NTL GIRLS' BASKETBALL: WYALUSING DOWNS ATHENS IN FRONT OF THEIR STUDENT BODY (January 15, 2026)

BY CHRIS MANNING
Northern Tier Sports Report
WYALUSING — The environment was hot, loud, and electric - just way Wyalusing wanted it. In front of the entire student body Wyalusing topped Athens, 41-26, during NTL girls’ hoops action Wednesday.

The game was played in the early afternoon so the entire school could attend, giving it a playoff, or even a college level atmosphere.

“It was so exciting,” said Wyalusing guard Alysha Botts. “The crowd was so loud, and getting to do it in front of all of our peers was awesome.”

It was the brainchild of coach Nick Reynolds.

“We talked prior, ‘what’s coolest environment that we’ve ever played,’” he explained.

That turned out to be a state playoff game at Holy Cross he played in for Athens two decades ago. The game was a loss but 20 years later it sparked an idea.

“How could we mimic that,” he continued. “We saw some things online through social media, and we thought, ‘why can’t we do that at Wyalusing?’”

He thanked Athens AD Cody White and their administration for working with them to make it happen.

“We’re super excited that Athens came down,” said Reynolds. “We played a very good basketball team. Those coaches are doing a tremendous job with that group, and next year we get to go play in front of their school, so I think it’s going to be a wild environment.”

Reynolds felt this was a good thing for not just the basketball team, but also for the school. It was a party like atmosphere with a DJ, a halftime musical chairs competition, and the Ramettes Dance team.

“It’s for all the kids,” he said. “It’s not just the basketball kids, it’s all the kids that are involved in school. There’s kids that have probably never been to a basketball game in their life, and they have the opportunity to come during school hours to see what it’s like to play athletics for their high school. There’s a lot of hard work that these players put in, and I just hope that it’s a memory that last’s a lifetime with all the kids, students, faculty, everything because it’s never really been done before.”

They aren’t the first school to try it - Wellsboro held a wrestling match against Lewisburg during the day earlier this year, while else where in District IV it’s been done this season - but Reynolds believes it won’t be a flash in the pan.

“I think more schools should do it,” he said. “It was pretty special, and I think the kids understand that. They played a good game. There were lots of times when your hair on the back of your neck would stick up because it’s so loud, and that’s the environment that you want to have.”

There were definitely some first quarter jitters for both teams as Wyalusing held just a 9-5 lead.

However, The Rams opened up the offense in the second, out scoring Athens 13-6 to take a 22-11 lead into the locker rooms.

The Wildcats hung in there in the third as both teams netted 11 points, but in the fourth Athens could mount an offensive rally, being held to just four points.

“We knew it was going to be low scoring,” said Reynolds. “You don’t know what the kids are going to do, but our team, and the Athens team, there is moments where kids will go above, and beyond under pressure. It was really cool to see all the kids out there do that.”

Emily Johns had 16 points to lead the Rams, making her presence felt in the second half with 10 points coming in the final two quarters.

“Emily puts a lot of work in,” remarked Reynolds. “She’s one of our bigs, she’s got to be able to do the dirty work. She was able to adjust, and she was able to finish. She puts so much time in to help her team out, and it’s games like these where it pays off.”

Botts finished with 13 points, carrying much of the offensive load in the first half with 10 of her team’s 22.

“I think we just had to take advantage of mismatches and close outs,” Botts said. “We really just had to make it work. They’re pretty tough defensively, so we just had to take advantage of anything that we could get.”

Liz Kilmer netted seven, as Treanna Nickeson notched five.

McKenna Jarvis led Athens with 14 as Alissa Vough, and Alison Kemp had five points each. Megan Morgan added two.

In the opening frame Johns hit back to back shots off assists from Nickeson, and Botts to make it 4-0 Rams.

A Kemp bucket would get Athens on the scoreboard, followed by Botts hitting a 3-ball for a 7-2 lead. Johns’ third basket of the game extended the lead to 9-2, but a Jarvis 3-ball made it a 9-5 game at the first horn.

“Coach kept telling us, it’s just a basketball game,” said Botts. “I think that’s really what we had to do. We just had to stay within ourselves, and remember that we’re just playing basketball.”

A Jarvis free throw made it 9-6, but a Botts 3-ball pushed the lead to 12-6 halfway through the second quarter.

The offenses started to find their footing after that, with a Morgan put back cutting it to 12-8.

After a pair of Botts free throws Jarvis hit a 3-ball to make it a 3-point game.

That’s when Wyalusing dialed it in from long distance as they got 3-pointers from Kilmer, and Nickeson to push their lead to 20-11.

A Nickeson lay-up before the half made it an 11-point game at the break.

Johns scored off a Nickeson assist early in the third to put the Rams up 24-11, but a 5-0 run from Athens got them back in the game.

A Nickeson free throw, followed by a Botts lay-up pushed the lead back to double digits, with a Vough free throw making it 27-17.

The two teams traded baskets until it was 31-21, then a Kilmer lay-up pushed the lead to 33-21.

Jarvis went 1-for-2 from the line to end the third, making it a 33-22 contest.

Jarvis would get it a single digit lead with a lay-up early in the fourth, but Wyalusing responded with a 7-0 run.

They got free throws from Botts, and Nickeson, followed by an old fashion 3-point play out of Johns, then a put back by the junior forward pushed the lead to 40-24 halfway through the fourth.

That would be the last field goal of the game as Athens went 2-for-6 from the line after that, while Wyalusing was 1-for-2.

Wyalusing (7-5) will take their 4-game win streak into Towanda on Friday with a 7:30 p.m. start.

“I think this Athens game helped us prepare,” Reynolds said. “We have a lot of momentum right now.”

— — 

PHOTOS BY CHRIS MANNING

Print Friendly Version