WESTOVER — The desire to win, and the will to perform, always are at the core of any team, in any sport. That desire, no matter the record, never goes away. This year, the Curwensville Lady Tide showed that desire at every game, no matter the score. Whether close, or a lopsided contest, they continued to show desire with every game.
Friday night, that desire was shown in full force as the Lady Tide made the trip to face the Lady Owls from Harmony. It started out as most of the games this year have been for Curwensville, but something felt different about this night. When it mattered the most, the desire and heart overcame a deficit. For the first time this year, and in thrilling fashion, the Lady Tide would be on the winning end of the scoreboard, taking a 55-54 victory in comeback fashion.
The opening quarter was not pleasant for Curwensville, as the Lady Owls were on a hoot and perched high as they would roll out to a quick 16-5 advantage. But the Lady Tide would calm down, refocus, and came out in a stronger fashion for the second quarter.
They would actually out-score Harmony in the stanza, cutting into the lead and headed into the locker room down by just eight points. At this point, it was clear that Curwensville was feeling good, and were wanting to come out after halftime ready to continue that movement.
Although it was not the strongest quarter for them, it was not a disaster. Still, after three quarters, Harmony held a 41-27 advantage. It was appearing as though another similar night would be how the game would end for Curwensville.
All of a sudden, something changed.
The entire squad, from the players to the coaches, and even the fans, could feel that this night was different. In that moment, the final eight minutes would change the entire complexion of the game. A back-and-forth contest was on the horizon, and Curwensville would not back down without a fight. Starter Brooklynn Price would foul out in the quarter, but it was Briah Peoples that found her groove. She would put up a team-high 18 points on the night, with 12 of them coming in the final quarter.
Harmony continued to battle hard, putting Curwensville at the line nine times in the quarter. This also created a problem because both Jaylee Beck and Mariah Brothers would foul out for the Owls. With only seven players dressed, the risk of a third player fouling out was on the table. But, the Owls did not get near that, however the Tide were pressing hard.
In the final quarter, Curwensville put up more points than their previous three quarters combined, and doubled-up Harmony. But, those points had to come quickly, and at the most crucial time. The Lady Tide found themselves in an intense showdown late in the going, trailing by one.
As the final seconds were ticking away, Curwensville’s final possession would get them across midcourt, and then try to find their way to the basket. The Lady Tide found an opening as Peoples put up a quick jumper to give her team the lead with five seconds remaining. A quick timeout was all that was left to give Harmony one final chance to get to the basket.
The Lady Owls made a quick run down the court to try for the final shot, but the ball would not make it in. Game over.
The exciting night for the Lady Tide ended when the buzzer went off, and the raw emotion would be let out. It was eerily similar as to last year when they got their first, and ultimately only, win of the prior season with then-new head coach Dawna Wheeler at the helm. This victory felt a lot different, especially with how the Tide would come back to win in thrilling fashion.
Curwensville (1-19) will close out the 2023-2024 season with a pair of games next week, starting on Tuesday night when they travel to West Branch.
SCORE BY QUARTER
Curwensville 5 14 8 28 – 55
Harmony 16 11 14 13 – 54
Curwensville – 55
Addison Butler 3 1-2 7, Brooklynn Price 1 1-2 3, Maddie Sheredy 0 0-0 0, Natalie Wischuck 4 2-4 10, Jovee Elensky 0 0-0 0. Ava Hainsey 4 1-2 9, Addison Warren 3 0-0 6, Jaya Gaul 0 0-0 0, Briah Peoples 6 6-10 18, Janelle Passmore 1 0-0 2. TOTALS 22 11-20 55.
Harmony – 54
Jaylee Beck 6 0-1 12, Mariah Brothers 3 0-0 6, Becca Adams 3 3-4 9, Jayden Fry 7 7-12 23, Shelby Oldaker 2 0-0 4, Holley Oldaker 0 0-0 0, Cheyanna Pusater 0 0-0 0. TOTALS 21 10-17 54.
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 ppd. 0 – 9
01/12 MO VALLEY 26 – 46 0 – 10
01/15 WILLIAMSBURG 15 – 66 0 – 11
01/18 MT. UNION 20 – 62 0 – 12
01/22 JUNIATA VALLEY 13 – 56 0 – 13
01/23 @ Clarion 8 – 61 0 – 14
01/25 GLENDALE 14 – 47 0 – 15
01/29 BUCKTAIL 36 – 55 0 – 16
02/01 WEST BRANCH 18 – 49 0 – 17
02/05 @ Mo Valley 35 – 44 0 – 18
02/07 PURCHASE LINE 12 – 74 0 – 19
02/09 @ Harmony 55 – 54 1 – 19
02/13 @ West Branch
02/14 CLEARFIELD
