CURWENSVILLE — Sometimes being away from somewhere makes one appreciate it more. That is certainly the case when it comes to sports, as being away from home for long stretches can become exhausting. That was the case for the Curwensville Lady Tide, as after the first game of the year in early December, the squad spent the entire rest of the month away from their home court. After being gone for so long, the girls finally got to be back inside Patton Hall, ready for a showdown against the Lady Rovers of Brockway on Friday night.
The downside to being home on this night was it did not lead to a happy ending, as Brockway got out to an early lead, and held on to give Curwensville a 53-28 loss to start the new year.
“I felt we played really well, and despite being down in the first quarter, they came out and battled, outscoring them in the second quarter,” Lady Tide head coach Dawna Wheeler said afterwards.
Curwensville’s struggles started early as the Lady Rovers were pressuring right from opening tip, and the Lady Tide could not escape the press defense. This led to turnovers and fast breaks, and also led to some strong shooting from Brockway. In the opening quarter, the visitors shot 10-for-15 from the floor, roaring out to a quick 23-4 advantage. But, by the second quarter, something changed in the home squad as Curwensville began getting aggressive, yet played sound. Brockway’s shooting plummeted in the second quarter, going just 1-for-20, plus an abysmal 1-for-8 at the foul line.
By contrast, despite not getting as many shots, Curwensville managed to take a 10-3 advantage in the stanza, putting themselves in a respectable 26-14 gap heading into halftime.
“I am still proud that they are still fighting, playing hard, despite being down,” Wheeler said.
The battle in the third quarter heated up, but in a way that was both costly and effective. Both teams were getting physical, both on fast breaks and trying to rebound. One moment things got a bit too much as Natalie Wischuck got a fast break on a turnover, and as she got into the paint Brockway’s Raegan Celnette went for the block, and as Wischuck went up, Celnette went to the hardwood. The ball would not go in the net, and it appeared a chance for a pair of foul shots was incoming. Instead, officials deemed it an offensive foul on Wischuck, her third of the quarter. Wheeler was irate, telling officials it was a bad call, but the foul stood. It got to the point where prior to the inbound pass, her disagreement forced a technical foul. The ensuing foul shots from Sophia Schmader only saw one go in, but Brockway maintained possession, and Wheeler was forced to coach from the bench.
Despite the foul, Curwensville continued to play aggressively, as Brooklynn Price began to get rebounds on missed shots, and looked for her teammates for quick passes. Price finished the night by pulling down a team-high eight rebounds.
“Brooklynn came to play tonight. She’s right now playing a position she’s not comfortable with, but she’s posting up, mixing things up, and doing everything she can,” Wheeler said.
Price was one of two on the team to lead the scoring, as she and Addison Butler each added six points a piece. Briah Peoples led the team with four steals.
As the night wore on, Brockway would pull out to a comfortable lead, giving their starters a chance to rest. Four of the Lady Rovers finished in double figures, as Rheanna Spinda led all scoring with 16 points, finishing just short of a double-double with eight rebounds, plus five steals. Sophia Morrison added in 13 points, Schmader accounted for 11, and Kawina Powell bucketed 10 to finish off a quartette in double-digit scoring.
“Even after we played them the first time, it would’ve been easy to give up and say ‘oh, they’re going to beat us,’ but these girls came in ready to play, and that’s one thing we all can take away from tonight,” Wheeler commented.
Even in the loss, Wheeler was appreciative to be back inside the home gym after being away for so long, as she smiled to state, “It almost felt like an away game with the Brockway fans here. But after being away for so long, it almost felt normal.”
Curwensville (0-9) heads back on the road for a quick trip to Morrisdale on Tuesday night for a 6:30 tip-off against West Branch.
SCORE BY QUARTER
Brockway 23 3 15 12 – 53
Curwensville 4 10 6 8 – 28
Brockway – 53
Sophia Morrison 5 0-0 13, Maria Buttery 0 0-2 0, Ann Hughes 0 0-0 0, Stephanie Patterson 0 0-0 0, Rheanna Spinda 6 2-2 16, Sophia Schmader 4 3-10 11, Mya Fremer 0 0-0 0, Kawina Powell 5 0-0 10, Raegan Celnette 1 1-2 3, Sierra Fremer 0 0-0 0, Hallie Welsh 0 0-0 0. TOTALS 21 6-16 53.
Curwensville – 28
Addison Butler 2 2-2 6, Brooklynn Price 2 2-5 6, Maddie Sheredy 2 0-0 5, Natalie Wischuck 2 1-3 5, Jovee Elensky 0 0-0 0, Ava Hainsey 0 0-0 0, Addison Warren 1 0-0 2, Jayda Gaul 0 0-0 0, Briah Peoples 1 2-2 4. TOTALS 10 7-12 28.
GAME STATISTICS
Brockway/Curwensville
- Shooting: 21-75/10-48
- Rebounds: 38/33
- Fouls: 11/11
- Turnovers: 14/21
- Three-Point Shots: Morrison-3, Spinda-2/Sheredy
- Technical Fouls: Coach Wheeler
LADY TIDE SCOREBOARD:
Date Opponent Score Record
12/06 HARMONY 53 – 58 0 – 1
12/12 @ Williamsburg 19 – 85 0 – 2
12/15 @ Juniata Valley 44 – 66 0 – 3
12/18 @ Brockway 32 – 60 0 – 4
12/19 @ Claysburg-Kimmel 38 – 45 0 – 5
12/22 @ Glendale 15 – 65 0 – 6
12/29 & 30 @ Philipsburg-Osceola Tourney
12/29 vs. Philipsburg-Osceola 32 – 56 0 – 7
12/30 vs. Mo Valley 18 – 60 0 – 8
01/05 BROCKWAY 28 – 53 0 – 9
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