NTL BOYS' BASKETBALL: TROY USES BIG FOURTH QUARTER TO PULL AWAY FROM BLOOMSBURG (2025-02-21)
BY CHRIS MANNINGNorthern Tier Sports ReportTROY — Four three quarters Troy and Bloomsburg were neck-and-neck, but in the fourth the Trojans took control as they pulled away for a 68-55 win over Bloomsburg in the District IV, Class AAA boys’ basketball quarterfinal Thursday.
“Our district tournament, there’s some really good teams in it, and Bloomsburg came to play,” Troy coach Bob Woodward said. “I thought, in the second half, we controlled the tempo, and our defense was the difference for us.”
They led by four after three, then in the fourth they scored the first 10 points of the frame, and the final six to secure the win.
Troy led 15-8 after one but the Panthers hit six of their 11 3-balls in the second quarter to cut it to 33-30 at the half.
“We just had to stay patient with our defense, and stick to our principles,” coach Woodward said. “They shot the ball extremely well, especially from three in the first half, and I thought we did a better job closing out in the second half.”
The Panthers got some good penetration in the first half, especially with Katrell Butler, but once Troy was able to slow that down the open looks started to dry up.
“They seemed like they couldn’t miss from three, and they had a couple good guards that could get downhill,” said Troy’s Evan Woodward. “But once we started to close off those drives, and eliminate kick outs, we ended up better.”
JB Burbage had a big night with a double-double of 30 points and 14 boards, while Woodward chipped in with 12 points, six assists, five boards, three blocks, and plenty of hustle plays that were momentum changers.
“Evan always plays with another gear,” coach Woodward said. “He’s all over the place. He’s jumping, he’s running, he’ll do whatever it takes, and he doesn’t care who gets the credit. I thought all of our guys defensively never cared who got the credit in the second half.”
Spencer Martin had 11 points off the bench - including three of the team’s four 3-balls - while adding four assists, as Lincoln Chimics had eight points, four boards, and three assists.
Joseph Frye netted four points to go with six assists, and two blocks, as Trey Teribury added three points.
Jayden Smith had 12 points - all on 3-pointers - to lead Bloomsburg, with Liam Witkowski scoring 10. Butler finished with nine, as Nathan LaBuda notched eight.
Chimics opened the game with a lay-up to take a 2-0 lead, but Bloomsburg scored the next two points for a 4-2 advantage.
The Trojans rattled off the next eight points with two buckets from Burbage, and one from Woodward, and Chimics for a 10-4 lead.
Bloomsburg stayed in touch after that, as Troy nipped the 5-4 the rest of the way for a 15-8 first quarter lead.
The back and forth continued in the second but it was 3-pointers from Bloomsburg against Troy’s twos.
The Panthers’ first four buckets of the second quarter were all threes, cutting the lead to 23-20.
A Teribury free throw made it 24-20, but a 5-0 run by the Panthers saw them take a 25-24 lead.
A pair of Woodward free throws put Troy back up 26-25, but then Dominick Rosini bagged a 3-pointer for a 28-26 Panther lead.
The two teams then traded buckets, followed by Martin hitting a 3-pointer to put Troy up 31-30.
Woodward then got a steal and lay-up for a 33-30 lead, and forced a Bloomsburg turnover at their own to keep them from getting a final shot off before the half.
“Defense wins championships,” Woodward said. “It’s nice to get a good play on defense.”
Bloomsburg opened the second half strong, going on an 8-0 run to take their largest lead of the game, 38-33.
Troy came back with a 9-0 run of their own with two buckets from Burbage, a 3-ball out of Martin, and a runner from Woodward as Troy went up 42-38.
A LaBuda bucket cut it to 42-40, but back to back baskets from Burbage saw the Trojans take a 6-point advantage.
Bloomsburg, though, out scored Troy 5-3 the rest of the way of for the 49-45 score after three.
Burbage opened the fourth with a jumper, followed by Martin’s third 3-ball of the night. Another Burbage jumper, followed by an old fashion 3-point play out of Chimics saw the Trojans extend their lead to 59-45.
A Witkowski 3-pointer ended that run, with a Smith 3-ball making it a 9-point game with 3:38 left to play.
After a Burbage bucket pushed Troy’s lead to 62-51 the Panthers got back to back lay-ups out of LaBuda for a 7-point contest.
They wouldn’t score again, though, as the Trojans went into ball control mode, getting two lay-ups out of Burbage, and a free throws from Frye and Burbage to end the game.
“They’re a very good basketball team,” Evan Woodward said about the win. “It’s nice to move on to the semifinals.”
Coach Woodward felt his team showed a lot of poise throughout the fourth - when they extended the lead, when Bloomsburg was making their final push, and when they eventually pulled away.
“Them believing in each other, the willingness to make the extra pass, I thought that was the difference for us offensively,” he said. “We didn’t have one guy holding it, several guys were touching it. We were able to get lay-ups at the rim, and then some kick-out threes.”
They’ll face Mifflinburg in the semifinals, a 38-31 winner over Southern Columbia.
“We’re going to focus on tomorrow’s practice,” said Woodward. “We have weight room in practice tomorrow, and we’ll start preparation. We’ve got to get better.”
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PHOTOS BY CHRIS MANNING
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