WILLIAMSBURG — It’s always hard for a team when a game is close for an entire 32 minutes of play. Those games could go either way at any moment, and the feeling of winning it is often joyous, while the loss is filled with frustration. For the Curwensville Golden Tide, they have experienced their share of close losses this season. Even with a winning record, that feeling of “what could have been” is the most recent one felt by the group, as the loss to Juniata Valley on Tuesday was one that could have gone their way with just a few less miscues.
On Thursday, it would be the second opportunity that Curwensville would take on the Williamsburg Blue Pirates, who gave Curwensville their first loss on the year, in a game that could have gone either way. This game was the exact same way, with both squads going tit-for-tat. In the end, some early struggles would be hard to overcome, as Curwensville would fall once again to Williamsburg, this time by a 52-48 final.
Curwensville would have trouble right out the gate against the Blue Pirates, as they would be limited to only nine points in eight minutes. By contrast, Williamsburg doubled-up the point total, as they held a 19-9 advantage after one quarter.
Both squads battled tight in the second quarter as Curwensville managed to cut the lead down at certain points, however the two squads went to a draw in the second with each putting up 13 in the stanza. Entering halftime, Curwensville still stared at a 10-point gap, and looked to try and make a comeback in the second half.
They did just that, as Davis Fleming came to life and began both scoring and feeding his teammates. He would have a team-high 19 points on the night, but his efforts in the third allowed Curwensville to close the gap. The Tide kept things close, and the opposition honest, outscoring Williamsburg 18-11 in the third to cut the lead to just a single possession heading into the final quarter.
That is where the two squads would not yield for any reason. Despite the low-scoring final quarter, Williamsburg managed to put together just enough in order to get the win on the night.
For Williamsburg, Rowan Gorsuch led the team with a game-high 22 points, with Logan Brantner adding in another 12. The Blue Pirates did struggle at the foul line, only going 9-for-18. Curwensville went 6-for-7 at the line. Along with Fleming, Parker Wood hit double figures with 14 points.
Curwensville (8-6) does not have much time to rest and recover, as they are back on the hardwood Friday night. The Tide is in the midst of a four-game run on the road, as they will travel to take on Glendale to close out the week.
SCORE BY QUARTER
Curwensville 9 13 18 8 – 48
Williamsburg 19 13 11 9 – 52
Curwensville – 48
Grant Swanson 2 0-0 6, Davis Fleming 9 1-1 19, Braden Holland 0 1-2 1, Hunter Tkacik 3 2-2 8, Louie Tkacik 0 0-0 0, Parker Wood 6 2-2 14. TOTALS 20 6-7 48.
Williamsburg – 52
Rowan Gorsuch 9 4-6 22, Jesse Brumbaugh 2 2-4 6, Logan Brantner 6 0-2 12, Preston Isenberg 1 0-0 3, Evan Zehner 2 0-0 6, Ethan Reffner 0 3-6 3, Justin Houck 0 0-0 0. TOTALS 21 9-18 52.
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 67 – 59 3 – 2
12/21 GLENDALE 55 – 46 4 – 2
12/22 BUCKTAIL 68 – 56 5 – 2
12/28 CLEARFIELD 43 – 56 5 – 3
01/02 HARMONY 65 – 60 6 – 3
01/05 @ Brockway 63 – 38 7 – 3
01/08 WEST BRANCH 47 – 76 7 – 4
01/11 @ Mo Valley 74 – 53 8 – 4
01/16 @ Williamsburg ppd. 8 – 4
01/19 @ Mt. Union ppd. 8 – 4
01/23 JUNIATA VALLEY 75 – 86 8 – 5
01/25 @ Williamsburg 48 – 52 8 – 6
01/26 @ Glendale
01/31 @ Mt. Union
02/02 @ West Branch
02/05 KEYSTONE
02/06 MO VALLEY
02/10 @ DuBois Central Catholic
02/13 @ Clearfield
02/15 @ Bucktail