NTL BOYS' BASKETBALL: TOWANDA PULLS AWAY FROM TROY (January 7, 2026)

BY CHRIS MANNING
Northern Tier Sports Report
TROY — Four different players hit double figures for Towanda as they pulled away from a pesky Troy team for a 62-44 win during NTL boys’ hoops action Tuesday.

“It’s absolutely a big win for our guys,” said Towanda coach Landon Henry. “Troy’s had such a successful program over the last couple of years. They’re a very competitive group, and they know how to win, so we have a lot of respect for their group. Obviously, we’re very pleased to come out with a win tonight.”

After a tight game early Towanda used a 13-2 run late in the first into the early second to take a 21-8 lead.

The Trojans would chip away, getting it a single digits a few times - including eight points with 5:05 left - but from that point on the Knights out scored them 15-5 the rest of the way to secure the win.

“Playing in close games is good for us because we need to learn how to handle situations,” said Henry. “Shot selection, for example, given the certain time and certain lead that we might have in a situation. We can take a lot from this game.”

They got a big night from Graham Welles off the bench, who hit five 3-balls en route to a game high 17 points.

“I was super happy for Graham, he’s a guy that can really shoot the ball well,” Henry remarked. “I was super happy to see how it impacted his defensive side of the floor, too. I saw him very active defensively, playing a lot bigger than what he is.”

Markell Garner added 13 points and 17 rebounds for a double-double, with Boom Thompson netting 12 points to go with eight boards, and Darrius Farrell scoring 11 plus six rebounds.

Landon Clark chipped in with six, as Lucas Vincent scored three.

Trey Teribury had a double-double of 16 points, and 10 rebounds to lead Troy, to go along with four blocks.

Pryor Teribury added 10 points, as Spencer Martin had six points, and five assists.

Landon Cole, and Cameron Morey both notched three points, with Morey also grabbing nine boards, while Josiah Pesesky, James Roy, and Aidan Lawrence each notched two. 

Pesesky also had four boards.

Towanda hit the offensive rebounds early to take a 14-8 lead at the end of the first quarter.

Thompson had five points to lead the Knights while Garner netted three.

The Teriburys had four points each to lead the Trojans.

With the game 8-6 the Knights went on a 6-2 run to end the first quarter as Garner, Thompson, and Welles all had buckets.

The Knights opened the second quarter on a 7-0 run, beginning with a Vincent 3-ball. That was followed by buckets from Garner, and Clark for the 21-8 lead.

Troy fought back with two freebies from Trey, a Morey put back, and a Roy bucket to make it a 7-point game.

A Farrell 3-ball followed by a Garner jumper pushed the lead back to 12 points.

The final minutes became a 3-point shooting contest as the teams traded kick-out bombs.

Trey, and Cole scored for Troy, while Welles had Towanda’s two for a 32-20 halftime score.

The Trojans came out of the locker rooms firing, going on a 6-0 run behind two buckets from Trey, and a basket out of Pesesky to cut it to 32-26.

A Farrell 3-ball pushed the lead back to 35-26 halfway through the frame.

A Trey free throw made it an 8-point game, but Welles’ fourth 3-pointer of the game pushed the lead back to double digits.

The Knights would make it 40-28 off a Thompson runner, but a Pryor 3-ball cut the deficit to 40-31 going into the fourth.

The Knights opened the final frame on a 4-0 run off buckets from Garner, and Cole. 

The two teams then traded 3-balls, followed by a basket from Trey, and a 3-pointer out of Martin to make it an 8-point game, 47-39.

Towanda’s big three of Garner, Thompson, and Farrell had an answer, though, as they combined to go on a 7-0 run to extend Towanda’s lead to 54-39 with 3:57 on the clock.

Martin backed his second three of the game to cut it to a 12-point deficit with 3:10 to play, but Troy wouldn’t score again until the 1:28 mark.

By that point Towanda had scored six straight to put the game out of reach.

Troy (5-4) hits the road to Athens on Thursday, while Towanda (9-1) will host Wellsboro.

“It’s going to be very competitive,” Henry said about the Hornets, who are coming off a 53-51 come from behind win over Wyalusing. 

“We’ve got to work our tails off to prepare for these guys, and just be ready for another opportunity to play on our home floor.”

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PHOTOS BY CHRIS MANNING

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