HOUTZDALE — Monday’s loss against West Branch was a gut punch for the Curwensville Golden Tide basketball squad. After all the success they had through the first half of the season, it was the second loss against a local team that they felt was one that got away. The ability to recover and focus on the next game was the thing that head coach Josh Tkacik hoped would be shown on Thursday night, as the Tide made the trip to Houtzdale to go against the Black Knights of Moshannon Valley.
This night felt a lot different as the Tide got rolling early, and never looked back, pulling out a 74-53 victory to erase the anguish of the early-week loss.
Nothing was holding back Curwensville from the opening tip, as the first quarter set the pace for the game. Intelligent ball handling and unselfish play allowed four of the Tide players to get on the board in the first quarter, cruising to a 21-9 advantage in eight minutes. Things continued in the second quarter, as the Tide hit six shots from the floor, and went 4-for-6 at the foul line. The led to a double-digit cushion heading into the locker room that never was relinquished.
The trouble that Curwensville has experienced all year was not being able to put together four solid quarters of basketball, with the second or third quarter being the most notable ones that have caused trouble.
However, this night was a game that did not happen, as the Tide would come out of the locker room stronger, holding the lead at 57-35 with one quarter remaining. Curwensville, and Moshannon Valley, elected as the final quarter went on to let the underclassmen get some playing time with the win firmly in hand for the visitors. It would be the only quarter where the Black Knights had the scoring advantage, but could not reduce the gap enough to make much of a difference.
Curwensville saw three on the roster in double digits, as Davis Fleming led all scoring with a 23-point effort. Parker Wood added in another 20. Andrew Wassil, who missed most of the December slate due to a knee injury, had a strong game coming off the bench, accounting for 11 points. For the Black Knights, both Micah Beish and Troy Canner each bucketed 12 points, with Jensen Hansel adding in another 10.
Thursday’s game is the first of three for Curwensville (8-4) away from Patton Hall. The Tide are back on the road Tuesday night as they will have the second matchup of the season against Williamsburg. It was back on December 11 when the Blue Pirates handed the Tide their first loss of the year, 65-53.
SCORE BY QUARTER
Curwensville 21 17 19 17 – 74
Moshannon Valley 9 12 14 18 – 53
Curwensville – 74
Andrew Wassil 4 0-0 11, Tristan Wills 0 0-0 0, Evan McCartney 0 0-0 0, Grant Swanson 0 0-0 0, Davis Fleming 11 1-1 23, Braden Holland 2 2-6 6, Dante Lezzer 0 0-0 0, Hunter Tkacik 4 1-2 9, Louie Tkacik 2 0-0 5, Parker Wood 8 4-4 20, Ethan Siegal 0 0-0 0. TOTALS 32 8-13 74.
Moshannon Valley – 53
Micah Beish 5 1-1 12, Kaden Kephart 0 0-0 0, Jensen Hansel 4 1-1 10, Troy Canner 5 2-2 12, Landyn Evans 1 0-0 2, Kyle Merrick 2 0-0 6, Zach Reifer 4 0-0 8, Carter Weakland 0 0-0 0, Valent Cervenak 0 0-0 0, Kaden Mills 1 0-0 3, Colby Reifer 0 0-0 0. TOTALS 22 4-4 53.
