COUDERSPORT — Playoff basketball means both teams face a one-game season. There is no practice, no scrimmage, and no more games if one experiences a loss. The second season is here, and for the first time in a long while, the Curwensville Golden Tide had the opportunity to make a playoff run. In order to do that, their postseason started with a very long, very tiring, road trip, all the way to Coudersport. As the No. 9 seed, the Tide had to play their way into the quarterfinals, and with the Falcons earning the No. 8 seed, it was Curwensville that had the true road game to start their run.
And early on, the road trip was paying dividends as the two squads would battle tight in the first half, with neither team showing their strengths or weaknesses. However, in the second half, one rough quarter changed the game. Those eight minutes allowed Coudersport to open the up the gap, and the Tide could not come back from the deficit. At night’s end, Curwensville’s season came to a close with an 85-71 loss in the opening round of the District IX playoffs.
The opening quarter for Curwensville was not a bad one, as they were staying competitive with the Falcons. But, they would not be able to keep up with the pace, falling behind 23-14 after eight minutes. However, Tide head coach Josh Tkacik and his staff were determined to make some adjustments to get back into the game.
And they did just that. The second quarter was an extreme change from the first, as Curwensville began limiting opportunities on defense, and capitalizing on ones on offense. That allowed the Tide to double up the Falcons, 22-11, and head into the locker room with a 36-34 lead and a lot of hope that their playoff run would continue.
Both teams came out for the second half ready to go, and the third quarter is often a telling sign of how well a team prepares, both at the start of the night and after seeing how the opposition plays.
That third quarter was a benefit for the Falcons, as they came out ready to charge, and Curwensville began having miscues.
Fouls became an issue in the second half, and Coudersport took advantage. For the game, the Falcons went to the foul line 29 times, 24 of them coming in the second half. Curwensville, by contrast, only went to the line 15 times. Fouls limited the opportunities for Curwensville, and they also began struggling to get the ball in the basket in the stanza. The Tide only managed eight points in the third quarter, while the Falcons tripled the output. What was a two-point lead for Curwensville suddenly went to a 14-point deficit.
In the end, fouls played a key role in the Falcons holding onto that lead. Curwensville’s leading scorer on the night, Grant Swanson, would foul out in the fourth quarter after a 20-point effort. He, along with Davis Fleming (17) and Parker Wood (16) all hit double figures.
Coudersport took advantage and made its way to the foul line 16 times in the final quarter, only missing three shots in the process. Both teams scored 27 points in the fourth quarter, but the struggles in the third ultimately saw the Tide fall and not recover.
For the Falcons, Reilly Streich led all scoring with a 32-point effort. Mason Roessner accounted for another 22, while Drew Van Why put up another 14.
Despite the season coming to an end, Tkacik was overjoyed at what his team accomplished in the 2023-2024 season, with solid leadership and a great core of players that are returning for next season.
“My seniors this year are fantastic people with genuine humility and a deep sense of pride for their families and community,” he said. “Andrew (Wassil), Braden (Holland), Parker, Grant and Ethan (Siegel) will be deeply missed. Yet, I am hopeful because I know each of them are undoubtedly becoming the strong men our nation needs. It’s an honor to know them; they are top-shelf kind of guys.
“Our underclassmen show great promise, and many of them are gym rats. I have a great coaching staff and look forward to the grind in the months ahead. As a program, we still have lots of work to do to get where we want to be.”
Curwensville’s season comes to a close with a final record of 11-12.
SCORE BY QUARTER
Curwensville 14 22 8 27 – 71
Coudersport 23 11 24 27 – 85
Curwensville – 71
Grant Swanson 7 0-0 20, Davis Fleming 5 4-10 17, Chandler English 2 0-0 5, Braden Holland 2 0-0 4, Hunter Tkacik 2 0-0 5, Louie Tkacik 0 4-4 4, Parker Wood 7 1-1 16. TOTALS 25 9-15 71.
Coudersport – 85
Drew Van Why 2 9-10 14, Mason Roessner 8 3-3 22, Micah Batson 2 0-1 5, Dylan Howard 3 0-0 7, Kevin Sherry 2 1-2 5, Reilly Streich 10 10-13 32. TOTALS 27 23-29 85.
Final 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 42 – 36 9 – 6
01/31 @ Mt. Union 46 – 53 9 – 7
02/02 @ West Branch 49 – 63 9 – 8
02/05 KEYSTONE 51 – 54 9 – 9
02/06 MO VALLEY 57 – 40 10 – 9
02/10 @ DuBois Central Catholic 50 – 62 10 – 10
02/13 @ Clearfield 32 – 65 10 – 11
02/15 @ Bucktail 72 – 59Â 11 – 11
02/20 D9 Playoffs
02/20 vs. Coudersport 71 – 85 11 – 12
