NTL GIRLS' BASKETBALL: TOWANDA PULLS AWAY FROM WYALUSING FOR DISTRICT WIN (2025-02-21)
BY CHRIS MANNINGNorthern Tier Sports ReportTOWANDA — The Towanda girls’ basketball team started strong, and finished stronger as they pulled away from Wyalusing for a 60-32 win over Wyalusing in the District IV, Class AAA quarterfinals Friday.
The win punches Towanda’s ticket back to states for the first time in three years.
“This team is just so together,” Towanda coach Rob Gentile said about his youngsters. “One through 11, we have 11 kids and they all just appreciate each other. They’re always equally as important, and I’ve been doing this for close to 30 years now, and it’s probably the most together team that I’ve ever coached, and that speaks volumes for the kind of success we’ve had. You preach it, you preach it, you preach it, and we’ve got to have kids to buy into it, and we’re fortunate to have really good kids here.”
The Knights jumped out to a 14-3 first quarter lead, and pretty much held Wyalusing at bay for the next two quarters before out scoring them 21-8 in the final frame.
“I think we had a lot of energy to start, and it really takes al to out of you,” Gentile said. “I thought we had a good start, and we almost shot ourselves out of the game. We really shot them back into the game taking some ill advised threes early on, but I kept telling them they’re going to fall. We had to find different ways to get those shots, and we started making them, especially late. Part of our system in our game plan is wear teams down. They were a little thin in their depth tonight, and all of that kind of sucks for Rachel (Wilson). She’s a good kid, she’s a tough competitor. It’s unfortunate that she can’t play in this game tonight.”
Wilson was out with an illness leaving Emily Johns as Wyalusing’s lone big for the entire game until the Knights pulled away.
“We ran into Towanda, and they got a lot better towards the end,” said Wyalusing coach Nick Reynolds. “Our kids played very, very well. They played hard, their effort was, as a coach, you couldn’t have asked for anything better than the effort that they gave tonight. We were just a little thin, and kudos to Towanda. Rob does a very nice job, those kids bought in, and I wish him all the luck there. Hopefully they have a very successful run in districts and the state tournament.”
Brynn Woodruff had a double-double of 17 points and 11 boards to go with three blocks for Towanda, as Payton Perry had 17 points, going 2-for-3 from deep, while adding five boards, and five steals.
Mya Maynard also had double-digit rebounds with 12 to go with four points, and four steals.
The Towanda freshmen had big games off the bench with Ali Hollett scoring six points, Reese Sullivan getting five with four boards, and two steals, as Mary-Kate Eberlin had four points.
Karis Flynn finished with five points, and three steals, as Lennon Rice rounded things out with two points.
Liz Kilmer came off the bench to lead Wyalusing with 11 points, including three 3-balls, with Alysha Botts adding six.
Emily Fowler scored five, with Treanna Nickeson, and Johns scoring four points each, as Chloe Whipple rounded things out with two points.
“Emily Fowler stepped up and did a great job, Liz Kilmer stepped up and did a phenomenal job,” Reynolds said. “Rachel’s a hard void to fill for on the glass, we got out rebounded a lot.”
Right off the tip Perry found Flynn for a lay-up to put Towanda up 2-0, with Botts coming back to knot things up with a runner.
Towanda would come back with 10 straight points, started on a Woodruff put back.
Perry added a free throw, followed by Hollett hitting a 3-ball. Runners from Woodruff, and Perry made it 12-2 Knights.
A Johns free throw ended the run, but a pair of freebies from Woodruff put Towanda up 14-3 after one.
A Sullivan runner to start the second pushed Towanda’s lead to 13, but that’s when the Rams responded with a 6-0 run.
Johns got a put back, followed by buckets from Botts, and Fowler to make it 16-9.
Maynard would get a lay-up for an 18-9 score, followed by Johns getting a free throw to make it an 8-point game.
An Eberlin jumper pushed Towanda’s lead back to double digits, followed by the two teams trading buckets.
A Fowler old fashion 3-point play cut the game to it’s closes, 22-15, but a late Eberlin runner gave the Knights a 24-15 lead at the half.
Maynard got a jumper to make it a double-digit lead after the half, but a Nickeson runner plus the free throw cut the deficit back to eight points.
Hollett hit a 3-ball to spark a 6-1 run, as Woodruff followed with an And-1 lay-up to extend the Towanda lead to 32-19.
A Kilmer 3-pointer cut it to 32-22, but the Knights ended the quarter on a 8-2 run - six of those points by Perry - push their lead to 40-24.
Towanda continued that momentum into the fourth as they scored the first 12 points of the frame, beginning with two baskets by Woodruff.
Flynn followed with a jumper, then Perry hit a 3-ball for a 49-24 lead. A Sullivan put back plus the foul put the game two points shy of the mercy rule.
A Kilmer 3-ball ended that run, but back to back buckets from Perry put the game into the mercy rule, 57-27.
Towanda will now face top seed, and state power, Loyalsock, in the semifinals, a team they lost to 54-21 in their season opener.
“I think it’s a great accomplishment for these young kids,” Gentile said about his team making the final four in the district. “At the end of the day I have two upper class men on my roster, and they’re both key players, but they’re nights we’ll play 8-9-10-11 kids, and you just can’t beat that experience to be a freshman, and get an opportunity to play in those moments.”
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PHOTOS BY CHRIS MANNING
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