NTL GIRLS BASKETBALL: PERRY LEADS TOWANDA PAST WYALUSING (February 8, 2026)

BY CHRIS MANNING
Northern Tier Sports Report
WYALUSING — With a lot on the line Towanda coach Rob Gentile was glad to see his team play like it on Saturday as they shook off a slow start to beat Wyalusing, 47-33, during NTL girls’ hoops action.

The win pushes Towanda into second place in the NTL Large School standings, with a spot in the NTL Showcase, and likely keeps them in fourth in the District IV, Class AAA standings, insuring they have a home playoff game.

“That was outstanding,” Gentile said about his team’s performance. “I’m super proud of these guys, and I honestly told them yesterday that was likely going to happen.”

The Rams jumped out to a 7-0 first quarter lead with Towanda not scoring until the 1;22 mark of the opening frame.

However, their defense held Wyalusing scoreless for an eight minute stretch in the first half, allowing Towanda to take an 18-7 lead midway through the second quarter.

Wyalusing was able to cut it to seven points early in the fourth but Towanda responded with an 8-0 run to ice the game.

“I knew they were going to come out with a lot of energy, it’s their gym, it’s a big game,” explained Gentile. “I figured they had prepared for our pressure, and it didn’t surprise me at all. They jumped out to the 7-0 lead, and when I called the time out I told them this was going to happen. Just relax and play basketball.”

Towanda pressed the entire game forcing 14 steals as they made up for Wyalusing’s strong work on the offensive glass.

“We decided we were going to come here, and play our style of basketball,” Gentile remarked. “If they were better than us, they were better than us, but I was really proud of the kids because I felt like they came here, and they took this one. They didn’t give an inch - we pressured passing lanes, we were putting constant pressure on the ball. We gave up some easy buckets, and had some mistakes here and there, but they just didn’t quit.”

Payton Perry had the big night for Towanda, netting a game high 21 points and sparking the Knights late in the first quarter with a 6-0 run to get them on the scoreboard.

“I tell the kids all the time, Wyalusing brings out the best in us,” said Gentile. “I’ve even told them, we have to play every game like it’s Wyalusing because they’re full of energy. They have a lot of emotion to play, and we just lack that sometimes. Consistency is our issue, and I tell the kids that all the time, we’ve just got to be more consistent, but we’r just playing our style of basketball.”

Mya Maynard added seven points as Ali Hollett hit two big 3-balls in the fourth quarter for six.

“She hadn’t played a second in that game, but I knew we needed a big play, and I have 100-percent trust in Ali’s shot,” Gentile said. “She’s a fantastic shooter, and she can be deadly when she starts hitting them.”

Brynn Woodruff added five points with two steals, as Maris Cobb had three points, and two steals.

Kennedy Heyer, and Reese Sullivan chipped in with two points apiece, while Mary-Kate Eberlin notched one point with four boards, and five steals. Taylor Aquilio added three steals off the bench.

Emily Johns had 11 points to lead the Rams, with Jenna Morningstar scoring 10.

Alysha Botts netted six, with Brinley Sterling, and Treanna Nickeson scoring three points apiece.

Johns, Botts, and Morningstar each had a bucket in the first half of the first frame, while Johns added a free throw, for a 7-0 lead.

Perry would hit a 3-ball and in the final 1:22 Towanda had taken a 9-7 lead. She added an old fashion 3-point play, followed by a Cobb deep ball.

The long ball continued to treat Towanda well as Maynard hit one, followed by another and-1 from Perry for a 15-7 score.

Perry’s second 3-pointer of the day extended the lead to 18-7 with 3:57 on the clock.

Nickeson hit a jumper to end the Towanda streak, but they started a new one, scoring six straight - five of them by Perry - to go up 24-9 with 1:13 left in the opening half.

Wyalusing rallied in the final minute as Botts had a lay-up, followed by a Sterling 3-ball to make it 24-14 at the half.

The Rams cut it to 24-18 behind a 4-0 run from Johns two minutes into the third.

Perry would get a free throw, but a Morningstar put back saw the Rams close to 25-20 with 3:36 left in the third.

The Knights answered with a 7-0 run, kick started by a Perry And-1, followed by a 4-0 spurt from Woodruff, to make it a 12-point game.

A pair of Johns free throws, followed by a Morningstar basket in the final minute made it 32-24 going into the final frame.

A Nickeson free throw in the first 10 seconds of the fourth cut it to 32-25.

Maynard would get a lay-up for a 34-25 score, then came Hollett’s back to back 3-balls to push the lead to 40-25 with 5:55 left to play.

The Rams would go on an 8-2 run over the next three minutes to make it 42-33 but never got any closer.

Wyalusing (12-9) finishes up the regular season on Monday as they head to Athens, while Towanda (16-5) welcomes NP-Mansfield.

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PHOTOS BY CHRIS MANNING

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