYSTONE
02/06 MO VALLEY
02/10 @ DuBois Central Catholic
02/13 @ Clearfield
02/15 @ Bucktail